Shadow Sun Prophecy

Chapters

Chapter 2: Ninja Meeting
Chapter 3: The Job
Chapter 4: The Show Must Not Stop
Chapter 5: Black And Orange
Chapter 6: Mask N' Knifes
Chapter 7: Crossed Blades
Chapter 8: Ghost Chase
Chapter 10: The Meaning Of Flight Is To Land
Chapter 11: Nightmarishly Real
Chapter 12: Dragon Within
Chapter 13: Welcome To The Jungle
Chapter 14: Each Morning
Chapter 15: Wild Changelings
Chapter 16: The Temple Of Paradox
Episode 2: Chapter 17: Two Horned Problems
Chapter 18: The Afternoon Was Hot
Chapter 19: The Night Was Young
Chapter 20: The Morning Was Unexpected
Chapter 21: The Duo
Chapter 22: The Survivor
Chapter 23: The Big Failure
Chapter 24: Ecstasy Of The Kill
Chapter 26: Into The Beast's Mouth
Chapter 27: Coming Home
Chapter 28: Angels Fall, Phoenixes Rise
Chapter 29: Sweet Love Of Mine
Chapter 30: Bloody Winds... The Shadow Coming
Chapter 31: Love You After Death
Chapter 32: No Brave New World
Chapter 33: We Part Ways, Destiny Awaits
Chapter 34: Triple Horn Rule
Chapter 35: All Aboard!
Chapter 36: Rise Of The Leader
Chapter 37: Airway To Hell
Chapter 38: Parallel
Chapter 39: Collision
Chapter 41: A Night
Chapter 42: The Day That Never Was ( Part 1 )
Chapter 43: The Day That Never Was ( Part 2 )
Epilogue
Episode 1: Chapter 1: Pain In The Sunny Day
Chapter 9: Trains, Everypony Likes Trains
Episode 3: Chapter 25: Past And Present
Chapter 40: Craze Is In The Air... The King

Chapter 2: Ninja Meeting

"Are you ready Mr Lucky?" the pink spa pony asked behind the glass door. There was so much smoke in the bathroom, that she couldn't recognize anything inside.

Lucky overused the soap and the hot water and now was swimming in a bathtub, full with thousands of white bubbles. Only his head stayed on top and his eyes looked very serious for a blind pony. Lucky was not happy with what Fancy Pants did for him. Instead of feeling honored, he felt he was looked down with the eyes of pity again and the pegasus really hated that.

"Mr Lucky, are you there?" the spa pony sounded concerned.

"Yes, I'm here." he replied with not very friendly tone.

"When you are ready, please give us a notice. Your next stop will be at the manedrasser's place."

"What!" Lucky shouted in his thoughts. "Manedrasser? I like my mane as it is or was or... ah... Is it that long?"

He felt his mane with his right hoof and for his amusement it really had grown big.

"Strange, why didn't I notice it before? Was it because I was too closed in myself to sense anything at all? Maybe I should ask the spa pony for directions." Lucky thought.

"Excuse, me. Could you tell me where the manedrasser is?" he tried to sound as polite as he could but there was still a note of uncertainty in his voice. No pony gave him an answer, after waiting for awhile.

"Where is the spa pony? I didn't hear her leaving." the pegasus slowly stood up and immediately big drops of soap water started falling from his body. He opened the glass door and stepped outside. Lucky felt a bit cold, which was strange because in the spa, it was always warm and comfy. He tried to grab his towel but couldn't reach to anything.

"What the? I may be blind but I do remember where I put things." Lucky walked steadily forward, with one hoof in the air to constantly check for hings in front of him. It was rather quiet for this place and Lucky was starting to get the worries. "I don't think I was alone in the bathrooms. Why I don't hear other ponies' showers or noises?"

The pegasus slowly proceeded forward. Only the sound of his steps echoed in the walls of what seemed to be a bigger room. It was quite dark and humid. After few minutes of walking in one general direction, the pegasus came to the conclusion that the room either got bigger and he was going in circles, or Lucky wasn't in the spa anymore.

"That leads to next question: did I drown or hurt my head?"

He took some deep breaths, hit his cheek with a hoof to check, if he was not dreaming or something of this sort.

"Everything seems in place. But then where is everypony?" Lucky froze to listened to the surroundings but not even the slightest sound was made. "This is very strange." he thought confusingly.

Lucky's scout instincts kicked in and he started thinking how to get out of this situation. The pegasus looked rather emotionless but inside him, he desperately was fighting the growing fear.

"Be cool, I'm in the spa center, unless I've stepped in some kind of a portal. I should move backwards, from where I came as silent as possible." the pegasus thought.

On his first step back, the temperature of the room dropped again from cold to ice-cold and his wet body started rapidly losing its warmth. Chills from top to bottom took over his precise silent actions and Lucky found himself not able to move very well. Suddenly a fast wind passed by him, carrying thousands of snowflakes from nowhere, that were hitting his body like needles.

"What magic is this? I need to get out of here fast before I turn into a snow pony!" The only problem was that his body stopped responding to his commands and this made Lucky panic. "What in Celestia's beard! I can't move!"

The frost surrounded him in its icy death grip like a hand of a giant. It suffocated his life force and was slowly killing him. Lucky tried to hold himself alive as much as his little body could. However, the freezing menace was winning without a doubt.

Suddenly, an opening appeared in the storm and a pony figure came close to the pegasus. It grabbed Lucky and lifted him up with its hooves. The ex-Guardian was almost frozen to death, so he barely noticed what was going on. Ice covered his entire body, restricting him to move in the slightest. Only his face stayed uncovered.

"Lucky, the Shadow Princess found us! We must run!" she shouted but the pegasus almost couldn't hear her.

"Who... ar.... youu?" Lucky barely stayed conscious to hear her answer but he gave the little he had to stay awake.

"What do you mean? It's me, Foxy Tail, your wife."

"My wife?" Lucky loudly exclaimed. Suddenly the icy storm disappeared like it came in the first place. The silhouette of the pony became unclear and blurry and soon after ceased to exist. Lucky fell hard on the floor, shacking uncontrollably. The temperature raised to its normal values and the ice on his body melted away and left his entire fur wet.

"Mr Lucky, are you alright?" a mare voice sounded in front of him.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You are lying on the floor, in the bathrooms. I think, you might have hit your head, while you were trying to get out of the bathtub. A pony, who was having a bath here, heard you falling and immediately informed us."

Suddenly his head ached around the back. It pained him a lot but it wasn't something, Lucky would worry about.

"So the storm and the pony were just my imagination? It felt pretty real to me. Better be careful next time." he thought, while trying to get up. The entire ground around him was covered with soap water and that made it difficult for him to stand up.

"Let me help you." the brown pony, with the dark brown mane, said. He was the one, who heard Lucky falling and then tried to wake him but that failed/ Then earth pony galloped as fast as he could to tell the spa ponies what happened.

"I can manage on my own!" the pegasus sounded very serious and insistent.

The other two ponies looked at each other confusingly but didn't say a word because only their expressions were enough. Lucky successfully stood up but the pain became more annoying in his head.

"I'll have to deal with that later. Let's just carry on for now." he thought. Then Lucky turned to the spa pony.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"For about 3 minutes and 37 seconds." the brown pony answered.

"Oh, then I'm sorry for taking your time with me." Lucky turned around to face him but yet again he missed.

"Not a problem. Actually, it was exciting to find out how much time you needed to wake up. By the way, I'm over here."

Lucky did another turn and finally faced him properly.

"Hate it, when this happens." the pegasus thought with dislike, though he managed to cover it up with a small smile.

"Sorry about that." after his apology, Lucky turned at the spa pony. "I think, I'm ready. Let's go to the manedrasser."

"Are you sure you are completely alright?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm totally fine."

"Okay, then. Follow me, sir." the pink pony helped Lucky to get his towel and then together left the bathrooms. The brown pony returned to his bathtub. He failed to notice the small snowflake that fell from the ceiling. The little ice crystal gracefully flew down and when it touched the ground, It instantly turned to another little drop of water in the bigger pool.

The next few minutes were a painful adventure for Lucky, not in the sense of body pain but he had to constantly defend himself against the spa ponies' offerings, despite his next stop being at the manedressing salon. It went like this:

"Would like to take a mud bath?" they offered.

"No, I just cleaned myself!" he answered.

"Would you like your hooves to be polished?"

"Do I look like a mare? I'm a stallion!"

"Would you like to have a bath in jacuzzi?"

"Hm, that's sound fun but I only need my mane cut and be on my way!"

"Would you like your feathers colored?"

"No and no! I want to get out of here as quickly as possible!"

"Why don't they listen?"

"Because we're the spa ponies!"

"We are here to make you look better, smell better, feel better!"

"And we'll not stop until we've finished with you!"

"Oh, Celestia, why!"

Lucky barely managed to escape those two and found himself sitting in a chair in a very bright room. Pink and white were the main colors. It was filled with mirrors and ponies waiting for their manecut. A yellow unicorn with a big smile came to him. He had purple stylish mane that was divided in several rolls of hair.

"What do we have here? A mane that was not cared for?" he sounded very delightful for some unknown reason.

"Not you, too! Uh... Just cut it a little bit." Lucky said with a bit scared voice.

"Oh, I'll do even more. Prepare to be amazed." the manedresser started cutting and forming the pegasus's mane. His actions were precise and fluid. The magically held scissors and comb gracefully flew over Lucky's head. It looked more like spectacle rather than a simple manecut. In just over a few minutes the yellow unicorn managed to cut Lucky's long mane and actually do a pretty neat manestyle that perfectly suited the pegasus. It was shorter than what the length usually was on other stallions. The front part was shaped into five sharp angles, that made a half rainbow-like dive downwards and the back was cut to the neck but it almost remained its natural form.

The unicorn backed a little and looked at his newest creation with a very big smile. He then gently moved Lucky's chair closer to the big ellipse mirror, so that the pegasus could see in more detail his new manecut.

"What do you think? Its fabulous, isn't it?" the manedrasser sounded rather excited for the opinion of his customer.

"Sorry to brake it to you, but I can't see. Although thanks for the manecut."

Lucky lifted his hoof to his head to check his new manestyle but his action was stop by the unicorn, who now looked as if he saw a ghost.

"Don't touch the mane! You'll ruin it!" he said with a serious tone.

"What? This is not fair!" Lucky sounded surprised by the manedrasser's actions. "How am I supposed to know how it's shaped?"

"Deal with it! At least other ponies will admire on your mane. Now excuse me, I have another desperate client waiting! Good-bye and have a pleasant day!" then the unicorn turned around and went with a fast paced to the next pony.

Lucky unhappily got off the chair, when one of the spa ponies passed him by. She looked worried for some reason but the mare tried her best to look cheerful.

"Hey, could you tell me where the reception is?" he asked.

"I'm going there, just follow me." she replied. The two left the manedresser's place that was starting to get a bit overcrowded because of lack of additional manedressers.

"Where are my pegasi colleagues? They are quite late and I can't keep up with this stream of ponies!" the yellow unicorn complained in his mind, while forming his client's mane.

At the reception Lucky got his pink silk towel, which he then put on his head again.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay here, Mr Lucky." the blue earth pony said behind the glass desk. "And be careful outside."

"Thanks, I may come here more often." Lucky nodded and went for the exit. He opened the door, which ringed and left silently.

"I'm never coming to this place again!" he thought, when the pegasus was outside. "Next stop, the Royal Guards Office. If I remember correctly, I should turn right and go straight until the next crossing and then turn left. It should be just around the corner, unless they moved it but I doubt it. Metal Eye would have mentioned it. I should get going."

Lucky started slowly walking, when suddenly something didn't feel right. He froze in one place and listened carefully. There were no ponies around him or on the near street. The long queue had somehow vanished without a trace. What he also heard were the lightnings that struck in the distance, which made no sense to him.

"Before I entered the spa center, it was a sunny day. Now it seems, it's going to rain. Did the pegasi change their weather plans or something? Maybe that's the reason ponies are not waiting in the queue?" he sighed." Why do I even care? I'm just wasting time."

Lucky proceeded to the garden's exit and turned right. Although he couldn't see, where he was going, the pegasus made a map in his head based on his memories. As a scout, Lucky had to know his surroundings even in the most dire situation. The pegasus now solely relied on his hearing, touch and smell to successfully get to the Office. On his every step, Lucky carefully analyzed his positioning and direction. A mistake would cost him a lot of time and there were no ponies that could help him in his little journey.

The streets were empty of any life. It didn't feel like Canterlot at all. More like a ghost town that was abandoned long ago. Not even the buildings made any sounds, as if no one lived there.

Dark clouds were blocking the sky and the sun, to where the eyes could see . The Capital's shining appearance was forcefully taken over by the grim one and it felt like something was very wrong.

Lucky precisely followed his mind map and soon he arrived at the Royal Guards Office. The pegasus was surprised to find out the entrance of the building not guarded by anypony. There were always two pegasi or two unicorns that stood like statues, in their golden armors, in the sides of the Office's door.

"Maybe I've made a mistake somewhere? No, I can't have. I should be right in front of the Office. Let's see, if I can get some answers inside." Lucky thought. With his left hoof, the pegasus located the tall door and pushed it back with little force. Lucky got inside in the Office's reception, which was a medium sized room with a lot of chairs that were put in the sides. The floor was made of a well preserved wooden material. The walls were painted in red and yellow and the ceiling in white. On the walls, portraits of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were magnificently painted and put to each other. They were smiling, as if they were trying to cheer anypony, who would look at them.

At the end of the room, two opposite corridors led to the other areas of the building and between them stood a small wooden desk, behind of which the only pony in the room was writing stuff. The old grey unicorn, turned his attention away from his duties and felt surprised by the sight of Lucky.

"Well, what do you know? It's Lucky-the-Eight, in flesh and blood. You look surprisingly good , sonny." the old one greeted him with his western accent.

"Hi, Quarter Key. Long time no see or hear..." Lucky replied, while he closed the distance between them.

"I heard from Metal Eye that you were in a very bad shape. What happened, Lucky?" the unicorn looked anxious. He was one of the oldest in the Guards Office and many considered him like an older brother, who they could talk to, when they had problems, no matter the sort.

"I'd rather not talk about it." Lucky turned his head to the left, as if he didn't want to look at the unicorn's blue eyes. It was an old habit, he couldn't escape from. "I came to speak with Metal Eye about a thing. Is he here?"

"Nope. He was ordered to travel to Manehatten few days ago and I do not know why." the old pony answered.

"Why didn't Metal Eye tell me, that he was leaving Canterlot?" Lucky thought and then sighed. "What am I going to do now? Wait for him?... No! If I wait for him, it will only mean that I'm weak. And I do not want that."

"Lucky, are you alright? You seem upset. Is there something I can do?" Quarter Key suggested with a smile.

"Never mind me." Lucky answered. He then turned his head, now facing the unicorn. The pegasus washed himself from his previous thoughts and now he wanted to change the subject of their conversation. "Isn't it quiet in here? Why there aren't any guards at the entrance?"

"Princess Celestia declared a state of emergency. It seems the clouds over our heads are uncontrollable and dangerous to anypony on the ground. Every capable pegasi and unicorns, serving in Canterlot, were called to help in dealing with this problem. Only I and a few other older Guardians were ordered to stay here in case somepony needs help with something."

"So that's way everypony was missing on the streets. Interesting, the last state of emergency was declared, when the changelings attacked the capital. I wonder what might have caused the rogue clouds." Lucky thought.

Suddenly a big noise came from the left corridor. Lucky's immediately turned his head at the direction of the sound. The old unicorn didn't even move, as if he expected it.

"What was that?" Lucky asked with a scared voice.

Quarter Key looked unhappy and somewhat unwilling to talk about it:

"Our newest addition in the cells. She claims to be a "Ninja", not that I know what it means. She was recently caught, when trying to steal a cart, full with apples. A tough pony as I heard. She managed to fight off five of our guards until Metal Eye somehow got behind her and knocked her out. Quite the arsenal we got from her: a sword, some knifes and star-shaped things. As if she was going for war or something."

"And what is this pony doing in the cells?" Lucky sounded confused.

"What do you think? Eating muffins? No, that bloody pony tries to escape by hitting the magic barriers. In my days, all ponies, who were caught, admitted their fault and did their stay in the jail peacefully. But this one is different, she not only denies stealing those apples but also claims we're are the ones, who are committing the crime. This pony just has no respect for the authorities and it bothers me a lot." now the unicorn looked a little grumpy.

Lucky understood why Quarter Key was upset. The old pony believed in honor and justice and throughout his entire career, he served the community by his principals. Although he was a strong spirited, he couldn't stay indifferent to such insults. Lucky felt sympathetic and decided to help him.

"Would you like me to talk with the pony?"

"I don't want to sound pessimistic, but talking ain't gonna help in this case. My colleagues tried to reason with her without any success. She'll keep doing her attempts to escape, no matter what."

"Then I'll not talk. Can you still make a protective bubbles around ponies?" Lucky looked very confident in what he was planning to do.

"What is in your mind, Lucky?" then Quarter Key's eyes became bigger from the single thought. "You are not planning to go in the cell, when she is still there?"

"That's my plan. If she uses all her energy on me, she may become more resilient to talks." Lucky replied with a smile.

"What are you doing, Lucky? What are you trying to prove?" he asked himself.

"Are you mad? She will beat you like a hurricane. I can't let a blind pony in the cells, even if there were ponies to back you up." the unicorn shouted.

Lucky froze like stone, when he heard the last sentence. The familiar angry feeling raised from the deeps of his soul but he desperately tried to fight it. "So what? Because I'm blind, I can't do dangerous stuff? I'll show him.... Ah.... must control myself."

Quarter Key looked at Lucky and tried to see what was going in his mind.

"Lucky, are you sure you are feeling alright?" he asked concernedly.

"Yes." Lucky answered. He almost let the uncontrollable feeling out but managed to keep it inside himself. "Look, I can do this just, trust me."

"I don't like the sound of this." the grey pony negatively shook his head.

"Alright, then let's make it like this. I'll stay in the barrier and just dodge her every attack by moving on the safe side. What would you say about it?"

"Sounds to risky. But If I levitate you quickly enough and use you like a puppet, it may actually work." Quarter thought out loud. "Okay, then. Let's try it. But if things get hot, we'll stop immediately. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" Lucky answered with a smile.

"Lucky, why are you doing this? Ah, talking to myself, I must be mad now." he thought.

"Follow me." Quarter Key ordered and jumped from his chair. He went for the left corridor, followed by Lucky. The cells were in the basement. They were made by magical crystals that formed spheres of a thick magic barriers. The crystals were carefully placed on the walls, so that they split the room into four separate cells. Only the ponies that knew the numerical combination of each crystal could move freely around this theurgic prison.

The basement had an yellowish radiance that came form the barriers. When the two ponies appeared from the stairway, the yellow color disappeared and the entire room turned into red. Quarter Key looked carefully at the cells and saw the ninja, who stood still. She was wearing a dark clothing that covered her entire body. Only two big orange eyes stared back at the unicorn. Quarter Key got the chills on his back, when their eyes met on the same plain.

"I forgot to mention, we didn't manage to remove her clothing and see the pony behind it." he said with uncertain voice.

"Didn't you say Metal Eye knocked her out? So you had like a lot of time to remove it."

"Yes, but there are padlocks that prevent it. We were about to call a key maker, when she woke up and nopony dared to get near, except Metal Eye but he was unsuccessful."

"I see. So, are you ready?"

"I should be the one asking you this question. Just give me a sec." the grey pony closed his eyes and targeted his horn at Lucky. It flashed with a bright light and a grey beam flew from the horn, hitting Lucky. Suddenly around the pegasus appeared a pink bubble, which grew for a few moments. When it formed perfectly, Quarter Key stop using his horn and the beam disappeared.

"Now for the hard part!" the elder said. He looked a little tired because using magic drained a lot of his energy. "This is going to be tricky, so hold on."

"To what exactly?" Lucky was beginning to regret his decision but he had to do this for some untold reason.

"Let's hope, I survive this in one piece." he thought.

Quarter Key closed his eyes again and concentrated harder on lifting up the pegasus. He gave his best and after some moments Lucky flew through the barriers and landed just on the boundary of the two cells. Their colors changed from red to blue, indicating that somepony was passing through them.

While the two ponies were doing their plan, the ninja just kept watching them without even blinking once. She analyzed their every move and word they said and based on those, the mare was devising an escape plan.

When Lucky landed carefully on the ground, he immediately tried to locate the prisoner with his hearing. The ninja didn't move and was completely silent, which made Lucky's job very difficult. The pegasus didn't ask the old unicorn because he didn't want him losing his concentration. If what the elder said was true, the ninja was highly skillful and shouldn't be underestimated. Lucky waited for her to make the first move. Noting happened in the next fifteen seconds. Her big eyes were motionless and even felt very lifeless, as if there was no soul in the ninja's body. Lucky, on the other hand, tried to make himself look as much annoyingly as possible. He stretched his hooves in front of him, yawned couple of times and even checked his mane with his hoof.

Her attack came without a warning and so fast, Lucky was almost hit in the face by her flying kick. Quarter Key managed to pull him behind the barrier just in time. The ninja hit the magical wall with a lot of force. The loud sound echoed in the basement.

Her hoof hurt but she wasn't going to be fooled again. The ninja silently returned to her previous position and sat down.

"Are you alright, kid?" the unicorn asked.

"Yes, I am." Lucky replied. He was amazed by her speed and power and oddly he enjoyed himself. "She hit the barrier really hard, maybe she will talk now?" he wondered.

The pegasus moved in her cell with a smile on his face.

"So, are you willing to talk?" Lucky friendly asked. The ninja gave him no answer and just kept glazing at him with her orange eyes. "I see you are not one of the talkative ponies."

"How can a blind pony see?" Her question came like a hammer to Lucky. He really wasn't expecting her to talk at all so soon.

"That's just an expression." he replied with a more serious tone. "I heard you were making trouble in here."

"Trouble with your vision?" she deliberately attacked his problem to see. Lucky noticed it and tried to barricade himself from her words.

"You were caught stealing apples, which is a crime." Lucky was looking for breaches in her defenses, so that he could stop the aggression inside her.

"Do you want to see those apples?" her voice was rid of any emotion. Her questions were thrown like sharp knifes, that stuck deeply in the body.

"By the way, why did you need so much? Were you so hungry?" Lucky asked. The ninja was tougher than he expected and the pegasus was running out of options to get inside her thoughts.

"Would you like to see the truth from a closer distance?"

Lucky got the shivers by the thought of him being near the dangerous pony.

"It's a trap! She'll probably try to grab me and force her way out of the cells. But If I win in her own game, maybe she will stop her futile attempts to escape and may acknowledge her fault. From now on, I must proceed with more caution." Lucky thought.

"What's the matter? Afraid of being the mouse? The little one, the nopony? I pity you!"

Lucky froze in one place, which was an indication she touched a soft spot on him. She smiled invisibly for the others and prepared her next move.

"A blind pegasus, alone in the dark land of regret and sorrow. How are the wings you have there? Using them as intended?"

The anger was too much for Lucky to hold. He really wanted to punch her in the face but if he charged her, he would certainly lose against the ninja. His body started to shake and Quarter Key saw it as a bad sign.

"Lucky, don't listen to her! She is manipulating you!" he shouted but it was too late. The pegasus couldn't control himself anymore and he furiously jumped towards the ninja. "Just as planed." she thought, when she saw him flying to her in rampage mode. She quickly dodged his incoming hoof and counter attacked from his right. Quarter Key used his magical horn to levitate Lucky out of there but he needed time to get him to safety. Meanwhile, the ninja hit the protection bubble with fast kicks and strikes. Just before Lucky was levitated behind the barrier, his bubble broke and she managed to badly hit the pegasus in the cheek. Lucky bit his lip and some blood flew out from his mouth.

Quarter Key pulled the pegasus back to him. He looked really worried.

"Are you badly hurt?" He looked closely at Lucky, trying to find any injury on him.

"I'm okay. It's just my lips." the pegasus said before wiping the blood trail from his mouth. He was very angry. No one had the right to call him like that and Lucky would never forget this insult.

Quarter Key finished with his examination and he felt relieved, when there were no serious injuries to Lucky's body.

"By my black mane, you are one lucky pony." he said with a small smile. "I'm sorry for this. I shouldn't have been so careless in putting you in there."

"The one at fault is me. I let her know my weakness." Lucky lowered his head and ears to the ground.

"What were you thinking?" he shouted to himself in his mind. "Ponies before you couldn't do it. Am I trying to prove I'm worth something? Argg... I've got to stop talking to myself like that."

"Lucky, let's go upstairs, I'll treat you with a hot chocolate milk. Your favorite one." Lucky silently nodded and slowly started climbing the stairs. There was noting to do here and he wanted to be far away from the ninja. Quarter Key unhappily glimpsed back at the prisoner and she looked at him with her emotionless eyes. "Bloody ninja!" he thought, then the unicorn turned around and followed his ex-colleague.

The room brought back its previous yellowish color. The ninja was again alone in the magical prison, which she utterly hated.

Chapter 3: The Job

The kitchen was a big room with three long rectangular wooden tables, put next to each other in a line in the center. It was colored like the rest of the building. At the end there were shelves on the wall and a small oven. Six tall windows kept the room bright every day but today it was grimmer than ever because of the bad weather.

Often the ponies, working in the Office, would come in here and have a nice fast meal with their colleagues. It was a place, where after a busy day, the Royal Guardians could release the tensions in cider drinking games or in talks.

Lucky was sitting at the table with a gloomy face, that looked at the wooden floor. The grey unicorn came to him with a steady pace, holding a plate with two glasses, from which steam was rising from the liquid inside them.

"I'm sorry, Lucky, for what happened down there. Here, this will cheer you up." Quarter Key sincerely apologized. He handed to Lucky the glass, filled with hot chocolate milk. The pegasus was looking grumpy and reluctantly took the mug. He didn't feel like drinking at all.

"I'm a fool. I should have just walked away. Why did I feel the need to help him? Quarter Key was right, she is uncontrollable and I lost it to such a low-life-stealer. Better control next time, I guess!" Lucky thought.

Quarter Key finished with his chocolate milk and he had a look of a pony, who was distanced by the problems of the world.

"Noting like a good, warm chocolate deliciousness with milk." he noted with a smile but then his happiness disappeared, when he saw Lucky's untouched drink. "What's the matter, boy?" the unicorn asked with a concerned voice.

Lucky shook himself out from his thoughts and turned to the elder. He looked uncertain and not well, despite his fake smile, doing its best to cover his feelings.

"Noting, I just remembered I had a meeting in here." then he slowly drank a few sips of his hot drink.

"Meeting? With whom, if I may ask?" Quarter Key looked kind of surprised and rightfully so. Just recently he heard from Metal Eye that Lucky was in worse shape than ever but today the pegasus came here to meet other ponies and for him it seemed quite unbelievable.

"Should I tell him? I don't want rumors spreading about me. However, I do not want to play games, especially with the Old Horn." Lucky thought, while slowly drinking from his glass.

"It's just somepony with a job for me." he answered with a low voice. After that the pegasus put his half empty glass on the table and sighed. If his eyes weren't hidden by the silk towel, they'd look at the glass with a sight of an eagle. Quarter Key sat on the opposite side of the ping colored table. Now he looked serious but at the same time his eyes showed honest concern to his friend.

"Go on. You can tell me."

"I don't want this to fly around in here."

"My mouth is shut." Quarter Key was all ears.

Lucky had a last moment of split over weather to tell him or not but he took a deep breath and began:

"The thing is: I can't live like no pony anymore. I must move on!" Lucky whispered.

"It's understandable. Everypony, who would live one year in misery, would want to change. But how does this job get into the picture?"

"Well, I do not know yet. I was supposed to learn the specifics, when I meet this... Blooming Rose, I think she was called. She wants me to find something like a private detective but how am I going to do exactly that, when I'm blind?"

"I do not have the answer but are you sure its Ms Blooming Rose? The big artist?" Quarter Key was intrigued by hearing her name.

"Yes, her friend, Fancy Pants, told me so."

"Fancy Pants? The one and only famous pony in Canterlot? Kid, I'd say you had some extraordinary luck to talk to him in person. When this happened?" Quarter Key sounded energetic and pushed friendly the pegasus's shoulder with his hoof.

"Today." Lucky didn't sound very excited, more like uncertain in his upcoming question. He lifted his face up so that theirs met in one plane. "What do you think, Quarter Key? Should I take the job?"

The old pony held his enthusiasm and thought for a moment.

"Fancy Pants is a pony of his word and he means business. However, It bothers me why he chose you." Quarter Key said with serious tone.

"It wasn't him, Ms Rose chose me for this job."

The last sentence made Quarter Key look like a judge, who was about to give his verdict.

Silence took over. The two ponies were siting against each other almost like statues. Lucky "gazed" at Quarter Key, who was lost in what advise to give in the pegasus's situation. Suddenly several lightnings lit the room from the windows for a second and then some moments later the piercing noise hit them like a mule. However, they didn't scare the ponies inside that didn't give any signs of life outside of their breathing. Outdoors the weather had become worse. Strong wind came out of nowhere and it violently pushed the coronas of the trees in the direction it blew. Big storm was about to unleash its fury upon the Capital that no pony saw it coming.

Lucky waited for a minute, when his patience wore off and couldn't stand this oppressive atmosphere anymore.

"Forget about it!" he said insistently. "I'm the one, who will make the choice, not you."

"No one said otherwise, sonny. I guess going for it is the best option. In your case, anything, which will get you out of your previous state, is the best option, I think. However, why Ms Rose didn't ask us for this? Last time I checked, we are supposed to sort ponies' problems, even if they require detective work."

"Maybe the thing she wants me to find must be kept in a secret? Or maybe she just lost her cat or something like that?" Lucky made a small smile on his face, which was illuminated by another lightening.

Suddenly the two ponies heard a ringing sound, which was coming from the reception and it immediately took their attention.

"I'd better check it. The other ponies might not have heard the ringing." Quarter Key said, while standing up and then with a fast paced went to the door. Before he left the kitchen, the unicorn turned his head and said: "I'll be back!"

Lucky nodded and then the older pony moved into the corridor, which led directly to the Office's reception. The pegasus turned to the table and propped on his hoof. He wondered what to do next after his meeting with the artist. There were a lot of things needed to be done, if he wanted to start a new and his thoughts consumed his entire mind.

Suddenly the small light bulb blinked a few times and then it turned off without making any sound. The kitchen went fully dark but there was no way the blind pony to notice it. Little did he know that something formed silently out of the tin air behind him. For a split second a lighting illuminated the room again, revealing a pony-like shape, standing on the wall. It grew in size and when its head reached the ceiling, the shadow opened its white scary-looking eyes. They focused on the little pony, who was silently sitting, unaware of what was happening. For some odd reasons, The temperature dropped rapidly and Lucky felt cold shivers on his back and it immediately broke off his thoughts.

"Strange, it was not cold in here a moment ago... did I hit my head again?"

"Lucky!" something spoke his name in front of him, which almost scared the living feathers out of the pegasus. The voice was kind of strange, as if it came from another reality. It echoed several times and each time the pony heard his name, he turned his head to, where the sound came. Lucky was confused of what's going on but tried to calm down and think straight.

"Who are you?" the pegasus sounded a bit scared. No answer was given and he didn't like it at all. Lucky then asked again the same question but this time with more punch in his words.

"So young, so innocent..." the voice now sounded in Lucky's head and it made him panic a little. However, his old angry feelings rose up and helped him combat the fear before it could consume him entirely. He gritted his teeth and hit the table with his hoof.

"If this is some kind of a cruel joke, It will better for you to stop or I'll make sandwiches out of you!" he sounded really threatening but the the powerful thing started laughing with very scary voice. However, it didn't make him more afraid, on the contrary, it made him angrier.

"Get lost, whoever you are!" Lucky shouted as loud as he could.

"Excuse me?" a mare asked at the kitchen door. Lucky numbed for a moment because of the new confusion. The room was again illuminated by the small light bulb and the temperature instantly rose to its normal levels. The mysterious shadow had magically disappeared into the tin air and noting indicated that something very strange had been going on in the kitchen.

"Lucky, what is this all about?" Quarter Key asked dazedly. He was standing next to the beautiful mare. "Anything wrong?"

Lucky got a hold on himself and shamefully shrugged oh his chair.

"What's happening to me? Am I imagining things now or am I absolutely mad?" the pegasus asked himself. "Stay cool, Lucky! Just think of an excuse!"

"I'm sorry about this! Bad dream, I guess..." Lucky apologized embarrassingly. Then he thought: "Bad dream? I definitely was not sleeping!" he sighed. "This day just won the title: "The most awkward and the weirdest!"."

"No harm done! I'm Ms Blooming Rose and you must be Mr Lucky, if I'm not mistaken? You are in greater shape than I was expecting." she sounded very polite and her voice had an interesting aristocratic accent, which made her sound very intelligent.

Lucky quickly managed to wipe the embarrassing feelings out of himself and nodded at her general direction.

"The one and only, Ms Rose." he greeted with a smile. "Let's get to the point. You have a job for me. Would you like to talk about it here or somewhere else?"

"I'd prefer our meeting to be held in a quieter place, If you know what I mean."

"So it's something important after all. I'll have to be careful with her, I do not want to get into trouble." Lucky thought. He successfully hid what he was thinking by keeping his smile on his face.

"Quarter Key, is there an empty room, where we can talk in private?"

"Technically there are a lot of empty offices at the moment but the perfect room may be your ex-office, which we made into a storage room, because our old one is under renovation." the unicorn answered.

"My office is a storage room? Last I remember, it was the smallest in the entire building." Lucky said ironically.

"It was one of the few rooms that were not being used by anypony. It may be a bit tight but It's the best choice, considering almost no pony goes there and here aint a lot of us here."

"Alright, it will have to do. Do you have any objection, Ms Rose?" Lucky asked.

"No, I don't." she looked indifferent.

"Will ya need help with the directions, sonny?" Quarter Key asked, when he walked to the table.

"I lost my sight, not my memory." Lucky noted, when he got off his chair. "Turn left to the stairs, get to the second floor and go straight through the corridor. It is the last room behind the corner."

"You are correct." the unicorn nodded at him. "I'll stay here, if you need anything. Gotta clean these glassfuls."

Lucky went to Blooming Rose and when he got near her, heavy aroma hit his smell. She had used a very expensive perfume, which had a nice scent of red roses. The pegasus stopped in front of her and felt kind of good for some reason. Was it her fragrance or that Lucky was about to find out what she wanted from him, he didn't have a clue and didn't care at the moment.

"Hm, very wealthy artist, I presume." the blind pony thought.

"Alright, I will have that in mind, Key." Lucky said to his ex-colleague and then turned his attention to Ms Rose. "Are you ready to go?"

She looked at him with her big purple eyes, which could hex even the coldest ponies with their charm. Small smile appeared on her angel-like face and then she answered with a lovely voice:

"After you, Mr Lucky."

"Her voice changed. Is she trying to please me or something..." the pegasus thought. He just nodded and exited the room, followed by the gorgeous Ms Rose. Their steps sounded in the corridor and after some moments silence took over again.

Quarter Key grabbed his and Lucky's half-empty glassfuls and he noticed something odd. The second glass was icy cold. He checked it carefully. There was the trace, where Lucky drank his chocolate milk but there was no ice on it and nothing visually indicated the liquid inside was frozen.

"What the heck? Huh...Must be my imagination." the old unicorn said and then he proceeded with glassfuls to the sink.

The inner corridor, they entered, was very well illuminated. It was painted the same way as the reception. There were shut wooden doors put in pairs on each side. It was unusually quiet for this place, which two hour ago was full with ponies.

Lucky walked slowly at the direction of the stairs, which were at the other side of this hallway and it would take him two minutes just to get there with his current speed. Time was something Ms Rose didn't have, so when she saw him barely moving by her standards, the artist grabbed his hanging in the air hoof and gently helped him move faster.

"What are you doing?" Lucky asked surprisingly.

"Just helping a pony in a need." she answered quickly.

Lucky immediately stopped and ripped his hoof from her grab. He was not looking happy, not even the pink silk towel on his head could hide it.

"First of all, I need no sympathy. Second, that phrase, please do not use it again. I'm a capable stallion that can manage on his own." Lucky sounded rather serious and even little pissed off. Ms Rose looked astonished by his behavior because she honestly didn't expect him to act like this.

"I-I just... I understand you completely, Mr Lucky. My apologies. It will never happen again." she sounded honest but there was little note of sadness.

Lucky realized what he said and the pegasus felt perplexedly.

"I feel like a jerk now. Argg... I must not let my feelings control my words." he thought. "Better control, better control!"

Suddenly a powerful noise came from behind them, which scared Ms Rose but not Lucky, who had heard it already. She looked in the direction of its origin and asked with a concern voice:

"What was this loud sound? I hope it was not a lighting striking the building."

Then another strong noise hit their ears like a hammer to anvil and now the artist was rather losing her cool very fast. Lucky noticed that and calmly assured her:

"There is noting to worry about. Its the futile attempts of escape of a very unlucky prisoner."

"You mean the one called the ninja?" she now sounded more confident and quickly returned to her former self.

"Wow, you are informed very well."

"Thank you, Mr Lucky. In that case, let's get moving, shall we? Time is of the essence!" Ms Rose walked ahead of him and not a moment to lose he joined her.

"So, Ms Rose, could you tell me why you chose me for this job? There are a lot more competent ponies in here than me and they can actually use their eyes, unlike me."

Blooming Rose kept here steady pace and graceful look, noting showed that she felt a little nervous from his question.

"I'll answer every question you have, when we are in your ex-office. I'd like you to be patient until then." she whispered.

"Doesn't want to talk until she is sure we are completely alone. What is she afraid of?" Lucky thought.

A minute later, after a silent walk, they reached the stairs. Ms Rose started climbing them, when she noticed that the pegasus was standing motionless in front of the first step. She stopped on the middle and turned to him.

"What is the matter, Mr Lucky?" she asked concernedly.

"Noting at all." he lied, then he started carefully climbing. "I hate stairs!" he thought with a disgust, when he rejoined with Ms Rose. The artist looked at him like she'd look at a painting to analyze every detail and saw his thoughts, as if they were written on his forehead.

"Are you afraid of stairs, Mr Lucky?" there was a note of pleasantry in her question, which Lucky found not so amusing.

"I have a bumpy history with them, so I do not respect them, to say the least." he answered, when they made it to second floor. It seemed too quiet and empty of life. No pony was on this side of the building, which was perfect for their meeting.

"I see." she noted silently. "Then how do you expect them to respect you, Mr Lucky? I'm sure, you can make a better relation, if you change your feelings towards them."

"Is she referring the stairs or... the ponies around me? Maybe she is right..." the pegasus thought. Her smile grew bigger, when she saw him thinking about what she said. She liked influencing other ponies but in a good way.

The two continued to the end of the corridor and soon after they were in front of the glass door, on which were written three big numbers: 207. It looked like it hadn't been opened for a long time and small dust layer covered the handle.

"Here we are. Do you have a key to open the door?" Ms Rose asked.

"No, I don't. However, Quarter Key didn't mention it being locked." Lucky grasped the wooden round handle and turned it to the right. As he expected, no pony locked it and he slowly pushed forward, revealing a very dark room with one window. A lightening illuminated the entire place and for a brief moment, Ms Rose saw how cramped it was. There were shelves put on the walls, full with all kinds of junk. Papers and old stuff, which no pony would use anymore, were scattered all over the place in piles. Dust now covered most of the things like a cloak. It was very unorganized and unpleasantly to look at but at least there was little free space near the uncleaned bureau and the closed window.

"Its quite dark in here, could you turn on the light?" she asked politely.

Lucky by memory found the light switch near the entrance and turned it on. Ms Rose entered in the ex-cabinet last and gently closed the door behind her. Lucky turned around, now facing her. "Question time!" he thought.

"First, why you chose me to find something for you? Second, what's up with all this secrecy? Third, what's it all about?" the pegasus spit his questions like a machine-gun that seemed to not run out of bullets.

Blooming Rose didn't answer at first, she went to the window, navigating through the mess on the floor and opened it. Immediately a cool wind enter the room and the silence was removed by the thousands sounds of the rain drops and by the roar of the lightnings.

"Mr Lucky, what you are about to hear must not leave this room. Can you promise me this?" her voice changed to more serious tone, which surprised him a little.

"My lips are sealed." he said, when he tried to close the distance between them, although it was hard for him to not bump into something.

"We have a common tragedy, Mr Lucky." she sadly said, while looking at the rain wall outside.

"How so?" Lucky sounded confused.

"Like, you woke up in the morning, thinking what a beautiful day it was and then a disaster to hit you like a train, flopping your life on its head." she then slowly turned to face him. Ms Rose looked uncertain of what she was about to say. "I've been robbed. Somepony stole a very important letter from me."

"So the job is serious. Let's see how it goes on." Lucky thought.

"And why didn't you tell the authorities?" he asked. "They deal with things like theft. Why me?"

"Because I do not want it to become a public knowledge. I have a reputation to maintain and such a thing will only harm it."

"Smells like blackmail! But then, why didn't she tell me so." he thought. "I'll need to ask her more questions, if I'm to find the truth."

"Did the thief left a message or something? And what about Quarter Key? He knows you are here with me. Not much of a secret now, isn't it?" Lucky sounded provocative on purpose, so that he would make her more willing to talk in greater details.

Blooming Rose took his question with a calm mind and answered him:

"No, the robber didn't leave anything. I do not know what his or her intentions and requests are. As I said, I just do not want the ponies in my famous group to know about this. And for the question about Quarter Key, he will not drop a word about it."

Lucky was surprised for a second but immediately returned to his previous indifferent look.

"You know, bribing a Royal Guardian is a serious crime in Equestria." he sounded very earnest.

"I did not do such an awful thing! I only asked him politely to not tell anypony I'm here." she looked a bit offended by Lucky's claim but Rose was not about to call it quits just because of it.

"Sure. Another thing I do not buy into is why you want me to look for this thief. It not only sounds ridiculous but also I can't imagine of anypony, who would want a blind pony for a private detective."

She looked down at the dirty floor, then again at him. She was about to reveal her plan and Rose wanted to sound confident in her words.

"I chose you explicitly because of your inability to see." she tried to be as polite as she could to not hurt his feelings.

Now Lucky was very astonished by her last sentence, which for him had no sense at all. He tried to make a meaning of it but failed. He shook his head and then made a very mixed expression.

"Wait a second! You do realize that a detective needs to have a sharp eye to spot hidden evidence? How is a blind pony gonna do just that?" then he turned to more serious tone again. "Is this a prank by my ex-colleagues? If it is, It's not a good one."

"I assure you, everything I've said is the truth. Let me explain, the letter is not for the eyes of the ponies. I can not trust anypony else except you because I know for a fact you will never be able to read it." she sounded very calm.

"Quite the logic..." he interrupted with irony in his voice.

"That is why you will get a partner." she didn't take notice of the provocative attacks on her because she expected them to come from him.

"Partner?!" Lucky exclaimed. "But you just said no pony must look at what's written on the letter! And who is this pony?"

"I don't like the sound of it. Her answers are illogical and really I should just say no and be done with this." the pegasus thought.

"It's the ninja in the cells." she almost whispered. A lightening struck nearby, lighting the dark rainy clouds. Lucky stood still with an half opened mouth. Ms Rose looked concernedly at him, although she knew why he was stunned like that. Soon after, Lucky got a hold of himself and smiled.

"You've got to be kidding me! Really, I'm sorry but I can't take you seriously. The pony in the cell is dangerous and uncontrollable. No way I'm going near her again. Not even, if Celestia grows a beard! I think you need to find somepony else for this." he then unnoticeably made few steps backwards but he stopped, when he felt her hoof on his right shoulder.

"Please, you are the only pony I can turn to." she pleaded with a desperate voice. Lucky thought for a second but then shook his head negatively, while trying to get her hoof off him. However, his action was halted by her again. Rose closed her face to his and just a tiny space prevented their noses from touching.

"I'm sorry about this but.... I know about your painful year. Your life has been a miserable one ever since your accident. You've been living like an empty shell with hatred in your heart for anypony that was happy because you were left alone with your pain. Losing your sight must have been really devastating for you. I sincerely sympathize you and I wish no pony would ever be in your position. However, if you do not help me, I'll be devastated just like you were on your incident. Please, reconsider." her words spoke truth about him and they struck deep in his soul. He listened carefully everything she said, when suddenly he remembered the day, from which hell walked alongside him in his one year of suffering.

One year ago...

It was becoming darker, when Lucky and Metal Eye were making a final turn to Canterlot. They were on patrol duty, which almost ended. The two Guardians were flying over some green fields with long spread wings. There was a tailwind, which helped them in their long flight back home. The big orange sun was just on the horizon, giving its last warm light beams to this side of the world. There were no clouds to obscure the beautiful picture that revealed in front of them: the land of Equestria.

"When we are back, I'm gonna celebrate our long patrol with cider. What do you think?" Metal Eye smiled. Lucky answered his gesture.

"Of course! I'm all for some cider!" the white pegasus happily said.

Suddenly Lucky heard something, like somepony was shouting at them. He carelessly turned his head at the direction the sound came and then a big flash took over his entire vision. He felt great pain in his eyes, which made him lose control over his wings and Lucky started falling to the ground.

"Mr Lucky, are you alright?" Rose asked. The pegasus didn't even shiver because of the sad feelings, he was experiencing. These memories were too painful for him to revisit, so he tried to bury them deep before they'd overtake him again.

"How did you know all this about me?" he whispered suddenly.

"I did a research on you. One pony, called Metal Eye, told me a lot."

"And why the ninja? Did you do a research on her too?"

"I... I was the one, who notified the Guardians, when she tried to steal all those apples. It was on the day, on which I discovered that my letter was missing. I went out on the street and that's when I saw her. Out of panic, I thought that the ninja was responsible for the theft. However, it became clear, she had noting to do with it. I felt guilty of accusing her falsely, so I did a research on ninjas and learned that they were thrust worthy, when it came to work. That's why I chose her to be your partner." Rose was almost out of breath, when she realized that she might've been irritating to listen. So she honestly apologized: "Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gone into such details."

"It's okay." he said, while trying to maintain his self integrity. A war between his feelings raged and the only way Lucky could stay above it, was to have their conversation going. "Is there anypony, you can think of, who would want to harm you in any way?"

Blooming Rose thought for a moment and then shook her head negatively.

"None I can think of. Every pony I've met, wouldn't do such an act and I have no enemies as well."

"Everyone has an enemy. It's just a matter of time, when you find who he might be."

"Does that mean you'll help me?" Rose looked at him with her big purple eyes in hope that the white pegasus'd changed his mind.

Lucky gritted his teeth because the turmoil inside him reached its peak and it was very difficult for him to not burst from it.

"How do you look?" he barely asked.

She looked confused by his question.

"Excuse me, why do you need to know this?"

"Just tell me!" he exclaimed, which frightened a little Ms Rose but she didn't have any choice but to answer.

"I'm a blue unicorn with a purple curly mane and I wear a simple white dress. Is this enough for you?"

He didn't give an answer, instead Lucky pictured in his mind a beautiful fancy pony that he could aim all his feelings into the image and soon he felt peace again in his soul. He sighed deeply and was glad that he could finally think more straight.

"Mr Lucky? Is something wrong?" the unicorn was beginning to fear that she hurt his feelings somehow, although he managed to cover up everything that went inside him.

"It's noting." he assured quietly.

"So will you take my case?"

"It depends on many things..."

"If you worry about payment, I'll pay you generously, when your work is done. Please, you are my only hope!"

"Hm, I could use more bits, as of right now I'm almost broke but she manipulated me and I almost lost control over myself because of her. I really should decline her offer. More pain, than gain I'll receive from this." Lucky thought. He looked unhappy.

"I'll need a day to think. I guess you know where I live. Come tomorrow morning, then I'll give you my answer."

"Thank you very much for reconsidering. And again I'm sorry that..."

"Do not mention it again." Lucky interrupted her. "I want to be left alone now. Please, if you don't have anything important to say, just leave."

His words were cold. Blooming Rose understood that she wore her stay and just silently nodded. She carefully navigated in the mess to the door. The beautiful unicorn opened it and on her way out she turned to him.

"Good-Bye, Mr Lucky. May you have a pleasant evening." then Rose left the room, silently closing the door behind her.

When the pony couldn't hear her steps anymore in the corridor, Lucky sat on the messy floor, looking at the opened window. The rain outside was pounding heavily, though there were fewer and fewer lightnings. He listened to the noise, the drops produced, when they hit hard surfaces. A lightening illuminated the clouds, as if an evil smile appeared in the rain wall. Lucky felt a bit depressed, which he utterly hated. He lifted up his head, stood up and closed the window. The pegasus didn't want to be a weakling anymore, so he had to face everything like a grown pony he was. The lone pony went back to the door, turned off the light and went outside quietly.

On his way to the reception, Lucky stumbled across Quarter Key, who was just leaving the kitchen. He looked surprised by the pegaus's grim sight.

"How it went, sonny? I saw Ms Rose leaving before you and she looked worried."

"You'd better not know. I'm gonna return home now, so I'll see you later, I guess."

"Outside, the beastly storm rages like no other. If you are going out, then you should wear something. Wait for me in the reception, kid." then the old unicorn went to the dressing room. Lucky had no intention to wait for him but he didn't want to be rude. The pegasus entered the reception and went for the exit. He stop near the big door and waited.

Few moments later Quarter Key appeared around the corner, with the old snuff-color coat. It had four brown buttons and two pockets.

"I've brought you your old coat! It's little dusty at the moment but I've kept it in check for you." the unicorn said, when he gave it to Lucky. The blind one took it in his hooves and felt nostalgic. It was his favorite coat, which he used to wear on his way to work or home, when there was a bad weather and even in one occasion, when he forgot the golden armor for the Royal Guards parade. It used to keep him warm and secure, while he wore it.

Lucky smiled and with joy put on the coat. It still fit perfectly even after one year.

"Thanks, Key."

"You are welcome. So, will I see you soon?"

"You bet." then Lucky opened the door and on his way out he said: "Thank you again. You made me feel welcome. See you later."

"Always my pleasure. Have a nice evening." the unicorn smiled.

Lucky nodded and left the building.

Chapter 4: The Show Must Not Stop

The storm was in its peak. So much rain was pouring from the dark clouds, that the city sewers couldn't handle the nonstop bombardment. Big and muddy pools of water formed around the sewer holes and they were slowly growing in size every second. The rain was so thick that the millions of raindrops created a fog, which made it very difficult to see anything beyond fifteen meters. There was no wind but despite that the temperatures were really low. The Capital never before looked so grim and ugly, as if something was trying to take over the city.

It was very humid and unpleasant to travel on hoof but Lucky had no choice. He was standing in front of the Office's big door. The pink towel and the coat were getting wetter by the second. His entire body was being struck by the hard hitting raindrops but the pegasus didn't care at all. Lucky was creating another map in his mind, by which to navigate to his home.

"I have to cross the street from here, then on the other side turn right and continue walking till the next crossroad. Turn left to the Two Princesses Square. My home was on the first street, which connects with the square, on my right side. This should be easy." he thought.

After Lucky was done with his plan to get back home, Lucky listened to his surroundings. The pegasus didn't want to bump into anypony on the street, so he patiently waited for a few seconds. The constant noise from the furious rain made it impossible to hear anything else. Lucky then decided to move and slowly crossed the wide street, which was full with puddles. Every time he stepped on one, the pegasus splattered water beneath his legs. He felt cold going through his hoofs and Lucky started having the chills on his back. His wet mane was clinging on his head like a prostrated octopus.

Despite all this, Lucky continued walking slowly like an automated machine, but the blind pony was far from just a mindless robot. Although, he revealed no emotion, his worry thoughts took his entire attention.

"...A blind pegasus, alone in the dark land of regret and sorrow. How are the wings you have there? Using them as intended?..." the ninja's emotionless voice sounded in his head.

Then, out of the black, a very detailed picture of Quarter Key appeared, honestly smiling at Lucky.

"...In your case, anything, which will get you out of your previous state, is the best option..." the unicorn said with a calm tone. After that, his image became blurry and on its place appeared a beautiful blue unicorn, looking in his soul with her gorgeous eyes. However, her picture was simpler and without many of her natural colors and details, unlike the previous one.

"...if you do not help me, I'll be devastated just like you...Please, you are my only hope!..." her voice echoed in his mind.

The messages repeated again and again but Lucky was not scared. He attentively analyzed every single sentence, every word and tried to make a meaning out of them.

"A blind pegasus, I am, but hopeless I'm not! I still do not understand why I feel the need to help ponies. Is it because I do not want anypony to suffer like me? But why should I even care about them. its not like they gave a damn, when I lived through my darkest hour, except Metal Eye..." he sighed. "I must think this through, when I get home and not here out in the rain. However, I just can't get rid of these thoughts. Alright, Lucky, think of something nice like... vast green plains with flowers? No, it didn't work... maybe the Royal Castle? Nope, it didn't work, either. What image should I think of to deal with the increasingly annoying thoughts?"

Suddenly in his mind appeared the dark silhouette of the ninja pony. She was sitting still with her orange eyes, staring into the deeps of his soul. Like a vicious timber wolf, the image gazed without blinking even once.

"Woaw... I can feel the chills down to my longest hair. At least my head is clean from my previous thoughts." Lucky made a small smile but then he realized in fright: "By Celestia's beard! I lost track of my steps. I do not know where I am right now. Blasted head!"

Lucky stopped in on place to not go out of course too much. The pegasus was confused in what actions to take. He could go back and try to get on the right path, but it would prove extremely difficult. Or just ask somepony for direction. However, Lucky couldn't hear anypony coming his way and the building around him were as silent as an empty well.

"I must straighten up! I need no help! I'm gonna get back home by myself!" he thought. He made a very confident face and was ready to take the challenge.

Suddenly his attention turned to the incoming sounds, which came from somewhere in front of him. At first, Lucky couldn't make up what it was, but moments later he recognized them as hoofsteps, which echoed in the surrounding gloomy buildings. Somepony was heading his way with a fast paced.

"Or I can just ask politely for directions..." Lucky thought and waited.

Two silhouettes appeared out of the dark rain fog and they closed the gap between them and Lucky fairly quick. The two ponies walked in almost perfect synchronization, as if they were trained to do so well all their lives.

"Hold! Citizen, what are you doing outside in the rain?" the right one asked, when the two ponies in black suits stopped their march in front of the pegasus. He sounded strict, as if he was in charge around here.

"By the order of Princess Celestia, no ponies are to leave the designated emergency centers or their homes! You are to immediately return to safety!" the left one ordered with the same rigorous voice.

Both of them had stern faces and looked at Lucky with almost emotionless blue eyes. However, that was not the case in their hearts, where they feared the current rainy situation. Lucky immediately learned that the two ponies, were no other but members of the Royal Guards. Only they usually had tough voices, who had sore throat all the time, though these ones seemed to sound rather young.

"I was just heading back home but I'm kind of lost at the moment. Could you point me the direction of Two Princess Square?" Lucky asked.

The two Guardians silently looked at each other in a little confusion, then back to the pegasus. A lighting struck far away, revealing some beautiful structures with elegant facades around the three, standing in the rain, ponies. The faces of the ones with the black suits looked scarier, when the lighting bolt shined on them but soon they returned to their normal serious look.

"Two Princesses Square is in the opposite direction. We are in the Central Square, in front of the Royal Palace." the right pony answered. Another lightening lightened the city and out of the darkness appeared a tall white castle with its many towers. The ruler of this kingdom lived there, governed with wisdom and honor but now it had become an Headquarter for the Royal Guards in this disastrous situation.

"What? Central Square? I'm way out of path and I do not recall walking for so long. I must have lost perception of time." Lucky thought with a troubled face. One of the Guards understood him and made a step closer to him.

"We can escort you to there, if you want." the left one suggested. Lucky felt kind of relieved. He smiled and positively nodded.

"Follow us, citizen!" then the two Guardians went in the direction of Lucky's home and the pegasus walked behind them with a steady pace.

"Thank you, fellas. I owe you one." Lucky sincerely thanked but the two guardians kept going silently like machines.

"Not from the talkative, it seems." the pegasus thought. "Maybe I should ask about the awful weather? They should know something about what's going on."

"So, quite the storm we have here. Do you know, when it will to be sunny again?"

He got no answer from them. They just kept walking through the wet streets, full with dirty puddles, not paying attention to what Lucky was asking.

"Is it that serious? Maybe I can get something out of them, if I use this card." he thought.

"By the way, I used to serve in the Royal Guards. I was designated as a scout and you?"

One of the Guardians turned his eyes in the direction of Lucky but then he looked in front of him again. The pony still kept his serious look, despite the rain drops falling out of his wet face.

"We are still recruits." the one on the left said, almost whispering.

"Interesting, recruits were never supposed to perform their duty until they passed their training. Are we short of Guardians or what?" the pegasus thought. "This is going to be easy."

"So how is the training going? Does the old Fire Chain still teach at the academy?" his voice had some sarcasm, which was enough to spark a response from the two Guardians, who felt a little hot, after hearing the name.

"You know Fire Chain?" the one on the right asked. He looked kind of surprised.

"Of course, I do. He was the pain in the hoof in my last year in the academy. Such fun times they were. Is the legend about him still flying among the recruits?" Lucky made a devil smile cause he knew that he got them by the mane.

The Guardians looked at each other in the eyes then at Lucky, whom pink silk towel had stuck perfectly on his face. Because of the rain his coat was all wet but it successfully protected big part of his body, which stayed dry for the most part. The same couldn't be said for his exposed head and hooves. Water drops fell from his chin and mane like small waterfalls. However, the smile still stayed on, which scared the two Guardians to their last feathers.

"As I remembered it, whoever passes his test, changes into magical evil horse of war, who reigns fear into the hearts of the ordinary ponies. Or was it that you turn into mindless minion, controlled by the one and only master Chains?"

The two ponies stopped and turned around, now facing the blind pegasus. Their serious faces were gone and now they looked panicky. The rain continued pounding with great force but couldn't wash the fear from their faces.

"Y-You are not the serious, right?" the two guardians asked anxiously. For some reason Lucky felt pleasure scaring them like that.

"Haha... it actually worked!" the pegasus thought with delight.

"Oh yes, I'm damn serious!" he made a mighty step closer to them, but the two frightened guardians backed slowly away from him. They unconsciously went into a deep puddle. Their entire attention was aimed at the white pegasus, who looked very scary with his diabolical smile and pink towel on his head.

"Nha, just kidding!" Lucky made even bigger smile than before.

The Guardians realized their fears were just a plot of their imagination and quickly turned to their normal selves. Now looking serious and mighty again, perfectly hiding the shame, they silently turned around and continued to the square, where Lucky lived. The pegasus followed them again.

"So you survived his exam?" the one on the left asked, who was looking at the blind pony.

"Not exactly. I kind of failed big time at end of the test. Luckily, he got distracted and didn't see me tipping the wood." the pegasus answered with pride.

"You basically cheated, right?" the right guardian asked.

"Depends on how you are looking at it. As you know, the final part of the exam tests your courage and self-control. This examination varies from instructor to instructor and I had the worst luck to be tested by Fire Chain, who is notorious for his ability to break even the toughest ponies. I can still remember how my comrades looked at me, when the examiners announced that I were to be in the group, which had to be trialed by Chains."

"What happened?" the left one sounded curious.

Lucky's smile disappeared, when he saw the images of the past and relived them as they happened years ago:

"I was the first one to be subjected on the Chain's trial. He looked at me, smiling like a demon, who was about to feast on a poor soul. Then, without a warning, the instructor used some kind of magic and filled dark, brutal and gory images of my family and friends. They were cut to pieces, bleeding like mountain rivers or burned like coals. These were the most frightening scenes, I've ever seen in my life. They seemed so real, that I was about to cry deeply but somehow I managed not to.

However, Fire Chain did not stop there. He went deeper in my mind and discovered my biggest weakness. All the images of my suffering relatives disappeared and I was left alone in the dark void of my mind. Then I felt pain in my wing joints. I looked at them and I realized with horror that my wings were chopped and were lying on the ground in a blood puddle. Chains nailed my biggest fear and I thought, I was done for. Luckily, Princess Celestia suddenly entered in the examination hall and the old unicorn ceased the test and turned to the Princess to welcome her.

I was breathing uncontrollably, cold sweat flowed down from my body. I needed a hoofhold to stand on and luckily I looked in front of me, where Metal Eye was standing. He just smiled and I could tell from his grey eyes, that my friend was trying to calm me, with a big success. After some moments I heard the unexpected: "Lucky Eight, passed!" What a relief I felt, as if a giant rock fell from my back. I was quite lucky that day..."

"Sir, are you there?" the left Guardian asked concernedly.

Lucky wiped out the serious look and smiled again.

"Yeah, I was just caught in a memory."

"You didn't tell us what went on. You were silent for about a minute..."

"Sorry about that. What happened you ask? In my moment of fail, I was saved by the Princess Celestia. That's how I passed my last exam." the pegasus answered.

"Woaw, saved by the ruler, herself. It must have been an awesome moment!" the one on the right said.

"Kind of... " Lucky noted to himself. "So, where can I learn why we have this awful weather of ours?"

The two Guardians looked at each other again, then the one on the left answered with a low voice, while stepping in another dirty puddle.

"We were ordered not to talk about it but you look like somepony, who can keep a secret. Be warned, if this gets out..."

"Yes, I know. I'll not speak a word about it!" Lucky interrupted him. The pegasus was quite eager to hear what was going on with this situation.

"The clouds over our heads can't be moved by pegasi for some unknown reason. Back at the Castle, our commanders are working with some very powerful unicorns to give the pegasi the ability to move or disperse these clouds, while everypony gathered in the Royal Guards Barracks and prepared for the upcoming operation. Every pegasus was called to participate in this mission, even the recruits. That's why I and my partner here are wearing protective suits, which will shield us from the lightnings." the one on the left almost whispered.

"Yeah every pegasus..." Lucky thought.

The three ponies arrived at the Two Princess Square. In the center two very well sculpted statues of the famous rulers, spread their wings, pointing the sky. The two were facing the opposite directions and both were standing on their rear legs, as if they were about to charge into the unknown. The statues smiled and looked powerful and not even the heavy rain could change their appearance.

Although the square had several sources of light, making it bright for the night, now the lights were off just like every street. The white buildings were dark too and it was extremely difficult to recognize the structures on the other side of the square.

The Guardians stopped just in front of the statues. They turned around and said:

"Here we are. Will you be able to find your home?" the right one asked.

"From which side did we enter the square?"

"From the north side." the one on the left answered.

"I'll be okay. Thanks for asking." Lucky made a small smile.

The two Guardians nodded simultaneously.

"By the way, there is no power in the entire Capital, so you'll not be able to use your oven or to turn on the lights."

"Thanks, I'll have this in mind. Good-Bye and may you have a successful evening!" then Lucky slowly walked to the direction of his home, when he remembered that he didn't know what the time was. The pegasus turned back and asked:

"Hey, would you tell me the exact time?"

However, he got no answer. There was no sound coming from them, only the noise from the rain and the lightnings could be heard.

"Strange, I didn't hear them leaving or flying away, so they must be here..." Lucky thought.

"Excuse me, could you tell me the time?" he asked louder.

Again no answer was given.

"Darn it, where are those two? I'd better get back home. I don't want to stay in the rain any second more." he thought, after that the pegasus went to the building, where his apartment was. Lucky was correct in his assumption. The two recruits were standing in front of the two statues but frozen in one place. Their hearts were not beating and noting showed they were alive a moment ago. They became the new silent sculptures in the square. However, they moment to shine was taken away by a mysterious mist that consumed them fully and soon after only their shadows were what remained from them.

Lucky entered in the ground floor, witch was murky like a black cat, though it made no difference for him. He left dirt after his every step to the stairs and water constantly fell down from his body.

"Hm, I'm leaving traces. They'll know who brought the filth in the building and maybe force me to clean everything myself... Ah, what ever, they can bill me, for all I care." he thought.

Then Lucky silently climbed the stairs to the third floor, opened the door for his apartment and entered inside. He closed the door, without locking it. The pegasus took off his wet coat and put it on the hanger next to the broken mirror. After that he entered the small living room, pulled a chair and sat in front of the table. Lucky then removed the pink towel from his head and put it on the dusty surface. The pony felt uncomfortable because of how much water his fur had soaked and he had no clean towel to wipe with.

Lucky opened his brown eyes, then looked up to the wall, where a picture of him and his family stood. The three ponies on the image smiled joyfully at him. His father had spread his wings to hug his loved ones. His mother was charmingly looking at their only son. Her horn was flashing cause she used magic to take the picture. And the little pony with the green mane in the middle looked directly at the lens, with the biggest smile he could make. At the time, when this picture was taken, he had never thought that something horrible would happen to him.

Lucky then moved his sight to the next picture, in which only he was photoed in front of the academy. He was wearing a golden armor and a green medallion hung from his neck. The white pegasus looked confident and ready to do his duty for the kingdom. However, something small in his eyes revealed deep sadness, which he tried to hide in that moment.

Lucky perfectly imagined them in his head but then he quickly removed them from his mind because they brought only sad feelings.

"What a strange day." he was thinking. "First, the baths, then in the Office and last in the square. The unexpected job offering and this weird storm... on the day, on which I want to start again. Seems like signs for disaster or just a coincidence? Either way, I must make up my mind regarding the Ms Rose's request. She sounded like a wealthy pony, so she'd pay dearly for accomplished job, but her story doesn't feel right at all. How is the imprisoned ninja gonna help in this case? One thing is sure, I don't trust Ms Rose. Too manipulative for my taste. However, I'm starting to get curious of how deep the rabbit hole goes...But it may be too dangerous... Dangerous, something I laughed at, when I served in the Royal Guards. If I want to recover from my bad position, I should not turn my back on stuff like this. I must stand proud like my father before me and face the danger like a Royal Guardian... It's decided then."

Lucky stood up and went to his bedroom with a grim face. There he opened a closet, on the bottom of which there was a small unlocked case. The pegasus opened it and there were a small book, a photo album and a medallion. He grabbed the small medallion, which had a thin silver chain. It had a spiral form and the entire thing was made of emerald. The medallion was a gift from his parents, when he graduated from the academy. The special thing about it was that the locket was enchanted with a binding spell, which could prove useful, when chasing a suspect or preventing somepony from moving too far from the wearer of the necklace.

Lucky touched the crystal and he remembered the sad news, when he got it from his collegues. But he had overcome the dark feelings then and now only the memory of the moment remained in his mind. The pegasus put the medallion on his neck and then closed the closet.

"I should rest for now, tomorrow will be a busy day. I'll need to be in prime condition." he thought. Then Lucky went to his bed and lay down on it. Immediately the covers became wet, although he didn't care.The pegasus curled up on his bed, holding the medallion in his right hoof.

Outside the storm was still raging, but the pony was safe in his little room. That just made the rain to become angrier and more ferocious but still unable to reach him.

At first, he couldn't go to sleep but a few hours later, the pegasus relaxed and soon went deep in the world of the dreams...

In the dream...

Lucky soared the blue sky with spread wings. It was a pleasant warm day. Plains with extraordinary flowers stretched to where the eyes could see. Birds were joyfully singing and flying around and cute animals happily played around the flowers. Very enjoyable aroma floated in the air. The pegasus looked at the beautiful scenery and big smile appeared on his face. This was paradise, but not for long.

Suddenly black smoke appeared high in the air and after that a red fire consumed the green plains. The sky turned red. Lucky watched with horror how everything below him turned into ashes. It stank of burned meat and flowers.

Then Lucky lost control over his wings and started falling to the inferno. He tried to scream but no sound came from his mouth. The pegasus tried to flip his wings but they didn't respond to his commands. Lucky was like a meteor about to hit the ground with a great force but instead of smashing like rock, a giant black mouth appeared below him. It opened, revealing big, sharp white teeth. Lucky fell in it and the mouth closed. He continued falling into the darkness. An evil mare laugh echoed around him and at the same time a bell tolled loudly. Lucky was scared to death all the way to the keen spears, which impaled his back and wings.

Lucky abruptly jumped from his place on the floor and sat on the bed. He was breathing deeply and cold sweat flowed on his back. Suddenly the pegasus heard somepony knocking on the door.

"Just another nightmare." he calmed himself.

Lucky quickly shook his head, normalized his breathing and slowly went for the door.

He opened it and Ms Rose appeared in front of the doorstep. She looked fabulous as always, wearing a fashionable dress and was eager to hear the pegasus's decision.

"Good-Morning, Mr Lucky." she greeted with a smile. "Oh, dear. You look, as if a train passed through you. I hope there aren't any problems, right?"

"It's noting, really." he answered with a low voice. His mane was a mess and his fur badly need some brushing.

"So, I'd like to hear your decision. Are you willing to help me?"

"I decided to take your job. However, I do not guaranty that I'll successfully finish it." he said with a serious tone. When she heard the wonderful news, Rose's smile became bigger and her eyes started glowing with joy.

"Thank you, very much, Mr Lucky. You just do not know how much happiness you bring to my soul." she honestly thanked.

"Save your prayers for later. Now we have job to do. Have you talked with ninja? If she is going to help me in this investigation, we need to know her stand on the matter. And I'm telling this right now, I will not be the one to convince her to join the party."

Rose felt awkward.

"Well, I haven't spoken with her. I was thinking, that you might persuade her to take the job..."

"And you thought wrong." Lucky noted with little grudge in his voice. Ms Rose looked a little sad, for not thinking out the whole thing before she came here. Maybe the fear, when she heard the noises back in the Office, prevented her from meeting with the secretive pony.

"I bet she wont do it!" he sighed. "It looks like the honor is mine... but I might make a profit out of it." Lucky thought.

"Alright, I'll talk with her but this will cost extra: 100 bits." he said insistently.

The beautiful unicorn looked up at Lucky with a smile.

"You have a deal, Mr Lucky."

Lucky got confused for a moment.

"Hm, no bargaining? I thought she'd make me lower the price. Maybe she doesn't want to be seen with the ninja and is willing to pay big." the pegasus thought.

"Okay, after we've got this covered, the next problem comes: somepony must pay her probation. And I suspect it will be me."

"You are incorrect. I'll come with you to the Royal Guard's Office and pay the fine myself, while you are persuading her to help us." Rose said.

"So she is not afraid to show in the open. That means, Ms Rose feels safe but this will change, when the thief starts with his demands..." Lucky thought. "It will be better for her not to get seen near the Office for obvious reasons."

"I should pay the fine, it will be too risky for you to be near the building." Lucky said.

"Are you suggesting, that I've been followed? I have learned the Spell of the Hunted and I'd know, if somepony is behind my tail." Ms Rose said with pride. Her horn flashed for a second to scan again and she was delighted that nopony was following her.

"Spells can be countered, you know?" Lucky sounded more serious. "Alright, If you wish to come, I'll not argue with you. Now excuse me, while I get ready." then he attempted to close the door but was stop by her hoof.

"It's not polite to leave a lady alone outside." she said with polite voice.

"In this case, it's better not to get inside. Believe me!" he removed her hoof and shut the door, after that he locked it, so she couldn't enter. Ms Rose was astonished by his actions but the unicorn understood that the pegasus wanted privacy and patiently waited in the corridor.

Lucky quickly brush his mane, put the silk towel on his head, put on the almost dry coat and he was about to unlock the door, when he realized the medallion was not on him.

"It must have fallen off me, when I woke up." Lucky thought. He went to the bedroom and after a careful search, the pegasus found the it lying on the floor. The pony put it on his neck and then went to the door. He opened it and left the apartment.

Chapter 5: Black And Orange

"You are fairly quick, Mr Lucky." Rose complimented, when the pegasus closed the door behind him. Then she noticed the shiny emerald medallion, hanging from his neck. The unicorn gazed at the beautiful object like a filly in front of a candy shop. As if the necklace was calling for her, luring her closer and closer. She couldn't brake from the spell, that consumed her entire attention.

"Are we going?" Lucky asked with little concern in his voice because he noticed something was not right.

Blooming Rose blinked a few times and looked the other way.

"Yes, of course. Let us move on." she sounded not like herself. Rose slowly proceeded to the stairs, followed by Lucky.

"What made her feel awkward? I hope its not my mane." the pegasus thought, while walking beside his client in the pink hallway.

Rose turned her head to him and looked at his mane. Although it was little shaggy, it still kept its green charm from yesterday. Then she looked at his coat, which in her opinion perfectly matched his walking pose. She continued her detailed scan of him and found that Lucky had kind of elegant look, though bit crude at places. The pegasus was emanating a new strength and self-confidence, which Rose didn't notice in their last meeting. But then her big eyes stopped again at the spiral locket and she couldn't break from the sight of the beautiful necklace.

"Pardon me, but I can not hold my curiosity anymore. Where did you get your gorgeous little medallion?" Rose sounded excited, although Lucky didn't share her feelings. He maintained his indifferent look on his face. Something, connected with his ornament, was waking up in the deepest corners of his soul, which Lucky immediately suppressed.

"I should have hid it under the coat. These kinds of questions just bring bad memories of the past. But now I can't leave her question hanging in the air, can I?" he thought.

"I got it on my graduation day from my parents." Lucky said. "And it's not just a bijou, if that's what you are wondering."

"What is it, If it is okay to tell me?" she asked politely.

"A tool for catching runners. The crystal is enchanted with a binding spell."

"Interesting, I never expected that you were a magical pegasus." she giggled.

"And you are right, cause I can't do magic like an unicorn. However, I can sense it and through this medallion, I can channel the spell, using my thoughts. This is something left in my blood from my unicorn parent."

"I see." Rose noted.

The two ponies reached the stairway. Rose went down the stairs, but Lucky stopped in front of the first step. He made dour face and precariously lifted up his right hoof in front of him.

"I hate this stairs! However, I'd better not make a show now. Remember, one step at a time." the pegasus thought.

"Come on, Mr Lucky. The stairway doesn't bite." Rose noticed him, standing in an awkward pose, when she got to the second floor

"What? I'm not afraid!" he exclaimed.

"Then show me!" she teased him with a friendly voice. Then the pegasus made uncertain first step, after which he started moving a bit faster. Lucky rejoined with Rose, who was smiling, without accidents and together they proceeded to the ground floor. It was quiet, only their steps and some voices sounded in the building. Maybe most were all sleeping in this early hour.

When the two got on the first floor, the three ponies, sitting on the sofa in front of a low glass table, ceased their conversation and quickly turned their heads to the newcomers. They watched them carefully, while the two were walking near.

"Good-morning!" the white mare greeted. She had a red mane, which perfectly matched her green eyes.

"Good-morning!" the other two earth ponies said after her. The middle one had a brown fur and an yellow mane. The third was orange looking with extremely long green mane, which was almost covering his entire face.

Rose smiled at them and charmingly greeted too. Only Lucky was silent. They quickly went to the exit door and on their way out, the pegasus overheard the whispers, that came from the three sitting ponies.

"So what you are saying is that the clouds are magically moved on our heads?" the orange one asked.

"It must be the doings of some pranksters." the mare whispered.

"That's what I heard from my guardian friend." the one in the middle said.

Lucky didn't give any signs, that he heard their conversation and quietly left the building after Rose.

"Magically moved? I would have sensed it. However, the two guardians said that the pegasi couldn't move or disperse them, so maybe there is some truth in their words." he thought.

When he appeared outside, chill wind stroked his face and unprotected parts of his body, making him to shiver. The temperature was lower for what it usually was in this time of the year. The grey clouds were still above the Capital, but fortunately for the ponies below, it was not raining. The yesterday's storm left quite the mark on the city. Every building and street were watery and in some places big puddles prevented anypony from getting to the other side, without getting dirty first.

The city in the mountain looked grey and its towering feel was gone. The ponies, who had decided to have a walk, were unhappy with the aftermath of the storm. However, all of them carried on as always and peacefully went on their business.

Lucky didn't need sight to sense the feeling that flew around. He could almost smell it in the air, as if the entire city was scented with a perfume of depression. On their way to the Royal Guard's Office, the two met few ponies, who all were going in the opposite direction. They were silent and thoughtful, as if something strange happened to them and they just couldn't figure what to do.

"This is very odd. Yesterday everypony was full with energy, now the overall mood feels wrong... Has something terrifying happened?" Lucky thought. Rose noticed that something bothered him and curiously asked:

"Why the serious face, Mr Lucky?"

"Something is not right. The city feels almost dreadful and this weird smell..."

"Yes, I sense it too but the situation will quickly change, when the pegasi bring back the sunny days. There is noting to worry about."

"I hope so." the pegasus wanted to believe her but his guts feeling was telling him otherwise. However, he didn't have time for distracting thoughts cause Lucky had to concentrate on the upcoming job, so he suppressed them. In the rest of their walk to the Royal Guards building, neither of them spoke again. Little did they know, that something in the clouds watched them carefully, invisible for everypony on the ground. The creature's eyes plotted against the two and they had a delighted look, when they saw a way to make the two ponies have a very unpleasant and bloody end.

Soon the two reached the Office. The building stood out as a tall wall with lots of windows and ornaments, representing the honor and courage of the Royal Guards. On the roof white statues of armored Guardians with determined eyes looked in the distance. Over the big wooden door, large marble shield majestically hung from the second floor. It was graved with gold and in its center the cutie marks of the two rulers were skillfully carved. It seemed that the Office's appearance was untouched by the vicious storm and it proudly shined even in this grey atmosphere.

In front of the entrance, two white pegasi in golden armors stood still like the ones above them. They didn't give any signs of life, even when Rose and Lucky went passed them. First the unicorn entered inside, then the pegasus. Indoors it was a little overcrowded. Ponies, from all types, talked with each other or complained to the Guardians, who without stopping wrote everything important, the citizens had to say. It was a loud environment, too noisy for Lucky's liking, so he tried to isolate himself from the surrounding sounds.

Rose, followed by Lucky, swiftly navigated through the living maze, painted in every color of the rainbow. It was really hard for the blind pegasus to move in this tight situation. On a few occasions he bumped into someponies. They all looked at him with sulky faces but none said anything to him. Lucky apologized and kept walking forward.

"Blasted! I can't make one step without crashing into somepony. The storm must have done a lot of damage or these ponies wouldn't be here. Is it a coincidence that Rose wants to come here, when its so crowded?" Lucky thought.

The two managed to get to the only bureau in the reception, where Quarter Key was writing reports, while listening to three ponies complaining at the same time. The grey unicorn looked tired and bit annoyed from the situation, which was getting out of control pretty rapidly.

When Rose and Lucky approached him, Key thought they were another complaining ponies, who'd rather not wait for the first ones to finish.

"Good-Morning, Mr Quarter Key. Could you have a moment, please?" Rose asked politely with her charming voice.

The old Guardian stopped writing with his mouth and looked at the newcomers. Small smile appeared on his face. The three ponies next to them immediately turned their heads to Rose and their mouths half-opened from the sight.

"That is Ms Rose!" the orange one whispered.

"And she is wearing her favorite dress!" the cyan mare giggled.

"Well, I'm done with these three." Key replied, then turned to the numb ponies: "I've written everything you said and as soon as possible the Royal Guards will assist in your water problems. You may go now. Have a nice day."

The three looked back at Key, nodded and proceeded to the exit.

"Oh, my gosh, my gosh. We were so close to Blooming Rose. Her perfumed is fabulous!" the cyan pony with a white mane said.

"Did you see how she looked at me. She is like a Goddess!" the white male unicorn almost whispered, when he walked near Lucky.

"Huh, I didn't know Ms Rose had such fans. Is she more than just a painter?" the pegasus thought. He then turned his attention to his friend.

"So, did you actually write everything they complained?" Lucky asked.

"Of course not. For the past half and hour they described their problems very thoroughly, many of which don't concern the Royal Guards. Like the seller in the fruit shop, wasn't polite enough or the gardens needed more yellow flowers. I told them that we accept complaints only for important matters but they kept singing the old song. And now look at me, I'm complaining to you." Quarter Key smiled. "So, what can I do for ya?"

"We are here to pay the probation of the pony, known by the name Ninja." Rose calmly said. Her beautiful purple eyes were pointing at the old unicorn. However, his smile disappeared and his blue eyes had a very serious look now.

"This request is not an easy job. The fine is a fat one." he earnestly said. His eyes turned to Lucky to see, if he could get an answer. The white pegasus almost felt the unicorn's staring look that pierced him like a knife.

"I'm willing to pay the amount needed to set her free."

Key raised his left white eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ms Rose? I don't see why somepony like you would want to help such an obnoxious thief." he sounded a tad rude.

"Yes, I'm absolutely certain in my request. I'm doing this because of personal matters, which does not interfere with the laws of this kingdom. I can assure you." she kept her calm like a true princess, which even Lucky started admiring.

"She knows how to play her role, it seems. I can feel Quarter Key being upset at me now. But I don't have time to argue with him. I need to start investigating as soon as possible, If I'm to capture the thief." he thought.

"Before we proceed, I need to note this in the protocol that I do not approve her release, but the law is the law. Come with me to my office, Ms Rose, where I'll prepare the documents." then Key called on of his colleagues to take his place, while he was absent. The old unicorn stood up from his seat and then aimed his hoof in the direction of his office, which was in the opposite way of the Cells. "This way, Ms Rose."

Before the beautiful mare proceeded to the designated place, she turned to Lucky and whispered in his left ear.

"Now would be great to talk with the ninja."

Lucky lowered his head a notch to the ground.

"But If I fail to convince her?" he whispered.

"I'm confident in you, Mr Lucky. You are smart pony, I know you can think of a way to persuade her. Best of luck!" Rose turned to Key, who was monitoring their little conversation with his blue watchful eyes.

"After you, Ms Rose." he said politely and then together they walked out from the reception. Lucky now was alone in the noisy forest of colorful ponies. The blind pegasus looked concerned cause he faced a very difficult task, for which he hadn't prepared.

"Luck, huh... Not much in my life. This is gonna be tricky. From now on I'll have to isolate my feelings and proceed with a cold head. I must not fall under her influence again. Time to do my job!" he thought.

Lucky turned to the left and slowly walked to the entrance of the left corridor, which led to the Cells. He remembered exactly how many steps he needed to get to the basement. The hallway was also a busy place with a lot of ponies going back and forward. They were so occupied by their work, none saw the slowly walking pegasus with a pink towel on his head and wearing snuff-color coat. As if he was invisible for their eyes.

He managed to get to door to the basement, which unlike yesterday was guarded by one white unicorn Guardian in full armor. He was taller and looked stronger than Lucky. His yellow eyes, though motionless, scanned everypony who'd approach him. The pegasus didn't notice him and when Lucky was about to enter, the Guardian used magic on him, which didn't let him move his legs at all.

"Who goes there?" the unicorn asked with a strong voice. "This is an restricted area!"

Lucky quickly turned his head in the direction of the Guardian's voice. His medallion was glowing, indicating magic was used nearby.

"I'm Lucky Eight and I'm going to see the pony called the ninja."

"Lucky Eight? Hey, it's you. You where the pegasus with the biggest smile in the training camp. I almost couldn't recognize you. You look quite different from those days." the unicorn smiled and terminated the spell that held Lucky in one place.

"And you are?" the pegasus asked with unsure voice.

"Phoenix's Just. Don't ya remember me? I was your unicorn partner in the Double Dare training activities."

"Last I remember, Double Dare was only for pegasi because it involved doing fast flying maneuvers, so unicorns didn't participate in the training. And my partner was Metal Eye."

"Metal Eye? I never heard of a pony with such a name. Something definitely happened to your head because Double Dare is for pegasi and unicorns alike. Can't you remember how you and I did the double dragon maneuver, when you lost control on your approach vector and when you were about to hit the ground, I grabbed your back and hurl you upwards? Afterwards we did triple barrow roll very close to the ground and it all ended with a big crash in the mud. We needed 3 days to recover from that training. He-he..." the Guardian sounded honest and confident in his words but it wasn't enough to convince Lucky.

"Wait, what?! Since when unicorns can fly? You must be joking because what you just described, is what happened to me and my friend Metal Eye, who you should know because he is a Royal Guardian, working in this same building."

"I don't know what hit your head so hard, but what I'm saying is the truth and truth only. I used magic to give myself temporary wings like every unicorn can." the Guardian said.

Lucky was puzzled by his statement. Few were capable of using such magic, which was extremely difficult to perform. The ordinary unicorns had different talents in using their horns' magic. Most of them could perform telekinesis very well or make fireworks and images out of thin air with ease but giving some other creature additional parts was a whole another thing.

"He can't be serious and is probably trying to make me look like an idiot. Maybe this is some sort of a prank by Metal Eye? But then how would he know that I'm gonna come here? I don't have time for this stuff." Lucky thought.

"Alright, let's say I believe your story. Would you now let me in the Cells? I really need to talk to the pony inside." he was insistent and looked like somepony, who was not amused.

"You'll have to tell me why you want to meet with the said pony. Or are ya scared, little cyan feather?"

Lucky shivered, when he heard the last part.

"Did he really call me little cyan feather? How would this Guardian know my filly nickname? Only Metal Eye was supposed to know it and he promised not to tell to anypony." the pegasus thought. Now he had a shocked look.

"From whom did you hear this name?" Lucky asked.

"From you, of course. You told me, when we were colts. In the backyard garden of Mrs Flower Ring, where the purple violets were planted. You asked me not to tell anypony about it. Don't you remember?" the unicorn sounded concerned.

Lucky couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everything the Guardian said was true except him being there. As if Metal Eye was replaced by this pony. The pegasus got a little angry. No pony had the right to know such intimate parts of his life and unashamedly take his real friend's place.

"Stop it right there! Do you think this is funny? Cause it's not! If I hear you saying this horse crap one more time, I swear, I'll inform your superiors about insulting me." Lucky couldn't hold himself and his voice was heard from one end of the hallway to the other. Someponies, who were passing nearby, looked surprisingly at the blind pegasus and the Guardian, who was utterly confused by his sayings.

"I-I... My apologizes. I didn't mean to upset you. I wish now that I could have been alongside you, when you had the horrible accident. But I've been on duty in Manehatten for the past year. I've been so busy that I couldn't have come to see you or write you a letter." he regretted with low voice.

Lucky was about start shouting again, when he listened to the sorrow in his words. They sounded so real and deep, that the pegasus almost believed in them. However, he knew it was untrue and it only made him angrier.

"Is something wrong, citizen?" the white unicorn asked with a different calm tone.

"Of course, something is wrong, you lying griffon!" Lucky looked furious, which came as surprise to the Guardian.

"What do you mean? I didn't say a word. You silently stood in front of me for a few minutes, when you suddenly shouted something incomprehensible." the Guard looked astonished and quite unaware of what was happening.

Lucky froze in one place, trying to comprehend the situation. The nearby ponies looked at the two with curious eyes and pointed their ears to learn what it was all about.

"What you are saying is impossible! You and I just had an interesting conversation. Isn't that right, Phoenix's Just?" Lucky intruded in the guardian's personal space, showing his pissed off face in front of the unicorn's. The Guardian was little scared by him but he gently pushed him away and calmly said:

"First of all, my name is Diamond Rod. Second, I can confirm, that you just silently stood in front of me, by asking the nearby witnesses."

A grey pegasus with a blue mane came closer to them and said with an husky voice:

"Yeah. I can confirm what the guard said. I watched you both. None of you opened your mouths even once, until your outburst."

Lucky turned his head away. A lot of feelings were going through his soul but shame was not one of them. He couldn't explain it, as if he switched places between two realities. No way in million years would Lucky believe that he imagined the entire thing. The pegasus took a deep breath and then turned his head in the general direction of the two ponies.

"I apologize for my behavior. Some sort of bad memory, I guess." Lucky said through clenched teeth. "It will not happen again."

The armored unicorn smiled.

"Apologies accepted."

Lucky nodded and started walking towards the door that led to the basement, when yet again he was stopped.

"And were do you think you are going? The Cells are restricted." the unicorn said.

Lucky sighed.

"I must speak with the prisoner inside. She is going to be set free today. Ask Quarter Key regarding her release. So. if you do not mind, leave me alone." he said with a serious voice.

"Well I can't let you in without permission. But if what you say is true, I can make a compromise. Silver Jack will come with you, while I'm at Key's office. Do we have a deal?"

"Sounds reasonable." Lucky replied and then he went inside, without waiting for the grey pegasus to follow him. The Guardians looked at each others' eyes. Then Silver Jack went after Lucky, who was already starting to climb down the stairs.

"What an odd pegasus." Diamond Rod thought, while gazing at the two disappearing ponies.

In the Cells...

"So, what is it all about?" the grey pony asked.

"A personal matter." Lucky replied. They were going with steady steps, which echoed in the big room. The yellow light turned into red, when they approached the magic walls.

"I can't have imagined what happened earlier. It sounded too real to be something made by my mind. The strange part is these anomalies started appearing from yesterday. I wander, if they are connected somehow. Are they parts of a bigger problem in my subconscious? I must spot, when these things happen and stop getting over myself because of them! Or I might as well end up in the Cells..." Lucky thought.

"Personal, you say? Could you clarify on that?" Silver Jack asked, when the two were near the magical walls, which made sure no pony could enter or leave.

"Nope. But be assured, it's not something that will cause trouble." Lucky said with a serious tone, while standing in front of the border, which separated his free world from the ninja's dark corner. "I'm going in her cell, so you stay here. If she decides to attack me, do not interfere! Got it?"

The grey pegasus looked astonished by his request and rightfully so. The pony inside the prison was dangerous and going alone in her cell was a clear suicide. Jack went in front of Lucky and pointed his hoof directly at his chest.

"Wow, hold it there, partner! You wish for a death sentence or something? No pony is allowed in the prisoner's cage and I'm coming with you to make sure you don't do something stupid. And besides how are going to enter in there, without knowing the combinations of each barrier? "

"I used to be a Royal Guardian, for your information, so I can take care of myself." then Lucky tried to go around him but Silver Jack blocked his path again. His green eyes looked confidently at the pink towel, exactly where Lucky's eyes were. The white pegasus was irritated by this action but his face still maintained the serious look.

"And that doesn't mean you can endanger yourself. I'm coming with you, like it or not." the grey pegasus said.

"Fine. But don't interfere. Got it!"

"Of course." Jack assured.

Silver Jack moved aside to let Lucky get into the Cells. The two were going slowly through the first barrier and when they crossed it, the red luminance turned into blue. Their steps echoed in the basement. The ninja patiently waited for the newcomers to come closer. The prisoner had closed her eyes. She was meditating without a sound. The red light gave her a strange diabolical look, despite her being unusually calm at the moment. When Lucky and Silver Jack were just in front of her cell, the ninja suddenly opened her orange eyes, which scared Jack to his bones. Her stare was so deep, he could almost feel her presence in his mind, analyzing him from inside out. He felt shivers down his spine and immediately looked away from her.

"Those eyes... I've never seen such a demonic gaze in my life. Please, don't do anything stupid!" Jack worried, while looking at the white pegasus, who somehow stayed cool.

"You are here so soon and you bring new friends. Didn't you get the message, the last time we met, blind one? Or are you here for a second beating?" she was trying to intimidate him again but the ninja didn't know, that he created a tall wall, which wouldn't be so easy to break through.

Lucky was unmoved by the ninja. He knew it wouldn't be easy and there was no place for weaknesses. The blind pegsus had thoughtful look for a few moments, when he replied:

"One drop of water can't make a pool. Two drops can create oceans." Lucky smiled, which surprised her.

"What is this? Having trouble getting to high places?" she ironically said.

"No, what I'm asking is for your help in an important matter." Lucky kept his calm and didn't show signs of falling to her provocations.

"Why I get the feeling I'm the big one, which actually creates the oceans." the ninja stood up and made a few steps closer to the two ponies. She was now only a meter from the barrier. Her masked face was illuminated in bloody red and her body emitted strange dark aura. Silver Jack could feel his heart going nuts, when looking at her. His breathing was becoming more and more uncontrollable.

"My guard is stressed... is she such a frightening sight to look at? Or is he just a coward? I must be careful in my next words, while she is willing to listen." Lucky thought.

"I'm a master of many skills. What is the job you want me for? What's the catch, little pony?" she said with all her seriousness.

"Mr Lucky, what you are about to hear must not leave this room. Can you promise me this?" Ms Rose voice sounded in Lucky's head, when he half-opened his mouth. "The client doesn't want information about her problem spreading out, so how am I to tell the ninja about the job? Should I try to persuade her without being honest? Although she sounded pretty straight, so..."

"Well? Did you bite your tongue? Come on, be quick and don't waste my time!"

"Crap! She leaves me with one choice... There's no turning back after what I'm about to do. Please, Celestia, give me strength!"

Suddenly Lucky struck Silver Jack with his rear hooves and then jumped inside the ninja's cell. At first Jack didn't realize what was going on, but when his eyes saw Lucky going in the other side of the barrier, he ordered as loud all he could:

"For your own sake, get back in here! She will injure you!"

The white pegasus didn't listen to his orders and warnings. Lucky was just in front of the black suited pony, who secretly smiled under her mask. The tension was all around in the air and long drop of sweat fell from the blind pegasus's neck. Before it even touched the ground, Lucky felt a warm pain in his right cheek and then he found himself flying to the left. His body fell hard to the ground and before he could realize what was happening, the ninja swiftly hit him again in the stomach. Lucky groaned out of pain. However, she was not finished with him. The ninja lifted him up to her level and continued bashing him with full force.

With each strike the pain became greater and greater and Silver Jack watched with fear the horrible beating the defenseless pony received.

"Stop it or I'll call the guards!" he shouted but his words fell on def ears. He stood there, shaking out of terror. Jack was torn in his choices of what to do: the first one was to leave the Cells as quickly as he could and warn the others or get inside her magical cage and try to save Lucky on his own. The time was ticking for him but the panic was to great to even move.

After receiving several hooves in the both cheeks, Lucky was thrown in the direction of Silver Jack. He landed painfully next to the barrier and the Guardian saw a small chance to take him out of the cell. Jack attempted to drag him out but was stopped by the blind one.

"Don't try to save me. Just stay here. I'll be alright!" Lucky was breathing uncontrollably.

"Are you crazy? She is going to kill you!" Jack tried again to drag him to safety but instead he felt a dark touch on his hoof. His eyes quickly looked up, when the black ninja grabbed him and pulled him to the other side of the blue barrier. His face met with her and cold sweat came down from his entire body. Then faster than anypony could blink, he received a hoof in the chin. The strike was so immense in power, that Silver Jack flew backwards into the air and then landed hard on his face. He tried to stand up as fast as he could, when then ninja jumped on his back and he found himself lying on the floor. Then she grabbed his body and lifted him high in the air.

She threw him into Lucky, who was about to stand up. The two collided and fell on the ground with groaning. Jack's head was hurting because of the crash with the blind pony but he managed to see the approaching orange eyes, which were shrouded in black. Those eye were so cold, they had no emotion. The pegasus knew his time had come. "I failed, Princess Celestia." Silver Jack thought, as if these were his final words.

The ninja silently and slowly moved closer to her prey and there was no force to stop her. She came to Lucky first and analyzed him with her demonic stare. He was breathing deeply and had a torn look. The pegasus's coat was rumpled, his silk towel had almost fell from his head and now it uncovered his left side. Then she saw the green medallion, which was still intact and on Lucky's neck. What surprised her was that she didn't notice the emerald locket before. The ninja stared at it for a few seconds. Somehow it was calling for her and soon it absorbed her entire attention. Unconsciously she stretched her hoof to the pendant, when suddenly Lucky grabbed her and pulled her to him.

The ninja fell down on top of him and their eyes met on the same plain. Lucky knew that another chance like this wouldn't come, so he immediately whispered in her ear about the work he had for her. The ninja, like hypnotized, listened carefully all he had to say.

Silver Jack looked shocked of what was happening. He couldn't hear what Lucky whispered but by just looking at him, Jack knew it was something important. The grey pegasus slowly stood up on his for legs, breathing deeply and without removing their eyes from the two.

Then Lucky finished after a few minutes and waited. His breathing was normalized and he was strangely calm. The ninja silently stood up and backed away from the lying pegasus. Now her orange eyes had a thoughtful look for a few moments, then she blinked and now they returned to their previous emotionless state.

"Apples, I want apples right now and when we finish, you'll pay me a cart full with fresh apples!" she demanded.

Lucky sat on the ground and nodded:

"You have yourself a deal!" he stretched his hoof to her. The ninja bumped it with her own.

"Don't think that we are equals, blind one. A friendly advise: don't cross me. The ponies, who did just that, are not among the living." she sounded threatening but Lucky was unmoved. He painfully smiled, knowing his mission was successful, though leaving him with a lot of bruises.

The ninja closed her eyes and sat on the floor in a meditating pose. The dark aura around her was gone and she looked peaceful. "What just happened?" Silver Jack asked himself, while looking at the covered in black pony. Then his eyes moved to the white pegasus, who was standing like a statue.

Lucky's smile disappeared, when her last words echoed in his mind. "Is she a killer or just bluffing? There have been no murders in Equestria for centuries, as far as I know. Am I wrong? I must be cautious with her and not be on her bad side. What if the ninja decides to leave? Casting a binding spell on her, won't make things prettier. I hope, Ms Rose's faith in her is not proven wrong." Lucky thought.

Suddenly he felt a hoof on his shoulder and then quickly realized it was Silver, who was standing next to him.

"Are you alright?" the grey pegasus asked quietly. His eyes were still pointed at her.

"I'll be fine." Lucky said, while he was fixing his towel and coat.

"I don't know what you said to her, but you saved our lives. You have my thanks." Jack smiled.

"I only told her the truth and don't thank me. I said to stay back and not interfere." he looked serious, not the response Jack was expecting from him.

"Well, excuse me. But I wasn't the one who jumped into her cell. What did you expect to happen? Have a pleasant conversation about flowers?" Silver Jack ironically said.

Lucky listened to him silently and gave no answer to his questions. There was no doubt that what he did was extremely dangerous, but he had little hope, that she would let him speak and avoid being beaten like this. The pegasus learned his lesson the hard way. The ninja was a strange beast. Even Lucky was unsure, if she was still a pony or something else.

Hoofsteps echoed inside the stone basement. A white unicorn appeared on the stairs and approached the barriers.

"Your story is checked... what are you all doing in her cell? What happened in here?" Diamond Rod had a troubled look.

"Noting special. We just had a little incident but we are all alright! You know how slippery the floor is sometimes." Jack smiled.

The unicorn didn't buy it but since they were alive in there, he could close his eyes on this one. He then turned his attention to the black suited pony.

"You are free to go ninja. Somepony paid your probation but know this: you will not receive your weapons, until you passed your one month trial, in which you'll be monitored for bad behaviors and if you break the laws again, you'll be arrested and put in jail. Am I clear?

The ninja stood up and walked to the red barrier. She suddenly opened her eyes, gazing at Diamond Rod, who looked mighty in his golden armor.

"I understand." she answered.

The white unicorn's horn sparkled and every barrier changed its color to blue.

"Everypony, please, leave the Cells." he asked.

At first the ninja hesitated to move but she then passed through the magical walls with new confidence, followed by Lucky and Silver Jack.

"Why you helped me?" the white pegasus whispered.

"You still saved my live, so that makes us even now?" Jack looked with friendly eyes at the blind pony.

"If you say so."

"Huh, why does he think I saved him? I do not know why she ceased her attacks and abruptly change her attitude towards us. Where did all of her aggression go?" Lucky thought.

When the ninja stepped out of the last barrier, she felt lightened for some reason. Her ex-prison terrified her and she was glad it was behind her now. She walked to the stairs more lively than ever in her life.

"One month? Ha, I can live without my blades. At least, now I have purpose to breath under the sun. Was it a coincidence the blind pony came to me, when I mostly needed an escape from my reality? He can't be one of the Dragon Claw's minions, so I'm still hidden in this city. However, I must not let my guard down. Let's see where the snake lurks in the grass." she thought on her way to the exit.

Everypony silently left the blue lighted basement, when two white eyes appeared out of the thin air. They seemed unhappy and quite mad of what happened in here. Then they disappeared without a trace into the unknown.

Chapter 6: Mask N' Knifes

A light beam illuminated the dark room. It pierced the shadows like a sword, revealing long, empty space. Light mist covered the cold stone floor. The tall metal door opened with a cracking sound. In front of the entrance, silently stood two big ponies, one was colored in dark blue, the other was sparkly white. Both of them had long wings and horns, thus earning the species name alicorns, one of the most powerful ponies to walk on Equestria. The older one wore a golden crown with a purple gem in the center and the other had a black crown, which perfectly matched her fur color. Both looked magnificent and mighty as they should be cause the fate of the pony kingdom was in their hooves.

The white alicorn first entered in the big room, followed by the blue one. It was quite cold and humid in there, not an ideal place to have a good time.

"What is this place, dear sister?" the younger one asked with her traditional royal voice. She carefully looked inside, trying to make up the shadowed images on the walls.

"This is the Hall of Prophecies. We are deep underground, below the castle." the older alicorn determinedly walked forward. Her view was aimed somewhere in the center of the right wall. Her horn lighted the path in front of them like a beacon in a storm.

"Hall of Prophecies? So those pictures on the walls are..."

"Events, that might happen. The images, you see now, may change the next day depending on the variations in our timeline." the white unicorn stopped and slowly turned to her sister. Her extremely long, rainbow colored mane covered half of her face. She looked very serious and her pink eye stared deeply into her sister's. "Luna, what you are about to see or hear must never leave this place. You'll have to promise me!"

"Of course, sis. What is this all about?" Luna asked with a bit frighten voice.

"This image here shows a possible future, which is very near our present day. A future, where Equestria is no more and noting but ashes remain from our kingdom. I'll need you to look at it and tell me what you see."

"Is this somehow related to Twilight Sparkle?" Luna looked at Celestia with worried eyes.

"No, but her destiny is tied with this possible future. Please look at the vision."

Luna turned her view to the blurry black image and gazed for a few a minutes. She couldn't understand what she was suppose to see by the mess in front of her, which didn't resemble anything at all. Somehow the picture turned into a colorful mash, which made it even more confusing to look at.

Celestia grew a little impatient.

"Well? Do you see anything familiar?" her eye, which was not covered by her long colorful mane, looked seriously at Luna.

"Sis, I do not understand what I'm seeing. This is just a messy paint with a lot of different colors. Am I the one at fault here?" the blue alicorn excused with perplexed voice.

Celestia closed her eyes and sighed.

"Luna, you need to get rid of any emotions and clear your mind to see through the barrier. Please, try again!" her voice sounded more persistent but still holding a note of kindness.

The smaller pony gazed at it again, but this time she tried to be as much emotionless as possible. Her entire being aimed at one goal: to pass through the block and discover what actually was lying on the other side. Her eyes concentrated on one point in the colorful little havoc, that was the image on the dark wall.

Suddenly the image flashed in purple light, which absorbed the entire world around her. Celestia and the shadowy room disappeared in an instant. Electric arrows moved with lightning speeds around her. Then, out of the sudden, the purple was replaced by the full color spectrum, in which pink and cyan were dominant. The bright light in front of Luna grew bigger and bigger but she kept staring with the eyes of an eagle. The princess could feel that she was close to break through and Luna gave everything from herself.

The super light vanished and on its place now stood the big messy image. The strange picture acquired clearer lines. The colors magically arranged, creating a very detailed picture of the future, which came like a thunder from a clear sky in the hearth of the princess of the night. Luna felt deep sorrow, which led to the closing of the vision. In a sudden, everything turned to normal and she again was in the gloomy hall.

Luna barely could held herself not to cry out of grief, which took her entire body. Celestia expected such a reaction from her younger sister. The white princess almost cried too, when she saw the horrifying images of the grim future. Celestia walked closer to the blue alicorn, who immediately laid her head on her bigger sister's shoulder. Luna was breathing uncontrollably.

Celestia could feel her pain as if it was her own and tried to calm her:

"My little sister, I'm sorry..." she said honestly.

"I saw only death. I and You, no... our bodies were hanging on the wall like wild animals. Motionless, we were like everypony else in the vision. As if we were all frozen in time, lifeless and there were bodies, which were burning in dark flames. All of Equestia burned with black flames and nothing remained." Luna sounded scared to her horn. No longer could she hold her tears, which started falling from her cheeks.

"I know, I've seen it too. Don't cry little sis! We will make sure this future never happens." Celestia's calm voice helped Luna regain little of her inner strength. The dark blue alicorn looked up to her sister. Their eyes met on same plane. Celestia's were confident and warming, which made Luna feel bit better.

She blinked a few times to wash the tears from her cyan eyes and asked:

"How are we going to stop this?"

Celestia smiled.

"I know it will sound ridiculous but we will not interfere in any way." she said calmly.

Luna couldn't believe what she heard.

"What are you saying, dear sister?"

"There's a prophecy, in which a pegasus will prevent the rise of chaos but for a great prize. However, we must not take part in fending this future or he may fail in fulfilling his destiny."

"Do you know, who it is? Is the pony born yet?". Luna backed away a little bit, as if she was preparing to fly.

Celestia blinked and looked away but then again turned her sight to Luna.

"Yes, I know, who it is. His name is Lucky Eight and he just began his journey. Luna, I've heard that you've started visiting ponies' dreams again. I must ask you not to enter the pegasus's nightmares or dreams. He must be left alone and deal with his problems by himself. You may not understand it at the moment but it is how the prophecy said it needed to be."

Luna was unsure in what she was asked not to do. Helping ponies with their real life problems in their dreams, was something she did with joy. However, Celestia sounded pretty serious, so the night princess nodded positively, saying that she understood.

"And one more thing before we go: did you felt something familiar, when you looked at the vision?" Celestia asked.

"Nay. Why are you asking?" Luna looked curiously at her bigger sister.

"I thought... Never mind. Let us go to the Castle now or will be late for our statement about the recent events." Celestia said and then started walking to the room's exit. Luna obediently followed her, though she was not looking happy at all. Her thoughts were consumed by the horrifying images of the future.

"Smile. Our subjects must get the impression that everything is alright." Celestia said, while the two were leaving the Hall of Prophecies.

"How can I smile, when our hereafter is not certain? After what I've seen..."

"Don't worry, my little sis. Equestria will prevail anything that threats to destroy our beloved world." Celestia sounded calm, though Luna didn't believe in her confidence and rightfully so, cause even Celestia had her small doubts and fears of what was going to happen. It was beyond their control and that was a thing, which scared her the most. However, she masked it carefully, so that she could appear strong and ready for everything.

Celestia used her horn's magic and slowly closed the big door, sealing this magical place, so that no pony could enter. After that their steps sounded in the stone stairway, which led to the Castle's basement. Soon the place was again empty of life and only the shadows reign supreme in the internal darkness.

Chapter 7: Crossed Blades

Lucky was the last to exit the basements. Diamond Rod closed the wooden-steel door and locked it with a key. Then he turned to the pegasus and the ninja, who was checking the corridor with curious eyes. Three days inside the Cells was too much for her and she was eager to get outside.

"Ms Rose is waiting in the reception. Silver Jack, where do you think you are going?" the unicorn asked with earnest voice. The grey pegasus halted, turned his head around to face his superior and smiled very unconvincingly.

"I'm on my way to the reception." Silver Jack answered. The strong Guardian pierced him with his serious sight and that made Jack feel the shivers down his spine. Rod quickly closed the distance between them and whispered in his ear.

"Wait me in Quarter Key's office."

"What's so important, Rod?" Jack concernedly asked.

"We'll speak there."

Jack nodded and went in the opposite direction of the reception. Then the white unicorn turned to Lucky, who was facing him, as if he was expecting to hear something important from him.

"Quarter Key wants to see you in private."

"Right now?" the blind pegasus sounded tired. After his death-match against the ninja every bone in his body hurt and on many places blue spots revealed, where exactly his new partner hit him. Lucky was not feeling ready for another fight although this one might prove less damaging to his physical form.

"Not gonna be possible at the moment, cause Key was summoned by the commanders. Several recruits never showed up in the barracks last night, so my guess is, he will be looking for them. When his work is done, Key wants to meet with you this evening at the confectionery, alone." Diamond Rod glimpsed at the pony with the black cloth, who was looking the other way, although she was fully aware of their conversation and listened to their every word.

"Alright, I'll be there." Lucky said with a low voice. He still didn't like the notion of meeting Key cause Lucky knew exactly for what it would be all about but there was no way around him. The white unicorn nodded and then he slowly turned around but before making his first step in his direction, the pegasus voice sounded behind him: "One more thing, is it me or the place has become a lot quieter?"

Rod just turned his head head to him and little irritatedly answered:

"When you went inside the Cells, somepony brought the "exciting" news: the Two Princess are giving a statement now about the awful weather. Everypony left as fast as they could to see them in front of the Palace. Of course, the Royal Guards were called out to make sure noting bad happens."

"Seems like a Royal desperate move on their part. Maybe I should tell him about the recruits I met." Lucky thought.

"Yesterdays evening, two rookies escorted me to my home. What was interesting is they simply vanished without a sound. I was few meters away from where they left me and I couldn't hear any hoofsteps coming from them."

"Did they say who they were?" Diamond Rod asked impatiently. He now turned his entire body in the pegasus's direction.

"No, they didn't tell me."

"Interesting... Could there be a possibility of you being mistaken?" the unicorn asked with note of disbelief. "Maybe you didn't hear them leaving away because of the heavy rain?"

"Nonsense, I may not be able to see but my hearing is still very good, even better now than an year ago. I'm utterly sure, that those recruits didn't fly away or used the old fashion walking." Lucky sounded believable but Rod needed more information and maybe some evidence to fully believe him.

Now the strong unicorn had a thoughtful look. No pony said a word and none moved for a few moments, when suddenly Rod broke the silence:

"Do you know where you met them?"

"Central square, in front of the Palace." Lucky immediately answered.

"When?" the unicorn asked almost without waiting for the response of his last question.

"I can't tell you the exact time. However, Quarter Key might. You must ask him the time when I left the Office. Then add my travel time from here to the square, which I think was about 20 minutes. But I can't be absolutely sure."

"Where did hey disappear?"

"I left them in Two Princesses' square, I think, somewhere in front of the statues' north side."

Rod memorized everything Lucky said.

"Alright. I think this will be enough for now. I'll relay the information to Key, when I go to the Castle. You are free to go. Remember, from now one you are our first witness, so don't try to move out of town." Diamond Rod said.

Lucky only nodded, then the serious unicorn turned backwards and walked away with steady steps. Despite being fully armored, he didn't make loud sounds and soon he disappeared around the corner.

Lucky turned around and began his slow walk to the reception. The ninja came closer to his left side and looked at him with eyes, full with irony.

"Somepony tried to be too much of a God?" she asked sarcastically. Lucky didn't like her rude tone but kept his feelings away from her. Although he couldn't control the little fear he still had. The pegasus knew almost nothing about her and he was expecting burst of hits at any given moment, when she was close to him.

"What do you mean?" Lucky sounded a bit confused, though he had pretty accurate guess for what it was about. He gritted his teeth because of the rising nervousness.

"Trying to control the weather with your little wings and hoofs and now crying in the corner? Only fools think mother nature can be forced against her will. Ha, you get, what you deserve, I guess." now she sounded quite provocative, which irritated Lucky a lot.

"Why is she continuing her old song? Is there a specific purpose? Or is it because of psychological nature? Either way, I have to deal with her tongue throughout the entire investigation, huh, this will prove a challenge." Lucky thought.

He lowered his head little to the ground and wearily said:

"You look like you are not from Equestria, am I right? Here we expect the weather ponies to ensure comfortable and suitable time for the ponies in this Kingdom. If they fail at the task, then we'll have huge problems. Many ponies may get hurt or even die. But why would you care?"

He unknowingly struck a sensitive spot in her, which made her to distance a little bit from him but instantly returned to her emotionless self. She didn't try to provoke him again or anything in those lines and became fully silent. Her orange eyes

looked straight forward and didn't blink even once.

When the two appeared in front of the entrance of the left hallway, Ms Rose charmingly smiled at them. However, the deep stare of the ninja send her the shivers. She tried to ignore her eyes and concentrate only on Lucky and her beautiful winkers obeyed her will without question. Ms Rose was slightly shocked by his beaten look, but she kept warmly smiling.

"I see you were successful and I have to congratulate on proving my faith in you, Mr Lucky." then she turned her sight to the ninja. "I'm Ms Blooming Rose. Pleasure to have you with us, ..."

"You must be the pony, who paid my bill?" she asked with an ice cold voice, then made a few steps towards the blue unicorn.

"Well... Yes, I am the one." Rose proudly said.

The ninja stood in front of her and bowed down, as if the artist was a Royal member. The beautiful mare looked confusingly at the ex-prisoner.

"I'm grateful." the ninja spoke with a low honest voice. This astonished Rose and Lucky, mostly the last one cause somehow this robber didn't seem to be the thankful type of pony.

"There's more that meets the eye. Or she just pretending?" Lucky thought.

Rose smiled with even more charm and she warmly looked at her interlocutors with her big purple eyes.

"Actually, I have to thank you all for deciding to help me in this troublesome matter. With your help, Mr lucky will be able to accomplish his investigation. Which reminds me to ask you, when are you going to begin your inquiry?"

"Right now. The first place I want to visit is your house. I hope there we can find some clues about the thief." Lucky said.

"In this case, we are a slightly out of time."

Lucky raised an eyebrow. For a second, he thought that the thief had made his first move. He remained calm and slowly moved towards them.

"Why is that? Has the stealer sent his demands?"

Rose gracefully shook her head.

"No, I'm having my monthly meeting with my friends tonight. I'll have to clean and sort everything in my house. And..."

"That means, every little clue, that can help us identify the burglar, will get washed away." Lucky interrupted her with annoyed voice. "You know, you are making it harder and harder. Can't you at least delay your meeting?"

"I can not. The invitations were sent weeks ago. I am really sorry, but this is very important occasion, which many well-known ponies are looking for. There is just no way for me to cancel it, without them suspecting something and as I've said, I do not want rumors spreading about me."

Lucky face-hoofed and sighed. Although his pink towel covered his eyes, Rose could imagined his pissed look.

"One problem after another. This is getting quite interesting but hey, If I fail, I'll have a pretty good reason why..." Lucky thought.

Suddenly he felt somepony putting their leg over his right shoulder and heard something unsuspected.

"I'm pretty fast in finding stuff, so it wont be a problem. Isn't that right, partner?" the ninja confidently said, while hugging Lucky with her right front leg. The pegasus didn't know if he had to fear her or be comforted by her words.

"Will see about that." he thought, after that the white pegasus turned his head to Rose and said: "And time starts ticking. We must immediately go there and begin our search."

Then Lucky tried to make his first step to the exit, when the strong ninja prevented him from doing that. Her eyes now had a more serious look and the stallion could feel cold coming from the side she aimed her sight. Her killer-like look frightened Rose a little, although she cleverly hid her fears.

"You didn't forget about my apples, right?"

Lucky frowned but he knew there was no way out of it.

"What apples?" Rose curiously asked.

"Her apples..." the blind pony said, as if he didn't want to be heard. "Ms Rose, I'll need my 100 bits now. I have some quick shopping to do."

"I have only 10 bits left. The rest you will get at my place." Rose opened her purse and took out the last remaining gold coins. Then she put the bits in the only pocket on his coat.

"Let's not waste more time here. It'd be advisable for us not to be seen together. Ms Rose, you may go home and wait us there."

Roses nodded with a smile.

"Of course. My house is located on the Sunshine Street. The yellow one with the big blue windows, that have silver ornaments."

"Got it." Lucky and the ninja said simultaneously, which made them look at each other. The pegasus then managed to get himself out of her grasp and started walking towards the big wooden doors. He looked ready for the upcoming tasks. The other two watched him going to the exit and soon followed him.

"You'll be first to leave, Ms Rose." Lucky said, when he was just in front of the gate. The blue unicorn obeyed him. She opened the door and before going into the open, Rose turned to them said smilingly:

"Welcome to the jungle." then the artist silently left and the door behind her closed on its own.

At first, Lucky had a thoughtful look but suddenly a small smile appeared on his face. The ninja looked at him, wondering what he found funny in Rose's words. Both tacitly stood there for a few minutes, when the pegasus decided the waiting was enough. He pushed the tall gate and went outside, followed by the black clothed pony. No one saw them leaving the building, except the two portraits of the Princesses, which kept looking cheerful at the entrance.

"Silver Jack, let's talk about my sister..." Diamond Rod said, when entering Key's office. However, he was surprised to see that no pony was there. He looked around to check, if Jack was hiding but without positive results. For no apparent reason the very well kept room was colder than the corridor, from which the strong unicorn came. It actually was freezing and there were no traces, that the grey pegasus had been in the office.

Rod frowned.

"Darn flier, where is he now?"

The unicorn then slowly exited the room and went to search for his comrade. If only Rod came a few seconds sooner, maybe he would see his friend losing all motion and disappear into a deep shadow.

It was still cloudy and gray but at least the wind was gone. The street felt rather empty like many in the Capital at the moment. Small noise could be heard from the direction of the Central Square, where most ponies gathered to hear what their favorite rulers had to say.

The two were just outside the tall building.

"Do you know where the grocery market is located?" Lucky asked.

"Of course, isn't it from where i stole the cart full with apples?" she answered ironically. "I forgot to mention, I want them to be just like the ones from the truck."

"Uh-hu... so red or green?" he mockingly asked.

The ninja turned to him and closed her hoof to his nose. She looked threatening but Lucky was not afraid at all.

"From Sweet Apple Acres." she seriously said, then the assassin pushed his head upwards. Anger went true his heart but its spreading was prevented, so the pegasus wouldn't do anything stupid.

Then the ninja began walking in the direction of the market place, which was located next to the Central Square. Lucky had no choice but to follow her. He was growing to dislike her even more.

She was moving with a fast paced, which was hard for Lucky to keep up. When the distance between them grew significantly, the ninja slowed, so that the pegasus could join her again.

"Come on, my grandmother can walk faster." she loudly said.

Lucky managed to not show his annoyance and tried to look cool.

"When you in my place, I'm gonna say to you the same thing." he said with a low voice but it wasn't enough cause she heard him clearly.

"When I agreed to join you, I didn't imagine carrying you around. Because of you we are losing precious time."

"What?!" Lucky's surprised face turned to his partner. "Ha, at least, I'm not wasting time with stupid apples."

They turned around the corner and found themselves in a bigger street that led directly to the Palace. From their position they could see the big colorful crowd in front of the Castle. The noise coming from the hundreds ponies was louder. It seemed like the Princesses were a little late, which was unusual for them.

"Like you are wasting mine. I'd be there, if it wasn't for your sluggishness. Maybe you should have gone with the fancy pony, you know the one that looks at you with deep purple eyes, as if she has a crush on you or something." she glimpsed at him before they went into a smaller street, surrounded by smaller but beautiful houses. He felt a little uncomfortable by her last statement.

"Let's get this straight: I don't trust you and I expect the worst from you, so don't get upset. You and I are stuck together for the rest of this investigation."

"Me upset? You have to be kidding cause I wasn't the one, who lost his cool." she continued to harass him and his patience was getting thinner. Lucky really wanted her to shut up and leave him alone but he knew it would never happen.

They passed nearby a small elegant garden with lots of exotic flowers. Their aroma made Lucky feel peace for the brief moment his companion didn't open her mouth. They reminded him of better times, when he was playful filly, who had no troubles in his little life. However, the not very lasting moment ended by the heavy knocks, that came from the ninja's words.

"Interesting cutie mark: Purple eight with wings. Your full name is Lucky Eight, am I right? I wonder what made your mommy and daddy choose this name? By the way, where are the old folks? Are they waiting home for you?"

Her voice irritated him to the fullest and when she mention his parents the glass just overflowed. Lucky grabbed her clothing and their faces met just centimeters from each other. The pegasus's expression was furious, not even the pink silk could cover it up. The ninja remained calm and her eyes kept their emotionless look.

"My parents are dead!" the blind one shouted with full force. "Don't you ever dare speak badly about them. Do you understand me?!"

She achieved her goal and invisible smile appeared on her face. Now the ninja knew a lot about him and could actually shield his weaknesses. By harassing him like that, she tested his spirit and in the same time had some twisted fun. The black clothed pony took his hoof and forced hit to let go. The pegasus backed away from her, still angry and looked like he was about to jump on her.

"I'm sorry." she calmly said. Her smile was gone.

"Now you apologize... I've never expected such a thing from you."

Then Lucky quickly took off the pink towel and opened his lifeless brown eyes. The ninja could feel the pain coming from them and the darkness that coat his soul like a cloak.

"This pony has so much anger inside him. I'll use it to shape his inner castle, making sure he wont be an easy pray for my pursuers. If it doesn't work, I'll have to get rid of him after this assignment." she thought without a drop of emotion.

"You want to see my pissed face. Well, here it is. I'll not tolerate your insults any longer. If you have something against me, say it now and be over with it." Lucky said.

She moved a little closer, while gazing at him.

"I'm sorry." she repeated with a strange honest voice, before hitting him in the cheek and trowing him to the wet ground.

Lucky gasped. The strike was really powerful and so swift, the attacker almost knocked his teeth out and this wasn't really her full might. She looked at the weak blind pony with demonic eyes, as if she enjoyed torturing him but this was far from the truth. The ninja felt noting at the moment. Although she caused him great pain, it had to be done to protect him from her past and present.

"Get up!" she ordered with a cold voice.

The pegasus slowly stood up, expecting another blow.

"Why? Why are you doing this? Do you get pleasure in beating a defenseless pony?" he asked with a low but angry voice.

"Here is the problem: I don't team up with weaklings. It is like this: you either toughen up, or you lose the game."

"You think this is a game? You must be mad."

"Life is a big game. Only the best survive. So, are you willing to become stronger or see yourself fade away like the dust on this street."

A sudden wind passed, slightly blowing his green mane. Both were standing still like statues, when Lucky broke the silence:

"I'm not weak!" he sounded confident in his words. Unexpectedly he felt his silk towel landing on his head. He grabbed it and placed it carefully, so that it fully covered his eyes.

"Then prove it." she turned in the direction of the market. "Come, our time is ticking."

The pegasus was still angry but somehow the rage in him steadily faded away. He hated her more than ever but without realizing, blocks in his heart started forming a small wall. At the moment Lucky just wanted to give up and leave the job unfinished. However, he was a pony of his word, so abandoning it was not an option. Lucky began slowly walking after her, keeping a medium distance from the ninja.

They walked for a minute in total silence. They were almost at their targeted destination, when suddenly the ninja sensed something wrong. Her eyes slowly scanned the surrounding buildings but except beautiful facade, noting else took her attention. Her instincts told her to immediately hide but she couldn't leave the blind pegasus alone, so she decided to pretend, as if noting was happening.

"What's that medallion you hid under your coat, back in the prison?" she asked, when looking back at Lucky. The ninja used the moment to check their backs, although there was noting special.

The pegasus wasn't in a mood to talk but he didn't want trouble with her.

"It's just an accessory." Lucky lied. The ninja saw through the lie like hot knife to butter. He wanted to keep the locket's magical power in secret. She knew it was more than just an accessory, but she decided to not push him.

"The truth about it will come out eventually." the ninja thought. "Everything looks clear but I get the feeling we are being followed."

The two entered the marketplace, which was pretty much empty. There were only few sellers, who had noting better to do but to wait for customers. Two earth ponies behind a grocery stand ceased their conversation and looked at the newcomers.

"Good-morning, would you like to check our delicious tomatoes and carrots?" the violet mare on the right asked.

"Our vegetables are carefully grown in the farms in the south. We deliver the most nutritious and tasty ones and for a fair price." the cyan stallion proudly claimed.

Lucky and the ninja looked indifferent and kept moving without stopping. The two went to the only wooden stand, that had only apples on it. An orange pony with a cowboy hat was patiently standing. When she saw them coming, her eyes sparkled.

"Howdy, partners. You wanna buy some extraordinary fresh apples?" she asked with an western accent.

The ninja looked at the fruits and she was delighted to see, that those were the one, she tried to steal three days ago.

"From Sweet Apple Acres, right?" the black suited pony asked.

"Yes, mam. My family is proud with our apples, the best you can find in Equestria." the seller smiled.

"How many for 10 bits?" the ninja asked, when looking like wolf at the red juicy fruits.

"Three, exactly. But because you are my first customers, I'll give you one more for one third the price. Do we have a deal?"

"Of course." the ninja turned to the pegasus, who apathetically pulled out the bits from his pocket. The ninja grabbed them from his hoof and paid the sellspony.

"Yeehaa. thanks a lot. Here take these and please come again soon. Have a pleasant day!"

She quickly took the bag and while gazing at the fruits on the stand, she said:

"Before we go, I'd want you to spare a large portion of your apples. I'll come later to buy them later."

"How many are we talking here?" the orange pony looked surprised and excited at the same time.

"Full cart."

"Woaw, a big request. You make my blonde hair shiver but I'll do that. I'll await your return."

The black pony nodded. Then the two continued on their way to Rose's house. They walked for some time and after making sure no pony was watching, the ninja pulled down the mask, that cover half of her face and began eating the yummy apples.

"Was she the pony you tried to steal from?" Lucky asked quietly.

She swallowed a fairly big piece and said with uncaring voice:

"If she was, so what?"

"Didn't you feel anything? Did you look her in the eye, when she said we were her first customers?" Lucky wanted to know, if the ninja had any emotions at all, although he was doubting it. The assassin took another bite from the second apple and when she was done chewing the tasty fruit, she glimpsed at him.

"I was looking at the beautiful apples all the time and she sounded happy. What are you trying to prove, little pegasus?"

Lucky didn't say a word and kept walking in full silence. He lost it before he even began it. Suddenly his stomach vibrated and made this roaring sounds, indicating it needed to be filled with food immediately.

"Somepony didn't have his breakfast?" she derisively said.

The vibrations were growing more violent. Lucky remembered having a meal the day before yesterday and it was a small one. As much as he disliked, the pegasus asked with irritated voice:

"Would you be kind to give me one of the apples. I haven't eaten anything in awhile."

The ninja stopped, took one of the untouched apples and with a powerful strike she cut it into two. Then she tossed the smaller piece to him, which he almost dropped to the wet ground. When he realized it wasn't want he wanted, he turned his heat angrily at her.

"I asked you for an apple, not just a bite from it."

"If you want the whole, try to take it from me?"

Lucky sighed. He ate the little piece and went after her, at least his stomach was briefly satisfied. She saw that he kept a quite the distance from her, so she slowed down her pace. Lucky didn't try to compensate for her change in speed and when she was next to him, the ninja slowly waved the other piece from the apple in front of his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Catch the apple. That is, if you still hungry."

Lucky was totally not in a mood for her silly challenge, but he feared she wold kick his face hard, if he didn't play the game.

"Come on, everpony play the game. Don't shy." she provoked him.

Suddenly the pegasus used his head to take the fruit from her hoof, but was too slow.

"So easy, I can do this whole day and be amused by your futile attempts."

Lucky gritted his teeth. He wish she would stop being such a jerk and bully but there was no escaping her. The ninja again waved the piece in front of him. He was getting annoyed pretty fast but then a spark lighted his mind. The pegasus intentionally made grumpier face.

"Why should I play your stupid game? Get your hoof out of my way!" he said with dark voice.

"Well then, let me enjoy this juicy apple."

She was about to take a bite, when Lucky was about to give a powerful blow to her cheek. However, the ninja anticipated this move and blocked his incoming hoof with her own, with the one that held the second piece of the apple. Then Lucky tried to bump his body into her, when he tasted an extraordinary delicious apple in his mouth. He froze, not realizing what happened. Then he got pushed back and the pegasus found himself sitting on the ground.

She smiled, when looking at him. Lucky instantly took a bite from the juicy apple and started chewing. The ninja eat the remaining piece, which she held in her left hoof. Lucky finished eating and stood up. He looked surprised but inside him he felt really good for some reason.

"See, not that hard. I hope you liked it." the ninja said with a new friendly voice. Then she put the her mask in front of her mouth, only her eyes remained uncovered.

"What just happened, I do not know. However, victory does taste sweet." Lucky thought. A small smile uncertainly appeared on his face for a short moments, before he felt her hooves on his coat. She pulled him to herself. Their heads we close to one another.

"Next time I'll strike your open flank. Learn to attack properly." she now sounded darkly.

"What a wicked personality. I get the feeling, she is more than just crazy..." he thought.

"By the way, is this the home of the fancy pony?" she pointed at the yellow house with the beautiful big windows.

"You tell me, I can't see, remember?" Lucky said sarcastically.

The ninja released him and then went to the door with the silver ornaments, which were shaped like hearts. She knocked a few times. It swiftly opened and Rose appeared in the entrance.

"Welcome all, again." she cheerfully greeted, but when the unicorn saw Lucky in worse shape, Rose became concerned for him. "What happened to you now, Mr Lucky? Are you alright?"

The pegasus looked down, trying to not go back a few minutes ago.

"Short but very boring story. Let's get to the chase: would you show us where you last put the letter? It'd be better, if we started from there."

"Of course, I will. Please, come in quickly. I would like to not be seen with you, when standing in front of my house." Rose moved away from the door.

"Don't worry. Almost everypony is at the Central Square. We may be the only ponies on this street." Lucky said, when entering her home.

"Yes, almost." the ninja thought. She looked back at the surrounding area. Lot's of gorgeous architecture but no sight from the thing that was following them. The neighborhood was quite stylish, setting it apart from the rest. These were the houses of one of the most well known ponies in Equestria. Flowers were planted in white marble planters around every door. It had a unique aristocratic feel, which couldn't be mistaken by anypony.

The not so silent assassin could feel the pursuer being near. Was he really good or her senses just imagined things, she did not care. Her guts told her to watch out and that's what she was going to do.

The ninja then turned away and passed through the wooden door, which closed the moment she was inside.

Chapter 8: Ghost Chase

Her house seemed bigger from the inside than from the outside. There were many paintings on the walls, which were drawn in different styles. Majority of them were very accurate portraits of other ponies. They all looked like they were floating around in ecstasy. The ones with the scenery were quite huge and were placed in such a way, so that they made a transition from spring paintings to winter ones.

Her home was one big beautiful gallery and no wonder famous ponies were eager to come here tonight.

Rose entered the living room, followed by Lucky and the ninja. It was rather big and unlike the hallway, that led them here, the room had a tall ceiling. A crystal chandelier was hanging in the center. The walls were painted in mix of violet and white colors, which made smooth rounded figures, just like in the corridor. The floor was covered with expensive carpet. It was colored in pink and purple, giving it a perfect tone with the walls. Three big windows provided a perfect lighting for the room, so that it was always bright.

There were a long, stylish purple sofa and a low glass table on four legs in front of it. The sofa was positioned in a such a way that anypony, who'd sit on it, would look at the huge paintings on the wall, which were hid under white curtains.

The aroma of the room intoxicated Lucky's senses and the soft carpet felt, as if he was walking over clouds. For a moment, the pegasus remember, when he first stepped on a cloud. It was an exciting thing to do and yet little scary. However, the ninja gently bumped him with her hoof and the memory faded away. He needed to stay focused for the duration of their assignment.

Lucky slowly shook his head to clean it of all unnecessary thoughts.

"This is the living room. I left the letter on the table, which as you can see, it is gone." Rose said, when approaching the mass.

"Putting important stuff in the open like that just beg to be stolen." Lucky slowly moved after her.

She turned her eyes to him and looked at him with little annoyance.

"I know how to manage my things, Mr Lucky. I left the letter here because I was returning from the marketplace and I was full to say the least." Rose stopped just in front of the glass table and turned to face the other two.

"So, you went to put the bags in the kitchen and when you returned the letter was gone, am I right?" Lucky sounded confident in his assumption.

Rose smiled.

"Partially correct. I remembered, I had to go outside again for something I forgot to do. When I returned, the letter was missing."

"Are you absolutely sure, that you didn't put it elsewhere?" Lucky asked with a serious tone.

Rose nodded positively.

"No doubt about it."

"Did you left the door open? Maybe somepony, who knew you went inside and wanted to make a little joke?"

"I always lock the door and the windows, when I leave my house. So no pony can get inside, without breaking the door first."

"Or via pick locking... Maybe the thief used some other way to get inside. Let's see how my "partner" will do her job." Lucky thought.

"Ninja, you start your search with this room and then the rest of the house. Look for clues, which would indicate from where the burglar entered and also for stuff the intruder might have dropped in his stay here." Lucky ordered. He expected to get an angry remind from her, that no pony is a boss of her but nothing like that happened. She quickly began her careful search without a spoken word.

When Lucky's surprise wore off, he turned his attention to Rose.

"The thief didn't take anything else, right?" he asked, as if he didn't want to be heard.

"Yes, everything else is in its place, even my new paintings, which I've prepared for this evening." Rose anxiously looked at the pictures on the wall, which were covered with white curtains. They were different in size but one stood out as twice as big from the rest.

"So the robber knew what he wanted." Lucky thought out loud. "Ms Rose, how many letters as important as the stolen one have you received?"

The blue unicorn looked uncertain to answer his question.

"A few." she whispered.

"So the thief must have spied on her before making his first move. Now the questions are who did it and what's the motive." he thought.

While the pegasus was occupied with his thoughts on the matter, the ninja checked the windows for signs of broke in but there were none. Then she moved across the room to look for anything interesting but yet again her search was futile one. The ninja double checked, if she missed something and then the black pony silently continued to the next room. Her watchful eyes scanned with absolute precision the surroundings and noting escaped her sight.

"What was the time, when the robbery happened. For how long you were gone from home, when it happened?" Lucky asked with puzzled voice.

"I don't know the exact time but it was past noon, I am sure of it. I was away for just three or four minutes." Rose sighed sadly. Her curly mane hid her right half of her face. Her left big eye looked at the floor. "How I wish this never happened..."

Lucky understood her pain but there was no time for tears and comforting words. He continued asking her questions about that day, while the ninja was searching the rest of the house. She proceeded through the wide hallway, which was painted the same way as the living room and was filled with decorations and white marble sculptures. It led to the two bedrooms and the atelier.

The ninja first went in Rose's bedroom. It was quite fabulous. Its walls were painted in yellow like the outside of the house. Long pink silk curtains were hanging in front of crystal clear windows. Big comfortable bed was in the center, colored in white and blue. A wooden wardrobe stood tall opposite to the bed. On its two doors there were two clean mirrors. A small glass table, with a clock on top of it, was standing in the left side of the bed. The place felt fresh and the amount of free space it had, gave it a feeling of freedom.

Although many ponies would kill to have such a beautiful bedroom, the black pony was not slightly moved by the picture in front of her. She just went inside, looked around and concluded there was noting interesting to see in there.

Before the mare made her way out of the room, the ninja suddenly felt something, she didn't notice, when entering this house. At first, she was bothered by its absence but patiently waited for it to show itself. The ninja stood up on two legs and with her free ones, she made fast signs in the air, which involved some complex geometrical figures. The pony finished the magical art by crossing her front legs in an x. Her orange eyes flashed. She slowly turned around to the bedroom and now she could see the magical traces that floated in the air as transparent yellowish clouds with the size of an apple. The ones, that were brighter, were from recent use of magic.

"Very strange. Why I didn't feel the traces sooner? She is a unicorn, so her home must be filled with them just like this room. Magic cloak? It's a possibility. Will have to check the other rooms to be sure." she thought.

Then the ninja slowly entered the gorgeous corridor and moved her sight carefully from one end to the other. There were little clouds around the sculptures but they seemed, that they were about to disappear completely, indicating magic was used weeks or months ago.

Noting interested her, so she slowly continued to the next bedroom. The pony went to the door and tried to opened it. Unfortunately, it was locked with a key. She decided not to force her way in and go check the atelier first and ask Rose later for the key.

The parlor's door was at the end of the hallway, which was close to the last bedroom. Luckily for the ninja, the door was not locked and she was able to get inside a large room with four big windows. It was bright. The walls were white and empty of any paintings. In the center of the atelier were a few canvas, on which noting had been drawn. The dyes were carelessly placed in random positions and the dirty brushes were lying on a piece of newspaper.

The pony first checked the windows and after not finding anything again, she looked at the yellowish clouds around the brushes and some of the paints. Somepony had very recently used magic on them. However, noting was painted on the canvas, which puzzled the ninja. She looked at the messy floor and found no traces of fresh dye on it. Then her eyes caught something.

One of the brushes had its end colored in red but the red paint was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly very thin line appeared, which started from the brush.

"Definitely magic cloak. Hm, this trace has an unusual shape, which I've never seen before. It can't be from the unicorn's magic, so it's somepony else's? I should see, where it goes." the ninja thought.

She slowly followed its straight path. Her concentration was entirely on the almost invisible wire and the pony proceeded carefully through the corridor. The ninja was so focused on it because she didn't want to lose sight of the line and failed to notice the little shadow, which moved behind her without a sound. The black shade kept its distance from her, as if it knew she was able to detect it, if it was close to the assassin. It took different shapes, while moving behind her, some of which resembled spears and swords, but it seemed scared to attack the back of the pony.

The magical line led the ninja back to the living room, where Lucky and Rose were sitting on the comfy sofa, in waiting for her return. The pegasus's looked thoughtful but he noticed, when his partner entered the room.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

She didn't give an answer and kept walking in a straight line. The ninja stopped just in front of the big painting. The thin wire

pointed directly at the picture.

Rose looked worryingly at her and asked with a concerned voice:

"Is something wrong, Ms Ninja? Can I help you with something?"

Suddenly the black suited pony grabbed the white curtain with her hooves and pulled it down. The veil fell down gently, uncovering a portrait of dark alicorn in a threatening pose. The background was painted in blue and purple. She had white evil eyes, that stared directly at the three ponies. Her wings were long spread and black shadows came out from the ends of every feather like flames. The pony didn't wear anything except a red crystal medallion on a golden chain, which had a triangular shape. In its center there was a smaller green gem with a shape of an orb.

She looked powerful and fearsome. What really made the ninja concerned was that the yellow line's end was the green crystal, exactly in its center, which was also the absolute center of the entire painting.

Rose looked surprised by her action, only Lucky wasn't aware of what was happening. The unicorn jumped from hear seat and went to the ninja.

"What are you doing? What's wrong?" she asked.

The ninja only stared at the picture without even breathing. Something in it scared her for the first time in many years. Her hearth began beating uncontrollably, when she saw every sign painted with red in the picture, which she hoped never to see again in her life.

The four signs were drawn like the four corners of the world and they all had one meaning.

"Here I am!" the ninja whispered.

Rose slowly closed her hoof to the black pony's shoulder. The later didn't react at all, as if she was magically stoned.

"You have found a clue, didn't you?" her voice echoed in the ninja's mind.

The assassin carefully turned her head to Rose and looked deeply at her eyes. Rose felt uncomfortable but a smile covered her emotions just perfectly.

"The signs." the ninja whispered and pointed at the red hieroglyphics. The blue unicorn looked up at the painting and saw noting unusual.

"There are no signs. Are you feeling alright?" Rose was a little confused.

"What signs?" Lucky asked concernedly, when he was walking up to them.

"They can't see them, so that wasn't a red paint but a powerful magic. This is a big trap!" she thought.

"She says that there are signs on the portrait. I think they scare her. However, there are none I can see at the moment" Rose answered calmly.

"The ninja feels fear? What is this thing that made her chicken?" Lucky though.

"Could you describe me whats painted on the said picture?" the pegasus asked.

"It's an old project of mine, which I recently finished. The painting is called Shadow Princess. She is the opposite of what Celestia represents as a Goddess of the Sun. My old friend and I loved to discus how a certain pony would look like, if they had a dark version of themselves. That is how this idea was born."

When Rose mention her friend, Lucky was able to notice a change of tone. There was something she tried to hide, which interested the pegasus.

"Reminds me of Nightmare Moon. And who is this friend of yours?"

Rose turned her head from Lucky to the painting. Although Lucky couldn't see her facial expression, the ninja did. However, she was busy dealing with her senses, which were going nuts. Her eyes were constantly checking the surroundings, although there was no evident threat to them.

"A very dear friend, who left me long ago. But I'd rather not talk about it."

"A friend, with whom she had a troublesome past. Why didn't she mention this before? Let's see how deep the story goes." the pegasus thought.

"Ms Rose, you do realize every piece of information can push us one step further to finding out, who stole your letter. Holding it back will make our job a lot more difficult to accomplish. So please, tell me what happened?" Lucky sounded very insistent.

Rose looked at him with a little anger.

"I will not. She has noting to do with this. I can assure you of that, because my friend is the nicest pony I've ever met and she would never do such a terrible crime as this."

The ninja suddenly approached her face to Rose's, who was very surprised to see her iron-like orange eyes so close to hers.

"Little, mister, private detective Lucky asked you a question. Answer it or we call quits on you!" she sounded a little pissed , but the truth was she was quite nervous and didn't like it at all.

Lucky tried to push both away from each other and said with calm voice:

"Stop it. She is our client and if she doesn't want to tell me, fine. Have it her way. And you... why are you so jumpy at the moment?"

The ninja pierced him with her orange eyes. Suddenly she noticed a green flashing, coming from under his coat, when she unexpectedly managed to spot, with her peripheral vision, objects, which were flying directly at them. The ninja pushed him with great force and then in just a fraction of a second turned on her two back hooves to face the three blades. For her the time moved slowly, while the razor edged knifes moved swiftly in the air. She exhaled once, at the same time, spread her front legs and span very fast in one place. While she did that the blades almost reached her but the ninja managed to grab them by the handles and then she span again. For a split second, her eyes caught a movement near the door. When she was about to finish her second spin, she aimed at the target and then tossed the knifes.

The blades were thrown precisely at the silhouette but somehow the shadowy figure managed to completely dodge them by moving to the side. The knifes made deep holes and struck with such a force, that the paintings on the wall fell down.

For a moment the mysterious pony hesitated, which gave little time for the ninja to charge his position. Everything happened so fast, that Rose and Lucky didn't have a clue of what was going on. The unicorn focused on the dark figure next to the windows. She was astonished, when the painter saw the thing moving through the glass, as if there was no window.

The ninja was surprised to see it too but there was no time for wondering how it happened. She jumped in the air and went through the window, the old fashioned way. Lots of broken glass flew outwards and fortunately for her, she managed to not cut herself.

When she landed on the street, the ninja did three barrel rolls before fully stopping. The pursuer quickly stood up and galloped after the shadow. It was fast but the ninja was faster and the distance between them was getting shorter and shorter.

The black figure decided to turn right on the corner of a beautiful house with red roof. The ninja followed it without hesitation. She deeply breathed on normal intervals and was fully concentrated on the chase.

When she turned right, the pursued was gone from the wet streets. The ninja quickly looked up and saw a pony that somehow could gallop on vertical walls. She also managed to spot that the shadows, which covered its the entire body, were starting to disappear, uncovering a pony whit a white mane.

The ninja didn't knew why the pony was transforming and it only fueled her urge to find out. So she began galloping even faster. The pursued noticed that and with its remaining shadowy tentacles the pony threw another knifes at its pursuer. The ninja anticipated that move and successfully dodged his attacks without dropping her speed. She tried to guess his next step and prepared for the next attack.

The few ponies that were on the street watched in shock the action that unraveled before them.

The pursued pony suddenly went for the roofs, when he saw the ninja considerably catching on to her. Another pair of knifes flew in the ninja's direction but they all missed again. The black suited pony made a powerful jump and landed on a second floor balcony of a smaller house. Then she jumped again and found herself on the roof. The distance now was greater between them but she galloped double hard to compensate for the swift change in course.

The runner tried to escape as fast as he could. His chance smiled on him, when the pursued pony saw the end of the building line. There was a wide street, which only pegasuses could actually jump and safely get to the other side. With his remaining strength, the runner made a powerful leap forward in the air. He flew fast upwards above the unsuspecting ponies and almost didn't land successfully on the roof of the building.

The pursued continued running to the left. He turned his head to check, if his pursuer decided to cease the chase. For his horror, the runner saw how the ninja made even mightier jump and landed on his side. The pursuit continued but it wouldn't be long cause the runner was beginning to slow.

"Those shadows must be the source of his strength. Good thing they are fading away." she thought, while quickly closing on his position.

The runner saw he had no chance to outrun the ninja, so he decided to face her. He stopped in one place, then turned his face to her. The ninja saw an opportunity to catch him for good and was ready to jump on him. The pursued waited for the perfect moment and when it came tens of shadows flied to her. She tried to dodge them all but they were too many. The black tentacles slammed into her like a wall and hurled her backwards.

The ninja flew nine meters and barely landed on her legs. Her eyes pointed again at the pursued. The runner looked at them and found no emotion. As if her stare didn't came from her but from hell. Suddenly, a blood drop fell from her forehead and splat on the white roof. Then another one followed and fell, leaving a small trail of blood.

Her vision got a little blurry but she was still holding. The pursued smiled but he was quickly reminded, why he was trying to escape her. More of the shadows disappeared and the time was running out. The runner then jumped from the building in a lonely alley and vanished.

The ninja stood and looked at the direction, her pray escaped. She failed in her task and only shame roamed in her soul. When her vision normalized, she barely noticed the small piece of paper on the roof. She slowly took it from the ground. An address was the only thing written on it. The ninja hid it under her clothing, then turned around and went back to Rose's house.

Lucky and Rose found her on the street walking with the pace of a snail. She had a pissed look, which was quite unusual for her. The unicorn was unsure, if she wanted to ask her how it went, although the answer was obvious. The black pony went to Lucky, grabbed his hoof and then she gave him the piece of paper.

"This a visit card. It fell from runner, when I was chasing him. I didn't manage to see the pony's face." she said with low voice, which was untypical for her. Then the ninja bowed down in front of him. Her head almost touched the ground and her eyes gazed the wet earth, as if it was the most beautiful thing. "I failed my task. By my code, I'll have to be punished for my unsuccess. Do it as you see fit!"

Lucky was astounded by her request. However, a dark feeling raised from the deeps of his soul. The feeling of revenge grew big from just a spark to a forest fire. Yes, the pegasus found a chance to humiliate her, the way she did in the past days.

His breathing slowed down. He lifted his right hoof. The pegasus looked like he was about to strike her but instead his hoof gently touched her shoulder. The ninja didn't look up to see his mixed expression, indicating the battle between his mind and feelings.

Then Lucky said with a little angry voice:

"I'm not a punisher, but I'm your partner. And as one I don't see justice to cause you pain. However, I can use this moment, which may never happen again, to have my vengeance on you." there was a small pause, in which everypony was silent. Rose was looking at the pegasus, wondering what he would do next. The answer came shortly and unexpectedly. "Get up! Your shame, if you have one, is enough of a punishment."

The ninja complied and quickly raised her body. She looked at the pegasus and then silently moved away from the two. She sat on the nearest bench and looked at the wonderful green scenery.

"I do not know what happened between you too but weren't you too harsh?" Rose asked.

"No, I was too soft in comparison with the little hell she gave me this day." Lucky sighed. "Let's get back on tracks. Can you look at this visit card and tell me, if the address sounds familiar."

Lucky then turned to the lonely ninja and earnestly said:

"Come here, I'll need a detailed report of what happened, when you chased the killer-wannabe."

"I recognize this address. It is the home of my friend. But why would the pony have her allocution?" she said worryingly.

"Is there a connection with this fail attempt of murder and the theft? Why would anypony want to kill Rose? What is the motive here?" Lucky thought. "What is the place of her friend in the picture?"

Lucky closed a little to Rose. He looked quite serious, cause he wanted answers immediately.

"Ms Rose, I need to know what happened between you and the friend of yours. Please, for the sake of this investigation, you'll have to answer me."

Rose looked at Lucky with insecure eyes, then back at the little piece of paper. There was no escape from the truth, so she gave up on hiding from it.

"Her name is Rain Paint. She is also an artist like me and we shared common view on how we draw our paintings. We've been close friends since young fillies. She is the quiet type of ponies, the ones that don't seek fame. Most of the time, I used to represent her drawings and arts by her behave and she was okay with it. We lived happily together until the worst moment in my life.

An year ago, something changed in her. Her personality became more aggressive and it showed on her paintings. I tried to find the cause of her change of behavior but I failed. Then we had an awful hassle, which made her to permanently leave me and start living in Manehatten. I haven't heard from her since that painful day."

"So another artist. Maybe we are onto something here." Lucky thought.

"Ms Rose, I'll need the rest of the promised bits because we are going in Manehatten." the pegasus said. "I bet our little ghost has something to do with your friend."

"Are you actually thinking Rain Paint is behind all this? She is one of the friendliest ponies. Even if she has problems, my friend would never try to do these terrible things." Rose sounded scared because she didn't want to harm her relationship with her friend even more by sending the two at her door step.

"I'm not accusing her for being involved with the robbery and the attempt at murder. Your friend may prove useful in finding the pony, who did those. Trust me, we'll catch the nag responsible for the crimes." Lucky sounded pretty confident, which gave Rose slightly more hope for the future.

"Okay. I will go and get the sum. Wait me here. Fortunately for us, there are not anyponies around." Rose said.

"Will wait." the ninja said. The blue unicorn nodded and then quickly went back to her home. When she disappeared around the corner, the black pony whispered to Lucky: "Those knifes were not aimed at the fancy pony, but only at you."

Lucky didn't move, when he heard her words.

"Me?" he asked surprisingly. He was getting little sweaty.

"There is also something you should know about the pursued pony. It used dark magic, which is beyond this world." the ninja looked directly at him with her two big orange eyes.

Lucky turned his head to her. He could feel her serious sight piercing him like a blade.

"Black Magic? So another unicorn... What did I get into?" Lucky asked himself. His face darkened. The pegasus had little to none experience dealing with magical creatures, which had the intends to kill others. The Royal Guards never prepared him for such a thing. However, he had to stay strong and proceed with caution.

"Then let's hope it doesn't hurt much." Lucky smiled. "Thanks for saving my life."

The ninja didn't say anything and only turned her sight to the green scenery, which unraveled before them. She could see in the distance a small town, surrounded by forests and colorful fields. There was no wind. The grey clouds were still on top of the Capital, but somehow they had spread over more land.

They waited for a few minutes in total silence, when Rose returned to them with the promised bits.

"Here, take this wallet. The visit card is inside it." the unicorn gave it to Lucky, who immediately then put it inside his only pocket.

"Will contact you as soon as we have have more information. For your own safety, you'd better cancel the meeting."

"Don't worry about me. I'll figure a reason, why I broke the window. As one famous pony said, the show must go on." Rose said smilingly.

"What's his name?" the ninja asked.

"Free Mercury, from the band Princess." Lucky answered. Then he turned to Rose. "I think we are ready, unless I've forgot something. We'll get the train to Manehatten because it's faster than on hoof."

"I'll need more apples." the ninja reminded him with serious voice. Lucky nodded.

"We'd better get going. Good-Bye, Ms Rose. Stay safe."

Then the two began walking in the direction of the marketplace.

"On Goddess speed." Rose said, while looking at the receding ponies. When they were far away, she went back to her home with a smile. Her disguise was perfect and no pony, she met on the street, noticed anything wrong with her.

Chapter 10: The Meaning Of Flight Is To Land

"What happened? Argg... every part of my body hurts. Can barely move my legs..."

The pegasus tried to stand up but the pain was too great, so he fell on the grassy ground. A new agony spread through his little form and almost groaned. He clenched his teeth and waited for it to tone down, when suddenly Lucky remembered the events, that led him to this state.

"We were flying for about twenty minutes, when out of nowhere a strong turbulence hit us, preventing me from maneuvering correctly. For some reason, I felt heavier... no, it wasn't me. The ninja's spell wore off and her full weight returned. I told her that I couldn't fly but she would not listen. Darn spells!

Then I lost control and we began falling rapidly. I felt scared and was completely numb. Funny, I couldn't see the ground but my guts feeling was telling me. that it was getting dangerously close. We were going down with an incredible speed, I don't think, I've ever flown so fast.

The ninja shouted something... was it to pull up or was she warning me for obstacles? My heart was going nuts. My mind was too afraid and the wind in my ears made it impossible for me to make sense of what she yelled. Then did she stood up on two legs and used me as a surf? Yes, she did just that... Then blackness... Can't remember anything else.

I guess, my landing was rough. At least, I'm still in one piece and alive, thank the Goddess!"

A very nasty headache interrupted his thoughts. He slowly closed his left hoof to his head and shakily checked for serious wounds. Luckily there were none, only a swelling on his forehead. The pegasus also noticed that his pink towel was messed up and it almost had fallen off him.

"Enough rest! I feel like I've been unconscious for quite some time. Come on! Get up, Lucky and start looking for the ninja!"

The pegasus made a second attempt to stand on his four legs. He barely kept himself from falling again and was dangerously leaning to the sides. The pain was big but manageable this time. Lucky was breathing hard. He had a very torn look, with many bruises and scratches all over his body and wings, which were hanging down to the ground. His mane and tail were extremely messy. Dirt spots here and there made his white fur look like it wasn't cleaned for weeks.

Lucky felt something was not right but couldn't immediately figure what. He checked, if his medallion was still on him. The locket was still miraculously on his neck and unscratched. Then the pegasus proceeded with making sure everything in the coat's pocket was there. Suddenly Lucky realized his jacket was missing and he began slowly groping the earth around him but without success.

"Crap! Everything was there! I'll have to quickly find the ninja and start searching for it." Lucky worryingly thought.

"Ninja?!" he sorely yelled and after some time waiting for a response he shouted again with greater force. "NINJA?! Where are you?"

The pegasus was looking anxious and uncertain of what to do next. He called for her one more time. His voice echoed in the thick forest, scaring some birds near him. The coronas of the tall trees moved a little because of the wind, letting a few thin light beams to go through the small gaps and shine on Lucky's dirty face. He tried to listen to his surroundings but there were no sounds coming from his partner.

"I should try to find her!" Lucky thought.

The pegasus made a cautious step in a general direction, when suddenly he felt hurt in his ribs, which almost brought him down to the ground. Lucky was panting in fear that he broke something important. Few moments later, the pain began to disappear.

"This is not gonna be easy but I'll have to endure this. Need to find her!"

Lucky slowly made another step and the pain returned almost instantaneous. However, he was prepared for it this time and kept sluggishly moving forward with clenched teeth. Every bump on his path was a challenge for him and despite his body hurting, the pegasus was limping with more and more determination.

After some minutes later, the exhaustion was too great that Lucky simply collapsed on the green grass. He was almost without a breath and couldn't move any part of his body without experiencing more pain. He lay on the grass for a few minutes, until trying to get up again.

When doing his attempt, Lucky touched something, which felt like a tail, that had cloth wrapped around it. He immediately followed it with a hoof and for his amusement, the pegasus found somepony's flank.

"It must be her!" Lucky thought with relief.

"Ninja, can you hear me?" he asked with a tired voice. The black pony was completely silent and motionless.

"She must be unconscious or is she..." the pegasus's heart started beating really fast from his last thought.

The ninja was laying lifelessly on his right on a round big rock. The blind pony quickly checked, where her head was and found out she was facing the ground. Lucky turned her around with all his remaining strength. She proved quite hard to push because of her unusual high weight of her body.

Lucky placed his ear on her mouth and listened carefully to her breathing. There was none, which was a bad sign. Lucky remembered from his Guardian Training, what he had to do in such situations. Despite not having the best feeling towards her, he didn't want the ninja to die.

"Cardiac massage and mouth to mouth. Was it 30:2... Darn!"

Lucky nervously tried to remove her mask but for some reason he was unable to do so.

"Blasted masks!" he painfully exclaimed.

Then Lucky put his hooves on her chest, where he thought was her heart and began pumping hard and fast.

"... fifteen, sixteen, seventeen... Come on!.... nineteen..."

The pegasus continued pumping, when suddenly his hoof touched the first golden padlock on her clothing. He felt electrical current going through his leg and spreading to his entire body, immobilizing him in one place. Then a spark was formed, where his hoof made contact and Lucky fell backwards on the ground. The pegasus was dazed for a few seconds until he managed to get a hold on himself.

"What on Equestria was that?" he surprisingly asked himself.

Lucky got back on his feet and closed on the ninja's body. Now he could sense the magic, which surrounded the mare. His green pendant was very brightly glowing, illuminating his chest and her black clothing with vert light.

The blind one stood next to her, unsure of what to do. The magic coming from her had a dark tone, which worried him a lot. Suddenly he felt hot and a drop of sweat went down from his forehead. His breathing began to slow down and soon Lucky was suffocating out of no evident reason.

The cause of his torture was just in front of him. The ninja had opened her eyes and was gazing into the pegasus's soul. There was only one emotion coming from her - hatred. She steadily raised her upper half of her body to a level, where their faces almost touched. There was something wild in her look that was rapidly taking over her will like a forest fire.

Lucky was trying to gasp some air but the invisible force didn't let him. He fell on his knees, shaking uncontrollably in greater pain. The ninja kept staring like a demon with her orange balls of doom. She grabbed him from the ground and lifted him up high. Then her mouth mask magically fell down, revealing many white sharp teeth.

She prepared to feast on his flesh and bones, when the ninja accidentally looked at the crystal medallion on his neck. It hypnotized her immediately and flashed three times really fast, which made her to remember how she got in this situation in the first place.

Fifteen minutes earlier...

The two were falling with greater speed to their deaths. The green sea was getting closer and closer and with each passing moment their chances of survival were diminishing. The pegasus was unable to slow down for some reason, which she did not like at all.

"Pull up!" the ninja yelled in his left ear but Lucky couldn't hear her.

She looked at the closing tree tops to search for a suitable place to land. Unfortunately, there was none she could see at the moment. For her horror, she glimpsed a big rock formation on their flight path. It was a certain death, if they slammed into it, so the ninja immediately tried to correct Lucky's flight vector, stabilizing him a little. Then she got up on two legs and rode him like a surfboard.

"Watch out for the rocks! Pull up on my mark!" she shouted but the pegasus didn't indicate that he heard her.

There was no time to slap him on the cheek cause the solid obstacle was just meters from them. The ninja looked calm and focused on the task at hand. There was no room for error, so she had to do the risky maneuver perfectly.

The moment came. The ninja used her legs that were connected with Lucky and hurled him to the left. Then she swiftly jumped in the air, barely flying over the rocks. She quickly looked at her partner's position and saw him disappearing in a tree's corona. The skillful pony turned her eyes forward and saw a wide branch, which she could use to stow down her speed.

She managed to grab it and immediately began rolling around its axis. After doing three circles, the ninja released her grasp and went flying forwards, continuing to roll in the air very fast. She prepared to do the same trick on the next branch.

When the ninja got a grip on it, because of her high speed, she managed to snapped it and the wood slipped through her hooves. The pony began falling down with her legs up in the air but she still had her calm look, as if it wasn't something the ninja couldn't handle. Her body disappeared in the corona of a lower tree, where her back and head got hit multiple times by leaves and tree branches. Somehow, she reappeared below without a scratch on her and promptly turned around to face the closing ground.

Her left eye caught Lucky's rough landing before she concentrated her sight on the her last hope for safe touch down. The ninja reached her front legs to grab on the branch but unfortunately for her, it was too far away. The falling pony could only watch how her last resort was quickly distancing from her and that was when she looked scared. Her eyes turned to the rounded rock, which was a slightly bigger than her.

"Crap." the ninja said, before slamming hard into the scale and losing conscious.

Suddenly she realized what was going on at the moment and released the pegasus, who fell down like a puppet. He was barely breathing and looked quite weak. The ninja's eyes normalized and the sharp teeth shrank to normal sizes and forms. She put back her mask and then checked on Lucky.

"How did he trigger my true form? Was it by accident?" the black cloth pony asked herself, while examining him. Although she fell from such an enormous height, the ninja felt very little pain in her body.

Luckily for the pegasus, he wasn't hurt badly by her, so the mare left him to lie and sat on the rock with a thoughtful look.

"He couldn't have done it. Only specific magic can make me morph into my inner monster but he is just a pegasus. He is not a powerful wizard unless..." her eyes turned to his glowing pendant with a shape of a spiral and analyzed it carefully. "... his locket can provide him with magic. I can't remember, what made me get a hold on the transformation process but I sense it was the little medallion. In this case, I'll need to learn more about it."

Lucky rested for a few minutes, when he suddenly woke up and quickly tried to stand on his four legs. Although the pain was great, the pegasus looked like he was about to fly away as fast as possible. The ninja put her hoof on his shoulder and tried to calm him:

"It's alright. You are safe." her voice didn't have the effect, she hoped for and it only scared him a lot more.

"You-you tried to kill me!" Lucky exclaimed and violently removed her hoof from him.

"You'd be surprised, how many times the thought went through my head." the ninja smiled like a demon. " For the moment, there is no danger. Trust me."

"No, I'll not make such a leap of faith. I need to know the truth! Who are you exactly? What you have in common with the pony that tried to kill us? Who is this powerful pony? I bet you even have an accurate guess on his motives and goals." he sounded pretty angry and rightfully so. After a short pause he continued: "Last but not least, why you attacked me for no reason?"

These were a lot of tricky question to dodge, that were all connected with her dark past. The ninja was not in a mood to tell him everything but she felt he deserved to learn at least some pieces from the entire picture.The assassin looked at the surroundings. Tall trees and hundreds of bushes prevented her from seeing afar. However, a gut feeling was telling her that they're being watched, so she jumped from her rocky seat and stood mighty in front of him.

"This place is not safe. I know a path through the forest to Manehatten and we should get moving cause in six hours it will be dark in here."

"I want my answers now!" Lucky closed his angry face to hers but she was unmoved by his act.

"Don't worry, you'll have them on the way to the city. Now we need to get out of here fast."

The pegasus calmed a little and sighed.

"Alright. However, I need my coat back. The money for this trip, the visit card..." Lucky got interrupted by a hoof in his mouth.

"I lost my apples too but there is no time to search for our belongings. For your relief, I have memorized the address, so no problem there and from now on, we'll travel my way." she quietly said.

The pegasus freed his mouth and then returned to a more serious look. "More pain than gain... It feels like I've said it ages ago but it was just yesterday. Got to hold tight, if I want to survive this. Buck! Why did I accept this job?!"

"Why are you so thoughtful out of a sudden? Come on, we can't waste our time here!" she said, while looking behind her.

Then the ninja began moving in a general direction, which seemed to lead deeper into the thick forest. Lucky had no choice but to leave his favorite coat behind and follow his partner. It was very hard to keep up with her pace, so she quickly return to him and put him on her back. The pegasus didn't object at all.

"Don't get the impression I'm gonna carry you on my back all the time.", she earnestly said, while looking at her partner.

"I didn't even think of it." Lucky said with little anger in his voice.

Then the ninja began galloping and soon the two disappeared in the shadows. She was running swiftly around the countless obstacles, the forest had to offer. Lucky barely was holding onto her. She had to jump on a few occasions, which made the pegasus's ride very unpleasant.

After ten minutes of galloping, they entered a section of the woods, which was more open and brighter. Long, fresh grass with lots of beautiful flowers made this gorgeous picture of a place, which would be perfect to have a lovely picnic. However, the ninja didn't have time to look at the scenery and passed through the wild garden without slowing down.

Not too soon, they went in a large, open field with grass as tall as a pony. The ninja headed there because she thought it would give them a perfect visibility in all directions and would be easy to fend off any attacks. However, it was the opposite of what she learned of being a ninja, who should never make an appearance in the open.

There she slowed down and tried to pay attention to everything around them, so that they'd not get surprised. Her change in speed made Lucky to think, that it was perfect time to continue their conversation.

"My answers, now!" Lucky demanded in her ear.

The ninja looked carefully around them before giving some attention to her burden.

"Let's make a deal. I'll respond to one of your questions, then you to one of mine. To be more fair, if you know what I mean."

"Fine." he unsurely said.

"You should know that I'm under an oath here, so I can't get into too much detail. I'm an assassin for hire from clan Dragon Claw. Now mine, from where did you get your medallion?"

He was little surprised, that she asked him for his pendant.

"It is a gift given by my parents on my graduation day from the Academy." Lucky sounded a little sad and the ninja knew there was something more, she could squeeze from him. "Second question."

The ninja carefully listened and checked the empty field to make sure no pony was following them and then answered:

"You are right. I do have some history with a Shadow Sun user. I was sent to kill him some years back but never managed to catch him. He always was one hoof ahead. What happened on your graduation day?"

The ninja touched a delicate matter but Lucky had to play the game, if he wanted to learn the juicy stuff.

"It's the day I heard about my parents' death. They served in an expedition to the far west and stumbled across a rampaging dragon. They saved the others but paid the horrible price. The third!"

The ninja looked back at the blind dirty pony, when she heard about the fate of his old ones. For a moment, he reminded of her and she perfectly understood his sorrowful look, because the black pony had lost very close relatives too. However, a little memory emerged from the depths of her mind, recalling a very nasty event, in which she took a great part of a bloodshed and had no power to stop herself from doing it. Suddenly her pace was slowed down for a moment and Lucky noticed the change of speed.

"I'm not certain what his goals are." the ninja tried to sound indifferent. "It could be anything from killing only for fun to personal revenge. I don't see him as a thief but maybe it's all part of his crazy plans. He used to be kind of a wacko and I guess, he still is. Do you know what exactly your locket can do?"

Lucky got very surprised, that she continued asking him about his locket. He didn't want to reveal it's secret ability but the pegasus knew, she'd see through the lie and it will only get him into more trouble with her.

"It can prevent anypony from escaping the pony, who wears it, by creating a magical barrier in a small radius around the user. Also, it senses magic and alerts the wearer by glowing or telepathically. In my case, the later." Lucky didn't look quite glad but at least he was about to hear the answer for the forth question.

The ninja felt a little uncomfortable to speak about why she almost killed him, so she deliberately delayed her reply.

"Well? I'm all ears." Lucky reminded from her back.

"What do you expect to be my reaction, after falling on my face from 10 meters high. If it wasn't for your crappy flying, we'd already be in Manehatten!" she cynically said. "It wasn't intentional, you know! Just an angry impulse!"

The ninja deliberately lied, cause the sudden turbulence, that hit them, felt unnatural and the cancellation of her ninja trick wasn't a coincidence. However, the pegasus didn't buy any word from her answer but decided to play her game.

"My crappy flying, your stinking magic! I told you, I couldn't fly anymore but you didn't care!" he sighed and continued with calmer voice. "Anyway, this is the first time I hear of anypony falling from such a height and keep going with a pony on its back like you. Are you made of steel or something?"

The ninja looked straight in front of her, when she whispered: "More than steel."

Lucky barely heard her and after some quiet minutes of her galloping through the grassy field, he broke the silence:

"I'd like to hear your plan on the matter at hoof. How do you deal with a pony, who can go through solid walls?"

The ninja kept going even faster.

"You are the brain of this investigation, you tell me?" she darkly said.

Lucky took her words as saying she had no plan whatsoever.

"So, it's that bad... Hm, what's his connection with the theft? Maybe, he is only after her for some personal revenge? Her story kind of supports it. More and more question... I do not like where this is all headed. I should expect an introduction soon until then I'll have to find a way to beat a ghost!" Lucky thought.

The two quickly exited the open field and entered in another forest. For the rest of their lengthy journey on hoof none spoke a word. Not for once the ninja stopped for rest, which surprised Lucky how much stamina she had and made him wonder, if his partner was a pony at all. Little did he know, she was trying her best to escape the feeling of being watched all the time.

Crystal blue eyes stared at the two from the shadows, analyzing their every motion. Without a sound the pony covered in black followed her every step and skillfully evaded her careful sight.

They needed a few hours to get to the borders of the Big city and the sun was steadily moving behind the horizon. Manehatten was famous with its unique architecture and ponies, who dressed in a very civil fashion. The tall buildings there were constructed by using bricks, unlike many other towns. Because it was founded near the seaside, the city prospered by sea trade and grew quite large in a short manner of time, becoming one of the most important economical and cultural place in Equestria.

The ninja stopped, when her hoof stepped on the first paved street and made hint to the pegasus to get off her back. He jumped off her and immediately felt the pain in his ribs once more. Lucky tried to look normal by adjusting properly his pink dusty towel on his head and despite that the stylish looking ponies looked at him with disgust.

His chest began hurting a lot and it became hard for him to make any movements.

"I'll have to see a doctor. I must have broken something." Lucky said with little agony with his voice.

The ninja turned to him and whispered in his ear.

"The hospital will be a dangerous place to be in. We'll need to find a quiet spot, where I'll attend to your wounds. Until then, try to bare with the pain."

Small ironic smile appeared on his scratched face.

"Since when you became a nurse?"

The ninja looked at him without any emotion and put her hoof in a spot behind his neck, making him to froze like a statue.

"I can do this again on another energy point and stop your hearth. Does that answer your question?" she swiftly removed her hoof from him and Lucky could again move freely. He forgot the one basic rule, when talking with the ninja: to not get on her bad side and he cursed himself for breaking it.

The pegasus silently nodded that he understood her perfectly.

"Good. Follow me." she said and began walking steadily on the wide street. Her yes checked every roof, every corner for surprises. The black suited pony didn't like to be down below but the pegasus had no chance of getting on top of the high buildings. The ninja expected an attack any moment, so she had to stay frosty and analyze her surroundings very well. It was her second time in the city and she didn't have time to study where most streets led and what was the safest location.

It was getting darker by the minute and many ponies had returned to their homes. There were less and less on the street and the ninja found it a lot easier to maintain a good view of everything around them. However, the feeling of being followed alarmed inside her like crazy and she couldn't tolerate being the pray anymore. The ninja closed her eyes and concentrated on a place, she saw earlier. Suddenly, the mare felt light and when she looked again, with a smile found out, that her trick worked flawlessly.

She was no longer on the street but was standing on the roof of a tall building. She looked down and saw her copy, walking beside the pegasus, who was unaware of what happened. From her position, she could see a big part of Manehhaten and had a clear view on Lucky. The ninja had a telepathic connection with the clone, so now she could find the pony, who was following them, without worrying about Lucky's safety.

The ninja checked the other roofs of the nearby buildings and found no pony there. Then her sight moved to the street and yet again, there was noting suspicious, only a few earth ponies and a grey unicorn with a top hat.

The ninja began scanning the other roofs and found no pony there. Her sight moved down to the street, when the painfully familiar feeling alerted. The assassin quickly moved away from the edge.

"How am I still being watched, when I'm on the highest building around?" she calmly thought. "At least, I know that he is after me and not the pegasus. Let's see how he follows this!"

The ninja went to the other side of the roof and quickly checked the situation. There was a balcony, from which she could make a jump to a smaller yellow building. Without hesitation, the black pony went down to the tier and made a powerful leap forward to the other roof. She successfully landed on the other side and by holding to the facades, the pony went down on the street.

From there she began running as fast as her legs allowed. However, today's marathon had its toll on her and quickly the ninja got tired.

Her pursuer silently followed her like a shadow in the increasingly darker city.

After a few minutes of running through the empty streets, she began considerably slowing down, which was very bad for her, despite giving all she got. The light from the street lamps was bright and it illuminated her weary figure. The ninja glimpsed back and saw no pony on the street, but she knew, he was somewhere there.

The runner turned left into a dead end. It would prove perfect for what she had in mind. Her brain was working on high speeds to figure how to trap her pursuer. She quickly saw a way to get up on a high ledge, from which the ninja was going to ambush him. With a few jumps, she managed to get there and waited in an attacking pose.

Her breath slowed down and her heart was steadily pumping blood to her body. She concentrated on the moment and time slowly went by. There were no sounds coming from the street. The small alley, she was in, felt like a tomb, from which there was only one way out.

Out of a sudden, she heard somepony's whistle and almost instantly looked up, where the ninja saw a dark figure of a pony, standing on the edge of the roof of the other building. They stared at each other without blinking once. Not a single muscle moved in their bodies.

His blue eyes had an wild feel to then, unlike her emotionless orange ones. Both waited for each other to make the first move.

Then swiftly the upper pony threw a kunai, which hit the wall next to the mare. She glimpsed at the weapon and qucikly turned her eyes to her pursuer, who had disappeared without a sound.

The ninja looked again at the kunai and now noticed a piece of paper around its handle. She took it out of the brick wall and then silently jumped to the ground. She unfolded the paper and froze, when she read the message:

"It's not me! Meet me, tomorrow!"

"The pegasus!" she worryingly whispered and threw the weapon with the attached list on the ground. Before it even reached the dusty ground, the ninja was already on the street, galloping towards Lucky's last location. The telepathic link was cut and she cursed herself for not noticing it sooner.

The pegasus slowly moved from light to light, when suddenly he felt alone. The last ponies that passed nearby were far away and he couldn't hear their steps anymore. No sounds were coming from his partner and this made him worried a lot.

"Hey, do you know where we are headed?" he asked but got no answer. "Ninja?"

Lucky stopped below a street light and carefully listened to his black surroundings. He stood there for a few minutes, which felt like eternity.

"Pony crap! She left me!" Lucky angrily thought, when suddenly new wave of torments struck his chest. "Argg... the pain is increasing and I do not know where the hospital is! Maybe if I scream for..."

His thoughts were interrupted by the quick drop in temperature. The last time such thing happened, was when he had his weird moments of wild imaginations.

"No wind, in the middle of spring and somehow it feels like winter again. It's only my mind." he encouraged himself.

The world around him sank in total blackness. The street lamps, the lights from the windows and the buildings all disappeared behind the dark curtain, surrounding the pegasus. Only his little spiral medallion was alarmingly glowing.

"Magic?" he astonished.

"Lucky!" his name echoed, sounding stranger every time he heard it.

The pegasus shook his head to wake up from this dream.

"Come over here. We are here!" this new voices sounded familiar but he couldn't figure out, who they were.

"Let's take a picture, son!" this one sounded, as if it came from another world but Lucky recognized the voice.

"Dad?" he shakily asked and began slowly walking in the direction of the coming sounds. It hurt like hell with each step and only his will power kept him from collapsing on the ground.

"Smile, my little cyan feather. Come closer, I want to hug you!"

Lucky stopped and looked scared.

"No there's no way. Mother, you are dead like father... I must have hit my head again... or... Am I dying?" he shakily asked. The green light, coming from his medallion, shined on his horrified dirty face. His breathing was on fitfully.

"Closer, my filly. Soon will be together." said the distant voice.

Lucky could barely move because of the extreme pain but like hypnotized, he put a hoof in front of the other.

Suddenly something bumped hard into him and he fell on the ground. The temperature instantly raised to its former levels and the light from the lamps again lightened him.

Lucky felt somepony on himself, who tried to get off him. He heard two other ponies approaching him. They immobilized the filly and moved him away from the laying pegasus.

One of them turned to Lucky with a smile and greeted:

"Ah, thank you, good sir, for capturing this little stealer. We almost lost him, isn't that right, dear Volts?" he sounded like a very educated pony.

The other only nodded, while holding the energetic filly, that tried to escape again.

"Oh where are my manners, not introducing myself. I'm Phoenix's Just and you, good sir, are?"

Lucky barely stayed conscious because of the great pain he was experiencing and only managed to whisper a few words:

"Hospital... Metal E..."

Then the pegasus fell to the darkness of his mind.

Chapter 11: Nightmarishly Real

He violently woke up. His breathing was fast and deep. His face, like the rest of the body, was sweaty and dirty.

"Took you long enough." the voice sounded distant and unfamiliar. "Had a bad dream?"

He calmed for a minute before opening his mouth:

"Where are we?" he sounded sleepy and confused.

"In a Royal Hotel." she said, then made a few steps to him. "You look like you've seen a ghost, oh wait, you can't."

"Could you stop with the sarcasm. How did you pay for this room?"

"I didn't. I had to climb the top of this building with you on my back again. Thankfully this apartment was empty and the balcony's door was not closed for some reason. So, I decided this would be the best place for rest through the night."

The pegasus suddenly remembered what happened yesterday's night, which opened the gates to his anger to start taking over his mind.

"Yesterday you left me like a bag full of rotten tomatoes and now you are here with me... Why?" Lucky earnestly asked. His brown eyes and nose pointed to the floor, though they were lifeless, the ninja saw the bad feelings, aimed directly at her.

She was standing right next to his bed, gazing the blind pegasus in a very strange way.

"I had to. We were followed constantly and I hate being the prey." she said without a note of emotion.

"Oh, yeah? I don't know how you do your duos in your country, but here we always communicate and cover each other. How can I trust you, if you disappear like that in the future?"

The pegasus was calm but the feeling of disappointment was obvious. The ninja kept staring at him with her orange eyes and she seemingly was unhappy by her fail.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

Lucky lifted up his head and turned to the ninja. His dead eyes were looking at hers. She almost had the perception that he was going through her soul. Suddenly, a small smile appeared on him.

"At least this a start. Apology accepted!"

The ninja looked away with uncertain eyes but then turned her attention back to the pegasus.

"I've healed you completely but there may still be some residual pain."

Lucky touched his chest and amazingly it didn't hurt at all. He actually was feeling very energetic for the first time in months, which puzzled him.

"How did you managed to fix me so quickly?"

The ninja didn't move a muscle because the question, she feared, was asked. In her head, she relived the entire scene like a movie, where the black pony was the actor and at the same time, the viewer.

That night...

It was very dark and there were no sounds coming from outside the door. Very silently she entered inside the bedroom and carefully put the unconscious pegasus on the big luxurious bed.

Lucky was barely breathing, so the ninja quickly checked his pulse, which was almost nonexistent. She put her hoof on his chest and did a circle. Her eyes flashed and now she was able to see through the flesh. The view was not pretty and she was not happy to see that he had heavy internal bleeding. There was no way to help him by using conventional methods, for which the ninja didn't even have the instruments.

"Amazing how he managed to stay conscious for so long, talk about endurance... However, he's one dead pony. Buck!" she thought with a slight anger. "Too bad for him but better dead than a weakling."

She made a few uncertain steps away from the laying pegasus, while facing him all the time.

"Maybe I should quickly send him to his parents? It would be better for him and me. No more to be slowed down by a blind pegasus... though I liked him a bit. He is definitely better than my previous bloodthirsty partners but still no pony. Let's finish this..."

The ninja steadily returned to Lucky and stood on his left side. Her eyes were rid of any emotion. She looked at his faint body and targeted at his heart. Without remorse she lifted up her right hoof in the air, suddenly the medallion on his neck illuminated the bedroom in weak green light.

"You again." she said with a low voice. "This time, its for the best."

The ninja swiftly sent her hoof directly at his barely beating heart, when her attack was stopped by a white hoof. The ninja looked surprisingly at the pegasus, who was slowly shaking his lips.

"Met...ye..."

Lucky didn't seem to understand what was going on. Those were his last words before his heart completely gave up. His right hoof fell down. The life got out of him and with it the light from the locket disappeared.

She stared him, astonished by his last act. The ninja had never seen anypony reaching like this and many of her enemies and friends had died in front of her. The mare was unable to look away and she stood there like frozen, with a hoof just above his chest.

"You have more that meets the eye, little pegasus. What a shame you died... unless you didn't. No, it's forbidden! It shouldn't be used on anypony but why should I listen to the codex, if I'm not part of it anymore? This pony's death is a consequence of my decision. However, why should I care about a stranger? Is it my feeling of guilt trying to persuade me to revive him or is this pegasus deserving another chance? I know no shame in killing and letting others die and If I save him, I'll condemn him on a life of constant running. However, my enemy has found me and there's no escaping the unavoidable clash and I'll need every help, if I want to emerge victorious! So what it will be?... Ah, Buck it!"

Suddenly the ninja hopped in the comfortable bed and lay down on him. Both were in total contrast, when one was covered in black and the other was white. She took off his pink towel from his head and opened his empty eyes. Then closed hers and concentrated until her mouth mask fell down on its own, exposing big sharp teeth. She gazed in his eyes like a demon cat and opened her mouth, from which a long snake-like tongue began waving in the air. She closed her scary face to his and kissed him, while still staring at his dead eyes.

Then an orange stream of particles flew from her eyes to his, landing on their irises. One thing she waited for and that was a life sign. The ninja felt how her life force was draining out from her very quickly. However, she didn't pay attention to it because of the new feeling of kissing somepony for the first time in her life. It was strange but exciting.

Out of a sudden, the pegasus returned to life and the first thing he wanted to do was to breathe. The ninja closed her eyes and the stream of particles ceased and then moved her face away from his. Before Lucky could realize what was happening, she knocked him out with a powerful blow to his left cheek, immediately sending him to the dreaming world.

"It was tricky to say the least." she said. "Why are you asking? Are you feeling odd?"

Lucky shook negatively his head.

"No, I feel exceptionally well. I'm amazed that you healed me so fast. For a moment, I thought I'd kick the bell."

"Yeah... I had to monitor your condition all night. You were sweating and turning all the time. Did you felt any pain or something in those lines?" she sounded like a professor, who was asking his test subject, after taking unknown medicine.

Lucky lowered his head and few green hairs got in front of his face.

"I don't think you'd want to hear it."

"You'll be surprised, but I want to. I need to know because it's tied with the healing process." she insisted.

"I just experienced the weirdest nightmare, which didn't make any sense at all. But don't worry, I have bugbears all the time, when I close my eyes." he said with a low voice.

The ninja looked interested and slightly nervous. She feared that residual pieces from her memory could have slipped through the stream and placed in his head. The secrets, that the mare held in the deeps of her mind, where not for the eyes of the common ponies and could become dangerous in somepony's inexperienced hoofs.

"Tell me about your dream?" she sat on the soft bed, gazing hm without blinking once.

"Well, in my dream I was walking down the rocky path. It was sunny but the moon performed the job of the sun. There were no trees, no grass, nothing that would indicate life. Step by step, I was closing on a giant scale, which in some ways resembled big stairway. When I got in front of the large rock, I began hearing voices, who were repeating this strange phrase: "Nrob nogard". Huh, I don't know how I pronounced it so well but it's stuck in my mind like honey."

The ninja looked fixedly at his brown eyes, which were pointing at his back legs, as if she was trying to find something in them.

"Continue." she insisted again.

"Then I began climbing the scale for no reason. I just felt like I had to do it. When I reached its peak, two big orange eyes stared down at me. Suddenly, I was surrounded by random unclear images of events, I think. However, I can't recall almost anything, except the one, where I saw my parents looking straight at me. They were galloping, with spears pointed directly at me. Before the sharp edges touched me, I woke up."

The black pony silently sighed with relief that most of her secrets stayed hidden. However, she worried that something else got in his body. The phrases he heard bothered her a lot, so she began checking his entire body with sight only. He was still white and nothing majorly strange was coming from him. Then the ninja grabbed his right wing and carefully analyzed it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lucky was confused by her sudden action but didn't try to resist.

Without a word the ninja continued her search for something, even she didn't know. Suddenly a thing caught her attention.

"Cyan feather." she whispered.

Lucky lifted an eyebrow.

"How do you know my childhood nickname?" he asked.

"Since when pegasus grow differently colored feathers?"

"What? The last time I had a cyan feather was, when I was just a filly. They said I've got it from a great-grandfather, who was cyan earth pony."

The ninja looked very worried because such odd symptoms she saw on herself and it didn't end pleasantly.

"Congratulations, now you have more than one. Don't fear anything, it's normal effect of the healing process. You'll be fine." she ingeniously lied and the pegasus blindly believed her. The ninja let go of his wing and got up from the bed. Suddenly a bright light illuminated the dark room, which came from the wide window. She pulled the curtains and looked outside the window.

The first thing her eyes spotted was the clouds that were gathering on top of the city of skyscrapers. They were slowly beginning to block significantly the morning sky like a disease, spreading inside a body. She moved her sight to the streets below, which were full with ponies in smart cloths and hats, walking in different directions like ants.

"It would be advisable to abandon our little job and find, who tried to kill us and make him answer for his actions." she seriously said, while looking at the interesting view.

Lucky thought for a moment.

"For just a day there were several attempts of murder, something which is unheard of in Equestria. Rose's message must contain important information that is worth killing for. I say we continue with the investigation with extra caution." he said with grim face.

"You are the boss." she turned around and pierced him with her orange balls. "Yesterday, what happened before you fell down?"

Lucky was uneasy to answer this question cause he feared she'd think he was going crazy. The pegasus scratched his neck and then his hoof went on top of his green mane.

"I had a delusional vision, again..." Lucky said with low voice.

The ninja made a step towards him and asked:

"What vision?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." Lucky tried to hide his mixed feelings but the ninja saw perfectly through him.

"Pain from past, isn't it?"

Lucky sighed.

"Yes, yesterday I heard my parents voices calling for me and I willingly followed until something slammed into me. From that moment, I don't remember a thing."

"There were one yellow and one brown unicorn, with a purple filly, who seemed scared. They quickly disappeared around the corner before I could reach you. So this is not your first vision?" she looked him in a curious way.

Lucky slowly shook his head.

"No, It's my forth. The first one was in Monday and it felt so real, as if I stepped in another world. I was freezing to death, when somepony approached me, saying she was my wife. Foxy Tail, her name was... The others are equally disturbing and confusing, in which I hear unfamiliar sounds and voices. The only thing they have in common is the sudden drop of temperature." Lucky made a short pause and continued with a bit more painful voice: "Huh, how I wish they'd stop, because I feel like I'm going slightly mad every time they happen."

The ninja carefully listened to him. After he finished, her eyes returned to their emotionless states. Then she silently closed the distance between them and swiftly slapped him with her left hoof. The pegasus didn't move because of the confusion.

"What was this for?" he asked with a cold voice.

"Did you take your pills?" she provocatively said. "I guess not. So, you'll be taking my scientifically proved way of curing madness."

The ninja slapped him to the other side.

"Do I look like a therapist? No, I'm a freaking ninja!" she shouted in his face. Then she sent another blow, which was met with a carefully timed block. Her hoof slammed into his and despite pushing to his face with great force, the pegasus held his ground without giving an inch to his attacker. He then slowly turned his head to her, revealing a very calm face. The ninja looked in his unseeing eyes and noticed the little orange spots in the brown. They were so few and small that only very trained eye could spot them. Luckily for her, their size meant that Lucky was out of danger of losing himself.

"Ooo... watch out, we have a badplot over here!" she smiled but her voice indicated how serious the ninja was. "Never ever feel sad or despair. Cause they'll consume your life like the darkness, which surrounds your world!"

The ninja removed her hoof from his and turned around to the window.

"Go wash yourself in the bathroom, which is in the right from here. You'll have to walk in straight line and only pass through a living room and a hallway. Hurry up, we can't stay in this hotel for too long." she said, while looking at the tall buildings.

"Thanks about the therapy, doctor ninja. I feel a lot better already!" he sarcastically said. Then Lucky got up from the luxurious bed and with a hoof to the wall, he slowly exited the room. The ninja went after him in the living room and waited there for a few minutes, while he took a shower. This apartment looked like it was made for royal visitors. There were very skilfully painted pictures of beautiful scenery on every wall. The furniture seemed quite expensive with their complex engraving. The floor was covert with breathtaking carpets. But even all this couldn't spark the slightest interest in her to look around.

She was becoming a little impatient, when Lucky appeared with a wet clean mane and fur. The pegasus felt like newborn after that very needed shower and it showed in how he moved.

"Over here! Catch!" she tossed the pink towel at his face. His ears pointed at the incoming silk and before it hit him, somehow he grabbed it in mid-air and uncertainly put it on his eyes.

The ninja looked at him with a sight only scientist could give.

"Fascinating. Just a few hours and the pegasus can predict, where a flying object is going with only his hearing. He is changing too fast and too soon but I knew the risks. Now I'll have to guide his transformation carefully or I won't be able to control him afterwards." she thought.

Lucky closed on her with a mixed expression.

"Woaw, I could see in my mind the towel approaching me. Did I just discover a new talent of mine? Will have to test this! Oh, yeah. I feel good and I don't know why!" he thought.

The ninja opened the balcony door and immediately fresh air entered in the living room.

"Come." she said and then stepped outside. The pegasus followed and stood beside her.

The ninja was looking at the street below. There were too many ponies for her taste, so she decided it would be better to use the pegasus's wings and land somewhere quiet.

"Spread your feathers! We'll make a short flight to the park." she ordered. Her orange eyes were looking for the green area, which was very well hidden behind tons of concrete and bricks.

Lucky made a step backwards.

"No way. I will not fly again! The last time, we almost died and I don't want to repeat the same mistake!"

His insubordination was met by a cold stare, which he somehow sensed again. Their faces were very close and the pegasus felt her calm breathing. However, he showed no fear of her and stood his ground.

"Do it." she seriously said but Lucky didn't react to her order. Then the ninja swiftly lifted her right hoof and aimed it at a spot on his back but the blind pony countered her attack by quickly grabbing her leg and moving in such a position, that the mare wouldn't be able to do her dirty tricks on him.

"Crap! He is evolving faster than I thought. He has lightning reflexes, something I got after months of training. But he doesn't wear the suit, so that must be why the changes are so rapid." the ninja thought. "I must not underestimate him again!"

Lucky looked confused of what was going on. Never in his life was he so quick and this made him a little scared. The two silently stood still, when suddenly wild vibrations, coming from the pegasus's tummy, roared like a bear. Lucky let go of the ninja's hoof and cringed, trying to hold his stomach in one place.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"It hurts so much, as if I haven't eaten in days!" he painfully answered.

The ninja knew he wouldn't be able to fly in this condition, even if she forced him to.

"Hold my hoof." she said. The pegasus slowly touched hers and then the ninja pulled him to herself. She closed her eyes and concentrated her mind on a specific place. Suddenly they disappeared from the balcony, leaving only black smoke that flew up in the air. Then a knocking sounded in the apartment that came from the front door.

"Mr Whine, a message from you wife came just now. Mr Whine?"

No pony answered.

They reappeared in a bush in the central city park. The green area was quite huge and filled with lots of exotic or not so flowers and trees. There was a crystal clear lake in its center, to which several alleys led.

No pony saw them materializing out of the thin air. They were too absorbed by the beauteous scenery. It relaxed and inspired, the fresh smell of flowers was everywhere and birds and animals played happily in the green grass, under the tall trees.

Lucky quickly removed his hoof from hers.

"Teleportation? You know how to do this spell but didn't use it, when we traveled to Manehatten. You would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"It's not your ordinary teleporting magic. This one is cruder and takes a lot of energy to perform it. On top of that it doesn't have a huge range, so don't blame me again." she pointed her right hoof at his chest, when suddenly four claws violently came out of it, tearing the black cloth. "Ops."

"What was this noise?" the pegasus had pointed his ears at her.

The ninja silently stepped backwards.

"Nothing special. The bush got a piece of my clothing." she lied, while looking at the razor sharp claws. The mare whispered something incomprehensible and the nails began to shrink. They disappeared inside the openings and the holes on the clothing magically sealed themselves.

The pegasus new hearing was able to detect the notes in her voice, which indicated she was laying. However, the rebellious stomach took all of his attention. Lucky felt like he hadn't eaten anything for weeks now.

"Let's get moving." the ninja said. By his looks, she knew that if he didn't eat the special fruit soon, bad things would happen to anything around him.

The ninja got out from big bush and began walking on the path, that led out from the park. Lucky followed.

They were three other ponies in front of them, which were going in the opposite direction.

"First thing's first. We eat, then we go on our business." she calmly said, while looking at the incoming citizens of this city.

"And how are we gonna pay for our breakfasts?" Lucky asked behind her.

"You'll see."

The two earth and one unicorn ponies steadily moved forward and passionately talked about the recent events in Canterlot.

"... and the rain was so heavy it flooded entire streets." the brown unicorn said. His curly black mane was constantly getting in his blue eyes.

"You don't say, dear. How is this even possible?" the yellow earth pony made a indignant face. "Aren't the pegasus doing their job? This is outrageous!"

"What's the official statement on this matter? Will there be compensations for any damaged property?" the white pony asked.

"Not yet. The capital is in a crisis and ponies are being evacuated after the second rain. I guess the safety of others is more important at the moment. Good thing I'm working in the Post Office, so I'll be able to quickly get a hold on information, regarding the situation there and you'll be the first to know about the developments."

They passed nearby along the strange couple and continued on their path. The ninja smiled, when hiding the golden bits under her clothing.

"You just committed a crime!" Lucky said.

"His hearing is getting better and better with each passing minute. How can I slow down his changes? Even without the clothing, his mutation shouldn't be developing that fast. So the question is what's his catalyst?" she thought, while looking back at him.

"So what? We've got to eat and borrowing some coins will not make such a difference."

"But stealing is wrong and not the way I do things! How can you look yourself in the mirror like that?" he sounded very serious.

The ninja stopped and turned to him. They were under a shade of a tree, which had spread its branches over the path.

"Listen up, flying filly. Someday you'll get to the realization that rules are nothing more than words in the air. Societies need those words to hold themselves in one place before the chaos consumes them. So stuck you pride from where it came and begin to think like an animal in a jungle, in which there are no rules, except the universal truth of eat or be eaten."

She was quite calm and slowly turned her back on him.

"Besides, those few bits will save the city a lot of trouble. Never question me again, understood? Now come!"

Lucky clenched his teeth in an upset way but followed the dark pony without thinking. He had no choice cause she was the only pony in this huge city of strangers, who would guide him out of his current situation for better or worse.

Twenty minutes later...

"Tell me now how you feel? Are the apples tasty or sour?" she provoked him very annoyingly but Lucky seemed far away to hear anything she said. His entire being was concentrated on the juicy fruit in his mouth. He could feel how every bit of it was going down his tummy. Although the pegaus liked strawberries more, the apple put him in an ecstasy. Energy flew through him, giving him sensation of floating in the air.

The ninja knew that feeling of the first true apple bite and smiled.

"Funny how hunger makes the decisions for you, despite trying your best not to take them." she took a bite of her red apple. They were in a very quiet street, sitting on a wooden bench. They were looking at the park and behind them, tall building stood like barriers.

Lucky quickly finished with his and swiftly put his hoof in the bag to take another one. Unfortunately, it was empty but his stomach was still unsatisfied. He needed more of this new narcotic of his.

"Oh, it seems we are short on supplies here." the ninja smilingly said. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow for more."

"Tomorrow? But I'm still hungry!" he jumped from his seat but before making a step towards the marketplace, the ninja stretched her leg in front of his nose, effectively stopping him.

"Because of the healing process, you must not overdo it. Your hunger will disappear in time, until then try to have little patience." she ate the last piece of her apple and got off of the bench. "Now let's pay a visit to our friend, Rain Paint."

"No." Lucky insistently said. "First, we are going to the Manehatten's Royal Office. I want see a friend of mine there. He may help us with the investigation."

"Alright then."

Then the two continued walking on same street before making a right turn and headed straight for the Office.

It took them a while to get there. The building was looking the same as the one in Canterlot. Statues on its roof looked mighty, ornaments on its white walls made the structure look like arts museum. Two Guardians in gold armor were standing on the two sides of the big wooden door. Nothing could pass through without them knowing.

The two entered inside in the big reception, where at its bottom stood a single bureau. Behind it a green pegasus was writing reports. He had a short blue mane and a long dark mustache. His red eyes looked like they hadn't seen much sleep.

They approached him but the later didn't make any signs, that he noticed them.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a friend of mine. His name is Metal Eye." Lucky said.

The green pony ceased writing the report and slowly turned his eyes to the newcomers. He carefully analyzed them from top to bottom and then asked with a tired voice.

"And you are?"

"Lucky Eight, an ex-Guardian."

The green pegasus looked at the pink towel, where his eyes were and remembered that his colleague had told him about a blind pony.

"Huh, Metal Eye did mention something about you. What is your business with him?"

Lucky lowered a little his head.

"I need to talk with him about personal matters. It wont take long."

The Guardian then looked at the pagasus's partner, who was staring him from the moment, she entered the building.

"The eyes of a killer, eh?" he thought.

"Metal Eye is not here and wont be until his mission has ended." the pony behind the wooden bureau looked very serious.

"Do you have a guess, when he is coming back?" Lucky sounded a little disappointed, that for the second time he couldn't reach his friend.

The green pegasus leaned on his chair.

"I'm not his mother to know, when he is coming back. It may take a few days or months. If you want to wait here, that's your call. Is this all?"

Lucky wanted to ask him more questions about the nature of his friend's work, when his partner said:

"We'll be back! Soon." then the ninja gently pushed Lucky to the exit. Before he even made his attempt to resist, she whispered in his left ear: "He will not tell you anything. Your friend must be doing something behind the curtains. There's no reason for us to be here."

Lucky listened carefully and decided to take her advise. The two slowly went to the door and left, while constantly being watched by the Guardian behind desk. When the room became silent again, he pulled a drawer and took out a piece of white paper, on which was written a list of things. The Guardian quickly found the sentence, which said that a white pegasus, named Lucky Eight, would come in Manehatten. He crossed it out and then whistled. A pony in full body armor appeared from the corridor.

"I want you to immediately fly to Canterlot and inform Princess Celestia that the pegasus is here."

"Yes, sir!" the white winged pony answered.

Thirty minutes later...

"Here we are, I guess."

"You guess?" he sighed. "It'll have to do, then."

The pegasus first entered the small apartment building, that was painted in red and blue. Good thing that Rose's friend lived on the second floor or Lucky would curse again his arch enemy. The walls inside were colored in green and blue. The staircase was covered by a yellow carpet, which had red triangles, painted in random places.

Soon they reached the second floor, on which there were only two apartments.

"Knock on the left door, the one in front of you." she said.

Lucky did just that and a second later, they heard somepony's steps coming behind the pink door. Suddenly, it opened and in front of them appeared a bright blue unicorn, who looked puzzled to see the two strangers.

"Good-Morning. How can I be of assistance?" her voice was soft.

"Are you Ms Rain Paint?" Lucky asked.

"Yes, I am." she answered with a low voice.

"We want to ask you some questions, if it is okay with you?"

Her crystal blue eyes pointed at the white pegasus, analyzing every centimeter of his body. As an artist, she had a sight on all things and could very quickly tell a lot of things about a pony, just by seeing him. He had a green mane, which was cut just recently and shaped in a very expressive way. The pink silk was hiding more than just unseeing eyes but great pain too. There was something unnatural coming from him but she couldn't put her hoof on it.

Then the beautiful mare looked at the other pony in the black clothing. Almost instantly she got the chills by her cold emotionless orange gaze. Darkness flew through her like love in an enamored stallion.

"What kind of questions?" she asked shyly.

"Were you recently in contact with a pony, who has a white mane?" Lucky asked straight away.

The mare had a thoughtful look. Her long pink mane was covering almost half her left face.

"No, I haven't." she looked scared at him. "Not in the past few months. I don't get a lot of visitors."

"Hm... then the visit card was taken by somepony else? Wait a second, the tone of her voice changed in very small way. I need to ask her again to be completely sure." Lucky thought.

"Can you confirm, you've never met such a pony in the recent months?" he sounded more insistent.

"Yes, I never met one with your description. I get the feeling, you are a detective, am I right?"

"Yeah... you can call me that. Look, we are investigating a burglary. Somepony stole something important from Ms Rose and the only lead we had pointed to you. I don't say you did it, but the pony responsible had your visit card. So..."

She gently lifted her hoof to his nose and interrupted him with her mellow voice:

"I'm not a friend of Ms Rose. I feel sorry, that this happened to her but I don't think, I can help you with your investigation." she looked at the ninja, who seemed was closer and trying to see through her. "Do you need anything else?"

"Yes, what is your current profession?" Lucky asked.

"I'm an artist."

"Do you sell paintings or do you take requests to draw portraits or something in those lines?"

"I do all the things you mentioned, though not many look for my works and skills." she looked down in a little sad way.

Lucky nodded and then turned to his partner:

"Ninja, you told me earlier, that the runner made a jump, which only pegasus could perform." he turned his head to Rain Paint. "So, did you meet any pegasi recently?"

"No." she calmly said.

Lucky looked down with a thoughtful look and then up again.

"That will be all. Thanks for your cooperation. Have a nice day."

"Good-Bye!" then she closed the pink door.

The ninja turned her eyes at the pegasus, who was going down the stairs.

"I know." he earnestly said, then she followed him.

When they got out the building, Lucky sat down on the sidewalk.

"She was not fully honest with us. Her voice gave it up." he said.

"And not only. Her face flushed but she seemed really shy, so it could be from that." the ninja looked at end of the street.

"Maybe. I don't think she did it. Now, I don't know what to do..."

The ninja looked back at him.

"I have some work to do. You'd better rest somewhere quite like the park."

Lucky jumped on his feet and went closer to her.

"Work? What are you talking? Where are you going?" he sounded very surprised.

"It's too dangerous for you." she said, while looking at him.

"If my fail flying didn't kill me, there's nothing in this land that could!" he stood beside her. "I'm coming."

"You don't want to be alone again, don't you?" she asked him in her thoughts. "Let's hope nothing goes wrong."

The ninja began moving without speaking a word and the pegasus along side her. They walked and walked in the concrete maze, where ponies were seemingly going somewhere without a purpose. The tall structures were like giants, who never looked down at the little creatures on the paved streets. Everypony in this great city moved like they were masters of their own fates, with high lifted up heads, they saw only their goals and not the road.

The sun was shining happily despite there being a gathering of grey clouds. They were still too small and too few to be any threat of ruining this beautiful day. No sudden wind could make this morning a sad one by bringing the troubles of the Capital. Everything here seemed separated from the rest of Equestria and life here had its own worries and joys.

Hours past and they still we going around the city, which Lucky felt they were going in circles. At one point, he lost his patience and asked:

"What are you looking for?"

"A sign." she calmly answered. Her eyes were carefully searching and nothing escaped her sight.

"From the mysterious lover?" he smiled, though his smile was a painful one cause the old stomach was doing his revolt once more.

"Of course." she admitted, when suddenly something caught her eye. "Finally!"

"You found it?"

The ninja didn't say but only proceeded to where the magical marker pointed. It was invisible for the rest of the ponies, except her. They went into a lonely street with a dead end. There was another magical sign, which pointed at the stairs, that led to the building's basement. The ninja quickly checked the roofs and the windows of the surrounding structures but saw no danger.

"Yesterday, when I went to look for our pursuer, I did find him." she whispered.

"What?! What happened?" Lucky exclaimed.

"He sent me a message, which stated that he was not the one responsible for the attempts to kill us." they reached the staircase that was going below the building. "It's better for you to stay here, while I deal with him."

Lucky went between her and the stairway.

"No, we are partners and we'll deal with him together. I don't want to hear important information in the last minute, so I'm going with you."

"Stubborn, but right. Try not fall for his tricks. He has a big way of manipulating others and watch out for the stairs."

Her warning was too late because Lucky was already flying down and landed on his back. The ninja quickly went down and stood next to the laying pegasus.

He moaned a few times. Suddenly he felt a hoof on his shoulder. Lucky grabbed it and with help of her hoof, he pulled himself from the dusty floor.

"Thanks." he honestly said.

"From now on, make no sounds. We are going in his territory. Expect everything." she warned with a low voice. Lucky nodded that he understood her.

Then the ninja turned her back on the door, that led to the basements, and kicked with great force. It opened with a bang, slamming to the wall. Bright light entered the dark premises, illuminating only a fraction of it. It was really quiet and there were no signs of anypony being there.

The ninja entered first with cautious steps. Her eyes and ears were scanning for any movements and sounds. Then Lucky got inside and went after her. Suddenly the door closed on its own and shut itself. The pegasus's heart began pumping faster and faster and he nervously breathed the not so fresh air.

His partner was totally calm. She could see almost perfectly in the dark but the ninja knew that this was not enough to detect him, so she had to fully rely on all of her senses.

Lucky's medallion flashed like crazy, shining on very small area around them.

"The tension! It's so funny to look at." a dark voice came above them. The ninja looked up and saw how a shadow dropped from the ceiling and took a shape of a pony. Blue big eyes stared at the newcomers like a wolf's. A demonic smile appeared on him and said with very unpleasant voice: "Oh, I see you brought a friend. I did not expect him to survive! Did you tell him, where you found him? Just a step from an opened sewer hole."

Then he lost his shape and formed again in front of the pegasus.

"Were you trying to end your little live?" he sounded so strange and creepy. "I can do this for free, if you want, ha-ha-ha..."

"Enough!" the ninja shouted. "What's the reason we are here?"

He turned back his head in a very weird way, without moving his body.

"Can't I have some fun?"

The ninja looked away from him and concentrated on a spot on the wall.

"State your business or the real you will perish!" she sounded darkly.

"Nice one, honey." his voice normalized. The shadow moved to the wall, she was gazing and his real body materialized. He was quite big and strong, wearing white clothing. His eyes were deep blue and had a wild feel, coming from them unlike the emotionless orange stare, the mare gave him. He got out of the wall and slowly closed on the two.

"Does she make your life hard, little pegasus?" he asked, when the trio made an almost perfect triangle.

"From time to time, yes." Lucky answered.

"She was always tough to live with, isn't that right, Foxy Tail?" he sounded very provocative.

The mare pierced him so deeply, he felt how she cut through him like a sword. He liked it a lot.

"Do you still remember your oaths? Never speak the real name of other ninja or yours!" her voice was cold and it hammered Lucky's mind.

"Her name is Foxy Tails? My first vision... will she be my wife...? No way!" Lucky looked a little embarrassed and the white ninja enjoyed seeing others sweat just from a few words.

"Oh, come on sweaty. We were married for..."

His voice irritated every cell of her body and she clenched her teeth, just to hold her self from attacking him with all her anger.

"Never call me that. I never liked you. It was just a failed attempt of our clans to make peace and noting more!"

He leaned his head to the left and looked at her with his deep blue eyes.

"I know you still desire me. The passion. The power you felt, when I touched you." he continued his little game, with the same annoying voice.

She was about to jump on him, when her partner came to her rescue.

"Hey lover filly. I know that fat bottomed mares make you world go around but we came here on business. Spit out what you've got to say or beat it!" Lucky was out of his hoofs and looked very threatening in the dark.

The white ninja turned his attention to the pegasus and analyzed him very carefully.

"I think, I like you. How darn straight you are. Yes, yes you are! Ha-ha-ha..." he laughed maniacally.

Lucky frowned.

"Did I say anything funny?"

The strong ninja smiled more diabolically.

"You are hilarious. Maybe we should be partners one day, after you get rid of, you know who."

"Who tried to kill us!?" Lucky yelled. He was tired of the ninja's nonsense.

"Time wants to kill you, who else. The shadows are just its tools. There can be only one sweet illusion of choice cause we are all destined to die." suddenly his smile disappeared. "She knows what I'm talking about."

"Utter ponycrap!" she said calmly. Thanks to Lucky, the mare found a way to drive her anger out.

"When I felt its presence in this word for the first time, I didn't believe it was real. However, after seeing its destructive power, falling on ponies' heads, there was no denial its existence. I followed it, monitored its every action and admired the beauty of the destruction, it left behind." he made a few steps towards her and whispered. "Shadow Sun is here."

"Don't take any of his words seriously, Lucky. It's just a fairy tale to make the fillies go to bed early."

"How naive and stubborn. When I heard of your "retirement" from your clan, I just had to seek you out. I need your help and we will face together the true Queen of Darkness." he waved a hoof in front of her face, which she pushed aside.

"You are mad. Shadow Sun is only a teaching and a technique, not a Goddess-like being."

"So you are saying a super powerful creature tried to murder me and my partner. Why? Shouldn't it attack entire cities and not only two ponies? Where is the logic here?"

The ninjas turned her eyes to Lucky, who looked interested to hear more of this legend.

"Finally somepony, who listens. Yes, that's what I'm saying. The Shadow Sun teaching came from one source, the pony who met face to face with the demon, White Circle. Through his visions, he saw the dark chaos of other worlds, much like ours. Shadow Sun travels through the great nothingness from planet to planet and consumes every life force on its black march."

He spread his front hoof to the sides to show how big the problem was.

"So it eats energy. How does a pony look like, when being eaten by it? Is the process instantaneous or is it a slow one?"

"It's irrelevant. For the creature time is just a game. It sees through all, exist in all places but its only weakness is the distance between worlds. The sayings don't tell us why. Maybe there is a barrier, that prevents it from spreading too rapidly or does it intentionally not going in every world, the answer, I do not know. What I know is that before it's arrival, the Dark Goddess sends minion shadows to prepared the soil, sort of speak, on which She has no control until She makes her first step on the planet. If that happens all hell breaks loose and our fears come to life, while we burn like candles."

The ninja made a little fire to come out of his hoof like a special effect for his ending and accidentally noticed that the blind pegasus reacted to the light. Foxy knew this look of his and it meant her secret was not safe anymore. She was thinking of a way to get his attention without starting a fight, in which the pegasus was surely to die.

He did the fire again and saw the same reaction, coming from Lucky. His medallion shone like a small lamp, when the white ninja was just a breath away from him.

"Remove your towel!" he earnestly said.

Lucky stood his ground.

"You are getting in my personal space!"

The ninja swiftly lifted his hoof to the pegasus's head but was blocked by the winged pony's fast reflexes. Somehow this "weakling" was holding his powerful hoof without breaking a sweat. Then his right blue eye blinked once and thin white line went through the pink silk. Suddenly the fabric divided into two and fell on the shadowy floor.

Foxy was breathless, when she saw his eyes, the answer of his rapid changing. Her ex-husband slowly backed away from him and began laughing.

"What did you do to him?" he asked, while looking at the orange circles around the big black spots.

She approached him and asked in his ear.

"I told you to never feel despair or sadness again!"

"Sadness and despair were always within my heart throughout my life. It wont change in a flash just because you said so. The question begs to be asked, is this part of my healing?" he whispered.

Then he slowly looked at her and saw the orange eyes for the first time.

"So there are two of you now... Wait to see what the other ninjas would do, if they learned about you by chance. World Ninja War, baby. It would be so pretty..." he said with dreamy eyes.

"You are a fugitive like me. The moment you step in the clans' territory, consider yourself an high valued target practice. They'll stab and ask questions later." she pierced him with her eyes.

"What? You think I'd give your little secret away? No, NO! However, I want a little favor." he made an evil step forward. "I want to know, where is your legendary claw sword, which was made from dragon bones?"

"The Royal Guardians took it, when I was caught in Canterlot. If you want it, its yours." her eyes didn't lose him from sight even for a second.

"You lost such a fine sword to such unskilled fighters?" he chuckled. "Anyway, I have no need of the weapon, cause my body is the ultimate tool. So, here we come to the main question: are you with me or not? Shadow Sun threat is very real and I'll need the best to stop it. Think of the glory you'll receive back home, after defeating the most evil thing in the universe."

Foxy looked in Lucky's eyes and saw the reflection of herself. The past shaped her in what she is now and Foxy didn't like it at all. Her choice was made long ago and nothing could stop her from walking on her own path.

"I decline your offer. I'm no longer a part of the ninja world or your world, in which fantasy takes over reality. I have a responsibility now, which I can not turn my back from. Lucky, we are leaving." she then silently headed to the door. The pegasus need a few seconds to coop with the situation at hoof. Simultaneously he felt fear and excitement, anger and a growing feeling, he never had before.

The ninja open the door and stepped outside in the light. Lucky squinted by the brightness, which was calling for him to get closer. Hoof by hoof, he joined his partner in the new old world of colors.

The white ninja in the shadows gazed the bright opening long after they were gone. The stallion was sure that he found the key for their salvation and he smiled.

"Your secret shall remain one." he said, before disappearing like a shadow.

Chapter 12: Dragon Within

"What?!" Lucky looked very astonished and disbelievingly shook his head. "How can I be alive, if I was dead that night? You must have used some dark magic! What did you do to me?"

The pegasus had grabbed her clothing and didn't let go. In his orange eyes the ninja saw anger and confusion. She understood his feelings because she had the same, when she heard the truth about herself. Foxy took his hooves and gently pushed them away from her, while constantly staring at his.

"You were not technically dead but lets say your we flying on the Highway to Hell! Don't you worry, I didn't use necromancy!" Foxy made a short pause. "I gave some of my life energy to revive you. However, my curse got inside you and now you are stuck with it to rest of your life."

"Curse?" Lucky looked around them and saw the countless tall brown buildings that spanned to where the eye could see. The two were on a roof of a very high skyscraper, from which the entire city could be seen. "How can it be a curse, if it cured my sight? I see everything. Ponies, structures, the blue sky and the mountains in the distance! What is the price for this blessing?"

The ninja looked at the horizon, trying to find the most suited words.

"Your life." she quietly answered. "From now on, you will have to run and hide. Nowhere is safe because you hold the burden of the damned dragon, named Tails of Horns Silver. It may sound strange. However, In their ancient language, words and names don't have a clear meaning to us, but perfect to them. From where I come, we call him The Jester of Flame, the one, who plays with the minds of others and enjoys not gold and diamonds, but fear and chaos. He is hated by all clans and even by his kind."

"Sounds very familiar..." Lucky remembered about a villain from last year, who turned Equestria into a living nightmare. "So, he cursed you with a spell?"

The ninja looked back at him. Light wind blew his green mane. His eyes pierced through her like a knife. Then she turned to the blue mountains with the white tops.

"No, it was my grandmother, who defeated him in his game. Before his last breath, the powerful beast did one last trick. The blade, that was specifically made for slaying dragons, touched the top of his neck, when the dragon opened his mouth, saying he'd grant a very special gift to his slayer. My grandparent stopped the blade from going deeper in his armored flesh and was interested to see what the prize was. Then from his mouth and eyes, orange stream of energy flew to her, absorbing her in a bright light. She quickly pressed the sword and cut his head from the body but the curse was done."

Foxy turned to Lucky, who carefully listening to her story.

"She gained great strength, agility and speed but was locked under the very same black ninja clothing, I'm wearing now."

"Doesn't sound much like a curse to me." Lucky said with disbelieve in his voice.

The ninja made a step closer to him.

"An year after her victory my grandmother suddenly became pregnant without having a partner and gave birth to Snake Tail, my mother. Then a few days later she died and the clothing magically covered the newborn. The same happened to my mother, when she reached a certain age."

Lucky felt a little sad and despite the emotionless stare of his partner, he knew that her soul was in pain, when revisiting her past.

"Isn't there a counter-spell? Can it be lifted?" he concernedly asked.

"No, there's no cure for this. My parent tried to find one but failed miserably..." Foxy looked away from him. She felt very heavy for the first time in years. The last time was, when he teacher taught her how to be a better warrior, a pony who had no emotion. Suddenly the mare felt a hoof on her shoulder. It's touch made waves of feelings that reached to every place of her soul. Although she kept gazing the horizon, trying to deny the new small change in her body.

"I'm sorry to hear it." Lucky said with a low voice.

"This place is depressing me." she whispered. Then out of a sudden Foxy took the pegasus's hoof and before he could blink, the world around him blackened. The next second, Lucky noticed that they weren't at the roof of the skyscraper. The concrete view was replaced by big trees and pretty grass. Birds were singing in the air and colorful flowers smiled at the two ponies.

Then Lucky heard a very violent sound that came next to him. His eyes turned to the source and froze. He felt almost no pain for some reason, despite the four long claws in his hoof, that had pierced through his hoof. Blood started to come out from the deep wounds and painted in red the grass below. His orange eyes looked up and met with hers. Their emotionless stare was gone and was replaced by the beast-like look. The pegasus was unsure, if he had to be scared or curious.

"Lesson two: control." she calmly said. "The curse doesn't only give you better reflexes and senses. It delivers you the full power of a dragon."

"I don't understand..."

"See, I lost a small amount of control and immediately claws grew from my hoof. If I lose a little more..." her mouth mask fell down and revealed white sharp teeth. Lucky was officially scared and tried not to look in her demonic face.

"So, you can transform different parts of your body. What happens when you lose all control?" Lucky asked, though he wasn't sure, if he wanted to hear the answer.

The ninja didn't say anything at first. She slowly pulled out her claws from the his hoof. The pegasus felt no pain in the process. They were stained with his blood but that was not the thing that frightened him most. It was the long snake tongue, that tasted the red substance. He had no words to describe his disgust by her act.

"Nrob nogard is not what you heard in your dream. It is actually Dragon born." she huskily said and pointed her hoof at his heart. "With the curse, you also carry the spirit of the dead dragon. When you have lost all control over yourself, you turn into a fully fledged serpent. From that moment on, you have no will over your actions and you are left to watch the beast's destructive nature. From the taste of your blood, I can say you have a few weeks or months left until your first transformation."

"What do you mean my first? Can't I control myself like you do, so that I don't become a disaster?" Lucky closed his face to hers. He knew the answer wouldn't be very positive but there was still glimmer of hope, which the pegasus didn't want to lose.

Foxy turned her head to the right and looked at the green scenery.

"Go behind the bush. Look in the lake and tell me what you see." she said with a very dark voice.

The white pegasus slowly turned at the said direction and uncertainly began walking to the big shrub. Although his eyes looked straight in front of him, he noticed that the ninja didn't move at all. Lucky passed through it and got to the other side, where he was met by a crystal clear lake. It was quite large and was surrounded by the forest like a ring. There were a few other visitors but they were far away from him and were too absorbed in the beautiful nature, that they wouldn't notice him, even if he stood right beside them.

The pegasus stepped on the shore of the lake and leaned towards it, while looking at it with frightened eyes. He saw pebbles and a small fish, carelessly swimming around. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing, something Lucky was in need for after what happened to him the past few days.

The pony stared at it for a minute, wondering what he was about to see. Suddenly a black shape appeared in the crystal waters. It steadily received colors and soon Lucky was able to recognize it. It was him, staring up from the water. His eyes had completely lost their brown color. The orange had taken over and the pegasus felt scared by their new look.

"You know the saying, that our eyes are the doors to our souls?" the ninja appeared behind him, sounding in her normal calm way. "Your soul is fully corrupted by the curse. There's no single brown spot on your eyes. You've changed too quick, without having time to train yourself for the upcoming transformation."

Lucky only gazed at his image, which suddenly smiled like a demon. The pegasus quickly looked up and blinked a few times. Then turned his eyes back to the water but there was no reflection of him, only pebbles and little fishes. He was unsure, if he had an hallucination or was it him, who smiled in an evil manner.

"The destruction..." he whispered.

The ninja stood beside him and looked in the water.

"I see only fish." she said.

Lucky looked at her in a puzzled way. Foxy gave him friendly eyes.

"Apples, we'll need lot's of apples, if we want to avoid a catastrophe in unknown proportions. We must begin your training as soon as possible and as far away from civilization."

"But what about the investigation? We can't leave it hanging in the air."

Foxy gently knocked on his head.

"Weren't you listening? We can't risk to have your unstable condition near other ponies. You may only feel hunger at the moment, but when the dragon within you makes its escape, you'll understand how weak and unprepared you are. Your mind needs to be disciplined, your will power must be strengthened before you face the sudden change."

"Did you pass successfully this test of endurance?" Lucky asked, while looking very serious at her eyes.

"No..." she answered with a low voice. Lucky felt heavy after hearing this and now he understood why it was going to happen, regardless of how much work he would put to prevent it. "The training will help you to lessen its effects on you and make you more resistant to the transformation."

Lucky sadly looked down and tried to clear all his thoughts on this matter. A lot was revealed to him in so little time, that he wanted to be left alone in peace, while everything cleared out. However, one question stood in his mind like a black tower, which was starting to poke its sharp roof at the ceiling of his head.

"Will I die, when I reach the curtain age like your parent?" he sounded very darkly and his face had a gloomy look.

"I don't know." she said with shame in her voice. "You are the first stallion and only pony, outside of my family, to receive the curse. No pony knows what your destiny will be, except The Jester of Flame, who is dead."

"Destiny is a mare for sure..." Lucky thought.

He sighed and looked at the blue lake. For a moment, Lucky wanted to be far away from this reality. Was it just a fantasy of a dream, from which he couldn't wake. The pegasus was just a poor stallion, who needed no sympathy for his bad luck. He only wanted happiness in his short life and not the slight madness of the darkness, that surrounded his world. His heart desired to live like everypony else, with no worries for the future and enjoying the warm beams of the sunny day.

His eyes looked at the blue sky. A feeling went through his body, that raised his pulse. Lucky sensed the need to rush headlong into the freedom, but the reality's chains wouldn't let him fly to the heavens.

The ninja looked suspiciously at the mixed expressions of his face. She was guessing his thoughts and prepared just in case, if he'd decide to do something stupid.

"Before we leave, I want to experience life for the last time. Please, let me have my last free breath?" Lucky sounded very sincere and deep. He looked at her eyes, which were gazing him very coldly.

"I don't like the sound of this. You are not dying yet, so spare me your feels." then she thought for a moment. "Alright. I'll give you a few hours, after that we hit the roads. Understood?"

Lucky silently nodded then he suddenly began galloping, quickly disappearing in the forest.

"What is he up to?" Foxy asked herself. Then she went after him in the shadowy green wall.

Lucky was running with new energy, looking around at every grass, tree and birds. He wanted to feel free as much as it was possible. Suddenly, he stumbled across an opening in the forest and stopped to admire the beautiful garden with white and yellow flowers. He steadily went to them and smelled the fresh aroma. His eyes moved from one flower to another, as if Lucky had never seen a garden before.

The ninja finally caught up on him, when the pegasus began galloping again on a path, that led to one of the many exits from the park. Blue and red birds flew over his head, singing their love songs. Lucky happily watched them perform their dances in the air, when suddenly he appeared on the sidewalk of a very long street.

His eye now saw a wall of tall buildings with very interesting facades. Some structures were painted in red, others in purple. Differently colored ponies came and go, some entered the park, others just passed nearby. They had a very stylish looks, which were unique for everypony.

He looked around for a bit and then began walking in a general direction.

"Where are you going?" Foxy shouted behind him.

The pegasus continued going forward, admiring on the world around him.

"Everywhere!" he answered.

The ninja managed to get to him and followed his every step. The two went sightseeing the whole city. They visited the Kingdom State Building, then they saw from the coast the huge bronze mare statue and after that went to the city museum. Luckily for them the entrance was free for this day and didn't have to spend their remaining bits.

It took them at least three hours to do all that. The pegasus was like a small filly in an amusement park and unlike his companion, he enjoyed every second of it. Foxy's patience was wearing off and when they got out of the arts museum, she grabbed Lucky on his shoulder and said:

"Did you have your fun?"

The pegasus turned to her, when suddenly his eyes saw a big poster, which was just put on the wall. He made a few steps to it, completely ignoring the ninja. His mouth was opened, because he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Foxy looked at the blue poster, that had a printed logo of a rock band.

"Princess." he read it out loud. "This evening at the Manehatten Stadium."

"No." the ninja interrupted his dreamy thoughts. "You had your hours of freedom. Now we must leave the city."

"But, this is Princess! I have to see them!" Lucky tried to move but was immediately stopped by Foxy's tight grab.

"And who is gonna pay for the thickets?" her voice felt like a hammer, hitting his head. "And don't try to make a sad face cause it doesn't work on me!"

The pegasus looked very disappointed but he clearly understood her. Foxy looked at him like a faceless statue but inside the rock there was hesitation.

"A full stomach is better than half full one." the ninja remembered a saying. "The longer we stay here, the more dangerously it becomes for us and the city. My pursuers are far away for the time being but eventually they'll see my tracks and will get behind my tail. Blue Circle must be lurking around, though I don't sense his presence. I'll need Lucky to be fully focused on our tasks all the time and not think of anything else, if we want to survive the upcoming fights. Then I should grand him his last wish."

She turned away from him and said:

"Alright, let's go to the concert but we'll leave immediately, when it's over. Got it?"

A spark flashed in his eyes and a very big smile appeared on his face. For the first time in his life, he was going to see his favorite band of all time. Excitement was coming out of him like the light from a bulb. Although Foxy didn't share his enthusiasm, at least she knew, when they'd finally get out from this place.

An hour later...

The sun was beginning its fall to the horizon, living a cloudy sky. The two approached the big white stadium and unsurprisingly they saw a huge crowd in front of the main entrance.

"Darn. How are we gonna buy tickets, when the queue is as long as the street itself? There wont be any left." Lucky said.

The ninja looked at the big structure and around it.

"Hold my hoof." she said and lifted her leg in the air.

Lucky touched hers and suddenly they disappeared without being noticed by anypony. The pegasus opened his eyes and saw that they were on the stadium's visor, only a step from the open roof. The view from their position was perfect. He could see clearly the empty stage. Down below ponies were taking their seats. It looked extremely tight. Fortunately for the two, there were none, who would block their view.

"Woaw, thanks a lot Foxy!" Lucky happily looked at his partner, who was not feeling all well.

"Don't mention it!" she said with clenched teeth. The ninja had been teleporting too much lately and it became harder with each jump. A sudden pain raised in her chest but she was managing to stay in full control over herself. Foxy began breathing very deep and Lucky noticed that.

"Are you alright?" he concernedly asked.

"I'll be fine!" she darkly answered.

The pegasus slowly turned his head away and looked at the empty stage. He felt kind of guilty but that feeling disappeared, when the projectors lighted in green, red and blue and music sounded through the stadium. He was all ears and his orange eyes turned big. The crowd below energetically shouted, with hooves in the air.

Then like a thunder in a clear sky, a godly guitar rang out, marking the entrance of a red unicorn with a brown curly mane. He played his instrument very powerfully and moved in the center of the stage. Then a grey pegasus with bright hairs flew down and hit the drums. Then two earth ponies appeared, one of which was wearing an yellow jacket and the other a bass guitar. The vocalist had a short black hair and a charming mustache. His coat was white like snow.

He moved to the center were the unicorn was playing, while looking at the audience all the time with his brown sparklers. Everypony cheered and happily stamped the ground. The atmosphere was full with strong emotions.

The vocalist closed his lips to the microphone and sang with a powerful voice. Lucky was in a complete ecstasy. His eyes watched the singer's every move, his ears listened to every sound of the beautiful music. Foxy's pain disappear after a while. She looked at the light show and didn't know what to think of it. The songs were catchy but it annoyed her greatly that one of her most important senses was blocked by the loud sounds.

Time went on and before many ponies knew it, the sun had moved behind the horizon and the night took over. There were very few stars in the dark sky because of the many clouds that had gathered on top of the city. Everypony was so fully enjoying themselves that none noticed the shadows, sneaking in the stadium.

The vocalist took a glass of water and poured it on his head. Suddenly he felt fresh and ready for the next song.

"Are you ready for more?!" he shouted at the audience, which cheered even harder. The white pony smiled and then went to the piano. The singer sat on the chair and pressed the piano key.

Lucky prodded Foxy on the shoulder, who was sitting very silently the whole time.

"This is my favorite song!" he shouted with excitement.

The ninja glimpsed him and then stared back at the stage. Suddenly Foxy lifted her head and listened carefully. For some reason, was it the lyrics or the music, a feeling of freedom and lightness moved through her body. The song was more than catchy, she thought. When it took speed, she sensed the need to fly on its rhythm. The music resonated with her soul and she lost track of time.

Then suddenly it ended, but the ninja was still floating in ecstasy. Lucky was extremely satisfied by the performance and smiled like a filly in front of a candy shop. The pegasus almost forgot about everything because they seemed to be so far away, when in reality they were so close. He looked at her and was pleased to see, that she enjoyed this piece of awesome music.

"You liked it, eh?" he asked smilingly.

Foxy barely heard him because of the ringing in her ears. The ninja woke up and shook her head.

"I almost lost control over myself." she was breathing deeply. "This song is addictive and too dangerous for me."

The pegasus stood up and turned to her.

"If you want, we can leave now." he said with a serious tone.

Tail looked in his orange eyes and felt a warm feeling, she never sensed before. The ninja quickly turned her eyes away from him. That was the moment, when she noticed the flying knifes. It was too late for her to do anything because the blades struck deeply in his right side, one of which stabbed his wing.

Lucky didn't move.

"It doesn't hurt at all!" he said.

The ninja jumped from her seat and stared at the shadowy figure. Black tentacles were waving in the air like snakes, that were about to attack. Tail didn't wait for the assassin to make his next move. She began galloping to him, when three new kunais were thrown in her direction. The ninja jumped in the air and dodged them completely. Foxy aimed her left leg forward and performed the flying kick. Before she touched the shadowy pony, he turned into a smoke and effectively dodged her attack.

Meanwhile, Lucky removed one of the blades from him. The white fur around the wound turned in red. He looked at the knife and noticed that it was covered with blood and a blue substance, which couldn't have been from him. Suddenly he felt dizzy and almost fell from the stadium's visor.

"Ninja! They are poisonous!" he warned with all his strength before collapsing on the ground.

Foxy landed hard but swiftly turned around to face her opponent, who got himself together in one piece. She heard the pegasus's warning and the ninja was going to proceed with caution.

"I knew you were after me, only to take my life, Blue Circle!" she said with dark voice. "You made a grave mistake!"

The shadowed pony didn't say anything. Suddenly a music sounded with very defined beat. Two tentacles were send at her and she quickly jumped to the side. Then they change their flight path and again headed at her. The ninja did complex aerobic moves, that confused her enemy. Tail managed to jump over every attack, that was sent at her and got very close to the dark pony.

The incoming music was loud and the audience was screaming out of joy. The ninja swiftly sent a hoof into his cheek but he moved out of its way. She continued doing very powerful kicks in his direction but the shadowy pony kept dodging them left and right. Out of nowhere, the two shadows reappeared and aimed at her back. When they almost reached her, three other left from the black pony and went straight at her body. Foxy jumped again in the air and landed behind her attacker. The ninja thought she had him in a weak position but that changed, when a black wall of shadows slammed in her like a train. She flew backwards but successfully landed on her hoofs.

"Darn shadows!" she thought.

The calm look of her face changed to a wild one. Tail made a very a defensive pose and waited for the next attack, which came very shortly. Four kunais were flying towards her and they all were covered with blue stuff. She rolled forward, barely escaping the venomous knifes, that struck the concrete with great force.

Then she leaped forward and aimed her back leg at his head. The ninja's hoof touched only air because the ghost pony lost his shape and fell down on the ground. Suddenly a five black spears raised from the ground and pierced through her clothing and flesh.

"Crap. I just got outplayed!" she thought.

Tail fell hard on the cold concrete, bleeding very badly. The ninja shakily stood up on her legs, constantly staring at her adversary. Her mouth mask hit the ground and soon after bloody drops landed with a splash on it. Her white sharp teeth were smiling and her eyes completely changed to beast-like. Four long claws appeared on each of her hoofs, ready to dismember the assassin piece by piece.

The shadowy pony was unmoved by her sight, as if he doesn't know fear. Suddenly, Foxy charged with an incredible speed. In just two seconds, her pointed claws reached his body and began tearing it apart. She hit him with all her anger and only after a while the ninja noticed, that her hoofs were only striking a black smoke. With her peripheral vision, Tail noticed the incoming tentacles. Before they'd touch her, Foxy quickly turned and cut the black spears with her claws. The shadows fell on the concrete and violently vibrated. Then they disappeared with a flash.

Tail smiled in a demonic fashion but the dark pony kept coldly staring at her.

He opened his eyes very slowly and at first didn't know, where he was. The pegasus lifted his head and looked around, then suddenly he remembered. His eyes turned to where the blades had stabbed him. Lucky was astonished to see that the knifes had been pulled out from his body and the wounds were almost sealed.

"Regeneration and resistance to poison! Something she forgot to mention!" he thought.

Then he slowly looked at the two combatants, who were preparing for another clash.

"I need to help her!"

When Lucky got up, he was noticed by the shadow pony. Immediately it turned into a dark smoke and flew towards the pegasus, leaving a clone of himself to fight off the ninja. Foxy jumped like an animal on her opponent and cut him to pieces, which then flashed and disappeared into the nothingness. Her wild eyes turned to the smoke near Lucky and saw it shaping into a pony again.

Instantly tentacles flew off him, aiming at the white fur. Lucky instinctively ducked and the two shadows barely missed him. He then rolled to the right and got up again. Just for second, the pegasus lost the attacker from his sight and when Lucky looked at his position, there was nothing.

"Behind me!" a little sense alarmed in his head.

The pegasus turned around and was surprised to see there was no pony there again. A sweat moved from his forehead to his neck.

"Below you!" Foxy huskily shouted. She was galloping to him as fast her body let her.

The pegasus did what his instincts told him and he jumped upward with spread wings. His attempt to escape was a futile one because things, shaped into spears, surrounded him. In one of which, he saw two evil looking white eyes, staring at him. They were about to close him in a cage, in which his green medallion would be the only source of light, when the ninja got inside, grabbed him and together escaped the deadly trap.

They were flying down to the street below. Foxy was holding tide to him.

"Spread fully your wings and start waving those feathers of yours!" she yelled.

Lucky didn't react to her order and fearfully looked at the incoming ground.

"Fly, you son of a pegasus!" she pressed her claw in his back. He felt great pain and groaned. However, the desired effect was achieved. His wings spread and Lucky unconsciously began flapping them like there was no tomorrow. Tail put another claw on a different spot and began controlling his flight path. They successfully escaped their certain doom and began gaining attitude.

"I can control your every action, but I'd prefer, if you'd stop being a scared filly and start playing the game!"

Her sharp teeth were only millimeters away from his ear, when Lucky angrily looked back at her.

"Remove your claws from me!" he showed his teeth, which seemed had grown a bit from the last time, the pegasus had a pissed off face.

Tail did as he asked. Lucky felt a relief in his rear and now could freely fly around. Because of the new strength, he had no problems with her weight and steadily got them above the city's buildings.

"What's your plan?" he asked.

The riding ninja had only one thing in mind.

"Turn around and get me close to him, so I can remove his face from his head!" Foxy darkly said. Her eyes looked confident for what she was about to do. "I hope you are not frightened."

Lucky was uncertain at first but a feeling he never knew, quickly raised in his heart. Revenge for all the troubles in the past days, he wanted. The ex-Guardian tried to resist it but the adrenaline and the turmoil of his soul weren't helping him much in this case.

"Hold on to your plot!"

He quickly turned around and flied directly at the stadium. His pulse raised and with it their speed. The ninja concentrated on the moment and lifted her right clawed hoof. The wind blew his green mane like a flag. In the night they were like two pairs of orange circles that flew in straight like. The dark buildings on the two sides lagged behind and the lights below almost merged in two bright lines, that led to the light show, coming from the stadium.

The shadow pony hadn't moved and only stared at the incoming air attack. It's tentacles were waving very calmly, as if it knew they'd return for another round.

The ninja raised on two legs and crouched without breaking their balance. Her claws wanted flesh and they'd soon get one. The pegasus gulped and with it his final doubts disappeared. He didn't know how he was flying so correctly. What Lucky knew was that they were one big united force that was about to drop the hammer on their adversary's head.

Suddenly there was a flash from one of the roofs, which made Lucky's eyes hurt. The ninja noticed it and immediately looked at the direction, it came from. She was able to see a pony in the shadows, who then disappeared. The pain was so great, the pegasus lost control over his wings. The ninja clung to him and tried to stabilize him.

"Watch out for the wall!" she shouted in his ear.

He was flying with his eyes closed. Lucky made a hard turn and flew just a meter from the concrete stadium.

"Up, up! Building ahead!" the ninja warned.

It was too late for change in course and the two headed directly at a window on the second floor.

"Brace yourself!" she said.

Lucky had no time to prepare. The two went through the glass like a sharp knife into an unprotected flesh. Cristal clear pieces flew in all directions. Fortunately, the two ponies escaped the crash with only scratches. They continued to glide in the dark corridor.

The pegasus was flying in a drunk way. So, Foxy quickly pushed certain spots on his back to maneuver him in this tide space, full with obstacles like sofas and bookcases.

They quickly got to the other end of the hallway and got out from the building by going through another window, shattering it to hundreds of smaller sharp crystals.

Suddenly voices sounded from one of the three doors.

"Did you like how it performed?"

"Yes, it will certainly help us in our cause! My master will be pleased to hear of your progress, Mr Just. Although I have one last question: how fast can you produce it?"

"The glasses and the neural connector can be manufactured in one hour by one pony. However, one amulet needs at least a day. The process is very delicate and we don't want to rush it."

"Yes, I completely understand you."

The door opened and a pony in black clothing stepped inside the corridor. His brown eyes carefully scanned the hallway, as if he was looking for something.

"Volts, turn off the machine and lock the laboratory, if you please."

The yellow unicorn in white coat appeared from the door and when he touched the little pieces of glass, the inventor looked confusingly at the broken window.

"What went on here?"

"Probably only fillies playing on the rhythms of the music. Isn't a famous group performing there?" he pointed at the stadium, which was vibrating from the rocking sounds and cheers of the audience.

The unicorn nodded.

"You are probably right, dear sir. Do you want to join us for dinner? We will be having tasty green salads and magnificent apple pie." he looked with his charming blue eyes at his companion.

"I have to decline your offer. The road is long and the time is short." he said, while looking outside the untouched window. The ninja smiled. He knew exactly, who were here just a moment ago and they weren't fillies. The stallion was so bemused in his thoughts of the future, that he failed to notice the one blue maniac eye, which was staring him from the shadows.

When the two were out from the building, Lucky tried to slow their speed by going straight up to the cloudy night sky. The two ponies soon were high above the city. Soon their momentum was gone and they stopped in one place in the air. His wings were widely spread to the sides.

"I'll navigate you to the park! There I'll check your eyes." she said behind him. Her claws had sunk in his coat and didn't let go.

"Lead me."

Then the pegasus began flying to the park, with her guidance, which was near them. They cautiously landed next to the lake. The ninja got off his back and went in front of him.

"Open your eyes!"

Lucky slowly did as she ordered but he felt great pain in the process. She carefully checked them, then waved with her left hoof in front of him. They just stared back lifelessly, which made her worried.

"Close them now." she said calmly. He did so. Suddenly the ninja hit him in the cheek.

Lucky stepped back and shook his head. He was getting tired of being used as a punching bag and the stallion made a not so happy face.

"Can you see me now?" she asked.

He nodded.

"What was that flash?"

"I don't know. At least the regeneration effect is doing its magic. Now, we have to quickly get out from the city and..." suddenly she sensed something behind her. Tail quickly turned around and sent her claws at the direction of the stalker. When Foxy focused on the figure in front of her, she ceased her attack. Her sharp claws were just a centimeter away from her blue neck.

"Ms Paint, what are you doing here?" Lucky surprisingly asked.

The shy unicorn didn't answer or move. She stood like a ghost, looking down at their hooves. Her mane had lost its pink color and now it was dead white. Her crystal eyes had a dark feel, coming from them. She was wearing only one thing: a necklace that had a piece of a red crystal.

The ninja looked suspiciously at her. Her hoof was still aiming for her neck and for some reason, Foxy felt the need to cut her. This aggression was coming from the deeps of her soul, where a mighty beast was waking up.

Suddenly his medallion started flashing with green light, which puzzled Lucky.

Black tentacles quickly came out of her, which missed the ninja on purpose and headed straight for the white pegasus. They were about to stab him on multiple places, when they just fell on the ground, twisting violently and then disappearing with a flash. The ninja had cut all of them from the source. Now she looked at the lifeless unicorn like a predator. The snake tongue licked her teeth. It was feast time.

She jumped towards her but an invisible wall prevented her claws to start cutting her blue fur. Foxy quickly guessed, who was responsible for this and looked angrily at the pegasus. His green locket had a pink aura around it.

"Don't kill her! We need her alive for questioning!" he sounded very serious.

"You are crazy?!" she said with her demonic voice. "She tried to kill us! She deserves to die!"

"Think logically! How can an artist from Canterlot learn such a technique? Something is manipulating her at the moment. Just look at her!"

Foxy turned her beastly eyes to the shy pony, who hadn't moved at all. There were no more tentacles waving from her.

"It's a trick!" she darkly said and then looked in all directions for Blue Circle. It was really dark in the park. The only lights were coming from the distant buildings in the background.

"Calm down, Foxy! Remember what you said about control?" he moved a little closer to them.

"Don't lecture me!" she roared.

Tail was ready to attack the unicorn, who was standing like a statue. Out of a sudden Rain Paint took a deep breath and blinked a few times. The shy pony looked at the two with frightened eyes.

"Where am I?" she asked with afraid voice.

"In the park." Lucky calmly said.

"How did I get here? I was at home, painting... it doesn't make any sense!" she looked very confused. Her eyes turned to the ninja and she became even more scared.

"Don't worry, she doesn't bite! Tell us what happened." he again moved closer.

"I-I had a weird dream, where I was a thief, who could move through walls and sense everypony's hearts." she paused for some reason and sadly looked at the black lake.

"Go on..."

"I-I don't know... I saw... bodies of ponies... that's when I woke up and began painting. It relaxes me, when I feel nervous, you know."

Lucky was now next to his partner, who needed only slight provocation to jump on the beautiful unicorn.

"Then you appeared here, right?"

"Yes..." Paint shyly looked down.

"The artist is either telling the truth or just acting very genuinely. How is she connected with the theft and the recent events? Was she really controlled by somepony behind the scenes? I get the feeling Paint wont hurt a fly but then all great pretenders hide behind masks to protect their true nature. I need more information!" he thought.

"Do you usually have such dreams?" Lucky asked. He pierced her with his orange eyes, watching her every action.

"Y-yes. I've been having them for an year. The first time I had one was, when I lived with Ms Rose." she sounded sincere. Paint turned again to the calm lake and gazed its surface. "By the way, where is your silk towel, Mr Lucky?"

"It's a short story but..." then he realized that Paint called him by his name but he never formally introduced himself to her. "How did you know my name?"

She looked shocked at him.

"I-I... guessed?"

"Or you did a research about us like one pony said to me? Or you spied on us? Which is it?" Lucky made a confident step forward. He was onto something here and didn't want to lose its trail.

She looked very nervous and couldn't get a hold of herself. Suddenly a packed letter fell from under her left wing, which was immediately spotted by the two pairs of orange eyes. The ninja went and took it, while the pegasus didn't lose the unicorn from sight. Rain Paint was on the brink of her mental toughness.

"To Ms Blooming Rose. Ha, I guess this is the letter we were looking for." the ninja smiled.

"Read it!" Lucky said.

"Didn't our employer specifically want its contents to remain a secret?" she sounded very weird in her husky calm voice.

"Yeah, but she didn't mention that our lives were at stake here. Rules have changed and I want to know why we almost died many times because of this stupid letter!" Lucky was very serious.

The ninja without a doubt opened the packet and pulled out the yellow list, which was stained with purple stuff. Her eyes, which had returned to their normal states, began moving from one side of the message to the other.

"Stop!" Rain Paint screamed. "I don't want to hear it. My heart will break from sadness!"

Tears began forming in her pretty eyes. She fell on her knees and begged:

"Please, don't read it. My soul will be forever blackened by its words!"

The ninja looked at her with her typical emotionless eyes and then began reading it out loud.

"My Love, Blooming Rose. How my heart desires you to be with me under the beautiful night. When stars are bright, I want to swim in your presence. Oh, how my soul aches, when you are so far away, my little sweet pumpkin. My hooves have not touched another one and my coat hasn't been dirty in many days.

When are we finally going to be together? Ponyville may not be Canterlot but here you'll be surrounded by love and inspirational nature. I await your answer, my little golden fish.

Signed: The Pony In The Jar?" the ninja confusingly looked at Lucky, who couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Noooo!" Rain Paint yelled with all her mild voice and spread her hoofs to the air. "Why Blueblood, why!? What?! The Pony In The Jar?!" the blue pony looked surprisingly at the ninja.

"What in Celestia's beard did I just hear?" Lucky seriously asked. He went to the unicorn and closed his face to her. "What is going on in here?"

"I-I don't know. I thought it was a love letter from Prince Blueblood to Rose." she said with a shaking voice.

"Blueblood? That sorry excuse of a stallion..." then it hit him like a train. He stepped back and facehoofed. "A love quadrangle! I never thought that it would be possible..."

"Hey, take your words back. Prince Blueblood may be strange but when you get to know him, you'll see that he is only shy and very emotional pony, who wants to be truly loved." she sounded awkwardly strong and brave.

"Yeah right. In my short service in the Royal Guards, I had to be his Guard for three painful days. Talk about arrogance and none stop complaints!"

"I don't care what you say about him. It only matters that I love him with all my heart." Paint sighed. "Oh, my Prince! To know that your heart is free, makes so much joy in my little soul!"

The ninja carefully watched her every move.

"Love is a weakness. Because of it, we almost died, though... is it worth dying for?" Tail unwittingly looked at the pegasus, who was shaking his head in disbelieve. She felt something small, something she couldn't name it. Was Tail getting attached to him, she did not know. The ninja quickly turned her attention to the blue unicorn and concentrated on the task. There was no room for other thoughts in their tricky situation.

"So, let me connect the strings." Lucky said. "You thought your friend was cheating with the Prince and you left her because of that, am I right?"

The unicorn shyly nodded and sadly said:

"I saw them a couple of times together, talking passionately about art. Days after that, the letters began coming, all addressed to Rose."

"You two were not in very good relations and you never told her why you behaved negatively towards her. Then you left after another altercation. You wanted to be far away from Canterlot and you ended up in Manehatten. However, your pain didn't fade away and soon you wanted revenge. So, you came back and stole the letter from her! Isn't that right?" he pierced her with his scary orange eyes.

"No! That's not true! Yes, my soul still hurt but I'd never commit such a crime. I never went outside Manehatten and I have witnesses!" the mare sounded offended of being accused of stealing like that.

"Then how you got the letter?" he earnestly asked.

"I don't know. After one of my dreams, I woke up and it was laying on my bed. I never opened it to see its contents because I was too scared to do so. Then I just hid it under my sofa. I'm not the thief you are looking for!"

"A dream, eh? I'd say you payed a very high-skilled ninja to do the dirty work, while you have your little alibi." he closed his face to hers and stared deep in her soul.

Rain Paint was shaking from fear but somehow pulled some strength and defended herself:

"I have never met any ninjas in my whole life. I swear!"

"Then answer me this, how do you know my name?"

"I heard it in my nightmares!" her confused eyes watered. "There I murdered you..."

Lucky slowly stepped back. He had a thoughtful dark look.

"Dead end again! I have the feeling she is honest here but Paint is unknowingly connected with the thief. What's the purpose of the theft? Who is pulling her strings?"

Only more question emerged with no clear answers.

The ninja scanned the unicorn with sight from top to bottom. She just needed a little provocation, one wrong move to start cutting her to pieces. Her eyes stopped at the necklace with the strange piece of red crystal. It looked like it was cut from a bigger rhinestone. The shape resembled triangle with a single one hundred and twenty degree angle. Foxy wondered why it looked familiar, then suddenly she remembered.

She moved closer to the unicorn. Immediately the ninja felt a dark energy coming from the crystal.

"Lucky, check her necklace!"

"Why? I don't see anything wrong with it."

"Just come closer!"

The weather pony stood in front of Paint and then he sensed it too. His locket was shining more brightly and this made him very worried.

"What the? It wasn't there a moment ago." he then turned to the unicorn. "Where did you get this?"

"In front of our house in Canterlot. Somepony knocked on the front door but before I could answer it, the pony was already gone, leaving only this necklace on the ground." Paint took it in her hoof and looked at the bijou.

"You took an object from the ground from unknown pony, who didn't even show himself? How naive are you?" Lucky asked with unbelieving eyes.

She shyly looked away.

"I thought it was from my shinning Prince! I don't see, how my necklace is involved with your investigation?"

"A few minutes ago, you tried to kill my partner here. We suspect you were controlled by somepony. It could be via this crystal." the ninja pointed one of her claws at the cut triangle.

"Can we take a closer look?" Lucky curiously asked.

"To kill... I'd never!" the blue unicorn exclaimed.

The ninja grabbed it from Paint's neck and pulled it to herself, breaking the golden chain in the process. The unicorn felt insulted by Foxy's act but didn't say a word. There was no time to be wasted in empty talks, so she began analyzing it closely. It definitely held residual energy used in Shadow Sun techniques.

"It's a capacitor." the ninja whispered. Her eyes slowly moved on its surface. She didn't want to miss anything important.

"What do you mean?" Lucky sounded confused.

"It holds only magical energy. It seems it has ran out of juice, that's why our unicorn here wasn't covered by shadows. Look, her mane is returning its original color. That's a sign her body is clean of Shadow Sun energy."

"Wait a second..." Lucky looked like, as if the bulb in his head turned on. "Back at the stadium, the dark pony cloned himself. Could she have created something like a clone, who'd do the things in her dreams? No, wait. Maybe her dreams were not parts of her imagination but they were what Paint saw from her clone's perspective?"

The ninja looked thoughtfully at the red crystal.

"I have limited knowledge on the shadow technique. Maybe it's possible. However, a clone needs orders. Without them he would not move. So, the question is: who is pulling the strings?" her orange eyes checked the dark surroundings. She was expecting an attack because the ninja felt it in her guts. "The only pony, who knows how to utilize Shadow Sun is my ex-husband!"

"The painting? How can somepony utilize a painting and for what purposes?" Rain Paint sounded very confused.

"Yes, that's the name of the project you worked with Rose. What a coincidence to name it after a ninja technique, eh? Now on a serious note, Ms Paint, you've been having the dreams before or after you took the necklace?"

"It was after." she silently answered.

"This is it!" Lucky turned to Foxy. "Your ex-husband must have a finger in this whole thing, but then why'd he want to kill us? Didn't he want you to join his cause to fight an imaginary evil goddess? What is his game?"

Her eyes turned even colder from the mentioning of him.

"He is mad, as I told you. No pony knows what is going on in his sick mind! I guess he was originally after me and when you came along, he decided you'd prove to be a good game."

"It doesn't add up!" Lucky negatively shook his head. "If he wanted to kill you, then he'd do so, without complicating the act of the kill. Why would he involve innocent ponies? I think there is a hidden agenda here and it's not merely killing for fun."

"Excuse me for interrupting, but why is the crystal flashing?" the unicorn pointed at the necklace. The two were looking at each others eyes, when the red light shined on their faces.

Before they could slightly move, the bright light, that was coming from the red crystal, enveloped them. In just a blink of an eye, they disappeared into thin air. Rain Paint watched with horror the empty space, where the strange ponies used to be. She couldn't take it anymore and collapsed unconscious on the grass.

Two blue eyes appeared from the dark woods. They had a spark in them, the spark of success.

Chapter 13: Welcome To The Jungle

The forest was quite dark and it was almost impossible to distinguish any object, while inside its thick green barriers. No moon light could get to the lowest levels. Strange sounds of beasts, coming from the bushes, were echoing in this wild place. They were near and in the same time seemingly far away. The only thing certain was that the old forest was full with life, some of which wouldn't hesitate to tear apart any careless creature, that would happen to be wandering around in the night.

There was a timber wolf howling in the distance, when the pony, who was wearing a black clothing, arrived at the location, where he'd meet his comrades. A big stone, surrounded by trees, stood proudly under the shade. It was mostly covered by mold and long plants, which had white buds.

The ninja carefully scanned with sight the meeting place and surprisingly he couldn't sense his colleagues. They had to be somewhere near or just a bit late. He silently went to the stone and when the ninja got in front of it, he hid behind a bush. The pony waited for some time but still there were no signs of his partners, that they were coming. Something smelled very fishy but the ninja was patient and tried not to think of any reasons why they were so late, which was very unusual for such high-ranking ninjas.

Suddenly the black stallion sensed somepony's presence. His brown eyes moved from tree to tree, from bush to bush and his ears were listening very carefully for any sounds. However, he still couldn't pinpoint from where the pony was coming.

"Are you happily camping?" a very dark voice sounded behind him. The ninja quickly turned around but saw no pony from the direction it came from. The assassin felt like a pray and that wasn't in his liking. He drew his sword with his mouth and prepared to defend himself.

"I'm over here!" this time, the voice sounded above his head. His brown eyes looked up and saw a shadow, that dropped from a thick branch. The ninja quickly moved away and pointed the sharp blade at the center of his opponent.

"You!" he looked surprised to see the longtime fugitive. "I guess, the others are dead."

A smile appeared below the blue eyes of his black face.

"You are correct! You had to see them, how easily they gave up on their little lives. One of them even managed to scream his mother's name." the stalker giggled and then he became very serious. "Did you enjoy your toy in Manehatten? I saw everything you did on that stadium's roof."

"I don't know what you are talking about!" the ninja pierced him with cold eyes but the master of shadows saw through his blockade.

"Oh, don't you lie on me, Number One. Or nowadays do they call you ambassador One?"

"You do know the rules, boy?! No naming! Or does your little head have a cruel dementia?" he said with clenched teeth.

The smile reappeared, though this it was a lot bigger. His eyes now looked in a more maniacal way than before.

"Old one, you always make me happy, when you open your pathetic mouth." he sarcastically said, then he swiftly closed like a ghost to the veteran ninja. He stopped just a centimeter from the edge of his blade. "Now tell me, what business you have with the inventor from Manehatten?"

"I'd rather drink lava than tell you anything, monster." he looked very calm, despite knowing his ultimate fate. "Are we going to dance or talk all night?"

The shadowy pony shook his head and giggled.

"I'll have to take the information the easy way then." Blue Circle then put his head on the blade, while he was constantly staring at the older pony's eyes. The edge impaled through it without any resistance. "I'm sorry, One. But I can't let you tell your master about Foxy and her new boyfriend. By the way, why are you aiming your sword at nothing?"

The veteran quickly swung his blade to the right with all his strength but it didn't matter. His world got consumed by the blackness. There were no sounds coming from the black sphere. The forest became quiet, as if it carefully watched the murder. After a minute, his lifeless body fell hard on the ground and soon after his broken sword landed on top of him.

The orb disappeared and a pony figure came down from one of the trees. He looked at the body with his wild blue eyes.

"You did put a better fight than those youngsters. Not many survive more than 10 seconds." Blue Circle calmly said and then began searching his body. Soon he found a letter, addressed to the dead pony's master. He opened it and read it quickly. "So that's what you are planning. Maybe I should pay you a visit but first, I need to contact Foxy!"

The shadow ninja turned away and went behind the bushes, without noticing the blue eyes, that watched him from the tree branches.

Meanwhile, somewhere far away...

In the dark corner, a bright light shined the endless vegetation. The two ponies appeared next to a giant tree, that was so ancient, somepony could say it predated the two Princesses. Immediately they stood up on two legs and touched their backs, while looking around in total confusion.

"What is this place?" Lucky asked, without moving his eyes on the surroundings.

"We are in the jungle." she calmly answered and quickly put the red crystal under her clothing.

There were lots of trees as big as the one next to them. Millions of leafs covered the sky, absolutely blocking the moon light. Long lianas were hanging from the high branches. The ground was covered in dense tropical vegetation. The jungle was a tight space, where a wrong decision could mean a life's end.

"Jungle? Like the ones in the adventures of Daring Do?" he raised his left eyebrow.

"Be quiet! We don't want to bring unnecessary attention to us. There are predators behind every bush, so keep your cool and watch my back." Foxy whispered. Her eyes attentively scanned their surroundings. There were a lot of places, from where a hungry wild cat would attack. Unfortunately for them, there wasn't a safe spot, where they could defend themselves from the beasts, that lived here.

Suddenly, the bushes in front of Lucky shook. Something was coming very fast to them. Out of the shadows, a black panther appeared. Lucky spread his wings to fly upwards but the big cat jumped on him and together they fell on the ground. The ninja had moved away, so that she wouldn't be caught in the beast's attack. The panther was on top of the weather pony and didn't let him to move at all. The black hunter mightily roared, as if saying to all of the nearby creatures to beware of him and then closed its teeth to Lucky's neck, when Foxy hit it from the side with her entire body. The cat rolled a few meters before stopping. It quickly jumped back on its paws, from which big sharp claws protruded. The beast's wild eyes pierced the ninja, like a demon.

Foxy stared back at the panther with her emotionless eyes. Lucky stood up without a problem. He had only a few scratches, where its claws had touched his flesh. The pegasus looked at the big cat, which stood still in very threatening pose. Its eyes were green and they revealed its age. The feel, coming from them, hinted of the creatures intentions. The panther was an experienced one, who didn't like defeat but was able to admit its mistake.

After staring for more than a minute, the demonic cat understood that it would be not possible to eat them and it unhappily looked away from her orange balls. The panther silently went behind the bushes and disappeared into the thick jungle. It became quiet again. There was a slow wind but not even the leafs rustled.

"Woaw, you are fearless!" Lucky smilingly said.

The ninja kept looking at the direction the beast went.

"Why didn't you protect yourself? You have the strength and the reflexes..." she looked at him with cold eyes. "You could have easily dodged its attack."

The pegasus lowered his head and tried to face the cause.

"I was scared and couldn't move at all until the very last moment." he said with a low voice. "Pretty pathetic for an ex-Guardian..."

Suddenly his eyes became big, when he felt her hoof on his chin. Tail gently lifted up his head, so that their eyes could meet.

"Lesson three: feel no fear, but happiness in the face of danger! Each battle is a test of your strength and mind. The jungle is unforgiving, everything here will try to kill you. It's up to you to survive the struggle with a smile or perish without anypony noticing. The panther was clever and attacked the weakest. She deserved to claim you life, your energy, that would feed her and keep her going, until her next meal. Do you understand me?"

Lucky nodded. The ninja removed her hoof from his chin and then began looking around for any other dangers.

"Then, why did you help me?" his eyes looked very serious at her.

She began walking in a general direction, when the ninja answered:

"Because I like you and I'll need your help to defeat him. Now let's get moving, we need to find a safe spot to rest for the night. Be as noiseless as possible."

Lucky without hesitation followed her into the bushes.

Quite some time had passed from their unexpected meeting with the queen of the night. Luckily for them, they were unnoticed by the many predators, that lurked nearby. Foxy carefully chose her path and led them to a small hill that had some big rocks, which formed a wall around an old tree. She chose it to be their stay for the night because they could defend easily from all directions and if things would get hot, then they could use the window in the tree's crowns and fly away.

The two climbed the rocks and got under the tall tree. The moon light fell down from the opening in the green ceiling and shined the place in a very romantic way.

Lucky looked perplexed at his partner.

"Why are you not changing to your normal pony form?"

The ninja sat next to the thick root.

"If you don't mind, turn around, while I fix myself."

The pegasus reluctantly did as she wanted and looked up to the moon. He felt warming feelings of the past.

"A full moon." he said quietly. "The last time I saw it in this phase was more than an year ago. I and my friend were drinking cider in the on the roof of the tallest towers in Canterlot. We thought we were the princes of the world, until one of the Guards approached us and we had to quickly fly away before he'd recognize us."

Suddenly, a sad feeling emerged from the deeps of his soul.

"Now, I may never see him again!" he thought.

Lucky turned around and looked very surprised to see her not even slightly changed.

"Aren't you going to alter?"

Foxy only stared down on her clawed hoofs and didn't say anything. She had realized something very wrong had happened in the deeps of her body. The mighty beast had awakened and it was slowly taking over her every part.

"Are you okay?" Lucky stepped closer to her but the later lifted her left hoof in the air.

"I'm alright. Just decided to stay in this form for a little longer. You'll never know, when you'll need some claws to defend yourself." she calmly said, though Tail couldn't lie to his hearing.

"So, you can't change back?" Lucky moved a little closer her. His orange eyes looked concernedly at her.

The ninja clenched her big teeth and said with her odd husky voice:

"I can't lie to you anymore, eh? Yes, I can't but don't worry, I'll not turn into a dragon yet! We only need apples!"

"What is the cause?" now Lucky was just a hoof away from her.

"Apparently loss of a lot of energy. In the battle, I was badly wounded and I needed to regenerate very quickly to keep the fight going." she turned her eyes to the pegasus. "As you know, you need great control over yourself to not let the dragon take over your body completely. Apples help you maintain that control by giving you a fair amount of energy, some of which is used to hold the beast in one place. They also are the only thing in this world, that can feed you. Every other food would be utterly rejected by your body. The question is: where can we find an apple tree in this jungle?"

"So, its very bad." Lucky felt kind of sad about his partner. He had no idea the pain, that was about to struck her like a furious storm. The pegasus sat beside her, while thinking of what to do next.

"Don't think of trying to escape the forest by air. I've been here before and it's a long way to the nearest civilization." she looked at him and smiled. "Oh, don't worry about yourself. Without apples, you'll only feel hungry but won't transform before your time."

"But surely we can make it quicker." Lucky opposed.

"Yeah, if we knew the direction of the nearest village."

The pegasus looked her in puzzled way.

"If you've entered it and exited it, then why cant you just point me the way? I may be a terrible flyer but I'm not gonna wait here until you morph into a dragon."

The ninja sighed, that sounded like snake's hissing. Her orange eyes turned to the source of the only light. The moon was quite big at the moment and it felt like it was carefully watching them.

"I've been here only once. That was on my final test of self-control and survivability. My sensei put a white towel on my eyes, when we were still in the Dragon Claw's village. I had to wear it all the way from there to here. After a week of walking in the forest, they left me alone without apples or weapons to defend myself. My goal was to find a way out from the jungle without changing to a dragon even once."

"That's when you failed..." Lucky whispered.

For the first time, the ninja looked very disappointed but this only lasted for a moment. She looked at the weather pony with her emotionless stare.

"After two weeks of wandering around and without any apples, I barely managed to stay on my legs. The hunger was so great and I was losing the battle against the inner beast with each passing moment. Yes, I failed hard." she remembered a very nasty moment from that time and tried to hide her feelings. "Then I don't how I got back to my village. The other ninjas said that I came from the dusty road but there were some, who believed that I returned from the sky. So, you see, I don't have the slightest idea where we are on the map, if we had one..."

The pegasus put his hoof on his forehead. Things got complicated more and more and there was no hint of their situation going in the positive direction.

"We are two walking time bombs!" he ironically smiled and giggled.

The ninja scarily smiled too and began laughing. Foxy couldn't remember the last time she had fun with somepony. A new wave of feelings went through her, when she looked at him. Lucky was growing on her, though she was unsure to fear this or to accept it as a natural development of their partnership.

The two laughed for a while until silence took over again. There were a few sounds from animals, who were far away from the two lonely ponies. The moon light shined them like a projector in the theater.

They looked tired but neither of the two would close their eyes.

"Could you tell me the history of your ex-husband and how you became his wife?" Lucky suddenly asked.

"You should know that such information is strictly forbidden to outsiders but the rules can go to hell!" Foxy sighed. "Blue Circle is his real name but any ninja from either clan are calling him the White Shadow."

"Strange name for a pony, who is covered in black tentacles." Lucky noted.

"He has this nickname because of the white outfit. Circle used to be from the clan Moon's Shade." she said huskily.

"Used to be? Did they banish him?" Lucky raised an eyebrow.

"No, he was the leader of the shadow clan. It was the smallest but had one of the finest ninjas ever to walk on this earth. Like the rest of the clans, they worshiped a certain warrior from the distant past. His name was White Circle, the pony he mentioned, when you met him in Manehatten."

"Ah, yes. The pony, who saw the evil Goddess." he nodded.

"Like every leader from their clan, he took a name, similar to the first pony, who founded it. This was a part of their tradition, which also involved doing very strange and downright disturbing rituals. Every new leader had to perform them like the founder did ages ago. After that they would go alone in a secret cave. I don't know what they do there but it creeps me every time I think about it."

"She feels fear... that's impossible!" Lucky thought, while carefully listening to her story.

"After a day in the cave, they'd leave it from another place, that only their shamans knew its location. Then they'd appear among their peasants with completely changed personalities."

"Woaw... so, he wasn't crazy before he became the leader of his clan?"

"I don't know. There aren't any records about him before his transformation." she looked at the ground. "Circle took the power in a very bad times, when the clans were on a brink of war."

"War?" Lucky surprisingly asked. "Do you have daily conflicts or something?"

"It was the first and the last in our over one thousand years history. Small conflicts are common for the clans, in which few ponies duel each other. However, a full scale war was something that could destroy forever the balance between the factions, which so many ponies had worked and fought for."

"If diplomacy between failed, why didn't they asked a neutral power to help them resolve their issues. Princess Celestia would help anypony, even if they are not her subjects."

Tail looked at him like a teacher to a young student.

"The clans are independent from anypony or kingdom. They consider themselves free and are completely isolated from the rest of the pony world. Asking a foreign power to deal with their own matters would be considered like an act of cowardliness and would be viewed as a weakness.

As tensions grew more and more, two camps formed. From one side there was my clan, which is the biggest and on the other the two opposing, clan Tiger and clan Diamond Shuriken. His clan was In the middle."

"So, each side wanted his clan to be on their part of the field, am I right?" Lucky sounded confident in his guessing.

"Yes. Although the shadow clan tried to stay neutral, the horses of war were just in front of their door. Blue Circle played a dangerous double game with both sides and..."

"... when they found out, his clan territory quickly became a war-zone!" Lucky's eyes looked at her very darkly.

"You took the words from my mouth! His clan mates became high valued targets. There were fights between my clan and the other two, but they seemed quite symbolical. The battles against Moon's Shade were bloody. For every one pony, three would fall from our side. Blue Circle was in front of their defense and was like a rampaging monster. When he'd make an appearance on the battlefield, you'd know the pony beside you had little time left on this world."

Foxy turned her eyes to the white moon. In her mind she heard voices of dying ponies and gory images of the battles floated in front of her, as if she was there.

"Did you participated in the war?" the pegasus asked with a low voice.

"Of course, I did. After all, I was the best weapon my clan had." she closed her eyes and sighed. "In that damn war, I lost all of my comrades and for what? It was so pointless to even try to think about a good reason. When we were at the gates of their village, my leader decided to make a final offer to Circle. Peace or face total annihilation. Of course, he wouldn't want to see his ponies dying in an hopeless battle and Circle took his offer."

"That's when you married him, right?" Lucky sounded very curious. He felt kind of sad for her, that she participated in the horrors.

"Yes, I was given to him by my leader. I had one order and that was to watch his every move." Foxy looked back at his orange eye and she felt his sympathy. Everypony she knew never showed such feeling towards her. They friendly talked with her but there was always fear coming from them and they kept a distance. However, this pegasus showed courage to sit next to a monster and look it in the eyes.

"The war moved away from the their village, while I had to live with him for a couple of months. I was among his ponies and they all looked frightened and some very angry. For them, I was an outsider, a killer, who murdered their comrades and loved ones. It was a very painful moment of my life, which ended with Circle's sudden disappearance. Then I was tasked to find him and bring him back to my master."

"You said you weren't able to catch him. You couldn't get back with empty hooves and you decided to leave everything behind, am I right?" Lucky asked with a gentle voice because he didn't want to offend her.

"Yes." Tail huskily said. "I realized something about myself, which completely changed my mind." the ninja smiled with her sharp white teeth. "I just stopped being a weapon."

Lucky was silent. His mixed expression said a lot of what he was thinking:

"Woaw, I never thought this rude and almost bad pony had such a sad and cruel history. The war must have been devastating to her soul. That would explain her odd behavior... I feel very sorry for her. War is something, I've read only in the books but never experienced it. It's unbelievable that such a thing still exists in this day and age!

Maybe I should forget about my prejudice towards her? Ah, these last days have been a pain in the plot and I can't think straight at all, but it wouldn't hurt, if I learn more about her. However, work comes first!"

"Hm, I don't understand this. If he wanted to kill you, why not doing so, when you went after him? I guess his mind really is a mess after the things you mentioned. But then why would he send us here? How did he even manage to do that?" he said. "Is he only after revenge or are there bigger goals?"

Foxy's smile disappeared. She looked at the jungle around them, which seemed had moved closer to them. Bushes and strange flowers made the flora on the ground but the real kings were the tall trees, that were competing for every light beam. Under the giants' shade life battled daily for survival and there was no room for weaknesses.

Suddenly, an exotic yellow bird flew on top of them and headed to the darker corners of the forest. There was no hesitation in its movement and gracefully maneuvered around the thousands of branches, that were covered in lianas.

"What a brave little thing." she thought. Then the ninja looked back at Lucky.

"I don't know." then Tail pulled out the red crystal from under her outfit and looked at it. "This is just a capacitor and nothing more. It can not make magic or be used as a spell conductor. It was empty, when we got under the teleportation spell, which was quite powerful. Not even he could pull off such a thing."

"So, back again at a dead end. Great!" Lucky thought. "Could he have a powerful ally behind him? If there is one he must be an unicorn with a great magical talent. Crap, I need more information!"

"Hey!" she waved her clawed hoof in front of his face. "Don't think of going back in Manehatten!"

He confusingly looked at her.

"We need to go back and learn..."

"No!" she interrupted him. "What ever he has in his little sick mind, is not our concern! Our priority here is to begin your training!" then she looked at him on a short leash. "Do you want to be completely consumed by the beast inside your darkest deeps?"

The pegasus negatively shook his head, though he was unhappy, that they'd to leave everything behind like that.

"At least, we are very far from the nearest town and wont be bothered by anypony. What a coincidence, that you'll learn to control yourself in the same woods, where I did." now she looked a bit more friendly at him.

"I don't believe in coincidence!" he turned his head away. His orange eyes moved on the grassy ground and then to the thick green roots of the tree. "When do we start the training?"

"Tomorrow. We'll need some rest but also protection from the natural life. I'll stay on the lookout, while you sleep for a few hours. After that you'll take my place."

"Agree." he said, without much enthusiasm.

Lucky lay down with his back against her and closed his eyes. He couldn't fall asleep for the first half an hour because of the many thoughts, that floated in his head. The pegasus finally saw his favorite band and in the same time fought for his life. He almost died the night before but gained the ability to see again the colorful world. Slowly he grew tired of trying to find the logic of the resent events and his mind flew away to his little world of hell.

The ninja looked at him and froze, when she saw herself in his image. He reminded of her, when Tail was young and inexperienced to hold the great power in herself. But the weather pony also exuded endurance and readiness to face the uncertain future, which made her smile.

Then her orange yes looked at the bright moon. It shined its last beams on them, before moving behind the wall of leafs.

In a cave, near Manehatten...

The pony in the white outfit walked carefully through the black tunnels. He shined the wet walls with his torch in his mouth. The little flame desperately fought the battle against the darkness, which it was losing with every minute. This was his penultimate but Circle didn't want to light the other one, which he would use later to get out of this place.

Stalactites and stalagmites made much of the decoration in the cavern. Some of them were short, others were taller than a two story house. There were no sounds beside the echoes of his steps. The floor was extremely slippery and there was a constant danger of falling into the abyss. The master ninja ably moved from one chamber to another and made no mistakes.

Soon, he began approaching a place that had a dim light coming from its end. The sources of it were dozens of candles on the clean rock, that were carefully placed in half-circle. Though they weren't ordinary but magical, which couldn't ever burn out. In center of the chamber, behind the candles, there was an altar with the shape of a pony, who looked at the newcomers with a serious sight.

Blue Circle threw the almost extinguished torch into the black pit and went to the holy place. He stopped in front of the candles and bowed down, while his blue eyes didn't lose the alter from sight.

"White Circle, the father of my fathers. Let me use your power once more for the greatness of all living things!" he said loudly in a very ceremonial way.

The statue's eyes flashed. The little fires from the candles fluttered and suddenly a slow cold wind blew in the chamber. This was a sign that it was safe for him to move closer to the altar. The white ninja stood up and went in front of the shrine. He then began waving his hoof in the air and suddenly ancient symbols appeared on the entire stone altar.

The pony sat down and began meditating with closed eyes. He looked very calm and didn't move a muscle for a few minutes. Then, Circle opened his eyes and looked at the solid foundation of the shrine.

"I can't sense her... That means they are too far away." he thought. "Strange... I should be able to get their location, if they were in Equestria. How did they travel so fast?"

Suddenly, the flames fluttered again. There was another presence in this sacred place. He lifted up his head and stood still again.

"How did you get here?" he calmly asked. "Aren't you little lost, dear friend?"

The ninja then steadily turned around and looked at his exact copy of himself. The other pony was staring him with emotionless eyes, he gazed back with his wild blue ones.

"Hello, my clone! How are you today?" Circle happily asked. "I hope you didn't have troubles at work!"

The pony kept silently staring.

"Oh, you don't say! You mean that crazy daughter of a confectioner forced you to eat all of her disgusting pastry? Didn't you call for help?" Blue Circle stood up and slowly went to his clone, who was standing like a statue next to the candles on the rock.

The ninja was only four steps away from the intruder. His maniac eyes looked deep into the other, who were so cold, that the air between the two ponies would freeze.

"Hey light up a bit, will ya! I too had a very nasty day but you don't see me crying! Of course not!" Blue Circle said very energetically. Then he stood up on his back legs and made very earnest appearance. "Don't tell me you didn't clean your room, mister! Go and don't return until you've made everything sparklingly clean!"

He pointed at the dark gap but the other pony didn't react to his orders.

Circle closed his face to other one and pierced him with his crazy blue eyes. The two were shined from the small fires next to them and both looked like demons, who had given half of their bodies to the blackness.

"Why so serious, son?" he darkly asked.

Suddenly, there was a little flash in the the pretender's eyes. Then the pony swiftly tried to jump on him but its attempt was stopped by the magical barrier, that now surrounded the holy place. The newcomer stepped back and again stared at his goal.

"Tz, tz, tz, don't they teach you at school, that it's impolite to not knock first?"

A sable smile appeared on the white mask of the other. Its eyes turned from blue to icy candid.

"You talk too much, son of the damned warrior!" the clone said with a very strange voice, that sounded like it was coming from another dimension.

Circle's eyes looked very serious now.

"Shadow Sun! No, you can't be her. You must be one of her minions but I never expected you to talk!" he said provocatively and then he turned awkwardly polite. "I'm honored to meet you, shadow. Are you feeling tired from the long travel? I can always drink some fine cider with a friend like you."

The imposter began giggling and then burst into laughs.

"You have a sense of humor. Fascinating! Please tell me the reason of your visit. I hope uncle Shadow didn't have another heart attack!"

Then the pony outside concentrated his eyes on him and suddenly the barrier disappeared. Circle looked at the floor, then the ceiling and back at his opponent.

"You need to tell me how you just did that, partner!" he sounded as if noting serious was happening.

Out of a sudden, twenty tentacles quickly came out from the demon and aimed for the ninja. They all pierced the target but no blood was shed. The attacker looked at the wall, left from the shrine and giggled again.

"Clever, master ninja. You used that technique in the last second."

"I don't know what you mean!" the voice sounded from behind.

The clone quickly turned back and saw a pony fully covered in black waving shadows.

"Let's dance!" Circle shouted and his voice echoed in the cave.

He sent a few tentacles to the minions direction but they couldn't reach their target, because of the black wall, that formed in front of him. However, Blue was not over yet. He swiftly sent another wave of black spears at his opponent, that tried to go around the obstacle and hit the minion from the sides. The big shield split in half and successfully blocked the two attacks.

Then a tentacle went in the middle of his open defense. It was so close to hit the clone, when the two walls cut it in the middle. It fell on the wet floor and disappeared with a flash.

"My turn!" the demon said.

Suddenly, the black buckler divided into many smaller waving tentacles, which immediately flew towards the white ninja. Circle began jumping around and managed to dodge every shadow thrown at him. However, they turned around and aimed at him again from all sides. There was no way for him to physically escaped the incoming projectiles, so he used his technique. He turned into a ghost and quickly fell under the cave's floor. Over his head, the shadows slammed into each other.

The minion cautiously looked around but he was not able to sense the master ninja's presence. Then, he felt cold things slowly climbing his body. The white eyes looked down and saw a black spot under him, from which three shadows had caught him in a tight grip. They pulled him down and when his face almost kissed the ground, Circle emerged from the dark puddle.

Their faces were just a breath away. The ninja's blue eyes pierced the minion's.

"What did you do to Foxy and her partner?" he asked in a very earnest voice.

The diabolic black smile became bigger.

"They are fulfilling their destinies! Soon everypony shall dance around my little flame!" the clone said. Then a snake tongue appeared and touched the white mask of the ninja.

"You sound familiar... can't be!" Circle whispered. "You are dead!"

"You are correct, master ninja. But here I am, talking with you. Don't you find it strange?" he giggled. While they were having their little conversation, a sneaky tentacle grew from the minion and silently moved into position.

"I do find it awkward, that I'm speaking with a dead dragon's spirit. I always thought you went to a better place after your beheading." Circle provocatively said. "So, you work for Her now, eh? I thought you were a creature without chains."

"What made you think I'm being controlled? You of all ponies must know, that I can not be tamed by any force! Wasn't I your inspiration through the years before you became a leader?"

The ninja noticed a movement on his left but he kept looking in the white soulless eyes.

"I've read a lot about you. Can I have your autograph?"

Suddenly, from the black peddle one tentacle appeared and hit the minion's face. Then Circle completely submerged and the black spot on the ground quickly moved away before his opponent could react. When it got to a safe place, the ninja reappeared behind a stalagmite and looked back at his clone. The minion had turned completely black. Its two white eyes frantically scanned the chamber and when he couldn't find the pony, it changed to a shadow on the ground and went to search for Circle in the tunnels.

"He is as strong as me, so I should only follow him and learn his weakness. I'm curious about his main objective. Whatever it is, something big is about to happen and I'll need to be prepared. I get the a bad feeling, that Foxy and the pegasus are in more trouble than they should be but they'll manage!" he thought, before leaving the chamber without a sound.

In a pony's dream...

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The birds were singing. He felt good and no pony could stop him now. The blue sky was empty of any clouds. The ground was covered in green grass and pretty flowers, that had the colors of the rainbow.

Finally Lucky found the so much needed peace in his dream world. He was laying on the warm ground and admired the magnificent view of his imagination.

The pegasus smelled the pleasant aroma of the yellow and red flowers. Everything seemed so perfect, so clear, until he heard somepony approaching. He was enjoying himself too much and didn't bother to check, who was the pony, that stood next to him.

Then in front of his orange eyes appeared the ninja's emotionless stare. Lucky tried to not look at her and kept admiring the grass and the flowers around him. However, she moved and blocked his view. The pegasus turned to the left and looked at the vast beautiful fields. Then the ninja again stood in front of his sight.

"Oh, come on! Even in my dream you are persistent as a bull! Why can't you leave me alone for a few minutes?" he stood up and angrily looked at her.

The black pony didn't say anything. She moved closer to him. Her eyes changed from stone cold to friendly and even had a romantic feel, coming from them. Suddenly her black mouth mask fell on the grass. He was surprised to see that her teeth hadn't grown. Tail closed her face to his. She looked calm. Her breathing was steady and her eyes looked deeply in him, as if she tried to gently touch his soul. Lucky could feel the hormones jumping out her like in volcanic eruption. He was unsure what to do.

Suddenly, Lucky felt her warm lips touching his and immediately a wild feeling took over his body like a forest fire. His cheek reddened, his eyes became big. He wanted to run away but his body didn't let him. The pegasus was floating in ecstasy and no rational thoughts could break him free from this chain.

He closed his eyes and gave himself completely to the moment. It felt so real, but Lucky knew that she was just a part of his imagination and noting more.

"Gift of the dragon!" a voice whispered but the white stallion didn't give it any attention. He never kissed a mare before, even in his dreams.

After some enjoyable moments, he slowly opened his eyes and was astonished by the sight. The ninja was not there anymore and the colorful world was changed by the total darkness. He worryingly looked in all directions. Then Lucky froze because he realized, that this was the end of his sweet dream and the beginning of the dreadful nightmare. He closed his eyes and lowered his head to the ground.

"Be quick!" Lucky whispered.

"Oh, no my little pony. I shall not let you to the living world so easily!" the scary voice sounded from all sides.

Lucky lifted his head in total confusion.

"Since when the nightmares can answer back?" he asked the nothingness.

Two big evil eyes stared down the pegasus.

"I'm more than a scary dream. I'll consume your world and watch everything you love burn to eternity! You'll be the doom of all!" the mare powerfully shouted and her every word echoed.

"Interesting. So, is my subconscious trying to say, that I'm gonna turn into a dragon sooner than I think?" Lucky made a thoughtful face.

"Young and naive, you are! I've come to deliver a warning. Do not open the temple, let me step in your world and I shall grant every living thing a quick death!"

"Sure." he said disbelievingly. "Could you show yourself, so that I know with, whom I'm speaking with?"

Then the darkness moved and concentrated in one place, leaving a bright white space behind it. A black figure formed into a big alicorn, which stood in front of him. Lucky carefully monitored its transformation without any fears. Its white eyes pierced into his soul. Black fire burned on each feather of its two wings. She wore only a triangular shaped, red crystal medallion on a golden chain. From the center of the locket, the little green orb, that stared at Lucky.

"Who are you?" Lucky asked.

"The absolute darkness! The Queen of the Cosmos! The fabric of space and time!" it answered with a loud weird voice. "I have many names but only one stands above all!"

"Shadow Sun, hm, Is this a trick or something? Should I feel scared, Blue Circle?" he looked around but there was nothing but them and the white space. There were no sounds in this place, which made him very uncomfortable.

"We are alone, little pegasus."

"Yeah, I've figured that out! So, are you just a part of my imagination or a real being in my head? You must be the first." Lucky lifted up his right hoof and touched the dark alicorn on its shoulder. Immediately he felt very cold.

"I'm as real as the stars on the night sky." she creepily said and then took his leg and removed it from her body.

The pegasus couldn't feel his hoof anymore. It was completely frozen and Lucky worryingly looked at it.

"Don't deny the fears! Release yourself to me and you'll feel no pain in your life!"

"Why would I ever do that?" he closed his serious face to hers. "Get out of my head, nightmare!"

The white eyes stared even deeper in him.

"Your pain is great. Give it to me!"

"Huh, I need to wake up before I get mental illnesses from this conversation." without losing her from sight, he stepped back. Suddenly Lucky felt weaker but for no apparent reason. Then the pegasus saw how the green from his mane flied in the air and aimed at the emerald orb on her medallion. At first, he was shocked by the sight but the pegasus quickly managed to bring himself together and stay cool.

"Is she draining my life? Maybe I should try to get away from her as far as possible!" Lucky quickly turned around and began galloping into the whiteness of the dream. He turned hes head to the right and saw that the dark alicorn didn't move. However, the green stream was still connecting him with the locket. With each passing second his strength decreased, despite being so far away from her.

Lucky kept running without looking back. Quite some time passed but still he couldn't break her spell. The pegasus felt so tired, only his will powered his muscles. He felt that he was near the incantation's range.

Suddenly, he stopped and disbelievingly looked in front of him. The black alicorn was only a few steps away.

"No, I can't have galloped in a circle! Crap, this is a dream, laws of physics don't apply here! However, why do I feel like I'm really dying?" Lucky tiredly thought.

He fell on his belly because of the great fatigue. Lucky tried to stay awake but his eyes slowly closed. The pegasus fought to the last drop of strength. His head shakily began lowering to the ground.

"Sleep, my little pony. Eternity awaits you!" the alicorn said with its unnatural voice.

"Never!" he shouted. Then he opened his eyes, which now looked beastly.

A silhouette of a dragon with spread wings appeared behind him. The white eyes of the dark mare immediately turned to the big transparent figure. The giant clawed hand hit her like a train. Bits and pieces of her flew to the left and scattered on the white ground. There was no blood and only black smoke came from every part. The two white eyes still stared at the pegasus, who was barely holding himself together.

The red medallion was laying near them and was still draining Lucky's essence. The dragon slammed its hand and broke it to tens of pieces.

Lucky breathed deeply and almost got up from his place. He hugged the ninja. The winged pony seemed out of breath and he was uncontrollably shaking. Lucky was sweating so much, that somepony could say he just had a shower.

"Calm down!" the ninja said. "It was just a dream!"

The pegasus only tightened his hug and touched his head to hers. Tail wanted to push him away but was unable to due to his strength. She looked at his back and saw a line of sharp spikes coming out of him. They violently teared his flesh and warm blood began to come out of the wounds.

"No, it's too soon! I must calm him down or I'll be dealing with a dragon. " Foxy worryingly thought.

"Lucky, everything is alright. There is no need to be afraid. The dream is no more." she tried to sound as soft as possible but her snake tongue didn't help her much.

She felt his heart going nuts and his hug getting tighter.

"Let your fears go away because you are among a friend."

When Lucky heard the last word, his breathing began slowing down.

"Good, don't let yourself to the beast. You are in control now. Feel the rhythm of the nature around you and adjust yours to it. Slow the beats. Find your peace in me. The balance, you must achieve and only then you'll feel free."

Lucky gradually calmed down and the symptoms of his transformation began disappearing one by one under his skin. He needed a few minutes before Lucky was confident enough to let go of her. The pegasus slowly stepped back and sat on a big root. Great pain was coming from all parts of his body.

"I never thought this would hurt so much!" he said with clenched teeth. His eyes slowly turned to normal but his fangs were still big and razor sharp. "Do I still have weeks until my change?"

The ninja looked very troubled. For the first time she was unsure of what to do.

"What happened in your dream?" Foxy moved in front of him. Her eyes analyzed every surface of his body. She needed to be sure, that he was going to be okay.

"It was a sunny day. I was laying on the grass, admiring on the perfect view, when you appeared in front of me." Lucky paused and he hesitated to continue. Then he somehow found courage to say it out loud. "We kissed."

Tail looked at his face with a serious eyes.

"Pervert!" she said.

"No, I'm not! I'd never kiss a mare with your sharp teeth." Lucky defended himself. "Anyway, then the world turned black and a dark voice spoke to me. It warned me not to open the temple, whatever it means. Then she appeared in front of me. Her name was Shadow Sun and she was a dark alicorn, who had a red triangular shaped medallion with a green orb in the center."

Foxy froze.

"She has white eyes, that stare deep in your soul and little flames burn on her feathers, right?" Tail calmly asked him.

He painfully nodded.

"She used her locket, that began sucking my life force. I was almost done for, when I felt this incredible power going through me. I saw a huge clawed hand slamming her to the ground. Then it destroyed the medallion and that's when I woke up."

Lucky looked at his bloody shaking hoofs, from which small claws had come out. If he doesn't control himself better, these hooves would be stained with not only his blood.

"A dream attack. No pony has the ability to do that, except the alicorn named Luna but even she can't trigger prematurely his transformation. Shadow Sun, is she a real being?" the ninja thought. "Circle warned us about her. Strange unexplainable stuff happened. Lucky's nightmares..."

Foxy looked at his emerald medallion. When ninja saw it for the first time, she knew there was something fishy about it.

"Lucky, could you give me your medallion for a moment?" she asked.

"Why do you need it?" he uncertain took it off and hoofed it over to her.

Foxy didn't answer. She grabbed one low branch and cut it from the tree. Tail belched fire at it and placed it on the ground. Then she pulled out the red piece from under her clothing. The ninja lifted the two lockets above the small fire and analyzed them carefully. She slowly turned the green one, so that its top faced her. The emerald spiral looked very similar to the green orb that was on the painting. She closed the two and imagined the other missing parts. Suddenly, it all became clear.

"They look like they are parts of the her medallion!" Lucky said, when he stood next to her. His curiosity had a bigger power on him than the pain waves.

"Like in the artists' painting!" she whispered.

Their orange eyes stared down on the two crystals.

"Could it be that he was telling the truth?" Lucky asked.

Tail turned around to him. Her eyes very serious.

"I guess, we'll need to have a talk with him!"

Chapter 14: Each Morning

"So, we are going back?"

"No. However, I bet he will look for us. Lucky, from where did your parents get this emerald spiral?"

"From an excavation site in a jungle south from Equestria..." the pegasus froze because of a realization. "Foxy, when did you fail your test?"

"Almost 2 years ago. Oh, crap!" she facehoofed.

"That's when my parents died."

Tail turned to him but before she could speak anything in her defense, he placed his clawed hoof in front of her mouth.

"The murderer of my parents..." he calmly said. "... must be another dragon."

They looked at each others' eyes. The ninja was a little confused, unlike the serious pegasus. His left side was shined by the little fire and the other was dark cold. The ninja didn't knew what to say because deep inside of her the memory of the first kill still haunted her. She didn't want to experience it again.

Tail silently nodded once.

Lucky then sat down and looked at the fire. His body still hurt but it was manageable. The warm beams of the fire helped him to overcome the last symptoms of his transformation. The claws began going back in his bloody hoofs and his teeth slowly changed to their normal shapes. However, it didn't help him at all with his mood. His thoughts were ricocheting in his head.

The ninja sat next to him and looked at the little flame.

"Foxy Tail, your name was in my first vision. It happened on the day, when I met you. Was it a destiny? No, I've never believed in higher force, that controls my life. However, it was a very carefully orchestrated plan, that led us to this place. All of my visions, nightmares and events, that happened from that morning to this night, are all connected."

She listened to his every word and tried to figure the things on her own. Everything seemed so clear but at same time so foggy. Were they destined to fight the dark Goddess? Then with what do you fight a being that whispered curses in the shadows and never showed herself in person? Was Blue Circle preparing them for the ultimate test of might and courage?

"Hey, don't trouble yourself with too many questions. You should rest more than me. I'll stay on guard throughout the night."

"How can I sleep, when you can turn into a dragon any moment. I'd rather be awake, when that happens!"

Lucky turned his head to her and saw through her emotionless mask. He was a threat to her and she feared, that the worst could happen. The pegasus also learned that the ninja was very tired, though Foxy tried her best not to show it. She hadn't slept for two days and like any other pony, her body needed a break from the real world.

"Tomorrow my training begins and I'll expect my mentor to be fully rested, so she can teach me properly. Don't think about me, I'll be fine and wont transform to anything, I promise." he friendly smiled.

"I shouldn't let you without supervision! What if..."

His hoof got in front of her mouth.

"I can't sleep anymore and it would be better, if somepony used the time to rest. Trust me, please." he was so peaceful, which was very unreal for him. The ninja was surprised to see him in this light and something, in the little word he used, made her very uneasy. She was not used to trust anypony, even for the smallest things.

"My responsibility..."

"I know, but I'm not a small filly." he sighed. "If I turn into a dragon and you are not fully prepared, how will you tame me?"

Tail put the two medallions inside her outfit. Then she silently stood up and turn her back on him. Foxy disliked to be defeated but this time she was thankful that she'd finally have some rest.

"Good-Night!" she said and then went to the thick root, that was making high waves over the ground. The ninja lay down with her eyes still staring at him. Foxy closed them with little resistance from her brain, that was alarming her not to fall asleep but this time the body had the upper hand.

"Same!" a smile appeared on his face but it was short lived. He turned to the small fire, that was near the end of its short life. Lucky looked like he had been given a very complicated task, for which he had never prepared. His thoughtful eyes watched the last little fires burning the remains of the branch.

The animal howls and sounds echoed in the black jungle, which seemed to be spreading endlessly to every direction. His super hearing sensed every movement around them, though it didn't scare him at all. He could tell that those were the steps of small animals, that made the little noises in the darkest corners of the forest. The wild life continued its epopee even in this late hour.

Somewhere in a cave...

The white ninja was cautiously moving from stalagmite to stalagmite after the shadow, that tried to kill him earlier. He was completely concentrated on the task. Circle was sending invisible energy waves like a sonar and tried to sense its location. This was his only ability, which he could rely on to track the shade in this darkness.

The chamber, he was in, was quite voluminous. The walls made very interesting turns and curves, that gave this place an unique feel. It was filled with many stalagmites in many strange forms. Some of them had mushroom shape with pointed centers. Others looked like spears that aimed at heaven. The ceiling was not so different from the floor in sense of its numbers of stalactites, that aimed to the center of this planet. Unlike their wax cousins on the ground, they were all had one similar sharp shapes.

The pony touched with his left side a stalactone, that was two story high. Circle noticed the shadow's presence very close, so he had to hid himself. The ninja slowly change his outfits colors and merged with the wax column. Soon the shadow passed nearby and went to the other corners of the huge chamber. It looked like it didn't spot him but the ninja didn't want to take the risks of not preparing an escape plan. It was too dark for his eyes, so he wouldn't be able to fight effectively in this slippery environment.

Suddenly his energy sonar caught a movement headed towards him with a great speed. The white ninja materialized from the column and jumped away form the cover, barely escaping the powerful blow. Quite a big hole was left on the stalactone but the shade, without exhaustion, went after the pony.

The ninja used his primary technique and waving black tentacles appeared form his back. He sent two to the ceiling, attaching them between four sharp stalactites. With their help, he puled himself up form harms way, before touching the ground. The attacking shadow stroke the chamber's wall, leaving marks that would last for a very long time. It immediately went flying at the ninja like a spring.

"He must have sensed the magic, I'm using!" Circle thought, when he noticed the incoming projectile.

He removed his connection with the ceiling and with the inertia the ninja build up, Circle flew upwards, centimeters from the the forest of pointed edges. Then the pony launched another tentacle to the ground behind him and swiftly changed his course. The shadow slammed into the stalactites, cutting their connection with the ceiling and sending them directly at the pony.

The ninja used his shadows as a shield and successfully protected himself. The sharp waxes shattered into many pieces and scattered around. Circle was falling with his back facing the floor, so he spread his legs to the sides. When he was about to touch the ground, the ninja slammed it with his legs to soften his impact. Like a true master, he skillfully survived the fall without even feeling any pain.

The magical shade disliked the fact that the pony was still kicking and moving, so it rocketed downwards with even greater force. Circle sensed it approaching and he quickly rolled to the right. The hit was so powerful that it sent small rocks in the air and threw the ninja to a nearby stalagmite. The bang from the impact was extremely loud and it echoed from the ancient walls. The pony swiftly jumped on his feet but it was too late to dodge the next attack. The shade flew fast like a spear, aimed at his heart. The ninja put all of his tentacles in front of him, when the projectile hit him with more powerful force.

Circle flew backwards, destroying the stalagmite in the process and landed hard on the wet floor. Rubble fell everywhere. His back hurt so much, at least he was still alive. Fortunately for him, there was not another attack but the shade reshaped itself to look like him and slowly approached him. His walk echoed in the darkness and with each step the pony's time was running out to make a fast run out of there. Although he couldn't see him, Circle knew exactly where the demon was, when it stood next to him.

"I've never seen such a technique! This can't be Shadow Sun!" he said with clenched teeth.

"You are correct. That's something I call dragon ball. It hurts, doesn't it?" the clone sounded very friendly.

"Sure it does, but not as much as losing your own head!" Circle began laughing in an evil manner. It sounded in the entire cave but the minion was not amused.

"Your last laugh shall be remembered by this place, master ninja. Say hello to Shadow Sun for me!" then the shade fell on top of him and covered his body completely. There was no sound coming from them. No motion, until the shadow reshaped back to the pony form and looked pissed at the floor, where Circle used to be. Before he would even move, tentacles wrapped around him like snakes, holding him tight in a magical prison, from which there was no way out.

"Tricked the trickster!" a voice sounded behind him.

The clone couldn't move at all, even his eyes were frozen and were looking at the ground. The minion had no chance of escaping this magical grip.

"You wonder how I managed that? I used a clone to take my place, while you blindly charged me. Such a simple technique but very effective against opponents, who can't hold their feelings under the blanket."

Blue Circle appeared in front of him with a torch in his mouth. He lighted it with the steel lighter, which he was holding with one of his tentacles. The ninja put the torch between two stalagmites in such a way, that it illuminated them both. Then he closed the lighter with a click sound and handed it in his hoof. His eyes moved on its smooth surface, on which there was a symbol he couldn't recognize. Its shape was like of an arrow that pointed downwards and didn't have a tail.

"You know from where I got this artifact?" his wild blue eyes pierced the clone. "When I went in the holy cave for my final test. I really didn't know what to expect back then and I wasn't ready for the images I saw."

The shadow listened like a statue despite inside it, the feelings of anger and hate were boiling.

"I saw the future, the present and the past. Not only our planet's history but others as well. Some were already consumed by the Dark Princess, others like ours were Her next meals on the list. This thing emerged from the Fountain of Fates, when the visions finished. I did not know to whom this belonged to and what it was until its flame came out from inside it. Then I understood my destiny."

He carefully put it inside his outfit and made a few steps to the caged minion. His big blue eyes didn't even blink once and there was the feel of madness coming out of them.

"I'm going to be the wild fire that consumes your existence." his voice was so dark, that even the shadow felt a little fear. "Tell me, spirit of The Jester of Flame, what is your little game?"

The ninja released a little his grip to let his copy talk.

"My plan is simple: rule over every living being on this world." the shade began laughing maniacally but was quickly silenced by the ninja.

"Wrong answer." Circle tightened his grip and in the process hurt the shade not physically but with magical energy, that impaled it from all sides. He knew that even the minion would scream out of pain but the ninja loved the silence of the suffering.

After a minute of quietness he ceased the torture and let the shadow speak again.

"Ha-ha, you are more evil than I thought. However, you are forgetting that I'm the true master of pain. I'll not brake by your pathetic method of acquiring information."

"Again." Circle used more power. Electrical arcs appeared on the surface of every tentacle, that was in contact with clone. "Do you like it? You do? Oh, then let's increase the factor by hundred!"

The white arcs turned into blue and many sparks flew away from the immobilized shade. The ninja was burning it with magical energy and not for a moment did he feel sorry for the extreme pain, he was causing. On the contrary, Circle was having a blast. The pony smiled and his eyes were full of insanity. The chamber was lighted by the little show and when the torture was stopped, it return to its pitch black look.

"Correction. You are not evil, you are insane!" the shade noticed that his tormentor was having a hard time to breath. "Oh, tired so soon? I know you can do a lot better than this!"

Circle used too much energy on the last attempt, which weakened him significantly. He was not ready for another dosage of magical injection. The last one could kill an young dragon but somehow the minion still managed to talk:

"Come on! What are you waiting for! I'm here! Hit me!" the shadow yelled like a mad pony. "Do it!"

His blue eyes stared at the clone, when Circle felt a great disturbance in his grip.

"That's impossible!" he whispered. "You can't have that much energy left!"

A black smile appeared on the clone's white mouth mask.

"Thank you for wasting your powers on me, while I was preparing."

The tentacles around him began shaking violently and they completely lost their grip. Circle pulled them away form the shadow, grabbed the torch and put it in in the empty sheath. The flame was very close to his head but without the light, he wouldn't be able to properly fight.

He jumped backwards and stood in a defensive stance. Evil laughter sounded from the darkness and the source's location was unknown. The ninja had only an half an hour of light, so he had to be quick. Two paths of getting out of this situation emerged in his mind. He could either fight or flee. Circle was no coward, so he decided to stand his ground and face this demon again.

"Are you scared master ninja? You thought I was so easy to be captured, how foolish of your part. I promise you, your death will be quick!" the voice came from many places.

This confused Circle but he stayed cool and prepared. He closed his eyes and tried to sense his opponent. Suddenly, ten tentacles flew to his position, all aimed at his heart. The ninja quickly jumped in the air and with his own shadows cut the attacking ones. Then Circle threw a few of his into the blackness, where he believed was the minion. Unfortunately for him, there were only stalagmites. When the pony landed on his hoofs, he immediately hopped forwards and began galloping in a wide circle. His light shined only a small portion of the chamber but it was enough for him to see on what he was stepping.

From various angles and dark corners tentacles were launched at him but the only things, they hit, were the wet walls and some random stalagmites. Circle saw his attacker, who was moving on the walls like a shadow and followed his every move. He sent two tentacles at it but they were blocked by a thick black shield. The minion jumped on the floor, waving its tentacles in an attack pose.

"Huh, it's always that darn shield of his. I should attack him from multiple points!" Circle thought.

Suddenly, he disappeared in a white cloud but it wasn't enough to fool the shade. It noticed three clones of the same pony who were charging it from three different directions. The Jester of Flame knew, who the real pony was, so he waited for them to come closer. They were just a hoof away from the shade, when a tentacle, shaped like a sword, pierced the left white ninja in the chest.

The three attacking ponies disappeared into the thin air, as if they never existed. The shade looked around with its white eyes and lifted up his blade-like tentacle.

"Clever. Making another clone just before the edge touched you. Only cowards attack from the back!" he swung his sword in the air. The black blade was stained with red blood. The shadow slowly turned around and was delighted from the sight. On the ninja's chest there was a deep cut, from which warm red began spreading to all sides. His outfit turned from white to red in matter of seconds.

Circle froze and slowly looked down. The shade began giggling and then burst into laughs. His evil sound echoed through the cave like a dark wind before the storm. He touched his sword to Circle's chin and lifted up his head, so that he could look him in his desperate eyes.

"So young and so unprepared for the future. I've planed this thing for over hundred years and you think that you'll be able to stop me?"

"You are not with Shadow Sun, aren't you?" the ninja's voice was shaking because of the great pain in his chest.

"Wasn't it obvious from the start? By the way, don't even think of escaping because you were struck by the the claw sword. You know what it does to wounds, don't you?" the shadow darkly said.

Circle's eyes grew big.

"No, you are lying!"

"Am I?"

Then the blackness withdrew from the the blade and uncovered a very fine steel sword, that had bones of a dragon in shapes of miniaturized claws, arranged along the edge. The handle was made entirely from serpent's bones in a very elegant way. The entire weapon was a beautiful tool of destruction, which was hungry for more blood and flesh.

"I had to consume a lot of Royal Guards to learn the location of this extraordinary artifact. Luckily for me, one grey pegasus knew exactly where they kept it." his soulless eyes looked at the work of art and then at Circle. "While you electrocuted me to death, I summoned the blade and look where this simple sword brought us to."

"Yeah... you just admired on your bones!" Circle coughed some bloody saliva. "You must feel honored to be a part of a weapon like this!"

"Trying to be funny to the last moment. I wonder, should I quickly consume you or let you die from the curse? Hm, which do you prefer?"

"The one, where I steal the sword!" Circle's voice sounded from behind, when tentacles warped around the blade and took it from the minion. The shade turned around and looked very pissed at the ninja, who stylishly spun it on its axis and put the sword in the scabbard. "Thank you for delivering it for me!"

"How?!" the shade angrily asked.

"While I was doing circles around this chamber, I searched not only for you but scanned the nearby tunnels for a dead pony. I know a lot about your kind, especially about your need of constant stream of energy. You consume living beings to survive in our world but you weren't with a body, when you faced me at the alter. So, I did the two plus three thing and fooled you very convincingly. I only used image changer to the dead body and with some help of my tentacles, I managed to make him live again, though briefly."

There was a sound of a pony hitting the floor. The unicorn was dead, before Circle found him, so there was nothing he could do to save him.

"I underestimated you, master ninja. It won't happen again! My attempt to kill you may have been a futile one but you can not stop the plan in motion!"

"Do tell me about your little plan. Why are you betraying you new master?" Circle pierced the black pony figure.

"It ain't your business!"

"Hey, do you know what the blade's second secret feature is? It can hurt shadows like you, so you'd better start talking or face eternity!" one oh his tentacles grabbed the handle and prepared to pull it out.

"If you've seen the future you must know how this will end, right?" the black figure made a step backwards, while staring the ninja with its white eyes.

"I saw what I had to see, but not the current events, that will lead to it. However, I assure you that the future is brighter than you think!"

"We will see about that!" its pony figure turned into a shadow on the ground and swiftly went inside a hole in the wall, barely escaping the mighty blow. The ninja stood still for a few moments before putting the sword in its place and went to the dead body to retrieve the torch.

When he exited the cave, Circle looked around in the dark forest.

"I'll find what your are up to, Jester! I'll stop you, even if it costs my life!" he silently said and then began galloping to south.

In a pony's dream...

It was pitch black. There were no sounds. Nothing existed in that place, except a meditating pony in a dark outfit. She had closed her eyes because there wasn't anything to see in this dream world. It was just like the others before it: empty and cold. Foxy never experience anything else in her sleeping time. Maybe this was just another curse.

Did it represent who she was? An empty glass of pure darkness or was there a light of hope, waiting to shine and show her the way out of this boredom?

A little star appeared in front of her. It grew in size and power until it took a considerable portion of her world. Tail didn't notice it and continued to meditate in a total silence.

Suddenly a sound of somepony hooves echoed, which surprised her. She slowly opened her eyes and stared at the bright light. This was new for her and she was curious to learn what it was. The steps sounded closer and closer but there was no sight of the approaching pony.

Foxy stood up and waited. She felt more fear from each tread and that made her angry. The ninja had to be intrepid and calm, when facing the unknown but in this case she barely stopped herself from shaking from fright.

Then Lucky appeared in front of her with a warm smile on his face and friendly looking brown eyes. Tail was confused by his sudden entry in her dream and didn't know what to say. The pegasus looked very lively and full with energy to do what ever he'd please. There was no wind but his green mane slightly moved in a charming way.

Lucky elegantly turned away and looked back at the ninja, as if he invited her to follow him into the bright light. The pegasus began running and quickly disappeared into the whiteness. Foxy blindly went after him, without even giving it a thought. The urge of discovering something new was too great for her to resist it. The ninja galloped until every black spot was consumed by the white background and then she suddenly found herself in a gorgeous field, full with many flowers. The sky was blue and the sun was high.

She looked around but didn't see Lucky. This was so strange for her but she enjoyed the colorful picture. For the first time in years, she was dreaming something different than blackness. This new world felt so fresh and real, full with beautiful flora. Tail was beginning to like this place, when she felt somepony's presence behind her.

The ninja swiftly turned to the newcomer and froze in one place.

"Lucky?"

The pegasus closed his eyes and continued smiling. He swiftly jumped in the air and began flying around. He looked so happy and so far from the daily problems, that the ninja almost couldn't recognize him. He was having a real good time and nothing could stop him. Foxy kept her eyes on him the whole time and wondered, what she was seeing. He did some very breathtaking acrobatics in the air, which the ninja admired.

Suddenly, she found herself on his back, burning through the sky. Then he aimed his nose at the grassy ground and flew really close to it. The airflow, the pegasus created, threw the flowers in the air. It was a beautiful mash of colors and Foxy smiled.

Lucky then flew upwards. The ninja was not able to hold on to him and she fell from his back. Foxy waved her legs to try to grab onto something but there were no trees around. She looked back and saw the approaching earth. It would hurt a lot but fortunately for her, she was saved just in the last moment by the fast pegasus. She was on his back again, breathing very fast. Her heart was going nuts but there was no stopping the star in the sky.

Lucky aimed at the white clouds in front of them and impaled them like a sharp sword. The two emerged on top of them and the pegasus flew very close, so that the ninja could reach them with her hooves. It was a magnificent sight of curves and figures. Tail never felt so much happiness in her life and gave herself completely to the moment. It was like floating in ecstasy. Nothing compared to what she was sensing right now and Foxy never imagined, that such feelings existed.

Suddenly the pegasus slowed down and landed on the beautiful field. Tail got off his back and stood in front of him. She looked at the wonderful flowers that made much of the flora here. She felt so many warm feeling in her cold heart and left her almost breathless.

"I-I have never said this to anypony, so I guess you are the first. Thank you! The ride was spectacular to say the least."

The pegasus deeply looked in her with his brown eyes and she felt how her heart began pumping even harder. It was hard for her to look away from him. He stepped closer but she didn't move. As if they were chained together and she couldn't escape the feeling that was raising and spreading in her body like wild fire.

Their lips touched and immediately explosion of feelings took over her entire being. It was like the first time she kissed him but more powerful. Her lonely tormented soul finally showed her what it mostly wanted. It needed care in this dark times. Tail accidentally opened the doors deep inside her and she discovered a lot of pain and urges to find somepony to love.

Foxy opened her orange eyes and noticed that she was laying on the ground, surrounded by tall tropical trees. The birds announced the day's victory over the night. The dream was gone but it was replaced by two flowers, laying in front of her face. Tail slowly stood up and sat, while confusingly looking at them.

"Good-Morning!" Lucky said, when he approached her. "I understand that our organisms will reject any food, except apples but this is may way of saying thank you for saving my life from certain death."

The flowers reminded her of the ones in her dream but she felt nothing at all. Foxy was in full control of herself now and she'd not let such feelings overtake her calm mind.

"Don't mention it." she huskily said. "Although, I appreciate the gesture."

Lucky smiled.

"Well, then how are we going to proceed with my training?"

"On the move. We need to find apples, that will be our primary objective." her cold eye was still pined on the two flowers.

"I think we should fly over the jungle. If this forest is the one my parents went in, then we should head north, through the Bad Lands."

"No flying. You are too unstable and I'd rather stay on the ground. However, we will go north." Foxy looked at him and immediately felt a warm feeling, which escaped her tight grip.

"Are you okay?" Lucky asked and stepped closer.

She looked away and calmly said:

"I'm alright. Let's get moving! The road is long and filled with many dangers. We must not prolong our stay here or we might not make it out in our current forms."

Lucky nodded. Foxy stood up and gave him sign to follow her. The two went behind the trees. The sounds of their movement became quieter and soon completely ceased. Only the two little yellow flowers remained like small signs of the future.

Chapter 15: Wild Changelings

The hot yellow body was in its peak, staring from above all its subjects like the master of life. Without it, there could be no stories to be told, no adventures to be had. Love and hate would have not existed in this world, if there was no sun. Every living thing worshiped its kind beams and feared its devastating nature. It was the true Goddess, unbound by anything except time itself. Its mortal enemy was even older than the celestial body and a lot more powerful. The time would continue its epic crusade through the space and beyond long after the sun's unavoidable death.

However, there was one thing even more powerful than time and that thing was the Dark Princess of the Universe, who knew no limits, no satisfaction in her hunger. She was everywhere but at same time nowhere because of her greatness that blinded the small creatures. Only her mantle was visible in the night sky, which surrounds every star and galaxy like a pool of pure darkness. But no one figured it was her all along, who was trying to consume all light and life.

But there were two, who were about to stand against this force of universe...

"The first thing you should know: never let your feelings blind you. Always keep a cool head because even the slightest mistake can cost your life!" Foxy said.

"Well, that's not new to me. In the Academy, they thought us the same thing." Lucky was walking beside her. Tens of tropical bushes and vegetation stood in their way, which slowed them significantly.

"However, you didn't show signs of being calm, when we were in battle. You've forgotten how to keep those feelings of yours under a key. So, we will start with that first." Tail used her claws to make a path in these dense parts. "I want you to remember this old saying: The triad is eternal but it can be bend like water. Its up to you to follow the stream from inside or use your power to flex it under your will."

Lucky was confused and Foxy expected such reaction from him.

"It will make clear when we begin the training. You can say this is the only theoretical part you should know."

"Right."

Foxy continued cutting everything in front of her but some plants were a lot of pain to deal with and slowed her considerably. Lucky noticed that they've moved only four or five kilometers from their last camp and that wasn't something he'd call a progress. Time was quickly moving forward and that meant only bad things for them.

"You know, flying is still an option. The forest is too thick. We'll be stuck for weeks here, if we don't use a quicker method of transportation."

Foxy stopped her advance and calmly said:

"I've made my mind. No flying! So, please don't even think of it!"

Lucky looked at ground and sighed.

"Why are you making this harder? Are you afraid of heights?"

Foxy quickly turned to him and her eyes impale his. Something told the pegasus, that he hit the mark but, instead of a prize, Lucky got cold chills in the back.

"I'm not afraid of going up high and I've already stated why I don't want to be on your back."

"But even if we fall, shouldn't our regeneration keep us alive? Just like when you jumped from my back two days ago?"

The ninja closed her face to his and askew looked at him.

"I used the trees to slow my speed and thus the impact was not a fatal one. We are not invincible. We can die like every other creature on this world. The only thing that makes us different is that we are tougher!"

Lucky shook negatively his head.

"No that can't be it! I can fly just over the trees and thus stay always in the safe zone. So what's the real reason?" his orange eyes looked very serious. Tail's emotionless stare didn't have an effect on him, so she had only one thing left to do.

"If something wrong happens and if we have another bad landing, that would be just enough to let the beast emerge and I guarantee you, that it won't be pretty to look at." her voice had dark tones that resonated in his ears and mind.

"Quite bad." he sounded worried.

"Very bad!" she then turned around but Foxy wasn't able to hide her bad mood from him. Lucky moved to her left and gently touched her shoulder with his hoof.

"I understand."

Foxy looked at his friendly face and froze. He was the first pony to say that and Tail felt small relief, that there was one pony in this world, who saw the burden she was carrying.

"Foxy, why are you gazing me like that?" Lucky's voice woke her and she looked in front of them, pretending she didn't hear his question.

It seemed like the green wall was spreading to infinity but a small bright gap showed different story. The ninja noticed it and was curious to see what was behind it.

"Let's move on!"

After a few swings with her razor sharp claws, the two ponies found themselves in an area that had barely any flora. The earth was almost naked, only on a couple of places grass was beginning to grow again. Something horrible had passed through this place and turned it into ashes.

The two ponies stood still and only looked at the empty space. There was one rock next to the green barrier that aimed for the blue sky. It was laying on the other side like a lone monument of the events that happened here. Their eyes carefully scanned the area for beasts but there were no signs that animals had approached this part of the forest. No birds were singing here and it seemed awkwardly quiet.

"A dragon was here." Tail said with a serious tone and looked at the black soil. "His fire breath must have caused this devastation."

Lucky got the shivers from that word and frantically looked around.

"Worry, you shouldn't. The dragon must be very far by now." she rummaged the earth with her hoof and then closed it to her nose. Foxy sniffed. "He was here long time ago. More than six months. It's very strange that the flora has not taken over this piece of land."

"Magical fire." Lucky said with concerned voice. "I've studied it in the Academy. It burns for very long and it prevents life from forming again. It leaves a toxic waste, where it burns. The flame is colored in bright purple with little blue spots. But I haven't heard of any dragons breathing such fire."

"There can always be a first time." Foxy glimpsed him, when she sensed a familiar feeling, that reminded her of an old memory, which she unwittingly forgot. Then Tail stared at the tall white rock. Lucky understood her look and slowly began walking towards it.

"Stop right now!" Tail ordered but the pegasus continued his approach.

"I used to be a scout, so you shouldn't worry!" he said, while looking at the thick forest on the other side. The ninja didn't knew why her senses began alarming. They were the only living creatures around but she felt, as if they were going into a trap.

Lucky was in front of the rock and from there he proceeded with more caution. The white pony silently went behind it and no sounds came from him. The ninja waited for a minute until she went after him, despite having little fear of what she was about to see.

Foxy found the pegasus standing there like a statue and looking at blackened bones on the ground. Some were of a pegasus, the others were of an unicorn. The remains showed that they had a hug in their last moment in this realm of the living. The ninja unconsciously looked at the white wall and saw three deep marks. Suddenly she had painful flashbacks of the old battle.

Spears were charging at her with the full might of two little creatures. They seemed so brave but stupid to attack her like that. There was no room for thinking but only for action. Purple flames burned the forest around them. It was an epic spectacle of might and skill and the light show magnified the feelings, that were shown in this desperate duel of fates. She wanted to stop the chaos but her will to do so was not enough. Only the ritual of death could cease the aggressive nature of the dragon and the two ponies were about to be sacrificed for its glory.

Then Foxy looked at the skulls and remembered the last expressions on their faces. She saw the fear of imminent death but also the true feelings of love and readiness to perish together. They looked like they've cut their connection with this world and prepared for the next one.

Then her memory was taken over by a wall of wild fire, which marked the return of the beast. The spirit inside her exponentially began to grow and the transformation was about to happen. Her eyes flashed and incredible pain went through her entire body. It was hard for her to even breath and was steadily losing herself. Lucky noticed that something was not right, so he turned and looked very worried from the sight.

"Stay away from me!" she said with clenched teeth. Tail was shaking from the changes in her body. She was fighting a desperate battle and was losing control part by part. The thee padlocks began glowing brighter than the sun, illuminating Lucky's scared face but he quickly got a hold of himself and came closer to her.

"No, we are partners and partners face the difficulties together. There must be a way to stop this!" his eye showed a lot of courage and fear for losing her to the dragon.

The ninja touched her head with her hooves because of the powerful headache she was having. Everything around her darkened but one beacon of hope still remained. The white pegasus stood next to her like an angel, hugged her and tried to calm her.

"Remember your training! Don't give up on yourself!"

Suddenly the ninja pushed him to tall rocky wall with such an unbelievable force, that he didn't have a chance to react. The rock shook a little by the hit. She had pierced him with her claws in the chest and lifted him up. Lucky coughed some blood and barely breathed but he felt no anger towards her. Her calm face had completely gone. Her eyes had no signs of intelligence and only endless rage came out of them.

"Foxy... try to resist it!" Lucky barely said. The claws went deeper in his body, cutting every tissue and muscle in their way. He screamed out of pain, trying with all his strength to remove the claws from him. She was literally opening him like a tin.

The ninja was quickly losing the last parts of herself, so she had to run away from him as fast as possible.

"I am sorry!" Foxy sounded more like a demon from Tartarus than the pony she used to be. Her tangy nails touched his hearth and stopped it. His eyes froze and suddenly his vision became murky. Soon darkness consumed his consciousness and his body lost the hold on itself. His legs lifelessly hanged down and his head leaned towards her.

The ninja pulled out her bloody hoofs from him and Lucky quietly fell on the dusty ground like a puppet. Tail fiercely roared, almost sounding in the entire forest. Blood was shred and the jungle had to know the ritual was performed. Nearby birds flew away from the trees, forming massive gaggles and the animals on the ground quickly hid themselves. The real queen of the forest was back and every living creature had to live in the shades and evade her wrath.

Her stained with blood hooves were shaking but there was no time to feel sorrow for him, so she got the medallions from under her outfit and threw them on the pegasus. Then Foxy turned away, swiftly began galloping, entered the jungle and disappeared in the shadows.

Time passed, the sun moved a little to the side and convey of vultures formed over his body. There were no signs of life coming from him, when the birds approached. For them he was another victim of the cycle in this place and food to feast upon. They were about to tear him flesh by flesh, when Lucky returned to life. He breath deeply and checked with his right hoof the wounds. The birds, surprised by his resurrection, backed away and some even flew away. Lucky was fortunate that she didn't cut his hearth but the regeneration would take a lot more time to heal him completely. He painfully stood up from the bloody ground and leaned on the rock. It took him a few minutes until he start thinking and analyzing his situation.

"Someday I'm gonna have a serious talk with her about her aggressiveness! How long have I been laying here? Where is Foxy?"

He slowly looked around but couldn't see her or hear her but noticed the dozens of hungry birds that had surrounded him. They didn't look happy that their meal was still breathing and kicking but a quick death could be arranged for him. The pegasus was too weak to fight them all at once and he was rapidly trying to find a way out of this unpleasant situation. If it weren't for the fatigue, the pain in his chest and the horrible headache, Lucky would have escaped already form this fatal trap.

Suddenly a mighty roar sounded nearby, scarring the vultures away. The birds quickly gained altitude and began circling around this place. Lucky tiredly looked at the newcomer and his hearth began pumping faster from the sight of the black panther. The big cat was just a few jumps away, staring in his essence. Lucky looked very darkly because his luck turn against him again.

"There is always a bigger fish!" he reminded himself.

Both were looking at each other without even blinking once. The panther was here to get what was rightfully hers and no ninja would stop her now. Lucky understood that he had to fight or she would chase him through the entire jungle until one of them was laying bloody on the ground.

"Eat or be eaten!" his partner said not so long ago. There was no room for civil talks with this beast, so he had to play on the rules of this wild world. He shakily stood up on his legs, without breaking sight of the black hunter and prepared mentally for the upcoming clash. The flock in the air kept perfect silence and carefully watched the duel below them.

"You want a juicy piece of me? Then, here I come." he darkly said. The panther didn't move a muscle. Her big green eyes showed no emotion because in the jungle, they'd only wok against you.

The pegasus began slowly walking towards the cat with determination but inside him he was fighting to not get scared. The cat stood still like a demon from the deep blackness and waited for her prey to come closer.

"Let's see how agile a panther can be!" he spread his wings and jumped at her with his hooves in front of him. He flew like a fast projectile but the beast didn't slightly move. However, there was no clash. Somehow he moved through her and landed hard on the ground behind her. Lucky couldn't believe that he missed her. He turned around and froze because the black panther was still staring in the same pose. Then the pegasus saw through the illusion of his mind. The big cat was not real. He was completely alone on the ground but then the question struck him: from what creature came the roar? Did he imagined it? Lucky began to feel not so well because of this sudden actions that drained to much from his weak state. His head reeled but he managed to stay on his legs.

The pony barely got to the rock and tiredly sat next to it. He was out of breath, his entire body hurt. The sun was burning in the sky, luckily for the pegasus, the tall white wall was providing a big shadow. Lucky saw the two medallions, laying in the dust and reached for them. He lifted the green one in front of his eyes and then looked at the bones of the two ponies.

"What is the probability of find you here? I hate you destiny!" he painfully closed his eyes and a small tear fell down from his cheek. "It's not your fault Foxy."

His green mane lost its charm and now sadly fell down. Lucky rested until the feelings inside him became too violent and vocal in his soul. He wanted to be far away from this place. The pegasus got on his hoofs and put the two medallions on his neck. His eyes showed readiness to get in the deeps again.

"Now, I only need to find you." he looked back at the remains and whispered: "Good-Bye!"

Then Lucky entered in the jungle's shadows, leaving behind the bright blue sky. The birds only angrily watched how their food was getting away.

Somewhere near...

He was running as fast as he could in this dense parts. He would have used his insectoid wings and fly above the forest, if his pursuers hadn't cut them. His blue eyes frantically looked for a good place to hide. It had to be deep underground because they were using a tracking locket, which can't get his position, if he was under the earth. However, the hundreds of tropical bushes and other flora didn't help in his case. He could barely see what was in front of him, when he hit his face into something, which completely stopped him on his tracks. His body flipped backwards in the air and fell on the ground.

Stars appeared around his eyes and almost lost all focus. He managed to see the silhouette of a white pony, who looked down very darkly.

"Changeling." the pony said with a serious tone, "There must be more of you."

He shook his head.

"Idiot, you just killed me!" the black pony with many holes sounded like a snake.

Lucky raised an eyebrow.

"You can talk my language? You'll be fine but I can't let you tell your buddies about me!" the pegasus prepared to knock him out, when the creature put his corroded hoofs in a defensive position.

"I'm running from them you moron! Now you doomed yourself too!" he tried to get up but was stopped by a single hoof.

Lucky ears heard a nearby movement. The last time he had a meeting with this damned creatures was three months ago, when they invaded the Capital. They broke into his apartment, dragged him outside and glued him next to other captured ponies. If only he wasn't blind back then, he'd show them real war.

But today was not the day to be a hero, so he had to quickly get out of there unnoticed. He struck the black pony with a powerful blow, from which the creature couldn't protect himself. Then the pegasus turned around and began galloping. However, he couldn't get far because fatigue was all over his legs. He slowed down considerably. His hearing told him that the rest of the pursuers were surrounding him in this very moment. They were very fast, just like three months ago.

Lucky looked up to the tall trees' crowns and saw his salvation in a little opening, from which a beam of light was falling to the shadows. He spread his wing like an angel and began flapping them but before he could get to a high altitude, multiple green little balls flew at his direction. He tried to evade them but one got him and covered his left wing with sticky glue. The pegasus fell on his plot but he'd not give up easily. Lucky prepared for the inevitable swarm of changelings.

From his every side, black ponies with blue eyes surrounded him in a black circle. Some of them hissed at him, displaying their big sharp vampire-like teeth. Their sharp horns reminded of dark blades that we only used for cutting innocent flesh. The insectoid wings on each vibrated from excitement. His adrenaline was all over his body and deep dark urges began climbing their way to his mind.

"Round dance is not my thing but I'll gladly do it for you!" he provocatively said and the only answer he got was more hissings.

They fiercely charged him like one being from all sides. Lucky stood on his two rear legs and sent his right hoof at the changeling in front of him. The blow was so powerful, the eroded pony flew backwards through the bushes and hit the giant tree behind him. However, every other attacker managed to jump on him and pressed him on the ground. Lucky resisted as much as he could. A white hoof emerged from this black see, aimed at the small light. After minutes of fighting them, it slowly sank back in the darkness. When they were done with him, the changelings stepped backwards and smiled on their unconscious meal. The others were going to be very delighted.

Lucky woke up and the first think he noticed was the green stuff on his legs, that completely immobilized him. He was sitting on the ground, tied to somepony. Its back was roughed and edgy, so he figured that it was the creature, he stumbled across. Then his eyes turned to the big black crowd in front of him. The changelings were so absorbed in the hissing debate, that no pony paid attention to anything else.

"Thank you a lot! Because of you, I'm only living food!" snake-like voice came from behind.

"Anytime." Lucky sarcastically said but then he returned to his serious tone. "What's going on there?"

"Not your concern, weather pony." the changeling angrily looked back.

Lucky checked, if any of them were looking in his direction and then began his attempt to escape from these organic chains. The green glue was elastic and extremely strong, even with his enhanced pony strength he could barely move his legs from the ground.

"Stop it! You'll blow my escape!" the prisoner behind him said.

"You can get out of this chains?" Lucky sounded surprised.

"Of course I can! I'm a darn changeling!" the pony behind him sounded offended but he kept a low voice nonetheless. "I just need to extract enough saliva to dissolve the glue."

"Do you know for how much we've been here?" Lucky looked at the trees' crowns, that made a thick green ceiling and no light could pass. It was even darker than before, which pointed that the night was coming.

"You've slept for four hours, while I was working hard to get myself out of here."

Lucky looked back and asked:

"Why you want to escape your comrades? Why are you tied to me in the first place?"

"Not your business and please, shut up, while I work. I'll need a perfect concentration and you are getting in my way of achieving it."

"Alright, alright." Lucky sighed and looked back at the crowd. The debate was getting hotter and angry sounds were coming from the center. He couldn't understand a think from it but Lucky listened to its tones, trying to guess for what they were talking about.

"You are my most trusted commander. When I asked you to come with me on this mission of resurrection of our might, you willingly accepted the truth that Queen Chrysalis was no longer a good leader. After the epic failure in the Canterlot invasion, our ponies are struggling to survive but our beloved Queen's eyes see only revenge."

The younger changeling stepped mightily forward to his superior and looked him directly in his blue eyes.

"I know exactly what I said and I do think the Hive needs a change! However, by removing Her from her rightful place, we'll create chaos than achieving victory."

The older changeling clenched his teeth and looked quite pissed at his comrade. He knew him when the commander was just a little egg, destined to be his right hoof and it pained him to see him on the other side of the fence.

"Don't you understand that with the power of the new master, we shall return to our lost glory. If we follow his lead, only endless feasts will await us. No more will our nation know hunger under his rule." he aimed his black hoof, that was pierced with many holes, at the commander. "It's up to you to be part of this future or die in the past!"

"No, what we are doing is wrong and goes against every instinct. Our loyalty is to the one Queen and not to this imposter. I've gave it a lot of thought and I see that what we are doing, is making matters worse! By bring the elite warriors of the Hive here, we are making it easier for our enemies to attack us. Why can't you realize this!" the young one shouted in their hissing language.

The old one disappointingly shook his head.

"No, it's you who don't understand. We are all one but you have no pony to back you, except the little spy over there. You are either with us or against us and it would be a sad day to see you perish." his experienced blue eyes impaled the young one. The commander made peace with himself because after what he was about to say, there was not turning back.

"I've fought for the glory of the Hive and the brighter future of our nation! I've fought along side you all and consider you mighty warriors. I am loyal to Queen Chrysalis. I will not go against my own. Do what you'll have to do." he sounded ready to face his ultimate fate. His face, despite its scary look, had some last charms. This were his last moments, in which he wanted to be remembered by the others like a changeling, who stood for his principles and beliefs without fear.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this, my friend. You shall forever be in the songs of the swarm!"

Suddenly every changeling stared at the doomed one. Their blue eyes flashed and immediately purple energy flew out from the commander's body. He was completely silent. The old one didn't blink and silently watched the execution. The stream split among the insectoid ponies, feeding them with his life force. They quickly drained him like a bottle of wine and soon his dead body hit the ground. The stream ended and the warriors were not satisfied by the low amounts of food they received.

The old changeling looked at his friend's body with cold eyes. He felt no sorrow for him because his warrior-like nature prevented it. The commander was just another casualty of the constant war against the eternal hunger that plagued their kind. At least, he died with some dignity and forever broke the chains of pain.

"You there!" his pointed at the closest one. "You are my new commander. Your first orders are to gather every scout and prepare the troops. We are leaving in five minutes."

"Yes, general!" the newly promoted changeling bowed down.

"The meeting is over."

The crowd disbanded and every changeling spread out in different directions and returned to their duties.

"General, what about the two captives?" the new commanded looked at the white pegasus, who was not very happy.

"Leave them to me."

The old one slowly went to the prisoners and stood tall in front of Lucky. The two gave each other cold stares for a minute until the general broke the silence:

"Spying on the changelings is not treated very kindly." he said with a perfect accent.

"I was just wondering in the jungle." Lucky said with a serious tone.

"I doubt that. So Celestia knows about us. I wonder, who gave her the information." the general looked at the other captive, who had frozen in one place. "Was it you, my little traitor?"

"Chrysalis will know what you are planning to do and her wrath will hammer you all!"

"You only wish that. There are higher forces in play that will make the Queen look like a little defenseless filly. Look around you and tell me what you see."

The black spy didn't bother to even look, when he answered:

"Only traitors in this forgotten place."

The general stood in front of him and shook his head.

"You are wrong. This changelings are united by one goal: to return our lost glory and feed our nation. I do not blame you for your closed mind, every Queen's servant is genetically engineered to be loyal to the death but as a thinking being, you must see that our cause is just. I'll give you time to think about it."

Then the general moved in front of Lucky. It didn't take an expert to say that they didn't like each other. He could easily give him to the warriors to be consumed but he thought that the weather pony could prove to be a useful source of information, regarding the Equestrian kingdom.

"What is your name?" he asked politely. "From your cutie mark, I'd say it must be connected with the Eight."

"And you are right. Lucky Eight is my name and you are?"

"The general." he gracefully bowed but Lucky didn't feel honored to meet him at all. "Would you be kind to tell me what you are doing in this woods?"

"I'm just traveling. Actually I'm searching for a lost soul but I'd rather not bother you with my tale."

"No, please. Tell me more about your journey." then the changeling put his eroded hoof in front of his face. "Where are my manners. I forgot that your kind doesn't like to see us in our natural form, so let me change."

A bright green-white light moved from the bottom to the top and suddenly Lucky saw his exact copy, smiling at him. The green hair and tail, the eyes, the ears and every characteristics were exactly the same, as if the two were twins.

"Is this better?" the general had mimicked his voice with such perfection, it would take very well trained ears to spot the difference. The real pony didn't like being copied like that but kept his feelings under the bed.

"Impressive. can you do Princess Celestia?"

"Unfortunately no. I don't have her height but Queen Chrysalis could do it." then his orange eyes became very serious. "Would you be a good pony and tell me your mission here? How many of you are having picnic around my camp?"

"I'm not a spy and frankly I don't give a damn about your kind." Lucky answered with little irritation in his voice.

"Stubborn, you are. Maybe i should toss you to my comrades. Then you'll start talking like a warbler." the general closed his face to the pony's and stared deep inside of him. "Draining somepony's life force can be a painful process, if done quickly."

"I didn't spy on you. Ask the changeling behind me. I met him just today and I guarantee you, it was a surprise for me to stumble across creatures like you!"

"You want me to ask that snake tongue? No way!" then the imposter touched his cheek to Lucky's and whispered in his ear. "I know many methods of getting information out of stubborn ponies. I guarantee you that you'll be telling me your every darkest secret, after I'm through with you."

The pegasus didn't take his threat very lightly. Deep demonic urges began moving in his mind, though he tried to resist them. Lucky answered with a very dark voice:

"The moment, my hoofs are free, will be your last second in this world."

His eyes turned from energetic to very cold, despite the sleeping fire in his heart, which needed only an half opened gate to take over his entire being.

The pretender smiled contentedly from his prisoner's reaction. which was one step closer to make him sing.

"I guess, we know our places now."

The commander approached them and reported in their strange language:

"I've done what you've asked, general. The warriors are ready to move out."

"Very good." Lucky's clone said, while still holding his head next to the pegasus's. "I'm sorry my dear little flier but we'll have to continue our conversation later. I'll let you sleep, while we are traveling because I wouldn't want you to memorize the path. You surely understand, isn't that right?"

"I don't want to take part in your travels. Let me free and I might consider not punching you in the face! Oh wait, you will not do that because you are too chicken!"

Lucky's urge to fight was irresistible and the words came out from his mouth on their own, as if somepony else talked in his behave. Was he losing control over himself or did he really dislike being surrounded by changelings? This impulse was strange to him and it scared him a little. Lucky began to think that it was the beginning of the raise of the dragon and no partner of his would help him calm.

The imposter kept smiling, thinking that he was beginning to break him.

"Sweet night!"

The general opened his mouth, revealing two big sharp teeth and bit him on the neck. Lucky was so disgusted by this act but there was nothing he could do to stop him. The bite was deep and the pegasus felt how the changeling was pumping him with a green substance. It quickly spread in his body via the arteries and veins. Soon, it was everywhere inside him.

When the general was finished, he slowly removed his teeth from the white flesh and backed a little. He was smiling, with some little drops of blood on his lips. However, he was surprised to see Lucky not affected immediately by the poison, that should have put him to sleep.

"You say you are not a spy but you carry an antidote in your veins. Is it a coincidence or just some dumb luck?"

"Set me free and I will show you." Lucky sounded very threatening, despite being immobilized by the glue. He clenched his teeth, which slowly began to grow.

"You must be out of your mind. This only proves your true mission here. Don't get mad at me that you failed in your little disguise. I guess the old fashion method will suffice."

His copy turned around and mightily kicked the pegasus in the head with its rear legs. Then he looked at Lucky and was annoyed to see him still awake. The weather pony was now pissed and only wanted to get his hoofs close to his torturer's face. Blood drop fell from his mouth but the pony felt no pain.

"You are tough, another coincidence, I guess. Are there more surprises, Mr Lucky?"

The raising feeling for blood was on its way to his head, when the weather pony felt a gentle joggle from behind. It reminded him that his friendly neighbor was working on a plan to escape. Lucky knew that he may not be able to fight every changeling on his own, if he somehow managed to free himself, so his rational mind prevailed over the urges. The pegasus slowly began returning to his former self.

"Yes, there are." he answered after a short silent pause. "I only hope you may never see them face to face."

"We can always put some of the glue in your eyes, that way we'll achieve almost the same effect." the general was thinking out loud.

"Or maybe a towel will be enough."

"The problem is we don't have one. I don't want to start truly torturing you yet, so I think we can make a compromise." Lucky's mirror image turned to the commander, who was standing near them very quietly for all this time. "We need two thick rods and bring two warriors here. Yes, it's a very good compromise."

Chapter 16: The Temple Of Paradox

The yellow sun had hidden behind the horizon, letting the sky throne to its little white sister. However. its shine would be blocked by the forming clouds over this free forest. They were common for this place and storms could occur in a very short time.

They were traveling without stopping for rest for once. Their march sounded through the jungle, warning every nearby creature to get quickly out of their way. They moved in a three pony column like a well oiled machine. Their discipline was superb and none spoke a word. The warriors followed their leader, ready to jump on ever threat, that would appear on their path.

"Take the lead, commander. I'll have to check our guest at the back."

"Of course, general."

The old changeling stepped outside the column and waited. His blue eyes moved from one warrior to another, admiring on their strength and willingness to follow him to the end. They were the finest of the finest. They were born to lead their Hive to the bright future no matter the cost. Every single one of them were veterans, who had a lot of experience from the invasion of the Equestrian Capital and other conflicts. Though the last time they got beaten, none of them lowered their spirits and fully embraced their previous mistakes, which brought them one step closer to being the perfect tools of war.

The column was a long one and some time passed until its end was slightly visible in the darkness. The changelings had well developed eyes and they could see in the night even batter than cats. The general saw the tail of the black stream and smirked.

Two changelings were pulling two long rods, to which Lucky had his legs glued and the spy was tied on his back. The pegasus faced the ground, while the other one staring the trees. Their heads were also glued, so that it would be almost impossible for them to move them in either direction. They were in this pose for the entire trip and both could agree that it was becoming something of an annoyance.

The general joined the column, when the mobile cage approached him.

"Are you getting tired, Mr Lucky? Your back surely needs some rest." he looked down at the dirty green mane, which was colliding with every grass and bush on the path. There was no answer, coming from the pegasus.

"Hello, anypony there?!" the general was knocking on his head but didn't achieve anything by this action. Lucky was doing his best to not let the anger get outside of him. "Hm, you must be sleeping deeply. Let me wake you then."

The general said in his ear:

"We have captured your partner."

Lucky smiled and looked at the green life below him.

"Then where is he? Why is he not glued to my back?" Lucky knew that the changeling was laying.

"Interesting. So you do not deny that there are more of you, somewhere near us." the general briefly looked back to make sure, that there were no surprises and then back at him. The marching changelings had created something like a tunnel in the dense jungle, which was very easy to follow. "Are you expecting them to rescue you?"

"For the love of Celestia, I told you that I'm completely alone. I'm after a ..."

"... lost soul, wasn't it?" the shape-shifter interrupted. "You can make a better excuse than this. Please, don't embarrass yourself."

"It's the truth!" Lucky sighed. "You know what, I'm gonna tell you, who this soul is."

The general looked surprised but that was a false countenance of his true state of his mind. He was very serious and paid attention to every detail. He was all ears for the next lie, the pegasus was trying to put in his head.

"She is my future wife. A rival mare put a spell on her, which turned her into a monster. My bride became wild and ran away. I want to cure her with the magic of love. Please, you must let me go. I need to finish my quest to save my heart."

"So touching, that you made me tear. Unfortunately, my warriors haven't eaten anything juicy as you, so I can't free you. I feel you, winged pony, but you must understand my position too. If I don't make these fearsome fighter satisfied then they'll remove me from my position and we shouldn't let that happen, don't we?"

Lucky closed his eyes. It was time to rethink what he could do. To tell the truth or be silent were his only options so far but neither of them were satisfactory.

"So if you are done pretending, lets talk about how you got to know about us. Do you have spies in the Hive or did traitors gave you the information?"

Lucky was quiet.

"Not the talkative kind, eh?" the general shook his head. "Soon, you shall know how deep a pain can go inside your mind. You'll eventually tell us everything after the torture but I'm kind enough to offer you an easy way. If you sing everything, your death will be quick and painless, well, most of the part anyway. You have time until we finish our stuff at the old temple."

Then the general began moving ahead, when Lucky's voice pleasantly sounded in his black ears.

"You must be very proud to kill a defenseless pony. I hope that you've become the person your mother always wanted you to be."

The general slowed down and looked back. His evil smile was still there but there was something new in his deep blue eyes.

"My parents are long dead because of starvation, which slowly kills our nation every day. Yes, I've done a lot things in my service in the Hive and I'm proud of them. If you think, that I'll change my mind and let you live, you are wrong. By the way, haven't you heard to never speak with a changeling about moral?"

Lucky was silent. His last attempt was an epic fail and there was nothing more, he could do to change his situation via communication. Now his only means of escape was the changeling on his back, who he didn't like much.

"Hm." the general then quickly moved to the head of this column of black clones.

Everything seemed oddly quiet through the rest of the trip, even no sounds came from the jungle. A storm was forming up high above the ground of the living. The first lightnings in the distance marked the beginning of what was to be another drench. The land was ready for it, so was the green sea. Only the inhabitants of this forest were not eager to experience another rain and it was so hopeless to control the weather, which had a mind of its own.

The black column stopped its crusade in front of tall stone wall, that was covered in lianas and other vegetation. It looked very ancient and left with no care for thousands of years. The warriors felt uncomfortable at the sight of this huge aged building, made by a force that had no equal to it. However, none showed weakness and kept a perfect discipline in the ranks.

The general made a sign to his commander to stay put and slowly moved to the wall. He was very calm at first but was unable to hold his excitement. Only a few hoofs away from the cold stones and he felt like it was his birthday. His eyes looked up, admiring on this old monument of an age that was to come. He reached out with his hoof and touched the stone block. Immediately feeling of might went through him, powering his dark soul with thoughts of a brighter future. The images were glorious, his kind victorious and endless feasts sounded through the Equestrian land.

He turned around and smiled like a filly, who just got his present. They've found the Temple of Paradox, the one and only tool of powerful magic, that could change every fate, destroy kingdoms and give power to new empires. It waited so long for somepony to discover it and lend its chaotic energy to the ones, who were bold enough to enter in it.

"We need to go around it and find the entrance. There, we will wait for our new lord of our salvation." the general said.

"You heard the general! Split into two groups and check all sides of the temple! Move it!" the commander yelled orders left and right. The obedient warriors quickly followed the commands and encircled the big structure. It was large, square and its walls were not smooth. The ziggurat loomed to the cloudy sky like a black tower, unwilling to succumb to the nature. However, the forest already won cause there was no help from the living creatures, who had build it long ago.

The gateway was on the other side, facing a field that had no trees, only grass and occasional lonely red flowers. A gigantic round rock blocked the entrance. On its circular surface was engraved symbol that resembled an arrow without its tail. The stairway, connecting the base to the portal, had seen better days. On some places it seemed like a giant worm had eaten through the solid rock, creating dozens of holes in the stairs. The vegetation hadn't conquered this side but growing plants were beginning their steep climb.

The insectoid ponies met each other in front of the temple and delightedly smiled on their find. They formed a crescent around the stairs and waited for further orders. The general appeared in front of everypony and looked at the temple. They were so close to their ultimate goal, only their new leader needed to arrive and open the gates for them. What a glorious moment this was, the sudden euphoria quickly spread through every changeling. The general let his troops to feel good once in their lives because they deserved it. From now on, their loyalty would be reworded with the sweet fruits of this genius plan to take over Equestria for real and brake the chains on their ponies.

The general slowly turned to the black crowd and hundreds blue eyes stared at him. He felt like a star, who was about to perform the best concert in his life. His dark heart began beating very fast from the excitement. However, the old one had to make himself look authoritative and serious in all situations.

"Warriors! We've done a lot by only coming here. Our cause is just and we shall bring glory to the Hive! This moment will be sung by the generations to come. We will be remembered like the fathers of the new age, where no changeling will know hunger!"

Every warrior tapped his hooves and hissed fearsomely. Lucky couldn't understand what was happening and why they had stopped but the sounds coming from them, made it clear, that something big was about to happen.

"My brothers in arms, the journey was long and tiresome. We will need rest to be ready for the events that are going to rock the foundations of this world. We will camp next to the temple and wait for the blessing, that came in our darkest hour. Our new leader, Tails of Horns Silver, will be arriving soon and guide us to the victory! For the Hive!"

The general lifted his left hoof up in the air, which was followed with hundreds others and all shouted mightily:

"For the Hive!"

Their snake-like voices loudly sounded through the surrounding jungle, telling a creature of anger and devastation, where they were. It turned at the direction of the distant voices and began its dangerous approach.

The warriors shouted so powerfully, as if they want to be heard by the sky gods, that were throwing more and more lightnings at the earth. A tear came from the general's eye. He was so proud of them but soon his every dream was going to turn into ashes.

When the emotions lowered their levels, he slowly went to his commander.

"Make a camp in the open space. We'll need three warriors in each side to watch for trouble."

His right hoof nodded.

"It shall be done, general."

"Also prepare the the pegasus for interrogation. I'll squeeze any information from him and then give him to the troops. They deserve another meal."

"You are too kind, sir." then the commander went to execute his orders. The general turned to the tall structure and his smile grew bigger. His two sharp teeth were ready to sink in the future of delusions and pure madness.

Two changelings put the rods vertically and thrust them in the ground, so that Lucky now faced the temple. Then they joined their comrades and disappeared in the see of blackness. A few lightnings illuminated its rough surface and he was able to notice some little details. On the stone roof, small golden statues of strange creatures were put in a row. They all bowed at the changelings below but their faces weren't happy ones. Lucky felt a lot of darkness, when he looked at the one, which had two legs and two hands. It wore an heavy armor, that covered its body from the top to bottom. The statue held a flag in its right hand and a large stick in the other. Its face looked so fearsome and for some reason unwilling to give respect to the guest below.

"Are you really after a beast? Can she be saved?" the voice from behind reminded him that he was not here for sightseeing.

"Yes, I am looking for her, though I do not know how to bring her back." Lucky took a look at the crowd. "Why you want to know?"

"I'm just curious and information is my business. Too bad you wont make it out of here to search for the freak."

"She may be a freak but she is my partner." Lucky turned very serious. "What do you mean by not getting out of here? Wouldn't you help me escape?"

"I never said that I'll help you. I'm saving my skin only and I don't give two bits about you."

Lucky felt a lot of anger going through him and the fact that his back was touching the changelings, disgusted him even more. On top of that, his stomach rebelled again and that meant only bad things for him.

"I can pay you, if that's what you want?"

"You ruined my perfect escape earlier, so I'd rather see you suffer."

The changeling irritated him so much, that the claws inside his hooves began moving.

"You should reconsider. I can be very useful, if you need a hoof to fight off the swarm." Lucky barely kept his politeness.

"I do not need your skills because I see to what they've brought you to. I'll be better alone."

Lucky clenched his teeth. If only he could get free without being noticed, he'd show the spy. Suddenly, he realized that his hoofs didn't need to be freed to bruise the changeling's nose. The pegasus smirked.

"So, you are going to leave without saying Good-Bye, eh? Then, let me just warn every guard here of your grandeur escape from the chains."

"You wouldn't!" the spy sounded a little scared from the thought of being captured on the move again.

"Oh, but I will! What did you call me earlier? Idiot, moron? You were too kind, let me return the favor!"

The changeling began shivering from fear.

"Don't! Ah, my big mouth! I'm sorry, just don't alarm the others."

"Only if you get me out of this glue or I'll shout as loudly as I can. You are not the smartest spy, eh?" Lucky sounded very provocative, which annoyed a lot the ears of the changeling.

"No, I just let my hatred towards your kind dictate my words. However, it won't happen again, I promise you. Alright, I'll free you but it will take longer time."

Lucky's eyes shined from this victorious moment but he shouldn't be getting to high in the sky cause six insectoid ponies approached them. They stared him with their big blue eye but Lucky didn't get scared by their frightening look. The truth was that the six were beginning to feel uncomfortable, when the orange eyes stared back at them. There was something made from pure evil in the pegasus and they sensed its destructive power, which could awaken at any given moment.

"Why are you standing there like little girls? Move into positions. The general expects the torture to be extremely painful, without killing him!" the commander ordered behind them. Lucky didn't understand anything from the hisses but guessed, that it was not good.

The warriors surrounded the two prisoners in a circle and prepared to use their black magic. Lucky looked darkly at his tormentors and tried to calm his heart. He need a cold head, if he wanted to escape from this place alive.

Despite the sounds coming from the resting warriors, this little prison felt very quiet. The general steadily approached and looked very delighted. Another close lighting illuminated his gruesome teeth, that were sticking from his mouth. His knife-like horn was ready to recreate some horrific spells that had only one goal: to break anypony's spirit.

"What a pleasant evening, don't you think, Mr Lucky?"

"I'd prefer, if it was sunny but it will do." unlike the old changeling, the pegasus sounded very earnest. "I can see that you are gonna torture me now. I thought you'd leave me for later."

The general smirked.

"I don't like to leave unfinished work, so here I am. I'm giving you a last chance to rethink your position Equestrian spy. Answer the previous questions and I'll grand you a very quick death. I give my word!"

"I told you the truth."

Three lightning shined in the night sky, opening the gates for millions of drops to bombard the ground. The rain began to fall slowly and unconvincingly but then it gained more force, creating a thick water curtain. The ground quickly turned into sticky mud and puddles started to form.

A lot of water was falling from their chins. Lucky's mane fell down from the weight and stuck on his head and neck. Everypony stood they ground without saying a word. Suddenly green energy pierced the center of the pegasus, causing such an enormous pain, that he was unable to even scream.

"I'd tried to be polite. However, I seem to be in error here. I should have been straight with you from the beginning."

He ceased the spell, that was coming from his horn. His cold blue eyes looked at the enervate captive and felt no pity. The general lifted up his right hoof and a warrior handed him the two medallions. Red and green, together they made the blood of the participants in this torment.

The old one moved closer to Lucky, who seemed was whiter than usual. He was barely breathing and felt like his life was sucked out of him.

"What's their purpose? Speak you miserable piece of meat!"

Lucky looked at the emerald spiral, which reminded him of his old ponies. That gave him strength for the next dosage of tortures, which came very shortly.

"Again you are silent like the lambs. Let's open that mouth, shall we?" his horn shined in bright green and fired another beam at the pegasus. Lucky was unable to take a breath, the shocks went through his entire body, paralyzing his every cell. It was a silent agony, which the spy felt via his back. He wasn't going easy on him and that was only a fraction of the pain they were about to put him through.

The green stream ended but the pegasus still suffered from the fire inside him. His key life moments flashed like a movie in his head. Some of them were sad, others were happy moments, where he was close to his friends and family. Lucky had a feeling that he was about to die for real this time but somehow his body found a way to keep itself alive.

"Fascinating. You've survived two very powerful spells in a roll. Now I'm very interested to see what makes you so durable. But first..." the general closed the medallions to Lucky's suffered face. "Are these recording crystals? How long have you spied on us? Who was the primary source?"

No sound came from Lucky. The changeling learned that the pegasus was tougher than he looks and breaking him would take some time, something the old one didn't have.

"So they are only bijou? Then you wouldn't mind, if I take care of them." he dropped them in the wet ground. Lucky tracked their descend and when they hit the ground, he stared at his torturer's blue eyes, trying to guess what he was about to do with the evidence of a force, greater than anything on this planet.

The general sent his hoof at the two lockets but before he could smash them into pieces, the wild spirit inside Lucky took control over his body, powering it with great energy. An orange aura surrounded the white pegasus, destroying the organic chains. Suddenly, the old changeling found himself laying on the muddy earth with a pony on top of him. The pegasus looked like a beast than an intelligent pony. Claws were sticking out of his hooves, which went deep in the changeling's flesh.

There was a green blast that violently threw Lucky in the air and then he fell like a sack of potatoes several meters away from the general. The commander quickly came to the wounded and frantically checked his condition.

"I'll be alright, number one." he stood up, shaking from the furious force of the pegasus. Green blood began coming out from the wounds but the general didn't have time to bleed. His entire attention was focused on the monstrosity, which was slowly recovering from the magical explosion. "What are you?"

Lucky's demonic eyes pointed at his black soul. The dragon within wanted blood, no matter the color. The dark thoughts that went in his head maddened his mind but there was nothing he could do to stop the beast from accomplishing utter carnage.

The rain was heavy, there was no wind of change. Nature cried for the poor souls below.

"I just lost control!" his thought echoed in the darkness. "Foxy, I failed!"

Immediately the other six changelings positioned themselves around the demonic pegasus but none attacked because they were too scared. They've never seen such a thing in their lives as warriors. The rest of the small army noticed that something was happening and quickly went to help their comrades. Soon the white pegasus was completely surrounded from all sides. The air was also blocked by the black fliers. They've created a giant cage, in which the only way to freedom was to go straight at its living walls.

It was just perfect for him.

The changeling in front of him was the first victim of his claws, that cut him in the center. He was so fast that the warrior was not even able to blink. Every changeling charged him. He jumped mightily forward to the next pray. The victim fell down in the mud, spilling green blood from his throat.

The white demon continued his bloody crusade, cutting and throwing bodies everywhere. He was like a ghost, who moved through the living, taking their souls with him. There was nothing stopping him and the unluckiest ones in front of demon experienced most of his wild anger. The soil soaked the blood of the fallen ones. However, the deed was not done yet. His goal was to get to the leader of this army and make him pay for all the tortures.

Three stood in his way and prepared for the inevitable clash. Fear was coming from their eyes but they'd not move from their position. The pegasus moved like an arrow. Changelings attacked him from the sides but he showed them his claws at close, without slowing his advance. He was turning, dodging and counter-attacking with speeds only Goddess could follow.

Suddenly, Lucky jumped forward, his hoofs aimed at the center of the small wall. He landed on the changeling in the middle, knocking him on the ground and then jumped again with spread wings. The pegasus escaped the black cage and aimed at the general, who was surprised to see him.

The lightnings illuminated the beast-like face of the white pony, which flew ferociously at his target. The old one stepped to right and pointed his horn at the approaching threat. Time slowed down and he was able to ignore the rain. His horn moved a little to the left, then little to the right, it was spot on the pegasus. A green beam came out of the top his head, that pierced the night like a light sword.

Lucky swiftly barrow-rolled to the right, barely dodging the deadly ray. He ceased his attack and flew away from him. A better angle of attack was needed. The pegasus was making another turn, when his ears sensed something approaching from behind. He turned his attention to the black foggy jungle but there was nothing in sight. His instincts told him to fly higher, when a changeling managed to jump on his back and hold him in one place in the air.

"I got him! I got him!" the warrior shouted.

The pegasus looked angrily at the smiling changeling, who thought the battle was over. With a few quick moves, Lucky was able to get rid of the nasty parasite, sending him directly at the ground. The warrior fell on his back but was able to fast stand up, ready for another try, when a gigantic black hand squished him like a bug. Green blood flew outwards from underneath the paw, feeding the muddy earth with more juice.

The small army stopped promptly and looked at the new guest, who was little late for the party. The big orange eyes moved from a changeling to changeling, seeing only destruction and death. The creatures below held their breath, no pony expected a bloody dragon in here, for which they were purely prepared to deal with. The enormous beast slowly stepped in the field and with each breathing, the hearts of the warriors beat faster. Lucky slowly flew backwards, while not removing his eyes on the heavily armored dragon. He noticed that it didn't have wings, but it was almost as high as the trees. How this huge creature managed to get so close to them, without it being sensed sooner? This question puzzled the general but there was no time in theorizing.

The dragon roared, belching purple fire at the army. The ones in the center were the unluckiest ones. The flames quickly turned them into charcoals. The ones that managed to escape the hell flames galloped or flew away as much as possible, heading for the thick forest. Multiple lightnings illuminated their faces, on which the fear was easily readable. Only the general stood his ground and yelled orders:

"Form three attacking groups! One in the front, two the sides to flank the dragon, while the front group gets its attention! We must not let the temple become its new home!"

The commander looked surprisingly at his superior.

"But, general. We'll be toasted, if we try to fight it! We should retreat to the jungle!"

The old one looked at him darkly. His face was split in half: one illuminated by the fire and the other black like the night.

"If we loose the temple, we loose our future! Only blackness awaits us, if we fail."

Then the general turned to the fleeing warriors and began forming them into groups. The right hoof felt somewhat unwilling to obey the orders but he didn't have a choice. He joined his superior and helped in the organization. Very quickly the changelings made an attacking formation, all facing the slowly approaching dragon.

The general stood mightily in front of them. His eyes aimed at the orange ones. The rain began pounding harder and lightnings gave the start of the battle.

"We are the elite! We fight for the swarm! We will be victorious!" he loudly shouted, bringing some courage in their hearts. "Let's test our might against this monster. Songs will be sung for our glory! For the Hive!"

"For the Hive!" thunderous voices sounded as one.

Then the general began galloping straight forward at the dragon and after him the rest of the elites. They formed a spear, that began spreading to the sides to make room for maneuvers. Although this was a brave attempt to exorcise the black demon, they were fools to challenge it. The dragon opened his mouth and sent another stream of hot purple flames. Some were caught in the inferno but the others kept charging. Fifty of them flew out from the ground and began their air attacks.

Green beams hit the black scale armor with no effect. The dragon stood on two legs and made attempts to take those pesky flies down. Six from the air group were smashed in the giant hands in their first attack. Meanwhile the ground troops surrounded him and began firing at its strong legs. The commander looked up and made an interesting discovery.

"General, its a she-dragon!" he yelled.

"Female dragons like to lay eggs in magical places like this! We must double our efforts or this temple's door will be forever closed for us!"

The warriors increased their fire rate and the power of the beams. They were hitting her from every possible angle and the only thing they've managed to accomplish so far was to anger her even more. Her eyes turned to the small creatures and slammed her leg into a dense group. Only few barely escaped and continued to fire on her. The fliers made another turn and flew towards her with great speed. However, their strike was unsuccessful one because they were met by the hellfire, which burned fifteen fliers to ashes. The rest disengaged and broke the formation. More changelings from the ground joined their comrades in the air.

The she-dragon used its tail like a whip, smashing the warriors behind her. But they kept swarming her from all sides. The sounds from the battle were horrific and louder than the storm above their heads. Wounded changelings, that were somehow still alive, cried with the top of their lungs. Purple flames burned everywhere in the battlefield, leaving less and less space for the warriors to move around. The beast stood tall like a titan, who refused to give up his kingdom. Green rays struck its skin so many times and yet no serious wounds were caused.

Lucky watched the battle from a safe distance. Whenever his eyes looked at the dragon, a familiar feeling would emerge. His beastly mind was confused of what was happening right now. Should he join the fray or get away from here? The demon inside him had an unfinished business with the general. It really wanted to see him lying cold and covert with his own blood.

The pegasus flew towards the the total chaos without any fears. His claws aimed at the moving target. His vision narrowed, his next victim was unaware. The general was busy commanding his forces and missed to see the little white star, coming right at him. Only a dozen of meters separated the two, when Lucky sensed something coming at him. He turned his head and saw the big tail right next him. It slammed him so hard, that he was thrown in another direction. His body hit the round rock in front of the entrance of the temple, flew through it like a bullet and fell on the cold floor. The rock fractured like a glass and collapsed on its own weight, completely sealing the temple.

The general looked at the pile of debris and smoke.

"Protect the temple on all costs! It must not get destroyed!"

A shade arrived and looked at the dreadful battle, which was in its peak.

"Just as planed!" he smirked. Out of a sudden, his eyes caught something shining in the dark. "What is this?"

The shadow swiftly moved around the fires unnoticed by the combatants. He reshaped himself again in front of the two medallions, that were laying in the mud. The spy was trying to get them, when a tentacle went through his back.

"Did our hero forgot his stuff? Let me take this with me." then he saw the blocked entrance. "Oh, I'm a tad late for my first meeting with him. I need to be quick!"

He grabbed the lockets and silently moved to little hole in temples walls. Before he entered inside it, the shadow took another look at the battlefield. It was like a fire and light spectacle. His dead heart filled with joy of the massacre of the elites.

"Get them all, Foxy! You are doing a fine job! He-he."

Then the shade entered the crevice.

The pegasus slowly opened his eyes. He was having the worst headache in his life. His white coat was covered in bruises and red wounds. Lucky survived the impact without breaking any bones or injuring any internal organs and all because of his half-transformation, which hardened his entire body.

He stood up, shaking in one place, not knowing where he was. The walls hadn't seen a living being for thousands of years. It was too dark, even for his eyes. It was very quiet. The beastly pegasus was still very aggressive and the feeling of being trapped only increased it.

There were sounds of hooves, which drew his attention. They were coming from the other end of the dark corridor. Lucky was ready to attack this new threat. The hooves sounded closer and closer but there was no sight of the creature that made them. Then his nose smelled a very pleasant scent. It elated him and incite him to make the first step forward. Soon the pegasus began moving in the direction, from which the aroma was coming from.

The end of the corridor leaded to a spiral stairway, that seemed to go on forever. Lucky went down the stairs. It took him quite some time to get to the bottom, where there was one entrance to a lighted room. He went inside under the hypnosis of the scent and found himself in front of a big golden disk that was the source of the light. Strange symbols were engraved on it and there was a little hole in its center.

The entrance disappeared behind the pegasus but he couldn't notice it. Lucky stood still and stared at the shining object on the stone table. There was a flash, which awakened the real Lucky and put the demon to sleep. He frantically looked around, trying to make a sense of what he was seeing.

"I was expecting you." the voice sounded from behind but when Lucky turned around there was no pony there. "You must feel honored to be in the prophecy."

"What prophecy? What is this place?" he suddenly realized that his voice had changed. Lucky looked at his clawed hooves that were stained with green blood. He had no memory of what happened during his rampage but better that he didn't.

"The Shadow Sun Prophecy. You are destined to stop Her advance to this world. Tell, me how do you feel?" the voice was calm but that wasn't how Lucky perceived it. For him it sounded scary and mysterious.

"I'm feeling confused. Who are you?"

"I'm the Guardian of the Temple of Paradox." a black pony figure appeared behind the big disk. His white eyes stared at the pegasus but the later didn't get the chills. "Do you like my true form or should I change into something else?"

"No, don't change. I had enough with dealing with appearance-shifters. However, you remind me of the shadow we fought back in Manehatten. Oh, no. You are with the Dark Princess, aren't you?"

The shade shook his head.

"No, I'm not under Her control. I'll help you to fulfill your destiny."

"Why?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Because I used to be a free creature like you. When I died, instead of going to a wonderful place, my soul was caught by Shadow Sun. I've seen what She's done. Entire worlds were consumed and left empty of any life. She is a plague of the universe and when I was released from Her tight grip, I felt the need to protect this world, which used to be my home."

"You are lying!" he pointed his hoof at him.

"Let me show you this."

Suddenly every wall disappeared and they found themselves flying in the cosmos. There were stars all around them. It looked so real that at first Lucky thought he'd fall but nothing bad happened. They accelerated to the speed of light and everything blurred with the colors of the millions of suns.

"You are about to see the fate of the one world, that had the pleasure to meet with Her."

Suddenly they decelerated and Lucky was able to see a brown planet, that had no water or forests. There was no life and this world was just a ghost of its previous self. The civilization left super large metropolises with building that reached the skies. However, time was not pleasant to them. Many towers had fallen and the remaining ones were barely holding on their metal constructions.

The streets we filled with the skeletons and skulls of ape-like species. Some of them were wearing metal armors, others nothing. Along side them were their rusting creations. Some were small others as big as the buildings. There was one bronze statue, surrounded by skeletons, that held a flag in one hand and on the other a stick. Lucky recognized it from the statues on the roof of the temple. However, this one looked at the sky and smiled. Three symbols were visible on the decaying flag: "UER".

"This used to be a civilization, filled with hatred and wars. But in the end they found peace and tolerance among themselves. They even reached for the stars to seek out for new lifeforms and new civilizations. They tried to find they meaning in this universe but then Shadow Sun came on their world. In almost an instant, they all perished. That's what awaits your world, if you don't stop Her."

"There are other intelligent beings? You speak of an universe. Is that something like a big space, where our worlds are created?"

"You are smart. The universe is so large that it's beyond you comprehension. There are a lot of planets, on which life is developing as we speak. However, every world with life on it is a target to Shadow Sun."

Then they quickly moved away from this planet and went into the deep unknown. They stopped just in front of a giant blue sun. Lucky thought he'd be burned immediately by the fires but again this was only an illusion.

"Meet the Princess of the Universe!" the shade said and turned to the sun.

"The sun?"

"She is in front of you."

Lucky stared and then notice a black figure that slowly approached them. He couldn't focus her at first and only when she was really close, he saw the same alicorn, who was in his dream. She didn't seem to notice them and continued her endless march. The blue sun seemed to follow her and steadily moved towards them.

"That's not Her true form, my little pegasus. You see her as an alicorn because you are a pony but the species on the previous planet viewed Her like one of their own but with wings."

"So that's her avatar?" Lucky looked closely at the black alicorn. She was wearing the red triangle medallion on a golden chain. Her white eyes gazed in the stars.

"Yes, the real Princess is the sun, though don't get fooled by its look. It's just an illusion of what she used to be before exploding. In its core, there's only blackness and eternal hunger. I speculate that Her core is made out of nothing and everything She touches turns into nothing. That's why She can never satisfy her hunger. Though that's only a speculation."

"Suns explode?" he looked curiously at the shade.

"Huh, you ponies really need to step up your science. Yes, suns explode in the end of their life cycle. They either turn into smaller suns, made from the radioactive cores of the previous ones or they become black holes."

Lucky didn't understand any of that.

"Wait a second, are you saying that our sun will explode? Is Princess Celestia going to die? Will she turn into what Shadow Sun is now?"

The shade smiled.

"Celestia is a different story. She is an avatar of the sun not from its birth and her heart doesn't desire to live forever. I guess she will perish among everything else on your planet, when that happens. Shadow Sun was born, when Her sun formed from the gases. She was a ruler of her world and a good one, I might add. However, the Princess didn't find peace in Her soul, when She found out that she was dying. Shadow Sun tried to prevent a catastrophe but it didn't turn so well for Her or her subjects. A big explosion, it was but She didn't die. Now She is a true immortal, who has powers to bend time and space and with Her endless hunger, you get a very dangerous cocktail. The Dark Princess has consumed millions of worlds since and yours is next on the list."

Lucky looked worried at him.

"If she is so powerful, then what stops Her from just coming here and kill every living being?"

"Every planet that has life, has a molten metal core that creates a magnetic field around the planet, which protects you from the deadly rays coming from the stars and your sun. This field also works as a shield against Her."

"Despite Her able to control time, She can't just get rid of the planets core or life would never emerge." Lucky said with a low voice.

"Exactly. Because we all live in a linear three dimensional world, the Princess has to wait for life to grow and prosper and then consume it. Your planet is in a golden age, where ponies live in harmony with nature and themselves. Life is in bloom and She really likes that."

They returned to the stone room, where the disk still shined brightly. The shade moved closer to Lucky.

"If I was an enemy, would I show you so much? Do you believe me, chosen one?"

Lucky thought for a minute to process everything. Something in his voice and white eyes felt not quite right but looks could be deceiving. The advance of this fallen sun had to be stopped and only he was the key of doing so.

"Where is my partner?" he asked very seriously.

"Outside. Although I'd advise you not to go out right now. Not very healthy to be outside." the shade said.

"Has she turned into a dragon?" Lucky turned his head to the shadow.

"Yes. However, before we go out and change her back, we need to stop Shadow Sun."

"How we do that?"

The shade turned to the golden disk and pointed in its center.

"This is the gateway, which She will use to get inside this world."

Lucky stepped closer to the glowing object and looked closely.

"Who created this thing and why?" he asked in husky voice.

"Created by ponies thousands of years ago, way before the raise of Celestia and Luna. The ruler of that time was corrupted by you know who and build this temple in Her name."

"What happened to them?"

The shade slowly turned his head to the pegasus.

"They moved south of here and never returned. I know you have a lot of questions but our history lesson must come to an end. Our time is short." the shadow went to the disk and magically moved its symbols. They began forming new patterns and shined in blue. "If you are going to stop Her, you'll need a lot of courage for what you are about to do. Be warned that not following my instructions will lead to very nasty consequences. The question is: are you ready to change the fate of the entire world?"

Lucky felt very unsure in himself. He didn't trust the black ghost, despite all the revealings, that were made.

"How can I be sure you are not tricking me?"

The shade turned around and looked directly in his eye. The whiteness showed no emotion, unlike the deep orange eyes.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already." the shadow swiftly moved behind the pegasus and aimed his sharp tentacles at his throat. He closed his mouth to Lucky's right ear and said very darkly. "I can do this very easily and without hesitation. However, I need you to make the prophecy come true. The disk will activate only, when the green key is filled with the misfortunes of a pony. Yes, this is the answer of your questions why you were so unlucky in your life. This is your destiny, my little sufferer and only you can prevent this beautiful world of turning into ashes."

Lucky darkly looked down, realizing the meaning of his life. All this time, he endured unhappiness in the name of the planet. Will he finally feel peace in his soul? If he'd turn away from his destiny, only timeless pain awaits him. However, he feared what was on the other side. He closed his eyes. The dream was true and there was no escaping from this reality. He only wished that this was only a fantasy.

"What do I have to do?" he asked quietly.

The shade smiled delightfully.

"Put the key inside the center of the disk."

The shade lifted the spiral emerald pendant and gently put it on the pegasus's neck. Lucky looked at it and felt like a great burden landed on his shoulders. He uncertainly stepped forward and took the green spiral in his hoof. Lucky had final doubts before slowly putting the crystal in the little hole. The entire disk flashed and his entire world gave a way to the bright light.

Suddenly, everything went dark. He needed a few seconds to adjust and when he did, Lucky couldn't believe what his eyes were seeing. He was on a roof of a building in Manehatten. On his left, the stadium was shaking from the loud music. Green, blue and red lights shined the in the night like a lighthouse. The streets below were illuminated by the street light and were fairly empty.

His eyes spotted the flying duo, which was making about to make an one hundred and eighty degree turn and fly straight forward at the stadium.

"In order to destroy the gate we must change time itself." the shade said behind him. "This is the first of three actions you must take."

"What actions?" he asked without losing sight of himself.

"The flash that briefly blinded you, came from you."

"What?" Lucky turned around to the shadow. "This can't be possible!"

"Yet, it is." the ghost calmly said.

Lucky looked really worried and turned his attention to the speeding pegesus. The ninja stood on two legs and prepared to jumped at their opponent.

"What happens, if there wasn't a flash?"

"You'll die by the tentacles and Foxy will turn this city into smoking ruins. The story ends here and every creature on this planet dies. You don't want that to happen, right?"

Lucky shook his head.

"Good. Now just think of the fire inside you."

Lucky closed his eyes and soon his green medallion flashed with a bright light, just when they were about to pass nearby. The flying pegasus lost control and began descending. The shadow pulled Lucky to the darkness, so that the ninja wouldn't be able to recognize him.

Then they disappeared, as if they were never there.

They reappeared in front of an yellow house with big crystal windows. It was very beautiful and extraordinary. The sun was shining happily in the blue sky. They were the only beings on this paved street. Lucky looked around and some of the buildings looked familiar.

"Are we in Canterlot?" he asked.

"Yes, months ago." he point at the gorgeous house. "This is where Rain Paint lives and she is currently alone. The artist is about to receive a very unexpected package."

The shadow handed over the red medallion. Lucky silently took it.

"She is the one, who started it all. The medallion will corrupt her mind and it will lead to the future events, in which you take part."

Lucky felt very guilty of being the cause of the artists' bad relationship. It felt so not right to do this but did the winged pony had any choice? He went to the door with the silver ornaments, which were shaped like hearts. The pegasus knocked a few times and placed the red crystal locket on the doorstep.

Immediately they disappeared from this timeline. The door opened and a charming unicorn with a ping long mane looked around. She was a little confused but when her eyes noticed the laying medallion, her heart pulse raised. It must have been her love, that left this beautiful bijou.

They materialized in a green field. The night was raising and the sun gracefully shined its last beams on the land of Equestria. Lucky admired the beautiful view, though only for a short moment. He remembered this place, the slow wind, the flowers, that teetered. The mountains stood tall and proud and behind them, the Capital prepared to sleep.

"We are here..." the shadow started.

"... to make myself into a worthless piece of meat for one year." Lucky interrupted him with a very dark voice. He looked up in the darkening sky. Two white pegasus were flying in the direction of the sunset. They seemed so young and full with energy. They were two good friends, that were going to have some good time in the confectionery. Their mouths were thirsty for some good cider. This night would mark the end of a long and tiresome week, if it wasn't the unavoidable tragedy.

"It's time for the final act." the shade prompted.

It was very hard for him to do this. He was actually dooming himself of an one year of misery.

"My life is not equal to the lives of the entire world!" he whispered.

"Oh, it is. If you return to Canterlot with your sight intact, later you'll die from the ninja's claws, when she tries to steal those apples. In a sense, you are saving your future plot."

Lucky took off his medallion and aimed it at his past self.

"I hope what I'm about to do is the right thing."

The shade silently nodded.

"Hey, over here, Lucky!" he shouted loudly.

The flying young pegasus heard something calling for him. He turned his head in the direction of the voice and then the green crystal flashed brighter than the sun. The flying pony experienced one of the worst pains in his life and quickly began falling to ground. He looked like an angel, who forgot how to wave his wings. His partner swiftly flew down to save him. The falling pony, barely escaped certain death. His friend caught him just in time and they slowly landed on the other side of the field.

The other guardian gently put his comrade, who was in total agony, on the fresh grass and looked at their direction. He noticed them and tantivy flew towards them.

"We need to get out of here now!" Lucky said to the shadow but it had disappeared.

When the incoming guardian got close enough, he recognized the attacker. He slowed down and stepped on the ground in front of Lucky, who looked like he saw a ghost.

"Lucky?" Metal Eye asked disbelievingly. Then he looked behind him and saw the body of his friend still laying on the other side of the field. The Guardian turned his head back but for his surprise, the pony had vanished into the thin air.

They went back to the future. They were now outside the temple, where the black dragon was finishing the last remain of the elite changelings. The general flew around the beast and fired yet another beam of magical energy at it. Again there was no effect on its thick skin and only angered it more. He dodged her hot fiery breaths but his body was too old for a fight like this and at one point he made a critical mistake.

Lucky was quite shocked by the devastation, this serpent was causing. He felt sorry for his partner. The entire filed in front of the temple was burning in purple flames. The small army was smashed and turned into cinder. Nature was still weeping but her tears weren't able to put out the fire.

The general fell down and wasn't able to stand up anymore. The dragon closed its head to him and looked in his fearless blue eyes. His brothers were melted and his dream shattered in pieces but he still wouldn't give up.

The general was breathing deeply. Sweat was falling from him.

"You damn dragon! You destroyed our future!" he looked at the illuminated in purple temple. "I should have listened to you, my dear number one. You were right but I was too foolish not to understand your wise words. May this cursed place rot to eternity!"

The dragon opened its mouth, revealing hundreds of big teeth and purple flames enveloped the general. He didn't scream. His charred body burned with bright light.

Though Lucky hated the changeling, he felt so heavy to see him perish in such a way. The shade only smiled evilly. The first phase of his plan was completed, now it was time for him to get moving to the next stage. He took the medallion off Lucky and hid it under its black body. The pegasus turned to him in surprised manner.

"You don't need that anymore. I'm gonna give you this apple, instead."

One of the tentacles pulled out the fruit from his chest and handed it to Lucky. The pegasus was perplexed.

"Believe me, you'll need this more than the medallion. Because you saved this world from Shadow Sun, I'm going to purge the demon inside you."

His white eyes flashed in red light and Lucky's demonic features disappeared under his body. The bloody claws moved inside his hooves, the teeth shrank and the spikes hid under his back. His eyes regained their brown color and intelligent look.

"Congratulations! Now you are a normal pegasus again. Although I can't remove those cyan feathers but I think they are quite charming on your wings."

There was a loud low-frequency sound, coming from the temple. The shadow looked at the light show and turned Lucky's head to the temple with his tentacle. Beams of colorful light pierced the massive structure and soon the temple vanished in a bright white light, that wrapped it fully. It left a flat earth surface, where the building used to be. The spectacle got the attention of the huge beast and it noticed the two standing pony figures.

"The gate is forever closed." the shadow looked at the dragon, which was silently approaching them from the burning field. "Now, I have to leave you, my little hero. You'll never see me again."

Lucky quickly shook his head to wake himself from this nightmare. His eyes stared at the she-dragon, which had only one intention.

"Wait, wait! What should I do with this apple?" he sounded a little scared.

"I think you'll figure it out on your own. She is your partner, after all! Have fun!" then his pony figure melted on the ground and quickly disappeared in the darkness.

Lucky turned his eyes at the big armored head in front of him. Its eyes pierced through his soul like blades. His heart began pumping faster and harder. A long sweat moved from his forehead to his cheek and felt on the wet ground. The raindrops were falling hard on his little white body. His hoof that held the apple began shaking, though he tried to stay still.

The big mouth opened and Lucky was able to see in great detail those razor sharp teeth. The big tongue moved a little back. The dragon exhaled toxic gases, that mixed with the air and instantly ignited. Lucky quickly flew upwards, barely escaping the purple flames. He gained speed and altitude. Only when he was high above ground and sure that the dragon wouldn't get him, the pony stopped in the air and looked below.

The she-dragon stared back and it was very unhappy that her pray escaped her. Lightnings sounded all around them and Lucky wished that he had his black suit for bad weathers. It was very risky to fly in this storm without protection but the ground was currently occupied.

"Think, Lucky, think! How do I change her back? Do I have to throw the apple at her? Or maybe put in her mouth? Crap, I got only one chance at this, so I should not blow it! At least I can stay here and carefully plan my attack."

Suddenly, a fireball flew from the dragon's mouth, aimed at him. He moved a bit to the side and the projectile missed him.

"Or maybe not!"

More flaming orbs flew at him and with each one, they got closer and closer to him. The she-dragon blenched the deadly projectiles like an artillery. Thankfully the pegasus was too small and fast for them.

"Alright, lets give her some juicy food. May Celestia guide my actions!" he said to himself, before making a sharp turn and flew downwards like a meteor. She continued the bombardment. The closer he got to her, the more harder it became to dodge the balls of doom. The beast grew in size in front of him but he didn't hesitate. His speed increased to drastic levels, that he created a wind behind him. The white pegasus was like a speeding bullet. Full determination and courage were holding him in this attacking vector, just like when he got his cutie mark.

Lucky aimed the apple forward. The she-dragon was about to fire another ball at him, when she felt the pegasus hitting the inner walls of her mouth. He bounced from the soft tissue and escaped the deadly trap without a scratch. He was successful in his attempt. The untouched apple was slowly moving to the belly of the beast.

Lucky fell on the mud just outside her head. He quickly jumped on his feet and look at her. The monster chocked, when it suddenly exhaled toxic gases from its nostrils, that got in his eyes. The unlucky pony closed them and fell on his knees. He cried out of pain, when the she-dragon roared mightily in the air. A bright light enveloped its enormous body and she began shrinking her size.

Everything went dark and in front of Lucky appeared Foxy, covered in black cloth. She unconsciously fell down with a splash in a puddle. The wing pony moaned loudly. If he could get rid of his eyes, he'd do it just to take away the hellish pain. Somehow he managed to stay above it and began groping the earth to look for his partner. He slowly rambled forward and when he touched the laying mare, he painfully smiled.

He dragged himself closer and lay back next to her for a few minutes. The storm slowly subsided, until it barely dripped. The cold tears calmed him and relieved his suffering. He was breathing slowly and deeply. It was all over. Finally he could get some real rest from this little adventure. He gently opened his eyes but the picture was still dark.

"Back to the black..." he said with a low voice. "At least, I saved everypony!"

Foxy's ears moved slightly. She opened her orange eyes and looked at her savior. Everything was blurry and confusing.

"Lucky..." she whispered. "...where are we?"

The pegasus began laughing though he was almost breathless.

"We are in the jungle."

"I'm sorry, if I..."

He gently placed his hoof in front of her mouth.

"It wasn't your fault! I forgive you."

Tail felt her pulse raising. Her cheeks flushed. One of the three padlocks on her outfit opened and silently fell on the ground, disappearing in little smoke.

"Thank you, Lucky."

"Hey, what are friends for? Although we will need to have a serious talk about the gutting-me-in-the-chest part. I'd rather not experience this again."

Foxy kept looking at his charming face. The warm feeling was growing exponentially but she didn't resist it.

"I've fulfilled my destiny, though payed the prize. Shadow Sun can't touch this world, which I'll never see again. At least, I gained a new friend from this adventure." he smiled.

The ninja felt guilty.

"Don't feel pity for me cause I'm just one ordinary pegasus. Luck has two sides like a coin and I've experienced them both. Now I want to experience peace and maybe some love." he sighed with relieve. "Let's return home!"

Foxy was silent and carefully listened to his every word. She understood him perfectly, as if they knew each other for years.

Tail slowly stood up and helped him to get on his hooves, when they heard the approach of waving wings. The ninja looked at the new pegasus, who was wearing a black suit and protective goggles. The wing pony was caring an old postal bag. The postmare was zigzagging in the air for no apparent reason.

"You've got mail! Uh, what stinks so badly?" she said, when she landed askew and almost fell in a big puddle.

The ninja looked surprised but Lucky was not so.

"How did you found us? From whom it is?" he asked.

"Well, the big fire gave your position and this is from Princess Celestia. Here."

She handed the letter to Lucky, who failed to grab it. Before the mail touched the wet ground, Foxy got it.

"Mister, you should work on your slow reflexes." the postmare said.

"Read it, please." Lucky asked his partner, who immediately open it.

To Lucky Eight

You are called back to Manehatten for a special mission, from which depends the future of Equestria. Your friend Metal Eye was onto leads that will reveal us the evil among our society. We lost contact with him, so you are our best hope of find him and bringing him back.

Equestria is forever grateful for your actions.

We await your return!

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna

"So my work is not over..." he said tiredly. "I guess, I can't back away from Her majesty's request. Foxy, will you join me in this new adventure?"

The ninja looked friendly at him.

"Only if you bring me the truck, full with apples, then yes."

"You have yourself a deal." Lucky smiled. Then he turned to the postillion. "One more thing! Do you also carry a pencil and a sheet of paper?"

"Of course, I do. Wouldn't be working in the Post Office, if I didn't have these all the time."

"Perfect. Could you write me a mail to Ms Rain Paint? You can use my back like a table."

"No problem!"

"So it goes: Dear Ms Paint.

I've found the source of your bad relation with Ms Rose. I've eliminated it and it will never bother you again. I know that you still feel a grudge against her but losing a close friend is like killing a part of yourself. I know it may be difficult to explain to her how her letter got in your hoof but I'm sure you'll find a way.

Also tell Ms Rose that fame and wealthy friends should not dictate how she spends her life and with whom. If she loves the pony in the jar so much, then she should pursue her happiness with him.

The last thing, tell her to send my payment in the Royal Guards Office in Manehatten."

"Is that all?" the postmare asked.

Lucky nodded.

"Now could you show us the way to nearest town?"

"Of course, follow me!" she put the wet letter in the bag and turned around.

"You are not thinking of flying in this bad weather, aren't you?" Foxy looked puzzled at him.

"That's exactly what I intend to do." Lucky answered with a smile. "Hop on my back and lets burn the sky!"

"Hope we don't crash." she sat on him and did her ninja magic to quickly loose weight.

The postmare jumped in the air, followed by Lucky. It was hard to wave his wet wings but with ninja's help, he managed to stay on coarse. The three ponies vanished in the darkness, leaving this ancient place for good. The fire continued burning for very long time, though was not able to destroy the jungle.

Somewhere among the stars. a being of unlimited power watched the events, that unfolded. She felt no anger, that Her plans for this world were ruined. There were other ways of getting inside it, though they'd take Her more time and She had plenty of it.

Episode 2: Chapter 17: Two Horned Problems

The sun was heading to the horizon, illuminating the city in bright orange-red. The shadows of the buildings were long and deep. Everypony was returning to their homes from work or were preparing for the sweet night. Everything seemed peaceful, except the one little unicorn. He was galloping in tears and barely saw the road in front of him. He tried not to cry but his feelings were just unstoppable.

His run echoed in the thick warm walls of the buildings but there was no pony on the street to comfort him. No pony heard his small cry, as if they all ignored him. Only the sun noticed his pain but its reign was to its end. The celestial body gave its last beams of light and then moved behind the forest of concrete and bricks.

His red mane sadly waved. On his flank, where his cutie mark of a red-orange flame was, there were multiple bruises. His hoof were covered with small wounds, though his sorrow was so great, he didn't feel any hurt.

The young unicorn made a turn and headed straight to an old building, which had yellow signs in front of it, that stated: "Warning! Demolition site!". The workers had returned to their homes, so it was completely empty. The filly stopped just outside it and looked at the locked wooden door. Tears were coming from his big blue eyes, though he was able to notice the shut windows. There was only one way to get inside it.

The filly closed his eyes, suddenly his horn produced a flash and he disappeared.

Sounds of approaching hooves sounded near. Around the corner appeared a brown small unicorn, who was little more chubby and taller, than the yellow one. From the look of his green eyes, a pony could tell, that he was worried. The youngster went in front of the old building and began shouting:

"Phoenix! Phoenix! Where are you? They didn't mean to be rude! Please, come out!"

The yellow pony was sobbing in a corner, next to a window. He remembered the little incident earlier this afternoon. Phoenix wanted to show the winged kids that he'd be able to fly with them high in the sky. He invented mechanical wings that were driven by magic and with the help of his friend Volts, he made his first test of this new machine. It was in front of a big crowd, every filly from the neighborhood was there to see his attempt to reach the blue skies. He had worked hard on this project day and night because it had to be perfect from the first try.

The pegasi from his school were skeptical and some even mocked on his newest creation. However, Phoenix wasn't bothered by their provocative words and kept focused on the task at hoof.

The weather was fine. There was some wind, which could be used to lift him up. The sun gave his blessing and waited to see his attempt before leaving the sky to its sister. Everypony held their breaths, when he began galloping with the steel wings on his back. His horn produced purple light that moved the wings. This was his time to shine. He had enough force for lift off, the wind was blowing in the right direction. The little unicorn jumped in the air and shrugged his legs. Now Phoenix relayed on his creation to gain more speed and altitude. The pegasi were astonished by the sight and many happily cheered for him. It made him feel good, he felt like a star. However, every star has a beginning and an end, his came very shortly.

Like a bad luck, one bolt broke because of the big strain, immobilizing his metal wings. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to wave them again. The unicorn and his invention quickly crashed into the ground. Lush laughter followed. His brown friend was the only, who ran to help him.

"An unicorn, who can fly, eh? More like, who fail perfectly." said one of the winged kids.

"Accept it, the pegasi are the true masters of the sky. You better stick to the ground, where you belong!" another one shouted at him.

"So, will I see you in Cloudsdale? Nope! Ha-ha!"

Their derisive voices stuck in his mind and that saddened him so deeply, that he wanted to run away.

"Don't listen to them." Ringing Volts calmed. "We only have to fix it and will show those pesky pegasi, who is right."

However, his words didn't get to Phoenix's ears and the later began galloping as far away as possible from here. His friend looked surprisingly at his dwindling figure and then went after him. He chased him through half of the city until the runner went inside the abundant building.

Now he was alone in the dark, crying and no friend of his could cheer him up. There was a knocking on the door.

"Please, don't feel bad about the fail test. Come out of there, it's not safe for you!" his friends worried voice still was not enough for him to even consider moving a leg.

"I'm a failure!" Phoenix shouted with torn from pain voice. "Everything, I've created, is an utter unsuccess!"

"No, your inventions are cool, though they break from the first few tests. Despite that, I think you are making progress with each attempt. With my help, we can make amazing gadgets, it's just that we are getting this bad luck lately."

"Leave me alone! I don't want to hear anything about our work!" Phoenix shrugged even more in his little corner.

"Fine! Have it your way!" the brown unicorn put his back on the door and sat. He was unhappy, that his friend would not listen to him. Maybe he needed some time alone to face his demons.

Everything became quiet. The shadows grew bigger and deeper, until they were the only thing around the yellow pony. The little creature didn't notice the danger around him, that isolated him from the rest of the world. The unicorn shivered from the sudden cold. Phoenix looked up, his pulse raised from the sight of the tall mare. There was a white aura around her body. Her candid eyes stared down on the little frightened pony.

She got closer and sat in front of him. He was frozen like a statue, though he tried his best to move at least one muscle. She silently lifted up her right front hoof and closed it to his eyes. The mare gently wiped his tears.

"Don't cry little pony." her soft voice comforted him. "You are my little prince."

"Who-who are you?" he anxiously asked.

"My name is Shadow Sun and yours?" she said calmly.

"My name is-is Phoenix's Just, though my friend calls me Phoenix. I don't mean to be rude, but are you a ghost?"

If she had a mouth, an evil smile would appear on her black face.

"I'm your guardian spirit. I'll protect you from all harms in this world." suddenly a red medallion, floating in the air, approached his face. "It will help you become the pony, you always dream to be. Take it, my prince. You will never feel pain again."

The red crystal began flashing in bright light, which hurt his eyes. He turned his head away but the locket instantly moved in front of him. He screamed out of fright but no sound came from his mouth.

The unicorn opened his blue eyes. He was sweating and breathing hardly. Phoenix was laying in his bed, facing the red ceiling. The white blanket was on the ground, probably fell, when he was having the nightmare. The big window with the yellow walleye showed that the morning beams were making their first charge in the night sky.

He sat on the side of his comfortable bed and stared the wooden floor. His straight red mane fell down on his left half of his face. His troubled and tired mind tried to take a hold of himself but with each time it was becoming harder. As if somepony had cursed him. The unicorn slowly got off the bed and with uncertain steps went to the bathroom, which was at the end of the long hallway. The corridor was painted in white. The floor was covered with a very expensive carpet, that was colored in bright blue. There were yellow triangles and circles on it through its entire length.

On his left, he had a good view on the street from the dozens of tall windows. The right side of the corridor was filled with marble busts of famous unicorns, who with one form or another had contributed to the today's scientific and magical progress. They looked loftily at the pony in front of them with cold eyes. The inventor deserved it cause he was yet to reach their heights and maybe even surpass everypony on this silent path to the bathroom.

Phoenix silently opened the door. The room was lined with black and white tiles. The bathtub was on the left, that was hidden behind a pink curtain. On the right was the sink and the toilet. He went in front of the mirror, that hanged on the wall above the wash basin. Phoenix stared in it. The yellow unicorn was dirty. Dark bags had formed below his big blue eyes. His mane was quite unkempt, though majority of it still had a straight shape.

"Sweat Celestia, I look terrible. Maybe I should get a shower."

He turned around to the bathtub and pulled the curtain. Phoenix spun the faucets for the hot and cold water. When it was filled almost entirely, he turned them to the opposite direction. Then without making much noise, the unicorn immersed himself in the comforting bath. Only his head stuck out from the water. It was much needed after working all night and barely having any sleep.

The pony wanted to relax but his mind couldn't find peace. Images from the nightmare still haunted him. He had the feeling that those two white eyes still stared him. However, there was no pony in the bathroom except him.

Ringing Volts was making some delicious sandwiches with fresh flowers, when his colleague entered the kitchen.

"Good-Morning, Phoenix. I didn't expect you to be up so early." said the brown pony, while making another one.

The yellow unicorn sat down on the round table, wetting his refined chair. His friend handed him the plate with his breakfast and looked surprisingly at his watery coat.

"Didn't manage to find the towel?" Volts friendly smiled. "Try my newest delicacy, I'm sure that it will give you strength. I just read the newspaper and it seems the weather in Canterlot got under control. We'll finally be able to see the new place, the one, Mr Wine told us about."

The yellow unicorn was sitting still and didn't give any signs of life. Little drops of water were falling from his mane to the surface of the fine table. Their short lives ended with a splash but their remains began forming a small puddle. Volts knew this dark look on his face. His friend was trying to understand something but it was far from his reach.

The brown unicorn sat on the opposite side with his breakfast in front of him. He took his sandwich with his two hooves and slowly closed it to his mouth. Volts took a bite and began chewing the ambrosial meal. He swallowed and then looked at his friend, whose breakfast was untouched.

"Would you mind telling me, what happened this night?" Volts asked calmly.

Suddenly, his blue eyes had sparks, which pulled him out from his thoughts. He blinked a few times and then noticed the red wood table. Phoenix didn't remember how he got here from the bathroom and confusion sneaked inside his mind.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying, dear Volts?"

"Did you work to late hours? I thought, that you went to bed, when I did."

Phoenix sighed.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went back to the laboratory. I don't know how long I stayed there."

Volts looked at him now with concerned green eyes.

"I told you that you work too hard. Yes, tomorrow is the big day but it's not worth to put yourself in such stress."

"Of course, Volts. I'm gonna listen to you this time and I will get in bed early."

He slowly took his sandwich and began taking little bites. His friend noticed that this wasn't all and asked with a bit more serious tone:

"The last time, you were in such a shape, was the day before our first meeting with the ninja ambassador. You had the same nightmare, didn't you?"

Phoenix looked at his mate with the eyes of a madpony. He felt uncomfortable by its mentioning but the truth had to be put on the table.

"Yes, I couldn't rest because of it. Although this time it was a bit different. The mysterious black mare actually revealed her name. Do you know who Shadow Sun might be?"

Volts thought for a second.

"Hm, I've never heard of anypony called like that. Could she be some kind of a prankster?"

Phoenix shook negatively.

"I don't think she is real. However, something is trying to deliver a massage, which I still don't get it. Interesting, how our lives changed after I found the red medallion in that old basement. Why would anypony leave it there? Why I dream about it all the time?"

"Some things are better left in the unknown." Volts smiled, although Phoenix couldn't break from the feeling, that something was very wrong.

He took another delicious bite from the sandwich but it tasted like nothing in his mouth. The yellow unicorn put his breakfast on the plate, slowly got off his wet chair and turned away.

"Are you not hungry?" Volts asked behind him.

"I lost my appetite. Please, put it in the fridge. I'll finish it later. Oh, you have some bits on your mustache."

He left the room silently and went upstairs. The sounds of his steps, echoed in the corridor. Volts worryingly looked after him for awhile. He was working none stop and that took a toll on his body and mind in a bad way. Maybe that's what the pony in his dream tried to tell him.

The magnificent yellow sun reached the highest peak of its steady climb in the blue sky. The city was full with life. Many ponies were going to have a nice picnic in the large green park, others were doing some work, which couldn't be left unattended. The colors were everywhere, this was a good day. Although one pony was not having much fun. He was sitting behind the desk, looking boringly at the front entrance. In the past five days nothing interesting happened. There was no work to be done. The mission, he participated in, was put to an hold and his hooves were tied to this bureau. The orders came from the highest possible place, from the white pony on the wall, who smiled friendly and at the same time inspired respect.

Half of her face was hidden behind her extra long rainbow mane. Her only visible purple eye looked at him in a mocking kind of way. No, the guardian must be mistaken cause the Princess would never do such a thing. Maybe it was his imagination playing tricks on him. He turned his sight to the opposite side of the room, where the portrait of Princess Luna was. Unlike her bright sister, she was dark blue and wore a dark crow, instead of a golden one. Her cyan eyes felt rather softer than the ones of the Princess of the Sun. Her blue mane had magical stars in it, which made her look even more beautiful and mystic.

It wasn't a secret, the younger ruler was his favorite. He always found comfort, while he admired on her grace. Then the green pegasus stared at the tall wooden door. He sighed heavily.

Suddenly, the gate opened and white light entered inside the reception. A grey pegasus appeared, waving her bright mane in the air. His red eyes couldn't believe that there was a pony on the other side of the room. She began walking in his direction, while holding in her mouth a medium sized package. He noticed the blue postal hat on her head. Was she delivering a message from the secret special somepony or was it the new promotion he hoped to get?

The postmare stood in front of his desk and curiously looked at him with her wacky eyes. He was confused by her yellow balls that seemed to impale his skin in two different places. They stared at each other for a minute, when the green pegasus couldn't take this pressure and shouted:

"Well? Are you gonna give it to me?"

"You don't look like the pegasus in the description. It said that you were supposed to be white, with a green mane." she said smilingly.

"We don't have a pony... wait a second. There was a pegasus, who matches your crude description. He was here six days ago. Is the pony you are looking for called Lucky Eight?"

"Yep, that's the one. Hm, when I think about it, I've actually met him in a jungle, south from Badlands."

He raised his eyebrow.

"You met him?" he closed his face to hers, so close in fact, that his blue curly mane touched her hairs. "Do you happen to know where he could be?"

"No. The last time I saw him was in a southern town." she backed a little, because he was really getting in her personal space.

"Well, he is not here, so what are you doing here?" the green pegasus leaned over the desk. He was looking very serious and threatening. "If you were a real postillion, then you might know, where he is and not look for him in the least expected place." he now was standing on the desk, staring angrily at her frighten eyes. "Maybe you are not a postmare but a spy?! That would explain your unexpected arrival and... Woa..."

He leaned forward so much that his legs lost their balance and the pegasus fell flat on his face. Little gold stars circled around his head, when the door opened. A tall, strong white unicorn approached them. He was wearing a golden armor, which made him look even bigger than he actually was.

"I bring a message from Her Highness, Princess Celestia. It's for you, Doggy Nose." then he turned to the grey pegasus and his serious look melted. The unicorn said smilingly: "Hey, Ditzy! Long time no see!"

"You know who she is?" Nose stood up and looked curiously at both.

"Of course, Ditzy Doo and I were classmates from the school in Ponyville. How is the work?"

"Fine, though he has some serious mental problems." she sulkily looked at the other pegasus. "Also, the address, I was given, is the one on your front door, so I'm not mistaken."

"Alright, alright. Take my apologies and please, give me the orders. You can stay here but we are not a hotel, got it?"

The unicorn handed the packaged letter and then with the postmare went to the seats, where they talked about their daily lives. Nose went behind his desk and after making sure no pony watched, he opened the thin package. He pulled the letter that bore the Royal Seal.

"The pegasus, who is called Lucky Eight, will be arriving in the Royal Guards Office in Manehatten. He must be told the details of the mission, code named "Bubbles"." he stopped reading.

"Since when we change the names of the missions?" then he accidentally spotted the cutie mark of the postmare. "No, can't be a coincidence!"

He continued reading.

"He is the candidate for the rescue mission of the agents. Help him with everything you have. Signed, the Commanders' HQ and Princess Celestia."

"So we first track his every move around Equestria, then we assign him to secret missions. Who is this pony and why is he so important?" Nose asked himself. "If only I can get to his files... Wait a moment, he was wearing a towel around his eyes. So, this pony is blind... I guess, the High Command were drunk, when they made their choice for candidate."

The sound of the door's opening immediately took his attention. Two ponies entered the reception. One was white, the other covered in black. The pegasus had closed his eyes, the other was staring at Nose. Her demonic eyes made him shiver for a moment.

"What a perfect timing." the Guardian thought.

Before they could make a step, Ditzy went in front of Lucky and put the package on the ground.

"Hello, again! You have a mail from Ms Rose."

"Thanks."

Then the grey pegasus turned to the sitting Guardian.

"I'm happy that we had a minute to talk but I've got a lot of letters to deliver. Hope to see you soon."

"Me too." said the unicorn.

The mailmare quickly went outside, almost bumping into the massive door.

The ninja took the package from the ground and felt its weight.

"I can safely say, that she paid you the right sum." then she placed it on her back, so that Foxy could move freely with all her four legs. "Although she could have forgotten about your reward."

"Yeah, you would do exactly that. However, ladies have their standards and don't sway from them." there was a very slight note of making fun of her.

"Good-Day, Mr Lucky and... who are you?" Nose approached the two

"Call me only the ninja."

"Ninja? Could she be a spy?" the pegasus said to himself, though he cleverly hid his thoughts behind a smile.

"Pleasant to meet you, Ms Ninja. You two look like you've come a long way from here. Would you like something refreshing?" his politeness even astonished the unicorn, who was watching them from his seat.

"I'd like a glass of cider." Lucky said.

"Apples!"

"Apples?" Nose raised an eyebrow.

"Believe me, when she wants apples, you better give them right away." then Lucky whispered: "You don't want to see her in a bad mood."

Nose's red eyes looked seriously at the pegaus. Was he making fun of him, the Guardian couldn't tell. Although there was something dark in his closed eyes, which made him a little uncomfortable.

"Right, I'll deliver what you want." then Nose turned to his colleague. "Will you show them the way to the meeting room. I have some things to show them there."

"The mission Princess Celestia wrote about in her letter?"

The green pegasus slowly turned around and annoyingly looked at him.

"Yes, we will speak about it, when we are in a safe room. You may never know, how many ears could be listening."

Then he silently went in the right hallway, that led to the small kitchen. The unicorn in golden armor stood up and steadily went for the left one.

"Follow me, please."

The two ponies went after him. Like the reception, the corridor's walls were painted in red and yellow, but the ceiling was colored in white. There were a lot of closed doors. There were no windows in the passage, so only three lamps had the duty to light it all day and night.

"Ears in here? He must be quite paranoid." Lucky broke the silence.

"Don't mind him. It's in his nature to be on guard." the unicorn said.

"Fo... I mean ninja, could you describe me how he looks? I want to picture him, when I talk with him."

"He is a green pegasus, with a blue curly mane, red eyes and has a dark mustache."

They got to the stairway. First was the white unicorn, followed by Foxy but Lucky stopped just in front of it. He knew that all Royal Guards Offices were constructed in the same way, so these stairs were the evil sisters of the ones in Canterlot, not that there were good ones. The pegasus was not eager to climb them, cause his mortal enemy was capable of many unfair tricks.

Suddenly, he noticed a hoof on his shoulder.

"I got you, in case you fall. Although I still don't understand your phobia of stairs." Foxy said.

"It's not fear, I feel."

"Then what is it? You have four legs, you can't get more stable than that." her eyes pointed earnestly at him.

"Four left legs." he sighed. "I'll be fine, I need no help."

"As you wish."

Then Tail went ahead. Lucky began slowly climbing the stairs, while doing his best to not injure himself. The three ponies got to the second floor and continued on the long hallway. The meeting room was the fifth door on the right side. The dark room was big enough to hold ten standing ponies. In the center, were a rectangular table and six chairs around it. There was a single window, that looked at the street. The blind was pulled down, so no light came from it.

The unicorn turned on the light bulb and invited them to move inside.

"Please, take a seat. Nose will be coming shortly." then he left.

The two ponies sat on the chairs next to each other and waited. Foxy had placed the package on the table, next to a small purple vase with two pink flowers in it. Lucky was very silent, which motivated her curiosity.

"Are you nervous?" Foxy asked.

"Maybe a little. For the past four days, I was thinking about Metal Eye. I hope he is alright." Lucky put his hooves on the table. "Have you felt edgy, when the life of your friend is hanging on a thin string?"

She kept staring the yellow wall.

"No." her answer struck him like a hammer.

"If you are done with your chit-chat, we can actually start talking about serious work." Nose entered the room with a plate. He served up the things, they asked for and quickly then shut the door.

"I'd like to hear everything from the start." Lucky said.

"Of course you will hear it but you wont see it. Although I'll show your partner the pictures, we took from our agents." he negligently threw a folder on the table and put the plate aside. Nose sat on the opposite side, so that he could look at both. "What I'm about to reveal is top secret information and mustn't be spread in the general public. Do you understand me?"

Lucky nodded but the ninja was like a statue, who gazed into Nose's soul. The pegasus was very serious about this matter.

"We got an hint from an anonymous pony, about an illegal work of certain inventors." he pulled out a black and white picture, on which were photographed two unicorns in exquisite suits. The photo was taken in a party months ago. "Their names are Phoenix's Just, the pony on the right and Ringing Volts, the one on the left."

"What are they working on?" Lucky asked.

"They are scientist, they work on everything, in which they see potential. The mission, on which agent Metal Eye, codenamed "Puppy", was assigned, was to determine, what exactly they were doing. Here, take a look of this."

"Agent Puppy? I bet, he didn't like the sound of that." Lucky thought.

He pulled out another photo from the green folder and tossed it at the ninja. It showed a steel medallion, with a little triangular shaped crystal in the center. It was hanging on a hanger. The picture seemed to have been taken from a low position.

"A bijou?"

Nose looked at her with his earnest eyes.

"Don't get fooled by its look. It may be a weapon for mass destruction."

"Didn't my friend tell you, what it is and its purpose?" Lucky asked.

Nose sighed heavily.

"We never got any word from him cause we magically turned him into a puppy, which we cleverly sold to them. There's a miniature camera that takes pictures in periods of time."

"Wow. So, how he sends them?" the white pegasus sounded a bit curious.

"Via the magical collar, he wears." Nose answered. "Surprisingly, the agent didn't take as many pictures as we predicted. This makes us to believe that Metal Eye was caught very shortly after his arrival on the operation site. Here's another one, which we find very interesting."

Tail took it in her hooves and carefully analyzed it. Suddenly, she froze, when her eyes spotted the familiar shaped crystal on a golden chain. It was put behind a showcase, on a small simple pedestal. Nose noticed how Foxy reacted to this photo.

"Anything wrong, Ms Ninja?"

She almost instantly returned to her emotionless state and looked at the green pegasus with the eyes of a demon.

"No."

"You are fooling yourself, ninja." Nose thought. "I bet you know exactly what it is. Let's play a little game."

"I also want to show you some pictures, taken from another operative. In them you'll see the two inventors meeting with ponies, who dress very strangely. We have no record about their identities. Even this agent got caught."

"Was he a defenseless puppy too?" Lucky sounded a little provocative.

Nose smiled, though not in the good kind of way.

"Well, you may say, he was short and maybe little too young for this job but he has a natural talent to be a spy. He actually volunteered for this mission."

Lucky didn't like the sound of that and didn't want to continue to where the conversation was heading. He grabbed the glass and began slowly drinking from the sweet liquid.

Nose pulled the three photos from the folder but he didn't pass them to Foxy. He wanted to make sure that her clothing matched the ones of the unidentified ponies.

"They look practically the same. Hm, so she must be one of them." the pegasus thought. "I want to see the look on your eyes, when you see this babies."

He handed the pictures to her and waited. Her orange eyes moved from one to another but didn't show any emotion at all.

"Oh, you are good. You've quickly learned to hide under your thick outfit but my watchful eyes see through your deception." he thought again.

"Who's on them, ninja?" Lucky asked after he finished with his drink.

"Ninjas from my clan." she said, while still looking at them. "When were these taken?"

"Exactly a week ago." Nose couldn't hold his delight that he was so close to break her deception. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is. That's when we arrived in Manehatten. I can't believe they'd show up so early and so far from their homes."

No detail escaped her sight. She was able to recognize one of the ponies, who seemed to be talking with the two inventors in a park.

"Any friends of yours?" Nose's smile grew bigger.

"They are her enemies." the blind pegasus broke into his moment and ruined it. "What are they doing here? What's their connection with the contrivers?"

"Wait a second, so she knows them. I'd like to know what their names are and from where they come from!" Nose demanded.

"I recognize only one: he is Number One, a very skilled ninja. He represents the will and the authority of the leader of my clan. He wouldn't meet the inventors, if it wasn't for a serious matter."

"Huh, so they mean business. Would you be kind enough to spill the truth?" he pointed at her.

"What truth?" she asked calmly.

"Don't pretend. I saw how you reacted to this photo! You know what this is." he closed the picture to her face. Despite the accusations, Tail stayed cool.

"I see only a beautiful ornament and nothing more."

"Liar!" he shouted.

Suddenly, Nose felt a hoof on his left shoulder. He looked at Lucky, who had leaped forward over the table. His face wasn't exactly happy.

"You don't talk to my partner like that. She told you the truth, so please stop making her the enemy. Let's continue in a peaceful manner." the pegasus sounded, as if he was about to jump on him. Lucky was showing strength, which he carefully hid under his bad condition.

"So be it." Nose admitted defeat, though it wasn't over yet. He calmed for a bit before continuing the briefing. "You see, something is going on there and the authorities can't figure out what exactly. We were preparing another mission, that will finally reveal with what we are dealing. I had to make a list of the best possible candidates for this, but for some reason the High Command has rejected it and chose you to participate in the rescue mission."

"Very interesting. It seems, that the only blind pegasus in Canterlot is the only solution to everypony's problems. Please, go on." Lucky put a hoof in front of his face and listened carefully.

"You have three tasks: find our missing operatives, learn the intentions of the inventors and get out with the evidence, without being noticed. Everything else will be covered by the Royal Guards."

"Do you have a plan in mind?" Foxy asked.

"In matter of fact, I do." Nose smirked. "Tomorrow the inventors are going to have a presentation in their house. They will showcase to an influential audience the latest gadgets and creations they've made. Famous ponies from all over Equestria are going to be there. Two trustworthy Guardians will be attending the event. They'll act like a decoy and will not help you, when you are in trouble. The Royal Guards must look clean and not responsible for the espionage."

"Hm, what do you think, ninja?"

She looked not very excited for this, although her mind had already thought out the possible outcomes.

"We'll do it." she sounded confident enough to convince him.

"From now on, you are the new rising couple from Canterlot, who seeks a good place to live in Manehatten."

"Wait a second, are we actually going to the event?" Lucky sounded very surprised.

"That's the plan." Doggy nodded. "The two unicorns chose wisely their home. It's like a small fortress with only one entrance." he tossed a detail blueprint of the building and the ninja took a good look at it. "When you are inside, you'll hide among the crowd and when the moment is right, you'll begin the part of your assignment."

"Can't we just teleport inside?"

"Nope. The building is covered with a material, which prevents magic from entering or exiting it. This a standard procedure with magical laboratories to prevent dangerous theurgic bursts from damaging the surrounding area and injuring anypony in the vicinity of the building."

"And we can't break in from a window cause they'll learn that somepony tried to spy on them. In this case, I'll have to take a shower and buy myself an elegant suit." Lucky thought out loud.

Nose looked at the black pony, who gave him the emotionless stare.

"You too will need to be dressed appropriately. I'm little eager to see how you look underneath your outfit." his voice was a little defiant, which irritated her.

"In your dreams." she said coldly.

Before this would turn into another battle, Lucky swiftly stepped between them.

"She will be okay with her current cloths. We can make the excuse, that she is suffering from a skin disease. The main problem will be the acting. We don't sound and look like two love birds."

"Yeah and I don't do admirable giggles." the ninja darkly said.

"Well, improvise then. Or maybe you should start practicing right now."

"No, the best way will be, if we show ourselves as who we actually are. We'll look and sound believable and won't be noticed by them." Lucky suggestion was to her liking. Foxy never trained to be an actor but to be a professional assassin, who's actions were ending with blades in somepony's throat and not with pretty lies.

The Guardian sighed heavily, admitting yet another defeat.

"Alright, do it as you see fit. However, I want to see good results tomorrow. Don't blew it." he sounded a little annoyed. His red eyes turned to the round clock, it was long past lunch. "Do you have anywhere to rest until tomorrow?"

"No, we don't, though we can go to a hotel." Lucky said.

"Forget about the hotels." Nosed waved negatively his right hoof. "You need to stay hidden until the event. My place is free at the moment. It may be small but has a bathroom and a kitchen. The apartment is just around the corner. Number nineteen, the green building. The key is under the round carpet."

The ninja looked at Lucky, who was thinking at the moment.

"Fine, we'll stay at your place."

"Good! If you don't have any questions, I'd want to have a talk with your ninja partner, alone." Nose earnest eyes pierced her, though Foxy looked like she didn't give two bits.

"I have a question. Why can't you just storm the buildings with ten Guardians and reveal the truth behind their work?"

"If we do that, the general public will see it like an oppressive move by the Government and Princess Celestia. Their authorities and their respect will be undermined severely." Nose looked at the door, reassuring himself that it was shut and then said quietly. "I've heard someponies joking that the Princess is the perfect tyrant and I'd like them to only remain as jokes."

"I see." Lucky stood up from his chair. "If that's all, we'll be leaving."

"Actually, no! Only you will leave this room. The ninja must answer some questions."

Lucky silently turned to Foxy and asked:

"Ninja, do you want to be interrogated like a low-life thief?"

"No."

"You head her. We better get going."

"Hey!" Doggy said indignantly. He also got off his chair and went around the table. "She knows a lot about them. Every bit of information is crucial for the success of this mission."

"Leave her alone or I'll call the Guard, who is waiting outside."

"What? He must be lying." Nose thought.

Suddenly the door opened and the unicorn from earlier entered inside.

"No way! The room has sound isolation, how did he noticed him?" Nose asked himself.

"I hope, I'm not interrupting." the strong pony went in front of the green pegasus. "We just received news from Her Majesty. She'll be arriving in Manehatten to meet diplomats from a distant country."

Nose leaned his head to the right to check on the two civilians but they were gone. Somehow they had silently got out of the room, without being noticed. Then he looked at the table. The package and two apples were also missing. There were no sounds coming from the hallway.

"So, she is an unicorn, hm. What are they hiding?" he asked himself. "Unfortunately for me, this news will bring only work and that means, I'll have to stay here all night. Huh, so close but so far!"

They reappeared with black smoke on the street, outside the tall Office. The ponies seemed not to notice them and carried on to their duties. Foxy turned to Lucky. She didn't seem very happy.

"I can defend myself. There was no need for you to..."

"I sensed the darkness in your voice. You were going to jump on his plot." Lucky clenched his teeth and closed his face to hers. "I don't want you to cause incidents in there."

Some ponies tuned ears to their little passionate conversation and Foxy noticed that. She gently grabbed his right hoof and prompted him to move alongside her. When they got far away from anypony to hear them, she stopped and turned back to him.

"Yes, you are right. I wanted to punch him in the nose. Although why you defend me from him?"

He smiled.

"Cause I know about your dark past. I protected him from your mighty punches but I mostly did to save you from the pain, which the interrogation would bring."

She looked away because of the little embarrassing feeling, that began crawling in her hearth. In the past few days, Tail got to know him a lot better and with that an unknown sensation was starting to grow in her. However, Foxy furiously tried to not acknowledge its existence. This kingdom, this beautiful place, where emotions were literally in the air, had poisoned her cold soul, which she needed to survive in the grey world of the clans. For one pony to become a ninja, he or she had to know death at first hoof and stay mentally intact. By attempting to remove emotion in the young ponies, the clanners aimed to produce the deadliest weapons on this world. However, even their finest warriors were not immune to feelings.

Now, she was beginning to have strange little impulses, when he stands in front of her demonic eyes. They scared her. Foxy was slowly but gloriously losing her icy way.

"Foxy, are you worried that the ponies from your clan are so close?" he asked with a low voice.

She turned her head to him. Her eyes showed no fright, only determination to hit the life in the cheek.

"No, they don't stand on the way of this mission. They are probably back in their territory. It's not in their nature to overstay near a foreign major city. After hearing everything, are you worried about the whole thing?"

Lucky looked at the ground.

"I am. I have no idea how we are going to accomplish the mission. However, Princess Celestia believes we can do it, so we will."

"I wasn't mentioned in the message, so..."

"Yeah, but without you, I'd be still kicking pebbles and cursing my fate in Canterlot." he interrupted her. "You've given back my life and saved me many times. For that I'm forever grateful."

Tail smiled and somehow Lucky noticed that, as if their souls were magically linked. The pegasus face was friendly looking again, though a little dirty from the long trip.

"By the way, what did you see in that photo?"

"I'll tell you, when we get inside the Guardian's apartment. You know, too many ears could be listening at the moment."

"Well, then Ms Spy lets get to the safe house!"

The two disappeared behind the corner, heading straight for the green residential building with the small garden, that was in front of it.

Meanwhile, in a forest, far away...

Two ponies in black outfits appeared from behind the bush. One was taller but both were equally strong-looking. They were holding in their mouth two long blades. Their brown eyes carefully scanned the area for the intruder. This place was forbidden and only few ponies could pass through this section of the forest.

"Where did he go?" the pony on the left asked quietly.

"He was just in front of us. I smell trickery!" the right one sounded tougher for his shorter figure.

There were only green trees and grass. No pony was in sight.

"Fascinating plots, you two have!" the dark voice came from behind.

They almost instantly turned around to face the violator of this secret place. In front of them stood a pony, who was wearing a distinguishable white outfit. His blue eyes were full with madness, which he controlled with a strong hoof. He was not in an attacking pose, despite the fact, that the two black ninjas aimed their swords at him.

"White Shadow!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

The calm master ninja stared at them like a demon.

"Look, that's the handle of the Legendary Clawed Sword!" the pony on the right noticed.

"So, Dragon Born has met her master. Everypony from her clan wondered about her ultimate fate." an evil smile appeared on his face. "Our luck shines on us. We are going to become legendary, after we are done with you! What would you say, brother?"

"We'll become double legendary. I like the sound of that!" the right one answered.

"Why are you facing in the wrong direction?" Blue said behind them.

The two ponies didn't move cause they felt the sharp tentacles, pressing on their necks. While they were having they dreamy talk, the skilled ninja moved behind them without being noticed. He got them by the balls.

"Crap!" the one on the left tried to look behind but was too scared to move.

"Brother, I think we are in a bad situation!"

"You sure are! Now, who wanted to kill me?" Circle pressed a little more into their flesh. "You two must be new. Although its not common for the guardians of the portal to put their inexperienced in charge of the guard-duty. From the look of your swords, you two must be from clan Tiger. That will also explain, why you can't keep your mouths shut."

"Please, we didn't mean to disrespect, master ninja! We were just testing you, isn't that right, bro?"

"Ye-Yeah! What he said!" the one on the right looked like he was about to shit himself from fear.

"Test? I love tests! I've always wondered how long a pony can stand on his legs, when his throat is cut. Would you like to participate?" his voice sounded so crazy and dark, that they only prayed for a quick death. "Now, when I have you under my control, I'd like you to lead me to your leader. I have important information for him, that concerns the entire ninja world. If you are good ponies, I'll let you go to your mommies. Understood?"

"Y-yes, sir!" they answered.

"A friendly tip, never challenge a master ninja again, if you want to live to see your children's fillies."

He removed the tentacles from their necks and lordly ordered:

"Move!"

Chapter 18: The Afternoon Was Hot

The brown unicorn went upstairs and through the long hallway. His friend was working for five hours straight and that wasn't very healthy for him. He only wanted to check on him and remind him, that it was time for a break.

Volts stopped just outside the door in the middle. He used a blue spell, which magically unlocked it. The pony grabbed the handle, pulled and then entered in the bright laboratory. It had a lot of free space. Closets and tables were put next to the white walls. The shelves were full with scientific and magic books. Tubes with green and red liquid were lined on the smooth surfaces of the masses. Scientific instruments were carefully placed next to the big beakers, which some of them were clean but others were filled with blue and yellow substances.

On the other side of the room, there was another door, that was left wide open. His friend should be in the lower section of the laboratory. Volts hoofsteps sounded on the white tiles. Behind the door there was a metal caracole. The unicorn began climbing down. He entered in a bigger two story room. It was filled with many wondrous mechanical creations. An aerodynamic machine with long metal wings was hanging from the ceiling, a bulky iron beast on tracks was sitting silently in the center. The two faced an enormous door, which was firmly closed with three big padlocks.

There were machines with a rectangular shape at the back, that had many colorful buttons. Metal rods were coming from their small bodies like trees. They ended with black pointed arrows. Next to them, there were two tables, which were crowded with instruments and little gadgets. An old lamp stuck out above the mess.

Right from them, a white pegasus was hanging on the red wall. His legs were chained. He looked like his body was put through a very painful torture. Metal Eye seemed lifeless. Next to him, a little pony was imprisoned in a silver cell. The purple filly was frightened by the monstrosity, who was in front of the shelves.

"What have you done?" Volts asked with disgust. He slowly approached him. His green eyes didn't sway from his dark figure and only confusion was readable from them.

The yellow unicorn was silent and continued searching for a part to modify his electric gun. It had a shape of a bracelet, that was gripping onto his right leg. Two capacitors were connected to the sides and in the middle, there was a black painted metal stick, that ended with a copper ball.

"Phoenix!" Volts stood behind him. He was really worried and little scared.

The unicorn slowly turned his head to him. Only his right blue eye stared back at Volts. There was only insanity coming from it. His brown friend felt, as if something inside Phoenix had taken his body.

"Phoenix, what's wrong?! What happened to you?" the mustached pony stepped closer to him.

A very dark smile appeared on his yellow face.

"I tested my latest creation. It works as intended!" his voice was like a sword that pierced Volt's heart.

The brown unicorn looked at the tormented pegasus. His white coat had multiple black spots, probably that's, where Phoenix used his new weapon. His green eyes turned to the filly, who was shaking out of fear.

"He will be fine. I have more interesting ideas, that I can experiment on him, so I need him alive for now." Phoenix sounded like a demon.

"Are you mad?" his green eyes couldn't believe, what he was seeing. "He may be a spy, but that doesn't mean you can treat him like a soulless object."

Phoenix turned around. The left half of his face was hidden behind the red straight mane. There were no signs of his previous sanity, only madness.

"The experiment was a great success, my dear Volts. I learned, that it takes only ten powerful electrical shocks for a pony to faint. That's not enough, so I need to tweak it a bit to make them fifteen."

"What's wrong with you!" Volts placed his hooves on his shoulders and stared at his little blue insane eye.

"I've also learned, that I enjoyed every moment from the test. I was swimming in ecstasy! It was so good!" he said, while smiling insanely.

Volts had enough of this and tried not to listen to his fiendish crazy words. He began shaking him.

"Phoenix, wake up! That's not you!"

The yellow pony didn't resist the strong shaking. The devil inside him only laughed, though it was time for it to return the control to the real pony. Suddenly, the darkness disappear from his eyes the way it came in the first place. Phoenix blinked twice and now noticed, where he was.

"Stop shaking me! Uh, my head." the unicorn closed a hoof to his forehead. Then he saw the attached gun on it. "What is this?"

His confused eyes carefully moved from detail to detail of his newest creation. Volts removed his legs from him and looked at him suspiciously.

"You don't remember?" he asked disbelievingly.

The headache was getting bigger by the second and it was very hard for him to concentrate.

"I-I don't... How I got here?" he looked very anxious. "I was going back to bed but now I'm here..."

He looked frantically around, noticing some instruments laying on the ground and the unconscious pegsus. His blue mane with purple strips was sadly hanging down. The young pony in the silver cage was staring him, as if he was some kind of a ghost.

Phoenix slowly removed the bracelet from his hoof. The weapon fell down on the cold floor, the sound of the impact echoed in the big room. The pain in his head increased again. He was beginning to feel dizzy and not very well.

"You don't look so good. Maybe we should postpone the presentation until you get better."

"No, we mustn't! I'll get to bed early. Would you help me get there?" Phoenix looked at his partner with innocent eyes.

"Yes, of course." Volts grabbed his hoof and helped him move to the stairway.

Suddenly, his ill friend stopped. His gaze was directed at the showcase, where the red crystal medallion was. It was calling for him. Volts looked at his partner's hypnotized face and then at the shiny medallion.

"Would you bring it to me?" Phoenix quietly asked.

"You don't need it. You'd better rest and not think about anything else."

"Please, Volts." he sounded so weak, which worried his friend a lot.

The brown unicorn was not fond of this idea but he would do anything to make him feel better. They began climbing the stairs under the watchful eyes of the young pony. He heard and saw everything.

Near the Guards Office...

There was a snap from the lock and the door opened. They entered inside in what looked like a big apartment. It was very well furnished. The living room was painted in bright orange. The floor was colored in bright brown. It had a good view of the city because of the four big windows. A short wooden table was placed in front of the yellow sofa. There were shelves with books on each wall. Most of them were detective stories, though there were a few romantic ones. A round clock was facing the windows from the opposite side.

The two checked the entire flat and discovered that one room was closed, probably Nose's bedroom. The kitchen was quite wide and had enough fresh food for three days. The bathroom had a nice bathtub and like the rest of this place was kept clean and orderly. The only guest room had one bed and a small closet.

"That's small? My apartment is the definition of small!" Lucky admired the feeling of freedom, this place gave him.

The ninja put the package on the bed and took out the two apples from her hidden pocket. She pulled down her mouth mask, sat down on the bed and began taking bites of the delicious fruits.

Lucky lay down next to her, facing the pink chandelier. The bed was very comfortable. His back was tired from the rough ground, on which they slept for the duration of their trip back to Manehatten and the softness of the bunk was something, he almost forgot.

"So, are you gonna tell me, what you saw in the picture?"

She swallowed and then looked at him.

"I saw a medallion similar to the one, we recently had."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the red locket?" he sounded a little worried.

"Yep."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. Lucky had an insight, which didn't make him very cheerful.

"So, that's why Princess Celestia wants us in this mission. Does it mean, that the prophecy is not fulfilled yet?"

This question stuck in his head like bitter honey. Its answer was shrouded by the darkness, that was still plotting against this peaceful world. Lucky had a feeling, that their fates will cross again with the Black Princess. He felt very uneasy by the thought of it.

"Didn't the shade tell you exactly the opposite?" Foxy became suspicious.

"Yeah, even the Princess congratulated me on saving the world. Maybe this was just a step in fulfilling the prophecy? If that's so, we are still in grave danger!"

Lucky reluctantly jumped off the bed in the direction of the door. He had a look of a pony, who had a job to finish and would not rest until its completion.

"I hope, you are not going on a personal mission." Foxy said behind him, before taking another awesome bite. She seemed so carefree but inside her, the skilful ninja was worried about the future.

"I'm going on a personal mission to clean myself from the dirt." his sounded a bit serious.

"Do you know the way or do you need a guide?" she asked, when he was at the door.

"I've memorized the entire apartment, so I'll be fine." then Lucky entered the living room, turned right and went to the bathroom. This flat was quite in his liking. There was a lot more room and it had everything a pony would need, unlike his unkempt one.

The bathroom walls and floor were beautifully tiled with pink and green plates, that gave the feeling of freshness. To the left of the door was the elegant porcelain sink, on the right was the clean toilet. The bathtub was lying in the center of the room. With steady steps, he approached it. His right hoof touched the faucets for the hot and cold water. The crystal clean stream began filling the empty volume with the warm mix. The pegasus silently waited a few minutes, before closing the taps. The water level was satisfactory, so he carefully went in the bathtub.

His head was sticking out over the warm surface. His green tail playfully floated in the water like seagrass. His tired hooves and shoulders finally got the break, they deserved. All his senses were pleased. It felt so relaxing, that he quickly forgot about the rest of the world.

"Nothing like a peaceful bath!" Lucky calmly noted and gave himself completely to the moment.

Out of a sudden, the galloping hooves sounded near but before the pegasus could react, a pony jumped on his tail. The ponyball perfused the walls and Lucky's face with warm water.

"Foxy, what the heck?!" the pegasus looked quite annoyed by her act. His mane stuck to his head like an octopus, covering a big portion of his face and giving him a very funny look.

"I want to take a bath too and your time is up!" she grabbed him and lifted him up in the air without much trouble. Water was falling down onto her from his wet fur like a waterfall. Foxy had an evil look, coming from her eyes.

"Hey, hey! I've just entered." Lucky protested and waved his wet hooves in the air.

"Too bad for you!" then Foxy threw him on the tiled floor. He fell on his plot, which softened the impact. The pegasus was able to quickly get on his hooves and return to the bathtub.

The ninja lay down in the warm water and closed her eyes. It felt really good. When Lucky approached her, Foxy lifted her left hoof in front of his face to stop him.

"Get out, I was first!" his angry voice didn't scare her a bit. Tail took a deep breath and relaxed. The water moved through the clothing, as if it didn't existed and somehow, her outfit stayed dry. Foxy happily began losing herself in this heavenly bath.

"Who said so? Yeah, the blind pony." she smiled under her black mask.

"So, we are going this far?" he smiled too but in an dark kind of way. "Are you having a bath with your cloths still on you? It would be interesting to see how you are going to use the soap to clean yourself." Lucky tried to sound as much provocative as he could.

"Exactly, you will not see it and my outfit is magical, so no problems here." she sounded like the absolute ruler of the bathtub and no matter how many attacks the pegasus would send, there was no way of getting her out of the pleasant water.

Lucky needed a change of strategy. He couldn't beat her with brute force, so it was time for some acting.

The pegasus backed away from her hoof's reach and suddenly looked sadly at the pink-green floor.

"Alright, I'll let you be first. You know, cause we are friends, right?" then Lucky slowly lifted up his moist head and his brown dead eyes stared at her. Foxy leisurely turned her sight to him. She seemed not affected by his cute face, although the little feeling was again tickled her heart.

"Mind tricks don't work on me." she said coldly.

Lucky sighed and then began turning around, when Foxy friendly said:

"There's enough space for two, so you can come."

Lucky brightened and quickly went back to the bathtub. Although he hesitated a little before jumping inside it, the pegasus was soon in the warm water. They were silently facing each other from the opposite ends. Their tails intertwined in the middle like their dark fates. Then they slowly began fully enjoying the bathing and each other's company. They looked like two fillies, who played innocently in the water, unaware of the deep feelings, that were growing with each moment. The two needed some care and love, cause both were children of pain.

Meanwhile...

The three ponies got close to the secret camp. Blue Circle could see the smoke, coming from the campfires, when they were met by two ninjas, who stood on their way. They seemed more experience than the two brothers.

"White Shadow." the one on the right said. He was wearing an eyepatch on the left eye. Multiple kunais were hanging from his blue outfit, making him look very threatening.

"You were told to never contact us again." the left pony had a big sword on his back. His pink eyes were cold and had seen a lot of fights. These guardians were not afraid to fight or die.

Blue Circle pushed the brothers forward and they went behind their comrades like two little sad puppies.

"I bring evidence, which will tip the balance of the ninja world. One of the other leaders has committed a crime against one of our sacred laws." his voice was serious, though his eyes had the spark of insanity. The two ninja looked thoughtful for a few moments.

"Where is the evidence?" the pony on the right asked. His only green eye watched the shadow ninja's every move, preparing for an expected strike. They knew that he was capable of nasty tricks and they had to be cautious with him.

Circle carefully took out a letter from his hidden pocket. He handed it with no unnecessary movement, cause the two warriors needed only little provocation to cut his throat in a split second. However, the master ninja was still on guard and constantly scanned for hidden dangers.

"Give it to me!" the two-eyed pony ordered. He didn't remove his sight from the calm white ninja. Madness was still readable on those blue eyes and the guardian knew better to always expect the worst from pony like him. The letter was in his hoof and then his eyes began moving on the text. It took him ten seconds flat to read through all of it and by the end, the ninja was looking quite shocked.

"What is it?" his partner asked with little note of concern in his voice.

"How in the names of the first warriors did we miss all that?!" the blue ninja carefully hid the letter under his outfit and stepped aside. "White Shadow, come with us. Our leader will talk with you."

Circle nodded and silently went forward in the direction of the camp. The other ponies moved alongside him in a defensive formation.

These parts of the woods were ancient and cold. They were in the middle of the mountain. Only grass and pine trees grew in this high places.The sun was seemingly closer but its beams weren't cuddlier. The camp was located near a big cave. There were a lot of grey tents, placed in sections. The ones, closer to the center, were the resting places of the more experienced ninjas and veterans. The old war ponies needed to be near, when they had to protect their leader, who's tent was in the middle of the camp.

When they entered the bearing, at first, it seemed deserted but the closer they got to the middle, the more ninjas appeared. They all were sitting around the campfires, the ponies were gloomy and grumpy. The young ones, who noticed the new guest, immediately tried to stand up, but they were stopped by their older comrades. Circle saw a lot of pain in their eyes and sensed the little flame of revenge, that was burning Inside their souls. Everything was oddly quiet, no pony was telling interesting stories or joked to relief the stress. They were like ghosts, whose bodies still remained in the realm of the living.

The last time Circle was here, the Guardians of the Portal were one big friendly family, which consisted of ninjas from all the clans. They were carefully chosen to be the next Guardians, who do not partake in the constant rivalry and in the occasional wars their clans had. They'd forever stay neutral and guard the only entrance to the Clans' island.

Although they were taken in youthful age by the Guardians, the fillies quickly found friends in the camp and became attached to this new environment. Young and old lived together, getting experience from one another and turning this group into an united living force, that had no equal.

They arrived in front of the leader's tent, which was the same as the other ones. Three pink ponies were sitting next to a campfire outside it. They looked quite old. One of them had white hairs, the others still maintained their black manes. Their dark cloths had gold strips, that showed respect to the pony, who was waring it. On each shoulder, they had the marks of the Guardians. Its shape was a white shield, from which two black eyes stared.

The pony in the middle turned his brown eyes to the new guest and greeted:

"Good-Day, White Shadow. I was hoping to see you someday, before my final breath in this world."

"May the spirits of the warriors guide you through your journey!" Circle answered in a ceremonial way. "The last time we saw each other, you claimed that you never wanted to see me again, what changed? Why is the camp so... dead?"

"Disaster happened." his brown eyes became colder. "The Guardians of the Portal took a big hit in the plot."

"Somepony attacked you? Who?" Circle was surprised. In the long history of these protectors, there wasn't a single moment, in which they were defeated. All the clans respected their duty and didn't think of them as another faction. However, there were some individuals, who wanted to test their might against them or only use the passage, which was forbidden.

"He came out from the shadows. In my long years, I haven't seen such precise movement. He was one with his Shadow Sun techniques." his voice was deep.

"He is one of my own? When this happened?" Circle came closer and sat against the old ninja. Their eyes met above the hot fire. The flames played like fillies over the blackened woods.

"No, he wasn't one of yours. I sensed only emptiness in his soul. He was a ghost, whose rage we felt on our heads. We fought him hard, we fought him well but in the end he walked away without a scratch. This happened four days ago."

"I know about many ponies, who came at your doorsteps to challenge you. They all made their names as losers, who now sing the dead songs. Didn't he tell his second name?" Circle was very intrigued by this mysterious attacker.

"He was a silent ghost, he needed no names. So many of us perished, young and experienced, they all did their best but the shadow was unstoppable. The most painful thing was to see my disciples doing one of the most fascinating attacks and actually hitting his black coat. However, their attempts were futile because no blood came from those cuts. The weapons moved through him, as if his body was made out of air. My warriors perished knowing that they failed for reasons, that I still don't understand."

When the teacher spoke about the tragedy, his voice was feeling so heavy. His eye bags were darkening with each image of the lost battle. The fallen ones were a big part of the family, which his ancestors created centuries ago. Everypony in the camp lost friends and they all felt the sorrow in the old master's heart.

"Shadow pony, who can't be killed by ordinary weapons. Hm, sounds very familiar. Why would the Jester almost destroy the keepers? What's his purpose of coming here?" Circle asked himself.

"Master Triple Spirit, I think, I know who did this to you." everypony around him was astonished by the claim, except the old pony, who remained calm. "You know him as the Jester of Flame. Somehow his spirit lives on and he is connected with the Shadow Sun Prophecy."

"Darkness surrounds the green, nowhere to turn. The sun will shine on the dead, cyan feathers will blow the wind. Disasters and chaos await for Her powerful hooves. No escape from death, we know our hour has come, when the white pegasus appears from the clouds. Everything turns around, the hunter becomes the hunted, the victims become the killers. The white demon will save us in the name of the greatest pain, though he himself will become the slave." Triple Spirit perfectly quoted with closed eyes. Then he looked straight at Circle. "There are a lot of prophecies and most of them are just fairy tales."

"Shadow Sun is real. I saw fraction of Her power unleashed on the Equestrian towns. I learned that the Jester used to be under Her will but somehow escaped from Her shackles. Now he is working against Her, but for what reasons, I do not know." then Circle turned to the pony with the huge sword and ordered: "Show him the letter."

The blue ninja quickly stepped forward and handed it. Master Triple took a look at it and his brown eyes didn't like the things, that were written in the letter.

"Clan Dragon Claw was busy for the past few years and they've broken one of the most important rules: to never seek a foreign help. They never used the portal to get on this mainland."

"By sea?" the one-eyed ninja suggested.

"We would have spot their harbor and the ship. The island is far in the ocean, so they'll need a big vessel, which is very tough to hide." the blue ninja said.

The old master looked at the fire and thought.

"By air." Blue Circle said quietly. "They must have constructed some sort of air balloon, that is capable of crossing huge distances. In the day, they can hide it inside a building and in the night, they can prepare it for flight fairly quickly and without anypony noticing."

"Hm, I never expected the Dragon clan to be so keen on technology, though I don't see how this is connected with the Prophecy. What does terraforming even mean?"

"In the message they say that they monitor the events in the Equestrian Kingdom and they mention about a mystical shadow, that they tried to make contact with. That means, that they know about the arrival of the Dark Princess. While I was in Equestria, I learned a lot about their magic and technologies. Terraforming is a term used for deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of an hostile environment to our needs. The two inventors, that are mentioned, are asked to create machines, that can terraform entire islands in matter of days."

"Can these machines change entire ecosystem in a bad way?" the old one look questioningly at Circle.

"Yes."

Triple frowned from this answer. Not only did the Clan Dragon Claw committed crime against their highest laws, they also were going to destroy their rivals in unfair fight.

"The two Equestrian inventors were also asked to create magical necklaces, which give them control over a shadow, that is capable of killing and dealing huge damage. The range of the spell is quite big and the pony, who uses it, can stay in a safe place, while the minion is doing all the work. I've seen it in action against one of the best ninjas and the picture was not pleasant."

The master's brown eyes looked at the sword, he was holding in his scabbard. He immediately recognized, to whom it belonged to and made him wonder, if Blue had taken it from her dead body.

"Was this ninja called Dragon Born?" he asked in a serious manner.

"Yes." Circle calmly said. "Although, I didn't kill her to take her sword, nor did I steal it from her. Foxy and a pegasus are destined to stop Shadow Sun and I'd never get in their way. They were the ones, who fought the shadow, that was controlled by Number One. They almost died by its tentacles."

"Then from where you got her sword?"

"From the Jester, who stole it from the Equestrian authorities. Look, the danger of Shadow Sun is very real and I'm certain that the leader of the Dragon Claw is aware of it. His actions speak for themselves. He is going to destroy the other clans and from there, he may bring the flames of war to the other kingdoms, who are unaware of our little conflict. I firmly believe, that he is corrupted by Her. Think about the Great War and this letter. It's a master plan in motion and its only goal is chaos and destruction."

"Interesting story but this is just a speculation on your part." the sensei said with disbelieve in his voice. He was looking very earnest. "I do not believe in the Prophecy but Clan Dragon Claw has to be punished for their cowardly actions. If those machines are to be used for harming others, hundreds of thousands of ponies will die without a chance. Until I'm alive, I'll never let such a thing to happen!"

Then his watchful sight turned to the blue ninja, who was standing behind Circle.

"Razor, notify the others, that were are going to the other side of the portal. Leave everything behind, except weapons, some food and water. We have to be swift, if we want to stop this madness." Triple ordered with a strong voice. "It's time to knock on the Dragon's door."

"Yes, sensei." the pony with the huge sword bowed and then went to the other campfires. His shouts sounded through the camp, awakening the sleeping warriors.

"Aren't you rushing it?" Circle calmly asked. "How many are left from the attack?"

"Less than the half of our previous strength."

The master of the Guardians stood up and the other two did the same. Then they moved inside him like spirits. His eyes, which had seen a lot of combat, were ready for the next portion.

"That will make less than twenty five. That's a certain suicide to go after an entire clan, which also happens to be the biggest." Circle stood on his legs and moved closer to the old pony. "You'll need help from the other clans. I can even ask warriors from mine to join in your ranks."

Triple shook his head.

"Alerting the other clans of the danger, will cause another Great War and we are not soldiers but ninjas. The letter clearly states that the machines will be transported in three days from now and the road to the Dragon's Capital is exactly a day and an half from the portal. We'll use the cover of the night to get inside and quickly deal with the problem. If their warriors still respect us, they wont fight us."

"In this case..." Circle bowed down. "I'd like to be accepted in the Guardians of the Portal. I wish my previous actions against you to be forgiven. I'm sorry, that I stole your outfit, which I have worn for the last years."

His eyes changed. Their previous insane look was gone. He was completely sincere.

"We are honored to have a leader in our ranks." he smiled. "Apology accepted. Now let's join the others."

The small group joined the other ninjas near the cave, who had arranged in two rows. The mark of the Guardians were on every right shoulder. Every ninja was physically ready, but their spirits weren't exactly eager for this new mission. They needed some motivation, some beautiful words to ignite the warrior fire inside them.

Triple turned to Circle and whispered in his ear.

"Would you join me in front?"

The shadow pony nodded. They stood together in front of the rows, showing might and grandeur. They were one of the best ninjas and that created some sparks in the souls of the remaining veterans. Everypony was all ears and eyes for the upcoming speech. The old master felt young again. His eyes moved from pony to pony and was proud to see that they've endured the great pain.

"We are the Guardians of the Portal. We protect the others from the external and internal influences, that can break the balance of power. We monitor the compliance with the ancient laws and traditions. This task was given to us by the first warriors, who discovered this magical place. We predate the clans, which ruined the land of ninja. They've grown in power and we know, that power corrupts even the best of us. Clan Dragon Claw have broken our laws and seeks to destroy everything our fathers worked for and died for but we are going to stop this cycle of killing by bringing their leader to justice or by cutting the serpent's head."

"Why do I get the feeling, that we are not going to make it?" the shorter brother said quietly.

"Don't worry, bro. I have your back!" the other one sounded a little unsure.

"The laws and the traditions are stupid!" suddenly an young white pegasus shouted. Everypony turned their eyes at him. "They are too old and don't support the change, which is inevitable!"

Triple and Circle carefully looked at him. The pegasus was from clan Diamond Shuriken. He was wearing a white mask, from which two blue eyes angrily stared at them. Several belts were wrapped around his chest, that were holding a lot of kunais and little metal stars. He was experienced in throwing them with his wings, typical for the ponies from his clan.

"Yes, you are right." the old pony calmly agreed. "They are quite old and when the change comes, they will become just some words in a book. However, without them we loose who we are. They were made to conserve our ninja societies for thousands of years but they were never intended to last forever. Change will come but it has to be in a peace time or it will bring only more wars."

The pegasus looked away from them and remained silent through the rest of the second speech. The youngster reminded Circle of when he was young and rebellious. After becoming a leader, Blue understood the importance of the old ways, that kept the little ninja world from falling apart.

Triple invited Circle to speak, though he was not sure what to tell them. In their minds, he was an outsider and very similar to the murderer of their friends. His blue eyes impaled everypony, one by one, trying to find something, on which he could grab.

"Keepers of the Portal, we are living in dark times, from which not many will escape. Our destiny is uncertain but our actions will sound through the centuries." Circle paused cause he couldn't think of any other pretty words. The ninjas uncertainly stared at him in complete silence. Suddenly, this new fire inside him took control and the words came out on their own. "We are running out of time. Our world is on a crossroad. We either go to the same old path, filled with suffering or we go to the new one. Personally I'm tired of going the same way, so who is coming with me?"

Everypony shouted positively with a force, which made the sky spirits tremble from fear. It felt just like, when he used to lead his ponies to battle. Circle felt like a leader again.

"Then get your plots into the portal! Move it!" the white ninja ordered. Every ninja charged the entrance of the small cave. Inside it, they lined up in two columns and passed through the blue portal on the wall. It had a round shape and its surface was made from mystical, crystal clean water. Its glow illuminated the cave and the ponies in blue. They fearlessly went inside it.

Circle and Triple were the last ones to enter the cavern. They walked slowly towards the portal.

"It will get dark soon, we can use the night for our advantage. You did good for motivating them. Maybe, someday you can become their master."

Circle turned his eyes to him, which were beginning to return to their mad look.

"What? Are you planning to leave?" he sounded a little surprised.

"I plan to die like a warrior." Triple said before moving inside the watery surface. Circle didn't like the sound of that. Was the old unicorn condemning them on a mission without a good end?

Chapter 19: The Night Was Young

"The dinner was so delicious, that I can have another meal. The bread, the flowers and the green salad were magnificent. Wouldn't you try some at least?" the voices were coming near the lonely guestroom.

"I told you already. I can't eat anything except apples. Everything else tastes like nothing and doesn't satisfy my hunger."

"Have you wondered about how they really taste?"

"No. It's only food and besides there are far more important things to think about."

"Well, I'm glad that at least I'll be able to enjoy different food. I can't imagine myself to eat only apples to the rest of my life."

The two appeared in front of the dark room. They went inside and stood in front of the comfortable bed. Foxy looked at his calm face. He had closed his brown eyes. His green spiked mane gave him a smart look. There were some bruises here and there on his cheek, indicating that he was recently in a battle for life or death.

"I choose the right side." Lucky said.

"Fine by me."

Then the two ponies split up, silently went to the two sides and lay down on the cozy bed. The bedding was yellow with some simple orange and brown figures. Lucky went under the coverlet and turned his back to her. The ninja didn't use the coverlid. Tail only stared at the ceiling.

"Good-Night, Foxy!" the pegasus said with a tired voice. His tummy was full and his organism wanted some sleep after the long day.

"May it be good." she quietly answered.

The silence took over in the room. There was only darkness, which her orange eyes impaled like two neon orbs. She tried to close them and dive in the deeps of her imagination, but for some reason Tail was unable to sleep. Something was preventing her mind to have its rightful rest and that bothered her a lot.

"Lucky?" she asked gently to not wake him up, if he was already asleep.

"Mhm."

Tail hesitated for a moment but she felt the need to start another little conversation.

"How did your parents choose your name?"

Lucky turned on his back. He was little surprised that she asked him such a question in this late time.

"My mother's lucky number was seven and my father's was eight. When I was born, they named me Seven Eight but it didn't felt right, so they began calling me Lucky Eight. Why do you ask?"

Foxy looked at him.

"I can't sleep, so..."

"No problem. I can stay awake all night, if you need company." he smiled, which made her feel a bit better. "And yours?"

"My mother wasn't the one, who gave me my name. It was a mysterious voice, that whispered it in the ears of my tutors." she answered a bit coldly. She didn't know the pony, responsible for her birth and her love. Her eyes turned to the chandelier and asked: "Do you still have nightmares?"

"I haven't had a single nightmare since the destruction of the temple, which is a big relief. I thought that I was going mad at one point but luckily I have found peace. And you?"

She hesitated to answer. Foxy felt a little uncomfortable to talk about it, though the little feeling inside her urged the strong pony to do so.

"I don't usually dream. The place where I go, when I close my eyes, is the darkness inside me but something changed. I've begun to dream too. Lucky, what kinds of dreams you are having?"

The pegasus was a little embarrassed, though tried to hide it.

"Sad to hear that you had nightmares like me." he sighed and thought how to avoid answering her question. "I-I dream of beautiful green fields that have a lot of wonderful flowers. There are little cuddly white clouds in the blue sky and birds sing their lovely songs. Although sometimes I dream of being in the concert in Manehatten and singing along with Free Mercury. And there are other dreams that are equally pleasant though a little strange at times."

The ninja suspiciously looked at him. Everything he said, was also true for her. In her dreams there was one constant and that was him, who always smiled and helped her experience the reposes in ways that were extremely enjoyable and they always ended with the sweet kiss.

"Em... what about you?" his voice brought her back in the real world.

"You know, ninja stuff. A lot of fighting and me kicking plot right and left. Throwing stuff in general direction and walking in some awkward mazes." she managed to cover her secret very carefully from him. How could they have the same dreams was beyond her, though she did not fear this. Tail actually felt very intrigued and only wanted to learn more.

"Hm, the dreams are such illogical things, though someponies say that they reflect our thoughts and feelings in a twisted way. No pony has ever figured out what's their real purpose but many believe that we need them to make sense of the world around us."

"In what do you believe?" she sounded interested.

"I believe... it doesn't matter actually." he looked a little crestfallen.

"It does matter." Tail, turned to him and placed her hoof on his chest. "If you don't find respect in yourself, then how could you give respect to others. Your will, knowledge of yourself and the flame that powers your being are three forces that need to be guided carefully to the perfect balance. Then there will be no force stopping you."

"Have you achieved this 'perfect balance'?"

Lucky unconsciously touched her black hoof with his white one. The warmth melted a lot of ice blocks, getting closer to the shielded palace, which was protected by corroded dark walls. The energy moved from his heart, through her hoof, then to her beastly motor and back. What a sensational feeling this was for him.

"No pony can. Only the masters, who devote all their lives on meditating, get close to achieving the balance but even they can not reach it. This is something all ninjas aim at, when training to become more powerful fighters. Only deluded ponies think that it's accomplishable."

The energy, that was jumping from him to her and back, began to increase its power and frequency. Lucky began breathing with little difficulty. Then he noticed how her leg was pushing for his chest, slowly crushing him. However, he was feeling so good, that the pegasus couldn't think properly. Their connection was intoxicating. No muscle moved to set him free from this deadly trap.

"Does your life matter?" Foxy sounded very cold. Her eyes had the flashes of the beast's rage, that constantly tried to escape from the little black cell inside her deeps. Her leg pressed onto his center with more force, thus his bones began to hurt from the pressure. Lucky was fully aware of the situation he was in. However, his body barely responded to his commands. He could only watch how Tail was slowly crushing him.

"Come on! Cling to life, if it matters. Pull all your strength, find the thing that gives you the will to fight. Ignite the soul!"

Lucky could feel his ribs bent to the point of braking. He knew that she was not joking around. If Foxy wanted, she could easily kill him, without trying to deliver him a message. He had to play her game.

The winged pony focused his entire being and aimed it at his only attempt to free himself. He slowly spread his right wing and closed it to her. His feathers began waving up and down, tickling her unprotected tummy. She quickly removed her hoof from him and curled to defend herself from the powerful tickle. Lucky rosily grinned. It was a great pleasure to torture her like that. To combat his attack, Foxy barrow-rolled to him and stopped just on top of his wing, immobilizing it completely.

Her orange eyes looked at his smiling face and that made her feel very good.

"How did you know?"

"Well, you said that your outfit is magical. For a warrior to be good, he or she must sense the world with his or her own body. So, I've figured that if it lets water inside, then you should feel tickles too. By the way, you are crushing my right wing."

"Does it hurt a lot?" her demonic stare impaled him.

"It does." Lucky said with a painful voice. "Good thing I come with a pair, so I'll use the left one to drive you out of my side of the bed!"

He closed his left one to her, preparing for another tickle attack, but instead his feathers gently touched her. Every time his plumage made contact with her body, immense waves of feelings went through their hearts. Their cheeks slowly turned rosy. Their big eyes met in this very short and hot space. Her were corrupted by a demon, his were dead, but they seemed so similar to each other. They both had seen and experienced pain. Their tortured souls only wanted somepony to love, though none would admit it.

What was going on with her and him? Foxy would never let anypony so close to herself. Lucky was not a type of pony, who would do romance. So dear reader, what am I seeing? Those two pony hearts were meant for each other. They'll support each other. Words unknown described their new bond, their souls were destined to conquer the tops of ice.

"Would you let me retract my wing, at least? I can barely feel it." his voice pierced the silence.

She lifted her body. The pegasus was finally able to pull his wing and felt such a relief. The ninja was weighing unusually high for her elegant figure, but that was because of the nature of her mutation. Part pony, part dragon and that showed in her personality and body.

Foxy liked what she experienced and her nature asked for more.Tail grabbed his left wing and used it as a coverlet. The protest came shortly:

"Hey, that's my wing!"

"And what about it?" Foxy looked at him, as if she was expecting an attack. "I'm not going to separate you from your pride, so stay cool."

"Actually, it feels great." he thought. "Why am I protesting then?"

He relaxed and let his wing spread on her body like a white mantle. They both liked it. Slowly their minds marched to the lands of beauty and mystique, though their souls were still connected and didn't let go.

Meanwhile...

The forest was quiet, only few night owls flew in the dark night. A lot of bats sounded between the old trees, scanning for their surroundings and prey, which were tiny insects. They were the real lords of the forest at moment and only the dawn could remove them from their rightful place.

Suddenly, shadows moved on the ground. They we quick and absolutely silent. The shades looked like ghost, that brought with them only death. However, their mission was to save the world from utter destruction and their time was bleeding away too fast.

Blue Circle moved closer to Triple Spirit. They now galloped alongside each other. The two leaders were ahead of the group, which was consisted of fully prepared ninjas. They were ready to jump in the fires and follow Triple to the bitter end.

"What you meant by dieing like a warrior? You are not planning to sacrifice us, right?" he said quietly, so that the others wouldn't hear him.

"No, the Guardians must live on." Triple said breathlessly. "However, I don't see myself among the living after this deed. You see, my body is not what it used to be. I've grown too old and my reflexes are not lightning fast. Even this gallop tires me immensely."

"Then do not participate in the assassination. I'll lead them around the traps and dangers and will do the deed without unnecessary killing."

"No!" the old one said with his powerful voice, that made the other ponies feel a little uneasy. "There is no need to kill the Dragon's leader. He will answer for his cowardice like it was written in the laws. If we can't reason with him, then we will make him pay with his own blood."

Circle looked disbelievingly at him.

"You believe that he will just bow down and surrender? The war showed that he will throw hundreds of lives to the slaughter, just to achieve his goals. If I did that with my ponies, I'd be removed from my position and sentenced to death. We will be met with brute force. Even you can't deny this."

The old unicorn was silent for a bit. If times were a bit younger, there would not be any bloodshed. The war changed a lot. Their ninja world was no longer a place of honor and respect to the history. Ancient villages were burned, a lot of families had their heirs murdered and were destined to perish in the burned land. No ninja trusted the pony next to him cause he or she could be a spy from the opposing side. The true warrior spirit was gone and with it the balance, that many tried to preserve. The unicorn was from a generation that lived in more peaceful times, that seemed so far at the moment.

"If only I intervened in the conflict, maybe I would have stopped the destruction." he said with some anger in his voice. "No more can I stand and watch how ninjas kill each other because of hatred and revenge. We need to be the beacon of hope for the rest of the ponies. We have to show them that we can create another world, in which we can live in peace. This day may not come in the following day, week or year but if we don't fight for it, then we are doomed to repeat the history."

"Don't feel sorry for our actions that led to the massacres. Are you really sure that you want to take part in this?"

"I haven't been more sure than ever. I'll fight alongside you like every ninja here. We'll stop the evil from completely destroying our world." Triple looked confidently at Circle. The shadow ninja nodded,

They continued their gallop through the woods on a mission, that would lead them to paths, which only one being had seen them. The Princess of Darkness watched carefully how everypony danced to the symphony of destruction.

Back in Manehatten... are you following me, reader?

A shade silently moved through the dark blue corridors, though that was not their true color. It went over bookcases and marble busts. It was cautious. Like a phantom, no traces were left of its presence in the big house.

Soon the shadow found the closed door and went underneath it. On the other side, a black pony figure formed from the black spot. His white eyes scanned the room for hidden traps, though he doubt that the inventor would put such things in his bedroom.

The Jester slowly closed to his bed, so that he would not wake him. Out of a sudden, in front of him appeared a dark alicorn, that wore a red medallion on a golden chain. Her big scary eyes impaled him but the dead dragon spirit stood before her without any fears.

"Good evening! You look beautiful as always, Princess." he greeted very quietly. "Tell me, darling, what brings you here?"

"You do not obey me, shadow. Obey your master!" her voices sounded very strange, as if it came from far away.

"Oh, you should know that I'm completely out of your reach. I've made sure that you'll never touch me again with your corrupting tentacles." the Jester made one step to her. "Are you annoyed? Do you actually feel anger? Do you want revenge for ruining your plans?"

The alicorn stood like a statue.

"Oh, I've permanently sealed the portal and by that I've sent shock waves through time and space, that have warned you in the past or the future... I guess, only you know. Yeah, playing with time is a fun thing. You never know what visions you can bring to someponies, he-he." the shadow looked at the sleeping yellow unicorn, who didn't looked very well. "I see that you have changed your approach. How long have you been corrupting him? Months? Years?"

"This world will be consumed."

"Yes, of course!" he nodded positively. "But by whom? How I see it, you are far in space but I am right here, inside the protective shield. While I'm fulfilling my glorious plan, you sit somewhere among the stars and watch how I conquer this rock. Do you like the view from there?"

Shadow Sun only stared at his black figure. She was completely rid of any emotions, they got washed away by the supernova.

"Ah, what a long week this was. I've been hunting and killing your minions and some occasional ninjas. I have to confess, the ponies gave me a lot of amusement, unlike those boring shades." he made another silent step to Her. "They moved slowly and did not even react to a thread. Too easy for my taste. In one moment, I thought that this would prove to be a tedious repetitive task but then I arrived in the ninjas' camp, near the portal. Oh, you just don't know how good it was to hear the battle cries and the screams of the dying. I haven't had so much fun in years. Imagine a total chaos, that is, if you can, ha-ha."

The Princess looked like She was not amused in the slightest. Her eyes stared at his, which were empty of any soul.

"What? Can't I have some fun, even though I'm dead?" the Jester was just in front of the black alicorn. "Why are you so silent now, my dark love? Let me ignite your black hearth!"

The Jester of Flame closed his head to Hers and kissed Her. As soon as his lips touched her mouth-less face, She began spreading Her influence inside him in an attempt to take control over him. He let her go deep and eventually Shadow Sun found what she wanted. A green spiral emerged from his body and moved towards his head.

Then the Jester slowly moved away and grabbed the emerald crystal with his tentacle. He wouldn't want it to be in her hooves or bad things might happen.

"You are a still damn good kisser, my darling. I felt your tongue in the bottoms of my dark body. However, honey, this is not for you." he lifted up the medallion and softly waved it in front of her face. He continued with a very evil white smile: "You want this? Yes, you desire it very much cause once, it was a part of your heart. This is the key for this world and for my genius gate, which I want it to remain closed to outsiders like you. Although I do love you my Princess, this world is too small for both of us. Now, if you excuse me, I have business to attend to."

His white eyes flashed and her figure slowly disappeared into the thin air, though her stare stayed a little longer.

"A bit better." the shadow looked at the sleeping unicorn. He seemed troubled in his dream. His coat was soaked with heavy sweat, as if he was suffering from an heinous disease. Phoenix looked like a living mess, that tries to hold its guts in one place.

Then the shade turned to the red medallion that was lying on a short table, next to the bed. There was a spark of success in his eyes. He carefully approached it and studied its triangular shape.

"The power and corruption piece." he whispered. "You are one powerful little medallion, that has served its purpose very well. Now it's time for you to take some rest, isn't that right, Mr Phoenix? You want to be free of Her harmful will, right? Well, let me help you then."

His eyes flashed three times in green, red and blue. The red crystal changed its color from red to black and then returned to its original color.

"Now She will not touch you anymore, though there's a price for this favor, Mr Phoenix." the shadow pony grinned in an evil manner. "You are now mine!"

He silently backed away and looked at the sleeping yellow pony.

"May you have pleasant dreams. Hm, I think it's almost time for our ninjas to arrive in this beautiful city. Let me greet them like a good host."

Then the pony figure turned into a black spot on the ground and left the bedroom.

Above the sea, near Manehatten...

In the black sky a lonely aircraft flew towards the hundreds of lights, that were coming from the Big city. It was almost invisible for the naked eye. Its shape was of a delta with very long wings. Two powerful engines made it possible for this creation of metal and wood to fly. It was painted in dark colors and was very quiet. Three air-balloons were placed inside its body and wings. Only their tops stuck out like little hills. The bridge was placed on the nose. It was a wide wooden room with a lot of panels and indicators, that measured the height, the power and speed of the craft.

The captain was an experienced ninja and a pilot. His watchful purple eyes scanned the approaching coastline and from time to time, he'd glimpse at the panels. He was a little nervous cause they were tasked with transporting delicate equipment, for which there was almost no room. The last time he was in Equestria, the captain had to rendezvous with Number One and his ninjas but they never came. They couldn't search for them, so now he was bringing additional ponies to help in the searching for their missing comrades. The captain had to drop them in the middle of the city, which he was totally against but the new commander had some nasty ways to persuade ponies.

"Are we there yet?" the pony with the red and purple outfit asked behind him. He was tough, though his grey eyes were full with pain.

The captain didn't look back, when he coldly answered:

"The windshield is in front of you. Look by yourself."

"When this is over, you and I will have some fun together. Better start sharpening your sword, captain." the red ninja said provocatively.

"I use kunais and knifes, idiot!" the captain thought. "Don't worry, I'll send you to the other side soon."

The blue ninja turned to the crew member, who was on his left.

"Slow us, Shopski. We do not want to be heard by anypony. And don't overdo it this time. There aren't any lonely fields for emergency landings."

"Yes, captain."

"Don't ignore me, captain." the red ninja approached him. "I know that deep inside you, there is a demon that demands blood. So, turn around! I want to see the demon from your eyes."

The blue ninja tried to distance himself from this annoying intruder. He needed a cold head to control the air-craft without mistakes. The Equestrian city was growing bigger and bigger and the pilots had to be completely focused on the task at hoof.

Suddenly, the pony behind him grabbed his shoulder and forcefully turned him around. His grey eyes stared wildly at his purple ones. He could feel the rage inside the commanders heart and also smell the bad breath coming from his mask. Somepony had brought cider on board, which was strictly forbidden.

"Oh yeah. You want to kill me badly. I recognize this look on your eyes." the red pony sounded very darkly.

"I'm the captain and I do not kill anypony on my ship." he stayed cool, despite really wanting to hit his chin. "You smell of cider. I want to know who brought the alcohol on board!"

"My ponies did, under my orders and you will stay quiet about it. Got it?!"

"You are not my commander, so I will not. I demand the remaining cider to be stacked and thrown off board immediately! Do you not have respect for the rules?"

The drunk pony smirked.

"Here, I am the Law. You will follow my orders or I'll cut you all, especially the long horn of yours." he was very threatening but the blue ninja fearlessly stood his ground.

"You do realize that I and my crew are the only ponies that are able to fly this ship in the entire ninja world? Who will bring you back, eh? You are just a replaceable warrior, so give respect to the real lords and do as told!"

The red ninja slowly backed away. He shook his head and smirked.

"So you think you are unique? You are as replaceable as me or every other ninja. In front of our leader, we are all equal, from the simple farmer to the general. Your time will come and you will realize how wrong you are." then he turned away and headed to the steel door. The small lamp illuminated his body in a very dark way. Deep shadows covered half of his body. This pony was a product of the war and many like him just wanted to find peace from the hell, they were living in. Some found it in drinking, others cut themselves in the hearts and some just went crazy.

He opened the door and before leaving, the veteran ninja said:

"We all are pawns of our master. We all fight for the glory of our clan. We are comrades here and comrades should not point their blades against each other. I like your attitude, so I'll personally throw the cider off the air-ship. But never again stand on my way or you'll land hard on the ground!"

Then he left with steady steps, without closing the door. The captain was pissed by this scene, which almost every crew member of his saw. They were a little scared. The pony who just left happened to be the notorious survivor from one of the bloodiest battles from the war. There were so many fallen ponies on the battlefield that the ground turned red and the only pony standing was he, through barely breathing. His body was stained with so much blood that his brown color was completely gone. The battle lasted for three painful hours, in which ponies mindlessly killed ponies. There was no creature that could walk away from such a massacre and not get mental problems.

One of the crew approached the captain. She was the youngest in the group. She was an earth pony with a cyan fur and short blue mane. Her innocent look could calm anypony and her ringing voice was music to all ears.

"Captain, don't fall to his level. His heart is long dead and he only seeks death."

The unicorn sighed.

"I only wish that the leader didn't put us with them on this mission. Veterans from the war are just pain in the plot to deal with." He turned his purple eyes to her. "Soon we will get out of this madness and I promise you all, that we will live in peace like one family."

"What do you mean?" asked the pilot behind the rudder.

The captain silently went to the door, closed it and then turned around.

"After they leave the ship, we will not head to the planned destination. We will head west to the mountains and there we will land. The others will never find us and we will forever be free from the tyranny of our leader."

The other three ponies looked at each other in a confused manner.

"Are you sure this will work?" the pilot asked.

"What if not all leave the ship?" the cyan pony asked.

"Trust me, I've planned everything. We only need to tell the other two members about this. If there are ninjas remaining on board, I'll deal with them quickly. Strong Breeze, could you bring me my belt with the kunais." the blue ninja turned to the earth pony. "Voyager, could you tell the others about the plan. I'll need them ready, if things get complicated."

"This is too risky. What if I get caught by the others?" she looked a bit scared.

He went closer to her and friendly smiled.

"If you do, then I'll come and rescue you. I'd never let anything to happen to you or everypony under my command. Think of this as a game of hide and seek. Please, I do not want to see fear in your beautiful pink eyes. Everything will be okay."

She nodded.

"Alright, are you with me or against?" he turned to everypony in the bridge. They all answered positively. "Then let's get started!"

The metal door opened and two ponies left the room. The captain took control over the ship. Under his calm appearance, he was struggling with his fears. If they did not pull this off, they'd be dead in an instant, despite being the only ponies, who could fly this machine. He didn't want his crew to suffer and only hoped for a good end.

Suddenly, there was an explosion from inside the air-ship. The captain looked very worried at his colleague, when the air-craft began leaning on the left. The unicorn used his horn's magic and began working on the panels to level the ship. The pilot turned the helm to the right but it didn't help at all. The captain went to the windshield and looked outside. His eyes froze, when he spotted that half of their ship was missing. He immediately turned around and shouted:

"Abandon shi..." he was stunned by the sight of the pilot's dead body hitting the floor. There was a black pony figure behind the helm. Dark tentacles were coming from his back. Its white eyes had sparks of joy. It liked to cause destruction cause killing was his business.

"Hi there, dear captain! Were you leaving for somewhere?" he asked mockingly.

Then the unicorn was impaled by three tentacles, which cut deep in his body. The life quickly got out from him and the last thing he saw, was his loved pony, who just entered the bridge. She was completely shocked by the scene. Voyager couldn't believe what was happening. His dead body fell hard on the floor. Her heart was almost torn apart. The shade noticed her and in an instant turned around.

"Oh, we have a beauty here? It would be a shame, if there were some holes in your elegant body." he smiled in a dark way. "One advise little pony: run!"

Voyager woke up from the shock, quickly turned around and began galloping away from the bridge. Her instincts had kicked in and she only wanted to save her own skin. Not once did her eyes turned in the direction of her fallen friends. The shade didn't pursue her, cause Voyager had to deliver a message to one white pegasus. The Equestrian authorities had to know about the Dragon Claw's operations in their lands and she was going to inform them in great detail.

The air-craft's nose pointed at the sea. It was slowly spinning on its axis and in a few short moments it crashed into the waves, shattering into many pieces of steel and wood. It was loud and the fountain of salt water was high. Only one pony managed to jump before the inevitable collide, though there was one more who survived by staying in the armored cargo hold. Despite his bunker beginning to fill with cold water, the red ninja was able to escape this sinking tomb and swam to the shore.

Chapter 20: The Morning Was Unexpected

It was a lovely early morning in the white and pink forest. The life around the group of ninjas was waking up to meet the new day. The tall trees lightly shook from the wind. The birds were singing their first songs. It was a peaceful place, that would shield the tired ponies from the dangers of the light.

"We will rest here for the duration of the day. We will continue after dark." Triple said to his friends.

"How many 'dragons' you sense?" Blue Circle asked.

"Only three but they are moving away from our position. If you excuse me, I need some rest."

"Of course."

The old unicorn lay down on the grassy ground and sighed heavily. He couldn't remember the last time he galloped for so long. Circle turned away from him and froze. His blue eyes looked on the white pegasus. He was young and handsome. The two belts around his chest made him look quite deadly. He took off the white mask and revealed an innocent face, that hearts would melt from the sheer sight of it. The lush black mane was pulled back. Only few hairs fell on his cheeks.

Circle secretly approached him, while staring at his figure.

"What do you want, White Shadow?" the youngster sensed him, when he was close.

"Turn around."

The pegasus did so and was surprised to see the master ninja, fully covered in black. The rest of the group drew out their weapons. They were equally confused by this sudden move but maintained an almost perfect defensive formation around Circle.

"Step back, I only want to test his abilities."

None moved from their position.

"Alright, lets make this into a big exercise. Your goal is to stop me, fair and simple."

"We shall not play your game, White Shadow." said one of the Guardians of the Portal. "End your trickery and stand down!"

"Actually, don't." Triple said behind them, which took everypony by surprise. "There aren't any threats near us, so we can use the time for exercises. Be gentle, Circle!"

"If Master Triple says so, then we train! Come everypony, attack him from all sides as one!" said the blue ninja, who clenched his big sword with his teeth. Every other ninja prepared to attack, except the white pegasus, who didn't seem very eager to fight.

After the hidden signal, everypony charged Circle's position. The old unicorn watched with pleasure how his students tried to make a single hit to the master ninja. He moved like the night wind. His dance was perfect and none was able to even touch his tail.

"He hasn't change a bit from our first meeting. What a tough fight it was! Despite knocking me out cold and stealing my outfit, I'm glad that I have met such a great ninja. It's a pity that not many like him walk on this world." Triple thought. "A true leader, who is creating bonds with his warriors through fighting. You've walked a long way from the rebellious young pony, you once were."

The attackers were throwing knifes and kunais but they all struck the ground or the nearby trees. The swords were too slow to slice him. Blue Circle was invincible, almost. The young pegasus waited for a good moment, when the shadow ninja moved straight to him. He had only one attempt to do this right, cause Circle was no fool.

He was patient and when the time was right, his wing swiftly threw six kunais at his target. This action was so fast, that even Circle was unable to notice the attack until the blades were just a meter away from him. The master ninja used all his tentacles to block the incoming blades. They weren't able to penetrate the black shield but this was enough to end the game.

"Bravo, you've got a good eye." Circle ended his magic and the kunais fell on the ground.

"If this was an actual combat, we all would be dead. You move just like the demon, who brought us to our knees!" the pegasus frowned.

"No, I'm faster than him but he has more powerful kicks. Do you have a minute to talk?"

"For what?"

"I want to ask you about the 'change' you were talking about the previous day. I know that your clan is the youngest and sometimes the one with the crazy ideas of how things should be done. Could you enlighten me?"

The pegasus felt quite uncomfortable, when his mad eyes moved from one spot on his body to another.

"Change. Everypony talks about it in my clan. I've been only three times in the homelands but it was enough to feel the new vibe in the air. The old ways are slowly pushed aside by the new customs and thinking. No pony wants to fight anymore, even the strongest ninjas. They are starting to realize that the world is bigger and nothing keeps us on this island."

"Are you thinking of building ships that can get your ponies across the ocean? Interesting. So your clan wants to flee like cowards?"

The youngster gritted his teeth.

"No, we are not cowards! We think of our future, unlike the other clans. We only want to live in peace and nothing more. If leaving this damn island is the solution to achieving our dream, then may the winds help us get to the new home faster!"

Circle moved in his personal space and stared deeply inside his inexperienced eyes.

"So you are on the side of your home clan? Weren't Guardians supposed to stay away from their homes, so that they'd not ruin the synergy between the keepers?"

"I'm not scared to say what I feel and think. They already know that I'll leave, when my clan leaves. There's noting that holds us here, except the burned villages and fields."

"I can't believe that Triple has not punished you already for just thinking of running. I guess, he is too old to discipline you..." he turned to the rest, who were sitting or laying on the soft ground. They all had pointed their ears to their conversation, though they pretended that they were relaxing. "Are you all planning to leave like him?"

The ninjas turned their heads to Circle and said with one voice:

"No."

"... although I'd like to see the Kingdom in the north."

"Shut it!" his brother prodded.

The shadow pony turned back to the pegasus.

"So, you are alone but despite this you have the courage to walk among them, breath among them and eat with them. I admire that you want to live but you are a ninja and a Guardian of the Portal. Leaving these lands for a better future will result in very chaotic actions from the rest of the ninjas on this island. Think of how everypony will react, after they've learned about your plans. Yes, even you can see it. Another war will consume this piece of land again. Many will perish, while trying to conquer your territory or fleeing from another madness. This is how deep our connection goes and every attempt to cut it will be met with greater opposite force."

Blue turned his back to him and said with a very honest voice:

"You are too young to feel it yet but with time, you'll understand that running will make things more difficult. We have to face our fears and problems or we'll end up screwing everything." there was a short pause, in which everypony listened to the silence. It whispered their names from the black list of the faceless. "I want to know one thing: can I trust you to cover my back in the mission or not?"

The pony from the Diamond Shuriken stamped mightily.

"I'm with you on this mission."

Circle smiled.

"It's not a problem to dream about a better world. I too share the vision of peace, but in mine we take it from the mouth of the monster, who created Tartarus on this island! This is the way of the ninja and your way too. Denying it, will only make you weaker."

Then he used his powers and covered himself with shadows.

"Get up, you lazy plots! The exercise is not over! Same rules. Ready. Go!"

"My sword for some rest!" said the taller brother.

"I hear ya, bro."

Meanwhile...

Lucky was prostrate on the bed and still swimming in the deeps of his subconscious, when a friendly hoof patted him on the shoulder. There was no response from him. It gently pushed him but again the attempt to wake him was futile. Then the hoof withdrew and suddenly a powerful kick send the poor pegasus flying at the wall on the other side. He slammed it really hard, which finally awakened him.

Lucky fell on his face and groaned.

"Why do you have to wake me so rude in this early hour?" the pegasus sounded like he was in pain.

"Because it's time to get up." she stood right beside him and enjoyed his slow attempt to regain balance. "I've opened the package from Rose and found a letter for you."

"It could wait, you know? It won't leave on its own." Lucky stood up on his legs and turned to his partner. "Anyway, could you read it now?"

"Yeah."

Lucky sat on the bed and was all ears.

"So it goes:

Hello, Mr Lucky Eight

I and my close friend thank you heartily for you work. Rain Paint told me how you saved her from the medallion, for which I'm forever grateful. We've become friends again and even she is planning to move in our house. We promised each other to never let anything separate us again and always tell the truth.

She also told me about the advices you gave me via the letter you've sent to her. I've given them much thought and decided that it was time to follow my heart. However, I'm not planning to permanently leave Canterlot for the time being.

Again, you've done so many great things for us and I've decided to double your reward.

Hope to see you soon again.

Blooming Rose"

Foxy crumpled the letter and threw it in the box, from where she found it.

"I'm glad that they've reunited." he noted.

"Don't get too sentimental, they were only clients." she turned to the door and said: "Come with me. It's time for the meditation."

"Like the one you thought me two days ago?" he quickly jumped from the bed. "Or is this a new one?"

"It's the old one. You are not ready yet for the complex stuff."

The two entered the bright living room and sat near the big windows. They were just in front of the wooden table. The brown and orange colors provided a suitable atmosphere around them. They were facing each other. She looked at him with the eyes of a master, who was about to tell his student another lesson. Lucky was a little sleepy but tried to stay focused.

"Start breathing slowly. Rid yourself of any thoughts. Follow only my voice." she sounded calm. "The trinity inside you must be in peace. Our visions must become clear."

Foxy placed her hoof on his chest. She felt his fast beating heart, which surprised her.

"Calm yourself. You wont be able to meditate, if you are nervous." she said strictly.

"I'm not nervous!"

"Then why..."

She was interrupted by the knocking on the door. They were not expecting anypony. The ninja stood up but a hoof stopped her before making even one step to the door.

"It would be better, if I went to check it instead of you." Lucky moved in front of her.

"Alright, I'll stay hidden but will be ready to help you, if there's trouble." then Foxy silently went behind the sofa.

Lucky slowly approached the door. There was another knocking. He felt a little edgy. His hoof grabbed the handle and cautiously opened the wooden door.

Suddenly he heard familiar voices, which pretty much surprised him.

"Hi, there sonny! Haven't seen you in a week. Where have you been?" Quarter Key greeted with his western accent.

"Two days, eh? Glad that at least you are in Manehatten and not somewhere in the woods." Diamond Rod entered inside without an invitation. He wasn't wearing armor. "I hope that you haven't forgotten about your responsibility?"

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We've come to see you." Quarter Key went in front of him and handed him a box. "This is your costume for tonight. Better try it, cause we might have made a slight mistake with the size."

"What? You know about the mission? How? Wasn't it supposed to be a secret?" Lucky was so overwhelmed by this unexpected visit.

"We are the decoys for tonight's event." Diamond answered, while checking the living room. There were shelves with a lot of books, an yellow sofa and a short table in front of it. "So, where is she?"

"Right behind you." the dark voice gave him the shivers.

He turned around and looked angrily at her.

"Sneaking like that is not what most consider pleasant."

"Then don't leave your back unprotected." she impaled him with her demonic sight.

"Maybe you two should let some steam somewhere else. Diamond, I too don't like her but we are now colleagues. We should respect one another." Quarter tried to calm their spirits.

"Technically, your precious princess never mentioned that I was part of your team." Foxy said coldly.

"But without you, I wont be able to do this!"

Then the grey unicorn turned to Lucky.

"So, what happened with you and this pony? You've been missing for almost a week."

"I-I... we were doing some important stuff." Lucky smiled very unconvincingly.

"It's not your business!" Foxy stood between them and looked threateningly.

"Actually, as the members of the Royal Guards we have the right to know what you two were doing in the past days." Diamond Rod grinned delightfully. "Don't make me use my authority!"

"Diamond, that's enough!" Quarter's blue eyes impaled his big colleague. "We need to stay focused on the mission and not on personal conflicts. Lucky, I respect your wish to not talk about it."

"Thanks, old horn." Lucky felt relieved. A small smile appeared on him. "So, you will help us tonight. I wonder why the command chose you?"

"It wasn't the Commanders' HQ that decided our participation in the mission. Princess Celestia personally ordered us to join the team four days ago. Our poor Princess had her hoofs full and it was miraculous, that we were able to see her in person."

"What do you mean?" Lucky sounded a bit worried.

Quarter Key glimpsed at the still open door and said with a low voice:

"Let's make sure that no pony can hear us first and let's sit on something comfy."

The ninja was intrigued by the secrecy the older unicorn was showing now. What was he afraid of?

Lucky closed the door and joined the rest in the living room. Only the ninja sat on the floor in front of the two unicorns. The pegasus noticed that his partner was not on the yellow sofa. He didn't want her to feel like an outsider, so he sat next to her.

"So, what happened in Canterlot? I heard that there was a flooding, which I can't imagine to be true. The Capital is in the mountain and has a very good sewer network."

"There was an inundation. The storm was fierce and not even the sewers could handle the amount of water that fell on our heads. Some streets were completely unreachable and impassable on hoof. It felt unnatural. The Guards suspected that sorcery was behind the immovable clouds. The two Princesses were silent about the matter and would only speak with our superiors. Princess Celestia even asked her student to help her with this problem. Twilight Sparkle was her name and I wont forget how she and her friends helped us with the renegade clouds. A very talented unicorn, indeed."

"Yes, she managed to recreate a spell that hadn't been used for centuries." Diamond Rod continued. "Almost none knew how it worked and what were the key words for it because somepony had torn the page, on which was illustrated how it was performed. We thoroughly searched the library but couldn't find the missing chapter. However, Twilight somehow managed to rewrite it and successfully used it on the clouds. In just a few moments, the storm dispersed on itself. It was a great time for celebrations.

Afterwards we met the Princess Celestia in her throne room. She was literally swimming in documents and reports. There were a lot of damages that needed to be covered and news from a distant country arrived at the same day. In short, there was a lot to be done. Her Highness was quick with the briefing and ordered us to depart as soon as possible."

"Woaw, interesting story." Lucky happily smiled.

"Yeah, though we should not talk about it in public. For the rest of the ponies it was just a very bad weather. We do not need to make anypony worried, understand?" Diamond asked in a serious manner.

"We understand." Foxy answered faster than Lucky could open his mouth.

"Glad that we have an understanding here." Diamond noted.

Suddenly, somepony opened the door and entered in the apartment. Everypony in the room turned their heads to see who was this new guest.

"Finally home!" Doggy Nose said loudly. He quickly went to the sofa and sat. His plot was in a need of something soft, after working all night. There were a lot of preparation for the arrival of the Princess that needed to be made and he was not finished even with half of them. "Finally, the moment has come!"

His hoof pointed to Foxy, who was not amused by his act.

"You and I haven't begun our talks about your past and how you are connected with the ninjas from this photo." Doggy put the shot on the table. "Start spitting the beams, darling."

"Stop it!" Lucky slammed on the table. "What's this obsession of yours? She is not the enemy!"

The green pegasus leaned over the table. Their faces almost touched. Both seemed a little pissed.

"What are you two hiding? Do you work for her?"

"Enough!" the old unicorn screamed and then continued with a calm voice. "You are from the Royal Guards. Behave like ones!"

Lucky wanted to defend her again, when Foxy put her hoof in front of his mouth. The pegasus resisted but her strength was too great.

"I'm no coward and I don't run from the truth. Hit me with your questions! I hope that you'll get your satisfaction." she said without any regret. Her eyes were pointing at Doggy without blinking. Tail was ready for the incoming attacks that could ignite the old flames in her soul.

At first, the green pegasus couldn't believe his luck, but then he quickly returned to his game and began shooting those hot questions like a ballista. The two unicorns, though didn't like the idea of it, were a bit eager to hear something about this ninja.

"What's your real name?"

"Dragon Born." she calmly answered.

"So, Ms Dragon, from where you are?"

"Clan Dragon Claw."

"You've used magic to leave the Office, so are you an unicorn, right?"

"What a question is this?" Quarter Key looked surprisingly at Doggy. "She is clearly an earth pony."

"I'm an earth pony." Foxy admitted, though she wanted that to remain a secret.

"Excuse me for the doubts but earth ponies don't do magic!" Doggy leaned on the table. "You could be using a trick to hide your real type."

"I'm completely honest here." her voices indicated that she wasn't having the greatest time in her life.

"Alright. What's your profession?"

"I don't have one, though you could say I'm a pony for hire."

"To hire for what exactly?" he looked in her eyes, trying to guess, if she was laying.

Lucky felt a little worried for Foxy. This question was kind of tricky to dodge and could lead to more personal questions.

"Anything. I can find stuff, break stuff or carry stuff. I'm kind of a Jack of all trades."

"Tell us about your clan. I'd like to know what's your opinion about it."

"Crap!" Foxy thought.

"Ha-ha, I've got you now, ninja!" he smirked.

"It's big, old and has one ruler. I don't like it a little bit." she answered.

"And why is that?" Doggy closed his face to her. Despite her calm look, fear was beginning to take over her body. She left the memories of her past in the deeps of her mind, so that they'd never see the light again. However, if this continued, they'd return in a violent way.

"Oh, no!" Lucky thought. "Foxy... No, I'm not gonna stand this anymore. I'll have to save my partner!"

"Well?" the green pegasus could feel that he struck on gold. The ninja was oddly silent. Her orange eyes didn't reveal much but Doggy sensed that her mind was troubled and he liked it a bit. This was his game and finding out the little secrets would give him the ultimate satisfaction.

Suddenly, his attention turned to the right but was too late. An angry hoof hit his cheek and sent him flying over the sofa. The two unicorns quickly ducked. Tail was not surprised by Lucky's intervention. She actually was hoping that he'd save her from the interrogation.

"Lucky, what in the name of Celestia, are you doing?" Quarter Key was indignant.

The pegasus opened his mouth to answer, when Doggy slammed into him with his entire body. The two fell on the floor, the green one was on top of the white one.

"If you don't want her to talk then you will instead!" Doggy yelled and afterwards sent his right hoof directly at Lucky's face. A small drop of blood fell from his lips. Before it even reached the floor, the Guardian felt a presence behind him.

"Stop in this instant!" Diamond Rod strictly commanded. He used his horn to separate them from each other and placed them on the opposite ends of the room. "Now, calm down!"

"Lucky, what you did was wrong." Key said, when he stood up from his seat. Then his eyes turned to the other pegasus. "Doggy Nose, I think you've got enough information from the ninja, so this interrogation is over."

"But-but, they are hiding important information, which can be crucial for the mission!" he exclaimed.

"I ordered to calm yourself!" Diamond stood in front of him, so that Doggy couldn't see her or her partner and thus soothe the fires in his heart.

"Is he right, sonny? Do you two have information that can help us with the mission?" Quarter Key slowly approached the white pegasus, who looked a bit angry.

"I'm sorry Quarter Key. I made a promise and I'll not break it! However, the knowledge I possess doesn't in any way endanger this mission. You are actually better off without it."

"Alright then. I respect that you have a responsibility and will not ask you of this anymore. The same goes to you, Doggy Nose. Diamond, release them."

The white unicorn did so and the purple aura, that was around the two pegasi quickly vanished. Doggy was not happy about this but what choice did he have. Defeated, the Guardian headed to the kitchen to refresh with cider. The pegasus was feeling a little tired after the long work and wanted some rest.

Lucky went to the ninja and sat next to her. She hadn't even moved a muscle. Foxy wanted to maintain her innocence and the best way to do it was not to take any actions.

"Thanks." she whispered. Lucky only nodded.

"Huh, I didn't think that by coming here, we'll just disrupt the team's spirit so badly." Quarter Key sat on the sofa, joined by Diamond Rod. "At least we have made clear our differences, which will only make us more united. We are here for only one thing: to take off the masks of those smart fellas. It will be tricky, so we need to forgive each other and stay concentrated on the task."

"Yes, of course." Lucky noted. He cleaned his mouth of the small drops of blood, though the red now covered his white hoof.

Unexpectedly, there was another knock on the door.

"Doggy Nose, are you there? It's urgent!"

"Come in!" Quarter Key invited.

The door opened and shut. A white unicorn in golden armor appeared in the living room.

"Where is Nose?"' he carefully scanned the room but without a success.

"I'm here." Doggy said from the kitchen. Soon he came in the room with a mug, which was full with delicious cider. He stashed the drink in bottles and hid them in a cold place, which only he knew where it was. "What's the problem?"

"The pegasi have found a pony with an unknown identity, laying on the shore this morning. There was also wreckage from what seems to be a flying ship of unknown sort."

"So, the crash in the sea was not caused by a meteorite... interesting. Did she say anything?"

"She said that she a is ninja."

Doggy Nose almost dropped his mug.

"Did she say from which clan she came?" Foxy asked.

"No, the mare hasn't spoken a word after that." the armored pony shook his head.

Doggy took a big one from his mug and placed it on the table.

"I have to speak with her at once!" he immediately headed for the door.

"We'll come too." Quarter Key and Diamond Rod stood up from their seats and went after the green pegasus.

"Aren't you two coming?" the remaining unicorn asked.

"Give us a moment." Foxy said.

After a few short moments, they were completely alone. She turned to Lucky, who guessed what was going to happen.

"I know." he looked down. "It was not the best way to help you out but..."

Tail placed her hoof on his lips.

"Quiet." she whispered. Lucky was a bit confused.

Then suddenly it hit him like a train, sending him to the wall. He slammed his back so hard, that some books fell from the nearby shelf. His left cheek turned red from the powerful blow, at least his teeth were still intact. Foxy silently approached him. She looked at him with the eyes of a warrior. Lucky tried to defend himself but was no match for her super strength. Tail pulled him to her. Only inches separated their faces from one another.

"Was it the way how I hit him?" Lucky joked painfully.

"From where I come, we defend ourselves alone."

"Is this some kind of tradition?"

"You could call it that way and I tried to warn you." she closed a little more to him. "Also, I had to vent my frustration somewhere. You'll understand, won't you?"

"Yeah... of course." Lucky tried to smile, though he really wanted to give her a try of her own medicine. "Will you let me now?"

"After this..." Foxy pulled down her mouth mask. Her heart began beating like mad but there was no force that could stop her. Tail quickly closed her lips to his and kissed him. This came unexpectedly for Lucky and at first, he was frighten by her. His eyes grew wide and soon Lucky felt like in heaven. As if he was drugged and she felt like higher power just gave her wings. A lot energy went through them, charging their hearts with emotions they never felt before. To bad that it only lasted for a few moments.

"Did you like it?"

"Um..." Lucky was completely speechless.

"I thank you for sparing me the little hell, that I've locked inside the dark corners of my mind. I'd rather not relive the past."

"Not a problem." he smiled. "However, I can live happier without the hitting part."

"It was necessary. Don't speak of this with the others. I have a reputation to maintain." Foxy slowly moved away from him, pretending nothing happened.

"Not a word!"

"Come, let's not be late."

Then the two left the apartment and headed to the Royal Guards Office. Little did they know that there was a pony in this brick jungle, which was a threat to their existence. Although he was yet to find out about them and try to stop the two connected hearts.

Chapter 21: The Duo

"Good-Morning." the brown unicorn approached Phoenix's bed. He was smiling, though anxiety was readable in his green eyes. "How was the night? Were you having pleasant dreams?"

Phoenix yawned. His blue eyes slowly opened and focused his friend in front of him.

"What's the time?" he asked sleepily.

"Last I checked, it was quarter past eight." Volts then turned to the windows with the yellow walleyes in front of them. "The sun is high in the sky and the birds are singing their second songs. Phoenix, are you feeling alright now?"

The yellow unicorn sat on his luxurious bed and looked at the wooden floor. His red straight mane fell to his right side of his face, though he quickly pulled it back. His friend quietly came close to him and placed his left hoof on his shoulder.

"I'm all ears." his voice was comforting and showed compassion.

"Thanks, Volts. Huh, where do I begin... This night was the weirdest I've ever had." he looked confusingly at his mate. "First, there was pain, then the nightmares took over. It felt like a torture. There were voices in my head that whispered ancient spells, which only made my suffering a lot worse. Suddenly the darkness was pierced by a bright light and there he was, my savior. A white pegasus with cyan feathers on the ends of his wings. He stood in front of me like a titan. I couldn't understand why he was smiling at me. Then he reached out and I unwittingly grabbed his hoof. In a flash, the fogs disappeared and I found myself surrounded by green fields. Everything was peaceful and beautiful. It was a simple image but it seemed like paradise after the nightmares."

"I'm happy that your dream had a good ending."

"It's more than that. I actually feel very relaxed. As if somepony charged me with enough energy to stay awake for a week. I haven't felt like this for a very long time." Phoenix looked at the red crystal on the short table. "I guess... all I needed was a good sleep."

Phoenix stood up from his seat and turned his back to Volts.

"I'm going to take a shower and help you with the last preparations." then he looked back at his friend. His eyes sparkled. "We have a big night ahead of us and I'd like it to be perfect. Just like the one I dreamed of, when I was small."

Volts was little surprised to see his friend in this new light. The mustached pony nodded and turned away. He was still having worries about him. At least he seemed a lot better than yesterday. When the brown unicorn was in the corridor, Phoenix took the red crystal and stared in its structure. There was something hidden in its ordinary look. He could feel it with his guts. The mystic around it interested the yellow unicorn to the level of obsession.

"Tonight I will have my shinning moment and you will be alongside me." Phoenix whispered before placing the locket on his neck. It matched his mane color just perfectly and gave him a more elegant look. Then the unicorn took his blue towel and left the bedroom.

"Hey, are you alright?" the little purple pony asked.

"Argg, for how long I've been unconscious?"

Metal Eye painfully opened his pink eyes and barely could make a thing from the hazy picture. His legs were chained to the bricked wall. He still felt hurt in the black spots, where the mad unicorn electrified him. His body was numb and it was very hard to breath.

"Will it hurt, if tell you that today is the big day?"

Metal quickly turned his head to his little partner. He couldn't believe it. His eyes were afraid because of the consequences that would follow after their failure.

"We have to find a way to get out of this place. We need to worn the others about this madpony! Argg..." he tried to move his body but the pain and the chains didn't let him.

"You are too hurt, Metal. You should preserve your strength for the right moment." the filly looked down at the floor. His grey eyes were scared but he felt no regret of accepting this mission. His cutie mark was a spyglass, it was in his blood to become a spy. However, he didn't feel like playing one, when being imprisoned in this silver cage. He felt like an animal that was captured and that completely demolished his moral. "We are not going to make it alive from here."

"Hey, hey! Look at me, Spy Filly. Don't you give up now! We'll get out, you'll see." the pegasus's words didn't have the desired impact on the colt but at least they stopped him falling further into the trap of the depression. "If only I had my lucky charm..."

The Spy Filly looked up to his comrade and quietly asked:

"What is it?"

"It's who." Metal smiled though it hurt a lot even to move his lips. "We are going to leave this place. I promise you."

Above the streets of Manehatten...

A pony in a red-purple suit was secretly walking on the roofs of the tall buildings. He skillfully jumped from one platform to another, without giving his presence. However, there was one thing that saw his every move. The sun was shining in the blue sky and was steadily climbing the invisible ladder.

He stopped behind a chimney and slowly poked his head to look at the ponies below. Some were sitting in the near restaurant, drinking the morning tea, others were only passing by with mindful looks on their faces. His grey eyes moved from the bottom to the top. The other beautiful buildings stood like giants. On the other side of the street, next to a red painted apartment building, a large structure took his attention. It had statues on the roof that looked mighty in their marble armors. Its facade was a lot different than the surrounding ones and gave him the feeling of authority. Just above the two big wooden doors, a shield was placed on the wall, which had the Equastrian flag painted on it smooth surface. The two princess, who were doing a circle around the moon and the sun on a cyan background and surrounded by white stars. Even the ninja was intrigued by the details of the picture.

"This must be the city's garrison. I should stay as far as possible from it. I have to find the inventors' house. It should be near a big stadium or something. Though how does a stadium look like? Blasted! If only I had the city map, though it's too late for it. It's probably laying under tons of mud and rubble."

Suddenly he felt a pain in his shoulder. The red ninja leaned on the chimney and tried to endure the hurt without giving any sounds.

"I need to find the inventors immediately."

He glimpsed back at the street before continuing his search again. He turned his back to the Office and went to the other side of the roof. The assassin just missed to see two ponies, that appeared behind the corner, one of which he knew by her real name.

"Foxy, why you thanked me the way you did?" Lucky precariously asked his dark partner. The spot on his right cheek was turning from red to blue and it didn't hurt him at all, though the touch of her lips was still present and didn't go away.

"Can't a mare kiss a stallion?" her cheeks blushed. Thankfully her mask completely concealed her embarrassment.

"In your case you'll kill him first and then maybe kiss him for one last Good-bye." Lucky looked away because he felt that his heartbeat was rising and that meant blowzy face. Only the thought of it created waves of feelings. "What you did was a little unexpected."

She stopped him in the middle of the street and turned him around. He couldn't hide his face from her. The other ponies continued on their paths without making any signs that they were interested in the two.

"Am I a monster in your dead eyes?" she asked coldly. "I could have used my full strength and killed you right on the spot."

"It's not what I meant!" Lucky was honest but inside the ninja rage began igniting the engines of destruction.

She whispered in his left ear:

"But you said it. You know a lot about my dark past and the demon inside me. How could anypony see me as a normal pony?"

"Nice job, smarty!" Lucky thought. "Brought myself in a very complex situation and I can sense that Foxy is hurt. Shouldn't have mention it... Crap!"

"I-I don't think of you as a monster." Lucky drooped and continued with a quiet but sincere voice: "You have your edges and sometimes you are very rough but that doesn't sway me from thinking of you as my friend."

"Prove it! Not with words but by actions. We'll fight here and now. If you win, then you've proven your feelings and if you loose, you'll never see me again."

Lucky looked a little surprised.

"Kind of unfair, don't you think?" he sounded serious. "How can a blind pony defeat a warrior, who is enhanced with unimaginable strength and can actually see the world around her? Oh and the stake is too damn high!"

"I'll not use my eyes, I promise. However, I will not hold my full power."

"Yeah, as if the chances rose significantly... One hit and I have to kiss this world good-bye. Come on, we have more important things to do."

Foxy grabbed him on the shoulders, immobilizing him completely. Her warrior eyes stared at his dead ones.

"You've been challenged for a duel. Walking away from it, means utter defeat." she sound fairly threatening. "You better prepare yourself. You don't wanna loose to a low-life thief, eh?"

"Alright. Try me." he sounded fearless. There was no other way to deal with this situation and he really didn't want to lose her. He had to fully commit to it, if he wanted to win.

"That's why I like you more than a week ago."

"Talk about change. You too weren't a fragrant flower, when I met you for the first time." he smirked.

She closed her eyes. They stood in the middle of the street like paralyzed, waiting for the other one to make the first move. Some ponies looked at the two and wondered what they were doing. Little did they know about their little duel that would be showed in the tomorrow's newspapers.

Time slowed down. Everypony around them barely moved. Lucky could count his own beats of his heart. Foxy breath deeply and stayed focused. Despite she couldn't use her sight, the ninja was still very dangerous and accurate to cause extreme body damages.

Out of a sudden, Tail attempted to grab him but he quickly jumped forward. She tried to counter his movement by hitting him with her rear legs but Tail missed. Lucky spread his wings, so to make as much distance from her and less noise on the landing. He stood like a statue again, trying to hear his opponent's movement. Foxy stealthily walked in his general direction. She used all of her other senses to locate his current position but it was hard with the noise around her. Some ponies stopped to see what's going on. They were equally confused and curious.

Lucky knew that Foxy was approaching him, though he couldn't hear her. He needed a plan of attack and his scout instincts kicked in. The pegasus made a virtual map in his head and analyzed the situation via it.

Suddenly a purple unicorn bumped into him from the right side. Lucky thought it was her and he immediately turn to the left and was about to kick him in the face, when the magical pony apologized:

"Excuse me, I didn't watch where I was going."

Foxy turned her attention to the source of the voice and silently went at his direction. Lucky felt her presence very near him. Actually she was just a hoof away from him, though faced the opposite side of the street. Tail sensed him near too but couldn't tell where exactly he was.

"Huh, maybe if I use my tracking magic, though it won't be fair. I have a better idea!" Tail thought.

"Strange, I recall that Foxy has some sort of a spider sense. Why she can't find me or is she just playing with me?" Lucky frowned.

"Hey, do you know where a white pegasus is?" Foxy asked the pony in front of her.

"Of course, he is right next to you." the unicorn answered.

Foxy immediately kicked to the right, hitting a brown earth pony, who was not aware of the duel. She send him directly at the sitting ponies in the near restaurant. There was a loud sound of the crash with the tables. Plates and cups fell on the ground, some of which broke into many pieces on impact. Everypony was astonished by this act and quickly the crowd around the two duelists began to grow.

Lucky saw his chance to inflict good damage on the ninja. He almost instantly turned to Tail and jumped on her before she could realize what was happening. He managed to knock her down on the paved street. The pegasus was on top of her. Without wasting much time, he began hitting her face. After the second blow she put he hooves in front of her and protected herself from further attacks. The public was shocked to see them fighting like that in the middle of the cultural city.

"Uh-oh, it's time to bail!" Lucky spread his wings and jumped in the air before she could grab him. She only needed one powerful punch to win. "Hit 'n run is the name of the game!"

He quickly gained a good altitude and stayed in one place. Lucky was not yet confident in his ability to navigate in the air without some help, which made him a very slow flying target. Foxy jumped on her hooves and tried to locate him again. She knew that he was in the air, though that didn't mean he was safe. Tail was very well aware of his weakness. The ninja concentrated. The only sound of wings was coming somewhere above her.

Foxy grabbed the nearest pony, who happened to be the purple unicorn, and lifted him up in the air.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he sounded a little scared.

"Making you a star!"

Then she hurled him at the pegasus, who was not able to dodge the heavy projectile. They collided in each other and together fell hard on the ground.

"Why are they fighting?"

"Stay back everypony! They are dangerous!"

"I give ten bits on the black pony."

"Make that twelve on the pegasus. Always bet on the flying ones. He-he."

"Fighting in front of the Royal Guards Office. Don't they have some shame?"

"Guards, guards! Ha, where are the authorities, when you need them!"

The public was mixed about the fight but one thing was sure: more and more ponies came to watch the fight.

Foxy quickly came to them. Lucky had to get out of there fast. He pushed aside the unicorn, when he felt her powerful grab. She lifted him on the level of her head. Before Foxy could knock him out, he used his wing to tickle her with a great effect. The ninja was unable to do anything and released him. Then the pegasus aimed at the sky and began to fly upwards. However, he wasn't quick enough and an unwanted passenger hopped on his back.

Lucky immediately began shaking and barrel rolling but it wasn't enough. Tail touched a point on his back, which unleashed tremendous pain. He screamed out of hurt. His body was almost paralyzed. They quickly fell down on their backs. The pegasus tried to get up but his legs won't let him. He rolled, now facing the dusty ground and painfully waving his wings but without luck. He was a laying meat, that could not escape the butcher's knife.

However, his opponent was a little lost. Foxy couldn't tell where the blind one was. She searched the area around her with no success.

"Ms, you should stop the thing you are doing and talk with your friend." said a violet gentlepony. She didn't listen to him and continued searching for Lucky. Then Foxy was stopped by the unicorn in the smart suit. He was bigger than her, though barely as strong as the mutated ninja. "Come on, now. Be a good lady and forgive this pony. He may have made mistakes but he is just a lad with a young heart."

"You better move out of my way!" she said coldly.

"I'm not your enemy, this you must know. However, a lot of good ponies are late for their morning meetings because of you two. Isn't that right, dear sirs and ladies?"

The public looked at each other and kind of agreed with his statement.

"There is noting to see here ponies. Only a couple with some issues. Come on, move along."

Then the crowd magically began to scatter and soon the street was all normal again. Although a few individuals remained on their places in anticipation of another fight.

"Now, would you tell me what was this all about?"

"I give you one last warning not-so-smart-pony: remove your hoofs of me or you won't be able to sit on your plot for the rest of your life."

"Please, call me Mr Lunar Light. I'm a doctor and I'll gladly help you and your mate." he sat on the paved street and took off his green top hat. "Would you tell me why you two were fighting with closed eyes? Does it have a symbolic meaning?"

"What is this nonsense?!" Foxy opened her orange eyes and stared at the annoying unicorn. He had silver curly mane. His red eyes were beautiful and warm. "Do you wish a death sentence?"

"No, I do not. Actually, I'm very interested in your little conflict." the unicorn pulled out a notepad and a pencil. The later, he took it with his mouth and began writing something.

"Please, answer my questions." he asked calmly through gritted teeth.

Foxy had enough of this pony and attempted to strike him. However, her legs didn't obey her commands. She quickly looked at them and saw a purple aura around them. The source of this magic was just in front of her. Tail wasn't exactly happy about it.

"Release me." her eyes went deep in his, although there was no effect from her trick.

"Hm, trying to use some kind of a mind trick. You don't look the type of pony to be using magic, unless you are enchanted with magic." he thought out loud. He moved the pencil to the right side of his mouth and looked thoughtfully at her. "Yep, you are. There is also something you try to hide. Your eyes may be threatening but they are just a curtain that hides pain."

Foxy looked away from him and tried to make a barrier between them. He was going too deep in her and she would never allow it. Suddenly, her eyes caught a movement. It was Lucky, who had overcame the paralysis and was ready for another round.

"Hey, mister! Don't you dare hurt my friend!" Lucky was running at them. However, his attempt was a futile one. Just like the ninja's, his legs were caught by the unicorn's spell, which nailed him down in one place.

"Good! Now that I have your attentions, I'd like to begin your therapy." Lunar Light happily smiled. "So, let's begin from the start. What happened between you too?"

"Therapy?" Lucky exclaimed. "Release us in this instant!"

"Hm, why are you still with closed eyes? Oh, silly me. You are unable to see, so that's why you two fought like that. Equal footing, right? So, the next question is why?" he looked at Foxy, who did her best not to show any weaknesses.

"Why should we tell you?"

"Because we are just in front of the Office and I might leave you two in the hoofs of the Guardians. I want to help you but if you don't leave me any choice, then I'll have to turn you in." he moved the pencil from the right to the left side.

"Alright, you win." Foxy looked at Lucky, who was giving her secret signs to play along. "We kind of crossed our blades and began the duel. Whoever won, is the one who was right."

"Ah, so it was something important in the sense of one of you leaving the other one?"

"How did you..." Lucky made a surprised expression.

"Well, if a mare wants to kick the plot of a stallion like this, then it's pretty obvious. Also I'm a doctor." Lunar coughed and turned to the ninja. "What was the source of your aggression?"

"He offended me."

"Aha. Well what ever this good pegasus said, he didn't really mean it. I can sense it in his heart."

"What else can you sense?" she sounded a bit provocative.

"I can sense that you hold a demon inside you." Foxy raised an eyebrow and began to fear this unicorn. Was he more than what he appeared to be. "Every mare holds one. That is why they have such an unpredictable nature and of course are the sole bane of many stallions. Don't get offended, darling. This is all proved by science and magic."

"Yeah." she felt a little relief, though was still on edge. "Would you release us now. I'm not going to attack my partner."

"I think so too." his horn flashed and the magical chains disappeared. "Although on the first sign of trouble, I'll put you in chains again."

"Understood."

This was a major error on the unicorn's part. Foxy didn't have the intentions of listening to him anymore. In a blink of an eye, she knocked him out, sending him at the three ponies, who were still waiting to see some action. The demonic pony turned her eyes at Lucky, who was slowly trying to distance himself from her.

"Uh-oh, Foxy, the duel has ended. No pony won. He-he."

Without warning she knocked him down on the ground. He tried to escape but Tail lay down on him. Her weight was too high for him to move a muscle.

"You do remember not to speak of my name, while others listen?" she whispered in his ear.

"Look it's over. The duel was interrupted, so it wont count as your win." Lucky had a little trouble breathing.

"It's over, when one of us can't stand up anymore!" she reminded him.

"Well technically I can't escape from this, so it's over. No more fighting. I'd like my face to be intact for tonight."

"Then I win." she said proudly.

"No, please. Don't leave me hanging. Without you, I won't be able to save my friend. You are the closest pony, to whom I can turn for help."

An invisible smiled appeared on her face. For some reason she liked to see him beg, when all options failed. Foxy stroke his green mane. Lucky was not sure what to think of this, though he was certain it was not going to end well. Her touch, though pleasant, it also generated some sad feelings in him. Was this how she said good-bye?

"So, where will you go now?"

"Nowhere. I never said that I'll leave you. You are stuck with me, partner."

"But-but... Oh, I see what you did there." he sighed with relief. "Then why we fought? What was the purpose of this masquerade?"

"I was in a mood for fighting and of course, you thought that I'm only a killer."

Lucky looked a bit saddened. Then her strict sight became softer and her voice milder. "However, I'd never leave you alone in the darkness."

"I'll never think of you as a beast." then he whispered. "You are dragon and I'm proud of being friends with one."

They smiled.

"I think that's enough of languishing feelings. We've got work to do."

"Yes. Also you are really violating my personal space and you are squishing me."

"Oh."

She quickly stood up and helped him to get on his hoofs. Tail looked at the unicorn, who was just waking up from the powerful blow. Three ponies were helping him to get up and soon he was in control of his body once again. He was a little upset from what happened.

"I'm sorry." she apologized without any feelings.

"That was my fault, my dear. I shouldn't have removed the spell from you." Lunar rubbed his cheek. "Who would expect you can punch like that. I'd pity the poor soul, who would challenge your wrath. Hm, it looks like you two have it covered, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah... thanks for your help." Lucky smiled unconvincingly.

"At least it was worth it. I'm glad that I've saved another couple from a utter chaos." he got his green hat and put it on. "Now, if you excuse me, I have some things to attend to. Have a nice day."

"Same to you."

The unicorn picked his pencil and notepad and carried on. With him the last remaining ponies from the crowd left with dissatisfaction.

"So who actually won?"

"Don't know but I bet it was the black one."

"Nha, the pegasus had everything under control. He'd totally kick her plot."

Foxy and Lucky continued on their path and when they were in front of the front door, she turned to him.

"We, a couple?" she sounded a little surprised.

"I guess his head was too full of his science and magic that he can't see the difference between partners and a pair."

"I guess so..." she pushed the tall door and went inside followed by Lucky. The massive wooden gate closed, concealing all secrets in the building. However, it was not able to hide what was inside their hearts.

Both were lying to each other, desperately trying to hide the connection between them. On conscious level they were only friends but on a little deeper level it was a whole other story. Their tortured souls we made for each other and there was noting in the universe that could deny this fact. It was a matter of time, when their feeling would explode like a supernova and create a new beautiful world.

Chapter 22: The Survivor

Their steps were the only sounds in the long corridor. The building seemed abandoned, though it was the Headquarters of the Royal Guards in Manehatten. Almost every door was shut and the ones, that were opened, revealed empty of life rooms with scrolls left laying on the desks. Kind of unreal for a place, that was the center of authority in this city.

"Feels just like, when I visited you in your cell a week ago." Lucky was not feeling comfortable.

"Do you have a holiday or something?"

"I don't think so."

Foxy glimpsed at him.

"Do you know where they might be?"

"I guess they are in the same room, in which they revealed us the plan. I guess that's the only place, where Nose feels safe to do his work. I wonder, if his apartment is soundproofed too. By the way, why you couldn't sense me, while we dueled?"

"Huh, you wanna know more about my tricks?" she then whispered in his ear. "Have you ever felt like you've been watched, though there was nopony around you?"

"Um, yes?" he sounded a bit confused.

"My super sense works on this principle: If I'm being watched, I'd immediately know. The problem is that you are blind, so in a sense you are my counter. And also, I didn't use my tracking magic because it wouldn't be fair."

"As if super strength was fair from the beginning."

Foxy lifted her hoof above his back and stroke him. Lucky felt as if she cut him in half. Pain went through his entire spine, which was almost intolerable.

"Ops, I only wanted to pat you."

"Your joke, it hurts." he groaned a few times.

"Don't be such a cryfoal!" she looked at him in a strict manner. "I've been beaten a lot badly than you and I've never said a word."

"Said the pony who was gutted and still lives." he painfully smirked. "Someday, I will have my revenge and you will know how it feels on the receiving end."

"Till that moment, you can only suffer." this time she patted him gently on the shoulder. The two then continued through the corridor to the meeting room.

"Argg, nothing again!" Nose facehoofed.

"You may want to take a short brake. You look too nervous and tired to interrogate her." Quarter Key stood up from his seat and went closer to the cyan earth pony. Nose gave way to him and then sat in the other end of the long table. For the past few minutes the pegasus tried everything he knew about making ponies talk. His attempts were fruitless and after this morning's downfall with Lucky, Nose was feeling like he has lost his edge and frustration began to take over his mind.

"What are you going to do?" Diamond Rod stood beside Quarter and looked down at the shocked beauty. Her blue mane was in a sad condition. Her pink eyes were lifeless, after what she saw. All ponies, who Voyager considered family, were dead and their remains were now laying deep under the sea. Her mind couldn't escape from the image of her love. His face was calm, but she knew that he was scared to death before his final moment. Those eyes that stared back at her. They'd haunt her for the rest of her life.

"I've got nothing. It's not my specialty to interrogate ponies. Maybe a hot chocolate milk will melt her frozen soul."

"Alright. I'll stay here and try to speak with her."

Then the grey unicorn went to the door but before going outside, he turned to his partner.

"Would you like some too?"

"No, bring one for her and Nose." Diamond then pulled a chair and sat next to Voyager. His yellow eyes tried to see through her numb body and learn why she was so silent. When he couldn't hear the Quarter's steps in the empty corridor, Diamond asked her very politely: "Would you tell me your name? Don't be scared of us. You are in very good hooves."

The mare kept staring down the surface of the wooden table. She didn't move, no sounds came from her. The pretty pony barely breathed. Diamond thought for a moment and continued.

"I'm Diamond Rod. I'd like to help you. You are safe here and I promise you that nothing bad will happen to you." his voice was calming. Voyager didn't give any signs that she had heard him.

"Ah, that is it!" the green pegasus jumped on the table and moved closer to her with loud steps. Anger was coming from his red eyes, that pierced her cyan skin like needles. "I've had it with this bucking silence in this bucking mission. I want the truth and I want it now!"

He leaned towards her, touching their foreheads. He greeted his teeth and looked her directly in the eye.

"Do not ignore me!" he shouted.

Then he was quickly pushed from the table. Before he could raise on his hoofs, two legs landed on his back that held him in one place.

"Don't be stupid! This is not the Royal Guards way. Now sit down and cool your head! Leave the room, if you have to." Diamond sounded very earnest.

"She is toying with us! Pretending that she is in shock!" Nose tried to get up but the pressure from the strong unicorn was too much.

"Yeah, sure. Now get up and go outside!" Diamond backed away from him, ready to jump on him again, if he tried something fishy.

"I'll not leave but I'll be silent." Nose pulled one of the chairs and sat quietly. The white unicorn didn't remove his sight from him until he got to his seat. He breathed slowly and maintained full focus on the task in front of him. Voyager hadn't moved a muscle. She didn't tried to escape even, when they were occupied with internal conflicts.

Steps sounded from the corridor and soon after, two ponies entered in the room without knocking. Diamond turned to the new guests.

"Took you long enough. For a moment, I thought you two were lost."

"We had a little obstacle on the road." Lucky smiled unconvincingly.

Foxy looked carefully at the shocked ninja from the entrance. She proceeded with caution cause there was no telling what the survivor of the unfortunate flight was capable of. Was she only pretending to be traumatized by something or was this just a clever disguise? Either way, Tail melted the distance between them and stopped next to her. The earth pony seemed to not notice her presence.

"Somepony you know, Dragon Born?" Diamond asked. His eyes jumped from the black pony to the cyan one, trying to see a connection between them.

When Voyager herd the name, something inside her snapped. She slowly turned her innocent looking eyes at the demonic ninja and silently stared in those big orange circles. Her heart began beating faster. She was starting to revive from her frozen state and the first emotion Voyager felt was fear.

"Dragon Born." she whispered her name and then immediately bowed down on the floor. Her body was a bit shaking, as if she was waiting for her turn on the gibbet.

Diamond and Doggy looked at each other. They were quite surprised from this sudden reaction. The cyan pony closed her eyes and tears began to fall from them.

"Please, may my death be quick." she pleaded with a suffered voice. "I admit to everything. Please, don't torture me!"

For a second, Foxy returned in her homeland, where she was feared by her comrades and enemies. A bomb that could explode at any given time and bring death to anything near her. She was also the personal guard of the leader and his ultimate weapon for mass-destruction. Everypony knew her as a dangerous tool and not as a pony with her own feelings and thoughts.

"Stand up." she ordered coldly.

The cyan pony shakily got on her hoofs. She couldn't look Foxy in the eyes but the later forced her to do so. Tail stared again in those crystal eyes, which had not seen much combat. The black ninja tried to recognize her face but she had no memory of this pathetic excuse for a ninja.

"Your name?" she sounded a lot scary in the ears of the survivor. With each opening of her mouth, she imagined how her sharp white teeth were growing.

"V-Voyager." she answered fearfully.

"Look me in the eye, when I talk to you!" Tail ordered in earnest.

"Y-yes, sir-mam!"

"Where is your clan symbol? Where are you from?"

"I-I am from clan Dragon Claw." Voyager closed her eyes, for which she was hit in the chin, which was not in the liking of the other three ponies in the room.

"Hey! Don't hit her!" Diamond Rod stood up from his seat and went behind Foxy. "Do this again and you won't be hurting anypony for the rest of your life!"

"After I brake your horn!" Tail threatened.

"Yeah, I might be on edge here but even I won't hurt her physically!" Nose joined the defense.

"Ninja, don't do anything stupid. She is willing to talk, so don't go too far with her." Lucky tried to ease the situation.

Foxy found herself surrounded but that didn't mean that she couldn't do what ever her dark soul wanted. She turned her attention to the weak pony in front of her.

"I've never seen you in my clan. I smell a liar and we know what happens to such ponies. Their tongues are cut!"

Foxy closed her masked face to Voyager's, achieving it's primary goal: to bring more fear in her lonely heart. Big salty tears were falling like waterfalls from her suffering eyes.

"No, no! I'm from your clan, my lord. I and several others were hidden from the rest by the mighty leader!"

Foxy raised an eyebrow.

"Hidden, why?"

"We are, I mean were the only pilots, who could fly the air-ship."

"So it is an air-ship." Doggy noted. "You had an accident, right? Your ship crashed in the sea. The Royal Guards are busy with collecting the remains and from what I've heard it must be quite big."

"Y-yes." Voyager looked back at the green pegasus. "It's capable of flying across the ocean."

Foxy turned her, so that their eyes would meet again.

"What was your mission?"

"Do you not know, my lord?"

"Well, If I asked then it's isn't because I want you to refresh my memory. I was away from the clans for far too long and far away to keep myself informed with his plans."

"So, you are not here to execute me, for my failure?" there was now a small hope in her eyes that she'd survive this encounter and Voyager hugged it with all her soul and heart.

Tail glimpsed at the two Guardians, who were listening carefully. Lucky went to them and smiled.

"No, she is here on her own will. My partner does not represent the will of your master. I guarantee you that." his voice was comforting and ensuring. There was something in his friendly face that made her feel safe again.

"So, I'm not going to die a slow and painful death?"

"No." Foxy answered. "However, you'll be close to dead, if you do not tell us everything! Start with the goals of your trip here." she closed her hoof to Voyager's scared face.

"I warned you Dragon Born!"

Diamond used his magical horn and directed a purple beam at the ninja. Foxy got down and the energy passed above her. Before the ray could hit Voyager, Doggy Nose managed to push her aside. He then jumped backwards to avoid the concentrated magic, landing on the long wooden table.

The ninja quickly turned around. Diamond fired another one at her and again she cleverly dodged the attack. Foxy jumped in front of him and send her deadly hoof at his face. The unicorn closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable blow, which never came. Her hoof was merely a millimeter away from his cheek. He looked in her emotionless eyes and thought that time somehow had stopped.

"Don't shoot at me again. Especially from the back." then Tail carefully backed off, without loosing him from sight. "Good thing that you need to look pretty for tonight or I'd gladly make your white face into a red one."

Then she turned to the door and began walking.

"Where are you going?" Nose asked from the middle of the table.

"Out, where I won't cause trouble. I'm the problem here and we should not waste time with me. And don't worry, she will talk now, even if I'm not here."

"And I was the pony with the hot head, eh?" Nose mocked Diamond, who looked like he'd melt a solid rock with his serious face.

Her dark figure disappeared behind the door. Soon after Quarter Key entered inside with a magically held plate, on which were two glasses of chocolate milk. Only by the expression of their faces he learned that the team wasn't working as well as he'd hope so.

"I guess, I have to get three more..." he put the drinks on the table and left again. Everypony was silent for a few minutes.

Voyager looked at Nose, who saved her from the beam, which could have put her to sleep for three hours. He seemed thoughtful. She went to him and bowed. He slowly turned his sight to her and was surprised.

"Thank you." she sounded grateful.

"Um, better awake than sleepy. Time is not what we have in plenty, otherwise I wouldn't have risk myself to help you. That spell doesn't have an easy counter, so... "

"Could we move on with the questions? I'd like to hear what was their goal of coming in Equestria and what happened with your ship." Lucky interrupted.

"Shouldn't you be running to your partner?" Diamond stood next to Lucky, though the later utterly ignored him.

Voyager sat on the floor and breathed deeply.

"My crew and I were only flyers. Our leader would give us the coordinates, to where we needed to transport the ninjas from our clan. We do not know what they are doing in the time they spend on the ground. Everything was kept a secret, even from us."

"And yesterday?" Lucky and Diamond asked simultaneously.

"There was a demon, who murdered everypony on board except me. He was responsible for the explosion, which destroyed half of our ship."

She looked saddened, when the memories of the bloody night emerged from the deeps of her mind, still warm and fresh like a profound wound.

"Demons? There aren't any in Equestria. All are in Tartarus, that's what the book for magical creatures stated." Diamond looked with disbelieve at her. "It must have been some wizard."

"Before getting to any conclusions, I'd rather hear his description." Lucky sat in front of her. "How did he look?"

"It had the shape of a pony but fully covered in black and tentacles were coming from its back."

"Demon you say..." Lucky thought. "Could it be the shade from the stadium? I don't think Blue Circle would go so far, though from what Foxy said about him, he could do anything without a remorse. Or is it something else?"

"Hm, what were you carrying on that ship?" Lucky was fully determent to find the truth.

"Only other ninjas that had their secret mission. The captain knew a little more than that but he is dead." some of her blue hairs fell dismally in front of her face. Her eyes felt quite heavy and Nose knew what that meant.

"You lost a lot of friends, right?"

She silently nodded.

"Here, this will help you a little." the green pegasus handed her one of the glasses. She took it and sipped from the warm milk. It didn't make her feel better in any way, though she appreciated the gesture.

"Where were you going?" Lucky asked after a short pause.

"Here. Our orders were to bring the ninja ground team in the middle of the city. Then we'd land on our usual place: a field, north from here."

"How many flight trips you've made until now?" Diamond asked.

"Exactly twelve in the span of a few years. The most recent one before the last night's was more than weeks ago." she said with a low voice.

"So, they were busy in here. What were they planning?" Nose thought.

"Was there anything unusual happening in your other trips? Do you know why the demon killed your mates and ended your happy flight to here?"

"No, I didn't see anything unusual with the previous travels. Although you need to define unusual. Ninjas usually are the silent types of pony, especially the more experienced ones or the veterans from the war. They'd usually do something strange to us, pilots but it may be perfectly fine for them. I don't know why the demon attacked us. We never trouble the spirits and..."

Nose jumped from the table and stood between her and the others.

"War? Would you clarify on that?"

His big red eyes pointed at hers, which scared her for a moment.

"I don't think I should talk about it." she tried to evade his sight but there was no way to hide.

"Start from the beginning, if you please." he sat in front of her, pushing the other pegasus aside and was all ears. Lucky stood up and turned to the door. He already knew this part of the story and didn't want to listen to it again. Now was a good time to go and find Foxy to tell her about the news. The pegasus never saw her admitting defeat like this and wondered what had changed in her.

"Where do you think you're going?" Diamond asked behind him.

Lucky stopped and turned his head to him. The unicorn saw a small smile on his face.

"Going to the toilet."

In the bright kitchen, Quarter was placing the glasses with the chocolate milks on the silver plate. Suddenly, a pony entered the room. Key knew exactly who it was and wasn't slightly surprised.

"Would you like some hot chocolate milk?"

Foxy silently went to the four big windows and looked outside. The streets were full with colorful ponies, who were enjoying the life with all of its ups and downs. The world outside was a lot different than from the one she came from. Fear and hatred were dominant feelings in her home unlike the love and friendship, that was shown in the daily life of the Equestrian ponies.

"Take this." Quarter Key approached her with a glass of chocolate, which was floating magically in the air.

She glimpsed back at him and reluctantly took it.

"Though you and I have our differences, I'm willing to help with the troubles you are having. If Lucky trusts you so much, then there is some good in you."

"You do not have any idea." Foxy sounded protective. Her orange eyes were looking in the distance. Somewhere, across the vast ocean, an island stood above the waves. Long ago it was the home of honorable warriors but now it was the symbol of despair and death.

"So, are you willing to talk or should I just leave you alone with your thoughts?"

"I feel like I'm stuck between two worlds."

"And you do not know, which you should follow?" Quarter took a sip from his hot drink.

"Something like that but the worlds will soon clash for supremacy." She slowly pulled down her mask and tasted this new drink. "Should have hit him but why didn't I? The unicorn was a threat. He deserved to be punished."

"Look dear, fearing change won't get you anywhere. Your old ways have no place in this land. If you are going to live with us, the Equestrians, then you'll have to change for the better." he placed his glass on the table and continued with a bit more serious tone. "The first time I met you, you were behind the bars for a crime you tried to deny. You injured the ponies, who wanted to stop you and attempted to escape several times. My opinion still stays that you are obnoxious and you do not deserve to be free, despite that your fine was paid. However, I like that you are changing. Your time with Lucky was productive and mutually beneficial for both of you."

Foxy silently took another sip from her milk and looked at the happy faces of the ponies outside.

"You shouldn't resolve issues with aggression."

She looked back at him with her demonic eyes, though the old horn had no fears of her.

"What if I tell you, that I was taught to do just that?"

"Then leave your old manners behind and learn to be a better pony but never forget your past or it will haunt you for the rest of your life."

"Huh, that's why Lucky valued you so much. You can be a good adviser."

"And you a better grey earth pony." he smiled friendly.

She forgot that he mouth mask was not on her face. She quickly turned around and pulled it up. A hoof patted her on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't tell the others." Quarter assured her. "I'll go now. I'm glad that your in good hooves and I hope this conversation helped you."

The grey unicorn turned around, took the plate with the glasses and headed for the door. She nodded behind him and then turned her sight back at the beautiful world. It was so close but so far and only one pony could help her get to the other side. Lucky entered the kitchen and asked:

"Ninja, are you here?"

"Yeah." Tail answered after she finished with her chocolate milk.

"We have a little problem."

Foxy looked at him a little surprised.

In the laboratory...

The yellow unicorn was tweaking one of his creations, which was going to be shown in this evening. It was a bracelet with a short metal barrel. There was a coil inside the tube and two capacitors sticking out from the back. He worked hard all morning on it just to make sure it would not brake in the presentation. There was a lot of work still to be done and their time was melting rather fast.

He left his instruments on the table. Put the bracelet on his right leg and aimed at the white pegasus, who like the pony inside the cage, had his head covered with a black sack. Suddenly, the devil in his soul smiled. It was so tempting to use this deadly invention on a flesh to see what would happen with the victim. Then he aimed his hoof at a small target on the wall, which was painted with red.

"Bam!" he smirked.

"So, it was supposed to make a 'Bam' sound?" the voice came from behind.

Phoenix turned around and stared in the darkness. He was using only the lamp on the table, which was not enough to illuminate the laboratory. He felt a little nervous because he couldn't recognize, who was stalking him from the shadows.

"Show yourself!"

His eyes moved from one silhouette to another.

"I will."

A pony in a red-purple ninja cloths appeared from his left. His grey eyes were cold and a little angry. He wasn't looking in a great shape. On some places his cloths were torn, revealing flesh wounds on many places. His scabbard was empty, which was a shame, because no ninja should ever lose their weapons.

"I had to search half the city to finally find where you live. We need to speak now, in private." the ninja looked at the two prisoners. They had pointed their ears in the direction of the unicorn and the ninja.

"Of course." Phoenix left the creation on the table and then the two climbed the stairs and went in the small section of the lab. Phoenix shut the door behind him to make sure that no sounds would reach the two spies.

"Would you answer who are you?" the unicorn asked suspiciously.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm here to tell you that the deal is off! Our ship was attacked, I'm the only survivor."

"You mean ambassador One is dead?" Phoenix was surprised to hear the bad news.

"He's probably dead for more than a week. I was tasked to find him in this city. He and his ninjas never showed up at the landing area."

"Will your leader send another ship?"

"Probably not. It was the only one we had and it will be a long time until he sends another expedition here. In the meantime, we need to hide the machines. The attacker will trace my steps and discover this place. So, it has to be done as fast as possible."

"I'll see what I can do but it won't be today."

Suddenly, the red ninja grabbed him and pushed him to the white wall. His grey eyes stared directly at Phoenix's. The unicorn could tell that the assassin was not pleased by the answer. The ninja was afraid of something, which had powers beyond the imagination.

"Then tomorrow. This equipment is too vital for my leader and must not be captured." he sounded very serious.

"Alright, alright. I'll see what can be done. However, I do not promise a thing! Moving the equipment is a delicate process."

The ninja released him and backed off. He seemed to be on edge but the sole survivor knew by experience to never let his guard down. After all, he miraculously survived from yet another certain death and wouldn't count on his luck again.

"I'll need to tell my partner about the change of plans. Meanwhile, take this outfit off you and go take a bath. If you are staying with us, then you need to look clean and civilized. That's the only way to hide among us. I'll ask Volts to attend to your wounds, if this is okay with you."

The earth pony didn't like the idea but for the sake of his mission, he'd do it. He took off his mask and dropped it on the floor. Phoenix smirked. He finally saw a ninja's true face and frankly, he didn't look too different from the Equestrian ponies.

Back at the Office...

"What are we going to do then?" Foxy had a troubled look on her eyes.

"I guess, we continue with the mission with extra caution. Our shadowy friend may be very near us. Is there a possibility that this is the Blue's doing?"

"No, he can't fly." Tail looked back at the closed door to make sure that they were alone. They no longer were in the big kitchen. The room was a lot smaller and was furnished with only one desk and a closet. The walls were painted in yellow. The windows faced the small garden, which was surrounded by tall walls. "Why would it attack the ship? How did it know about their arrival?"

"No idea but I get the impression that we've played a dangerous game. Somepony has manipulated us so perfectly, that even Discord would admire on the plan's execution. However, there is not enough information to make any conclusion of what are the goals of the master of puppets."

"You know what. The whole story with the Guardian of the Temple kind of stinks. He helped you stop Shadow Sun but then left you against the odds with a dragon. Kind of fishy, if you ask me."

"Do you mean that he just used me and when I was not useful anymore, the shade made sure that I'd not live to tell anypony about what happened in the jungle?" he suddenly facehoofed. "Argg, how didn't I see this!"

Foxy placed her hoof on his right shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself. We were outplayed by a tactician and the last thing we want is to show weakness."

Lucky sighed.

"If he was the mastermind, then it makes sense why we ended up in the jungle. However, why did it try to kill us before that? What's his agenda?"

"We won't achieve anything by theorizing." Foxy looked directly at Lucky. "What ever his plans are, we need to continue with our tasks. The piece of Shadow Sun's medallion will lead us in the right direction."

"I agree. He is connected with Her and thus with the medallion." he looked thoughtfully at the floor. "However, should we tell the others? I know that it could bring a lot of fears but this is not a matter for only two ponies."

"Are you out of your mind? You told me that spreading the information about a super powerful being, that wants to kill us all, among the other ponies will result in mass panic. I don't trust the Guardians to be silent about it."

"Yeah, you are right." then he turned around. "If only the Princess would guide us in this moment."

Foxy went to his right side and looked at his concerned face.

"You do not need a higher life form to decide your path."

"Yeah, but sometimes we're forced by destiny's will."

She was a little surprised to hear this from him.

"Since when you believe in destiny?"

Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face and looked at her.

"I don't. But this little adventure of ours reveals some evidence of something beyond our imagination, which holds our futures."

"Then let's show this power, who is the real boss of our fates!" Foxy patted him and then went to the door. Lucky confidently followed her.

"Then it's decided. Voyager will stay in Nose's apartment for the time being." Diamond finally agreed.

"It's the safest place in Manehatten." the green pegasus noted. "The only place where even the Royal Guards can't spy on me."

"Are you feeling threatened or something?" Quarter Key sounded a bit astonished. "If they live so far from our continent and their only means of transport was destroyed, then there's noting to worry about."

Nose gave him a serious look.

"Let's just say, that I like to be cautious. Also she will be a hoof away, if I have some more questions about the clans."

Steps sounded near them. Lucky and Foxy approached the three ponies, who were standing in the corridor, in front of the closed door. Doggy and Rod glimpsed frowny at the them.

"A lot of stuff, you two didn't tell us." Nose said.

"And?" Foxy appeared to be carefree.

"And?!" Diamond exclaimed. "Your clan had a war, in which you participated. The picture now has colors. The ninjas, who have been conducting their negotiations with the inventors are probably seeking better weapons for your next conflict. Equestria has a strict policy not to get involved with the matters of the other kingdoms, unless they asked for our help via the official channels. This infamous operation must be stopped!"

Nose approached Foxy, while looking her directly in the eye. Not many ponies were capable of this but this pegasus showed that he wasn't afraid of her.

"We learned that you were the personal weapon of your leader and followed his every order to the mark. Tell us, why should we trust that you are on our side."

"Because I'm no longer with my clan." she was straight but this was not enough for the Guard.

"Why you left your clan? What is the reason of your change of heart? Where is the evidence that you will not betray us?"

"Because I won't. I'm no longer a tool."

"Then why don't you show your face to us? Drop the mask and reveal your true self!"

Foxy stamped with such a force, that she almost made a hole in the wooden floor. Tail stood tall and mighty in front of the green pegasus, who seemed to shrink in size. Her demonic eyes stared down on him like a colossus. He couldn't stand up to her. She was like a Goddess compared to him.

"You do not want to see what really lies behind my black cloths." her voice sounded very dark.

Nose gulped.

"I'll not be questioned by you anymore!"

She lifted up her right hoof but before she could strike him with the force of a dragon, Lucky grabbed it in the air.

"Ninja, forget about him. Let him think what he wants."

Nose gritted his teeth.

"Bring it on! I'm not afraid of a mare!"

A blow came quite shortly, which send the pegasus flying across the hallway. This happened so fast that the two unicorns had no idea what happened, until Nose's body hit the floor with a hurtle. Quickly their horns produced magical sparks and green chains appeared around the ninja's dark figure.

"And there goes the team..." Quarter disappointedly said, while looking at Nose's motionless body. "Diamond, go check him!"

The white unicorn carefully went to the unconscious pegasus. The first thing he saw was the mark, where she hit him on the face. Doggy was still breathing, though barely.

"He'll be alright, I guess. Frankly he really needed the nap." Diamond looked back at Quarter, who was not in a mood for jokes. "I'll ask Voyager to help him. She may know how to perform first aid."

"If you trust her, then do it." then the old unicorn turned to the black ninja. "What should I do with you?"

"What ever you want. He got what he deserved."

"Maybe but this was not the way to act in this situation." Quarter said coldly. "You are lucky that we need you for this mission or I'd have already sent you in your cage, where you belong. You two are going back to Nose's apartment and stay there, until it's time for you to go to the event."

He released her from the spells and turned to Lucky.

"You are responsible for her behavior. If this happens again, you'll go to the cells after the mission, instead of her. Did I make myself clear?"

"Yes." Lucky said shamefully. Then they turned to the stairway and silently began walking, when Quarter said behind them.

"Ms Dragon, you disappointed me again. Think carefully about what we've talked. Let this be the last time you resolve an issue with violence." he then turned to the other unicorn. "I'll go around the city. If you need me, send me a telepathic notice."

The old horn headed for the staircase and soon his hoofs ceased to sound through the corridor.

Voyager took a quick look on Nose. She wasn't a qualified medic but knew how to help wounded ponies. This was something she had to learn, when being a part of a team of pilots.

"What do you think?" Diamond asked.

"He will be fine but the mark will stay for at least a weak." she looked up at him. Her beautiful face seemed a little concerned. "I'd want to look for him, until he wakes up."

"Alright. I'll carry him to the sofa in the kitchen, where we'll put him to rest." then Diamond used his horn and magically lifted the pegasus in the air. She looked at his calm face and hoped that he'd be okay. Doggy was her savior today and Voyager didn't want to see him in more pain.

Maybe this was the beginning of a new better life.

When Lucky and Foxy were outside of the Royal Office, she turned to him.

"Do you know the way back?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I'll be back soon." suddenly Tail disappeared, leaving a small black cloud of smoke.

Lucky stood there hopelessly, unable to follow his partner. He could do only one thing at this point. The pegasus went in the direction of the green building, hoping that she would not do anything more stupid. Maybe Foxy needed some fresh air, after the embarrassing fiasco, although he didn't understand what was really going on inside her head. Was she changing to quick or was there something else?

Chapter 23: The Big Failure

He slowly rubbed his coat with the soapy sponge. The water in the bathtub was very cold. From where he came from, there was no such thing as bathing in warm water. This was a luxury, which only the highest ranking ninjas and generals enjoyed. The common warriors like him had to live without many common necessities, which were in plenty in this land.

His grey eyes stared at the black and white tiles. They seemed to be empty of any emotion or life. His brown body was covered in many scars. The biggest one stretched from his neck, through his back and ended in his plot. This cut was done by a very notorious swords master, before he died by a poisonous arrow to the hoof. He was so lucky that day but nothing topped his plane accident.

All his scars were reminders of his constant struggle of life and death. Most were made by ponies without fame and only a few were by well-known ninjas. He used to brag about his encounters all day but as time slowly went forward, his spirit to fight died a little with each fight and thus his mouth became quieter. After his bloodiest battle, his mind changed completely. His eyes had seen enough killing and their youthful gloom disappeared.

His small soul darkened. Everything around him seemed to be colored in grey. No longer he felt the satisfaction from drinking cider. The food didn't have the same juicy taste as before. His heart didn't desire to be with a mare anymore.

He only wanted for his miserable life to end. However, the ninja was unable to perform the sacred ritual of harakiri. He was too weak and his loyalty to the leader was to high. The pony patiently waited for the one, who'd end his suffering for once and for all.

Suddenly there was a knocking on the door. It opened and an brown unicorn entered the bathroom. Volts was carrying a first aid kit on his back. The ninja greeted him only by sight and continued slowly washing himself. The unicorn removed the curly bright hairs from his face before beginning to heal his wounds. He pulled out a clean towel, when his green eyes accidentally noticed the big scar on the ninja's back. Volts had never seen such a thing on anypony and wondered what could have done this to him.

"Do you feel pain anywhere on the back?" he gently asked.

The ninja was silent.

"I guess not." the unicorn then put spirit on the towel. He put the bottle on the floor and then by using his magic, began attending his flesh wounds. Although it was painful, the ninja kept a perfect silence and barely moved a muscle.

"We've chosen some cloths that may fit you for tonight. They are in your private room, the first one on the hallway."

"I'll check them." the ninja didn't seem too excited.

"We would prefer that you do not bring a lot of attention to yourself. We must not appear that we are hiding something."

"Got it. Now if you don't mind, I'd like you to shut up and finish with the healing."

Volts was not astound by the ninja's cold behavior. The previous assassins were as cold as this one, the only exception was ambassador One, who was very civil and polite. The faster he treated his wounds, the sooner Volts would get away from this impolite pony.

A few hours later...

Phoenix was packing some stuff in the lower section of the lab, when Volts appeared on the stairway.

"Everything is prepared for tonight." he said with a loud voice.

"Excellent, dear Volts. I'll come to check it out."

When the other unicorn shut the door behind him, Metal Eye saw a chance to have a word with Phoenix, without being interrupted.

"What you are doing is wrong!" he said under the black sack.

Phoenix stopped in front of the first step.

"And why do you think so? Is it because you are jealous, my winged spy? Or are you thinking that I'm mad and can not comprehend what's going on?" he turned his head to the captive and smirked. "Do tell me, please!"

Metal hesitated for a bit. The yesterday's torture still resonated in his body and he didn't want to repeat it.

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" the unicorn moved closer to the pegasus, who seemed to be scared of him. However, that was not the case with Metal Eye.

"Don't you see your own downfall? Why are you doing this?"

"Aha, so it is the later. You really think I'm not seeing the big picture?" Phoenix looked contemptuously at him. "Why should I tell you about my reasons for helping them? Are you playing with me or something?"

"I not messing with you. Constructing weapons for mass destruction for warrior-like ponies is like dancing around a big fire on only two legs. You never know, when you'll trip over and burn yourself alive!"

"Weapons for mass destruction?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "I've created weather controlling machines, that will be used instead of pesky pegasi like yourself."

"What about the medallion that summons a ghost, which obeys your every bidding?"

"It's a medallion, that will allow ponies to get to unsafe places, without exposing themselves to danger. For example, in rescue operations in the mines." the unicorn sounded very confident in his words, which was almost unbelievable.

"Great Celestia! Thousands will die by your hooves!" Metal Eye was very shocked by how ignorantly this pony was thinking. "How can you deny their real purpose?!"

"I do not!" the unicorn stamped. "That's what they were meant to do and not what you are trying to suggest. My inventions are always aimed at helping ponies."

"So, yesterday, when you used that electric stick on me, was because you were helping me?" if the unicorn could see the expression on his face, he'd be a little scared from it.

Phoenix froze for a moment. He felt kind of weird out of sudden, as if a memory, which was suppressed tried to escape the deeps of his mind.

"Yesterday... I-I..." the unicorn placed a hoof to his forehead. He was beginning to sweat and feel hotter by the second. "You are lying!"

"Am I? Just look at the burns on my white body. Truth hurts, doesn't it?"

Phoenix angrily waved his right hoof in the air.

"I'll not stand here and listen to your venomous words. Yesterday I worked quietly on my inventions, preparing them for tonight. You think you can mess with my head, by using your unicorn friend's magic? Well guess again, I'm not gonna fall for your pegasi tricks. Excuse me, but I have things to attend to. May your stay here be as much unpleasant as you've made me feel at the moment!" he quickly turned around and headed for the staircase. Phoenix climbed it fast and finally was in safe place, where Metal couldn't reach him with his voice.

The filly looked down. Despite both wearing black sacks on their heads, the pegasus knew how sad his eyes must be, after their last chance of escaping via reasoning being a total waste.

"What now?" the youngster asked.

"I guess we are waiting. Don't loose hope yet, there is still a way out of this!" Metal tried to sound positive.

"How we beat a crazy pony?"

"By going crazier than him." he smiled, too bad that the young unicorn couldn't see it. The Spy Filly really needed a boost to his self-confidence right now or condemn himself to despair.

Many hours later...

She looked at the vast forest of concrete and bricks to where the eye could see. Foxy spent almost an entire day on this roof, trying to concentrate her thoughts. The sunset was beautiful. The last orange beams calmed her being and gave her strength. Tail felt good.

There was a sudden slow wind, which cooled her heated body. Her scary eyes pierced the horizon. They were fully determined.

"Lone on the battlefield. There lies one in blood. One, on the battlefield, where all have long perished. Only he remains to tell the story of death and glory. Oh, Great Overlord may they sleep in peace. He's the only one to live to see his family back home."

Her voice was pretty for this short war song. A new wave of feelings overwhelmed her. Tail was ready to return to Lucky. She looked back at the chimneys, which had several holes in them.

"Thanks guys. You were great listeners and punching bags. May you have some fortune in the future!" then she jumped off the building, forever leaving this unfortunate roof, which had the pleasure to bare with her rage. Luckily for her, the residents of the building were out in the park and unaware of the fat repair bills that were coming in their way.

Lucky was preparing his costume for tonight, when he felt a familiar presence behind him.

"I wondered when you'll show up." he sounded concerned. "Where have you been? Thank the Princess, that Quarter Key didn't check us or we'd be in trouble now."

"I was just out for some fresh air." she playfully smiled under her mask. "Are you ready?"

Lucky shook head.

"I can't put the bowtie correctly."

She took it from his hoof and threw it away. Lucky stood in a frozen pose. Tail grabbed him and both disappeared in black smoke.

They reappeared on the paved street, in front of the green building.

"You should have just said that it didn't suit me."

"Yeah, it didn't but that's not why I teleported us here. We are kind of late and need to get to the event fast!" Foxy tried to pull him in the direction of the stadium but he resisted.

"Could you at least tell me how I look?"

Tail glanced at him and that was enough to tell her that she had no idea of the Equestrian style of dressing. He was wearing a black stylish suit, which had sleeves only for the front legs. There were four white buttons on his chest and next to them there was a single small pocket, in which he could barely put anything except a pink napkin.

Lucky had placed a purple silk towel in front of his eyes, which gave him a charming look. He spread his white wings to the sides, revealing the cyan feathers at the sharp angles. This oddly colored plumes were only located on the bottom side of his wings. Foxy had to admit that he seemed quite handsome.

"I guess you look fine. Now let's go!" she took his left hoof and together they left for the tonight's big event.

At the inventor's place...

A barrel was lifted high in the air, so that everypony could see it clearly. It's metal was sleek and shined under the light in the big living room. Then it was aimed at a red target on the other side of the room. The public had cleared the area around the shooter, ceased any conversations and stood still in anticipation.

"This, ladies and gentlecolts, is called the Gun." Phoenix formally announced. The crowed began to be a little noisy but the talks quickly ended, when the yellow unicorn continued. "What is it, you ask? How does it work? It's all very simple, my friends. It's a tube with a coil inside it and two capacitors, that are connected with the coil. You put this little pellet inside the barrel, like this."

His horn shined in a violet light and pulled out a single small ball from a pouch near him. Then the magically held pellet was put inside the barrel.

"Now the gun is armed. The only thing it needs is a kick in the weak place, if you know what I mean." the public burst in small laughs and he patiently waited for them to calm. "For it to fire, you need to use your horn's magical energy to charge the capacitors. Let me demonstrate."

A violet aura appeared around his horn and the gun, that was on his right hoof.

"However, this is the problem of its design, cause it can be used only by magical creatures. When you have aimed it correctly, then you release the gun."

Suddenly, there was a powerful blast followed almost instantly, when he removed all control over it. It was a very loud sound and someponies jumped from their places out of fear. Other had closed their eyes but the ones, who were brave enough to witness the entire show looked at the red target, which had one black hole in its center. The crowd began to commentating on the presentation of this invention. There were many voices but these stood out the most:

"Amazing!" one exclaimed.

"I'd like to try it myself."

The public was definitely impressed and that pleased him very much. However, there were those, who were not blind like the rest.

"Could you tell us its intended purpose, Mr Phoenix?" said the grey unicorn in purple royal armor. He had a dark mane and blue eyes, that seemed very serious.

"I was going to get to that part. It's for fun and sports. With it you can train you concentration and improve your eye-to-hoof coordination. As a sport thing, I'll show you this little game I and my colleague made. Volts, would you come, if you please."

The brown unicorn went to him and lined himself with the red target. Phoenix took off the bracelet gun and put it on Volt's left hoof.

"You can play a game with as many ponies you'd like. The rules are simple: shoot near or at the center for the most points. I've shoot already so, it's his turn. Let's see, if he can beat my dead on accuracy."

Volts reloaded the gun and aimed. He began to fill a little bit nervous and that caused him to not do so well. There was another loud shot, which was way out of the center of the target. The shooter smiled shamefacedly at his partner, who patted him on the shoulder with a friendly look of his face.

"Don't worry, dear Volts. Someday you too will be as sharp as me. If you want you can try it with your friends. Volts will provide more targets and instructions on how to use it. Come, don't be shy!"

At first, the the few aristocratic ponies were a little uncertain, but then one by one, they eagerly surrounded Volts. He was overwhelmed with request and demands from the ones, who wanted to be the first to try this new thing. This made Phoenix very happy. Finally his genius was getting the attention it deserved and seeing all the ponies from the different corners of Equestria admiring on his inventions, made his heart go crazy. This was the best night in his life and almost nothing could ruin his moment, except the one old grey unicorn.

"Is there a possibility that it could be misused? The hole on the target speaks of a lot of the power potential of this gun." Quarter approached him from the right. Phoenix lost his victorious smile but not his manners. He turned to him. The was an audience behind Quarter, which was still not sure, if they wanted to be near a thing, which could shoot projectiles with such a speed and noise. He saw a lot of confusion and some fright in their eyes, which was not good, if he wanted to maintain a respected position in the inventors' circles and among the general public.

"I assure you all that this won't be the case. I've actually given a lot of thought about it and I'm happy to share them with you right now. The distribution of the invention will be very strict! The authorities will control how they are used and by whom. I am fully confident in your abilities to do this, dear representative of the Royal Guards." Phoenix friendly placed his hoof on Quarter's shoulder. "We are entering a new era, in which technology and magic will help us ponies to live a longer and happier life."

"I do not understand how your inventions will contribute to our brighter future." Quarter Key impolitely removed the hoof of him. "And the question is: whose future this things are going to improve? The green metal model of a bigger machine with tracks seems more like a very dangerous tool to be only used in cultivation of vegetables. That's the earth ponies job and if you say that it can do the job of ten experienced farmers and can be used by a fledgling, then what will happen to the said farmers? Do they find another job? Or what about the plane that you claim that can reach and even surpass the speed of the fastest fliers? Both of those devices can be only used by unicorns, if I recall correctly."

Phoenix smiled charmingly.

"In no means they are to replace but to help the ponies, who need such things. Think of them as helpers and not the work ponies. I'll give you an example, you need to deliver an important message but there are no available postal unicorns or pegasi, who could quickly deliver your letter and doing so by hoof doesn't suit you, that's when you want to have my airplane. My creations should be used, when they are absolutely needed."

The confusion from the other ponies steadily disappeared from their faces and they seemed to agree with his statement. He won the audience and that was what mattered.

"Now if you excuse me, I see the Flim Flam brothers are interested in my twelve capacitor electric generator. I'd like to hear their thoughts about it. Please feel like home and have a great time!" Phoenix then went to the other side of the room, where the famous brothers were studying the small device on the table.

Quarter turned around to meet his colleague, who was looking quite serious like him.

"Was it necessary to be so provocative?" Diamond asked with a quiet voice.

"Of course. We are the decoys, remember? We need to take their attention, while Lucky and his partner do their job. Speaking of which, where are those two? They are awfully late."

Quarter looked at the closed front door and hoped that they would appear soon.

"Who are you waiting for?"

The grey eyes watched the two Guardians from the moment they entered inside the house. His guts told him that they'd bring trouble and the ninja trusted them without a single doubt. The assassin was dressed in a white smart suit, which was a bit to small for him. Many of his scars were visible, especially the biggest one. So far he didn't get any attention from the other ponies, who were too busy with admiring or critiquing the new devices around them. Staying behind the huge vases with small palms trees helped a bit for his low profile.

Unfortunately, there was one lady, who had noticed his mysterious figure. She was observing him for an hour now and the more her eyes looked at him, the more her curiosity grew to the point, where the mare overcame her bashfulness and confidently went to him.

The unicorn went behind him unnoticed. She used her horn to lift one of the two glasses and moved it towards his face. They were half-full with white wine from one of the best vintages from ten years ago. Out of a sudden the warrior hopped to the right and stood in attacking stance. The lovely mare giggled at his reaction, though he was a little confused.

"You silly. There's no need to be so jumpy because of a lady."

Her friendly smile calmed his spirit but his guard was still up. She moved towards him, elegantly checked him from all sides, while he silently analyzed this nuisance. The unicorn had a light pink coat, dressed in a cyan dress with red ribbon on the back. The buttons on the front were yellow, like the stylish hat she was wearing with an orange feather, that bended in the middle. She had gorgeous deep purple eyes that gave the feeling of smartness and experience.

"You look quite torn for an earth pony. Have you worked in a mine?" she gave a glance to his extremely long mark, which made her even more curious to know more about this mystery pony.

"Who are you?" he asked testily.

She made a circle around him like a python around its prey. The mare stood still in front of him, with eyes gazing deep in his.

"I'm glad that you've asked me about my name. I'm Frozen Flash, a photographer and a journalist. I have an eye for detail and frankly you are a sneaky one, who doesn't quite get in the picture."

"What do you mean?" his grey eyes showed the ice in his soul and Flash perfectly understood what they were hiding.

"Only by looking at you, I can see the loneliness, the anger, which burns you like a candle from the inside. Growing older with each passing moment, unable to make peace with yourself. You do not have a mare in your life, am I right?"

He felt relieved that she had not find out his true identity.

"You know a lot about me, I'll give you credit for that. However, what are you really planning?"

"I plan to be in the company of an interesting gentlepony, who hides behind the vases like some sort of thief." she used her telekinetic magic and handed him his drink. "Most ponies here are boring for me and I've seen everything the hosts could offer, so I thought that I'd get to know who the secret pony is."

"Sorry but I have no desire to spend my time in pointless talks." he then drank the entire liquid from the glass in one shot. The ninja put the empty glass in her hoof and turned away. He concentrated on the two officials but his line of sight was blocked by the annoying unicorn, who didn't seem to get the message.

"So, tell me how they call you." her adorable face stuck in his eyes and couldn't brake from it.

That was the moment, when the bell ranged, indicating that new guests are patiently waiting at the door. Volts miraculously escaped the tight ring of ponies and went to answer the door. He needed to maneuver around the groups, that were engaged in long conversations. None of them seemed interested of who was waiting at the door.

Finally, after an half minute delay, Volts stood in front of the home portal, fixed a little bit his suit and then opened the slick black door. The unicorn formally greeted:

"Good-Evening, Ms and Mr?"

"Eight, Lucky Eight and this is my assistant Orange Boom. We are alchemists from Canterlot."

"Pardon me for noticing, but your colleague has an odd taste for dressing."

"We had an incident, about four days ago. I'm forever blind and she can't show her skin cause of the burns."

"I'm deeply sorry to hear that. Please, take my apologies, I didn't mean to be rude. Please, feel like home and do not be shy to look around, everything is perfectly safe." Volts gave a way for them to enter inside. Lucky nodded and at last, the two spies could begin their part of the mission. Foxy gave a quick look of the big room. It was mostly painted in woodish colors and in some places in yellow. The new creations were put in small showcases near the walls and in the center there were two large tables with all sorts of drinks and food. The room was illuminated by a single huge crystal chandelier. To make it more pleasantly for the guests, vases with exotic plants were place on every five meters. It was a little crowded with ponies from every corner of Equestria, who were interested in the latest advancements in magic and technology.

The two new guests went to the closest group of ponies and blended with the environment. They managed to hide from the eyes of the only pony, who could see through their deception. He had an annoying problem, which the ninja couldn't get rid of without harming her and taking a lot of attention to himself.

The presentation was over, which gave the start of the important part of the night. The guests were fully enjoying themselves in the company of many famous ponies, who could entertain them until the first sunbeams. Everything seemed so festive, full of smiling faces and laughs.

Lucky and Foxy moved from one group to another, analyzing the scene. Nothing in their acting indicated about their secret assignment.

"What do you see?"

"Lot's of ponies in pretty dresses and suits. One of the hosts is talking with two yellow unicorns, the other one is heading to the other side of the room, where a crowd has formed around something. Diamond and your friend are doing their part, I guess. There are no guards or surprises, that I can see for the moment. Huh, how I hate huge parties..."

"Don't think of it as a party but as a stealth mission. Do you see a door or a hallway, to which we can sneak?"

"There are two doors. The one on the left is behind one of the inventions. It will be impossible to open it, without getting a lot of attention. The door on the right is opened and it leads to a long hallway."

"Maybe we could teleport behind the left door?" he looked at his partner.

"Only if it is not made of the material that prevents magic. Watch out!"

She stopped him, just before crossing a red line on the floor. A shot flew past them and hit the third red circle on the round target. The loud noise from the gun scared the living feathers out of him, unlike the ninja, who looked ready to kick some serious plots.

The unicorn, who fired the gun, immediately handed it to Volts and went ahead.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to scare you like that... Mr Lucky?" he had an royal accent, which made him sound very intelligent.

"Fancy Pants?"

"How are you, dear Lucky? Haven't seen you in more than a week. I hope that your job with Ms Blooming Rose was a success. Oh, where are my manners. Who is this mysterious lady?" he turned to Foxy, who had controlled her fires and gave him the most charming look, she could create. Let's just say it was a good try...

"This is Orange Boom, my partner." Lucky smiled and put his hoof over her shoulder.

"Greetings." she didn't sound happy to meet the stylish unicorn.

"Is there a possibility to be more than partners?" Fancy nudged him.

"Um... partners for now." he answered shamefacedly.

"I'm interested to know about you. How did you meet? When did that happen?" Fancy Pants took his monocle and wiped it with a white napkin.

"We met in a cell, more than a week ago. You do not want to know what happened then." Foxy said.

"I understand. I'll respect your privacy." Fancy charmingly winked and after that put his eyeglass. "Would you care to join us? We are having a great time with an thing called the gun."

"Maybe later. We want to look around first."

"Alright, Mr Lucky. I'll be very happy to have you in our company. Now if you excuse me, I've got to return and finish my turn."

He gracefully turned away and headed to the big crowd.

When he was far enough, Foxy turned to Lucky and asked:

"You know him?"

"Yep. He was the one, who told me about Ms Rose and asked me to help her. One extraordinary pony he is."

"A pony, who poses a threat to us. He'll blow our cover and ruin the mission." she cut him with her serious sight.

"Well, what is done is done."

"I like that phrase." both quickly turned around to face the yellow unicorn in a blue suit, who was smiling at them. "You must be the new guests. I'm Phoenix's Just." he lifted up his right leg to shake hoofs. Foxy answered his greeting, instead of Lucky. The moment their hooves touched, Tail felt a dark energy move from his leg to hers. It went deep in places that were forbidden and locked for anypony. The magical stream found the golden cage of the sleeping dragon and attempted to open it. The ninja quickly pulled her hoof, after the shaking. However, the damage was done and the demon was slowly waking up from its forced slumber.

"Interesting new gadgets, you've prepared for us." she complimented, while trying to hide her troubled inner equilibrium.

"Thank you, Ms... ?"

"Orange Boom."

"A lovely name, just like your beautiful eyes, Ms Boom."

Behind his friendly face there was something evil, that laughed at her suffering.

"If you think so." Foxy moved her sight from his face to his chest, where the red medallion stared in her. For unknown reason, she couldn't make herself to look at the locket. Tail felt like she was loosing concentration and power over her body. She never felt so dizzy in such a quick time. On top of that, Foxy had to fight the beast or risk it to let it loose in the open, which no pony would want to experience that.

Then Phoenix turned to the white pegasus, who looked very familiar to the one from his dream. The unicorn wondered, if this was just a coincidence or a sign from destiny.

"And you sir are?"

"Lucky Eight. Her partner." the pegasus tried to hold a cool head and calm his spirit. He feared that the host had heard their conversation. If that was true, they had a big problem.

"Pleasure to meet you. Are you having a good time?"

"Yeah. Everything seems to be in order. I love the optimistic feel of this event."

"Glad to hear that." then Phoenix turned to the lady. He looked concerned for her because Foxy didn't look so good. "Are you alright, Ms Boom?"

"No. Where is the toilet?"

"Go straight through the hallway. The door is on the left and has a sign. If you'd like I can call a doctor?"

"No need. Mr Lucky will help me get there." she leaned on his shoulder.

"If you excuse us." the pegasus then helped her to get to the corridor. He was surprised to see her in such a condition. Lucky was usually the one, who needed to be carried. Phoenix followed them with sight and found her dressing to be very akin to the ninja's outfits. Was she a spy from the other clans? But then, why'd the mare show up in such cloths. There was only one way to find out, who she is.

Her condition worsened with every step. The hallway was very well illuminated. There were portraits of unicorns from the old times, all of of which made their names via discovering new technologies or magic. Their iron sights looked down on her, as if her presence brought only disgrace. They found the toilet, Lucky quickly opened the door and helped her get inside. The room was a medium size. There was only one toilet seat, a sink and glass shelf with products for cleaning.

Foxy leaned over the toilet and pulled down her mouth mask. She was out of breath, her body was in total chaos. The mare felt like she was about to throw up. The dizziness was to great for her to concentrate on calming the raging dragon inside her. The beast was awake and it demanded to be freed from the biological shell.

"Foxy, what's happening to you?" Lucky was worried to the tenth degree.

"He did this to me. He used the medallion's power on me. I'm gonna change to a dragon!" she sounded in so much pain, that his heart constricted with her every word.

When Lucky heard that, he froze in one place. Going full dragon in the middle of the city of Manehatten would bring a lot of destruction and death to innocents. They had to find a way to undo the bad magic and get her back to her hoofs.

"Will an apple help you?"

"More like five apples but I do not carry any!"

"Stay here. I'll go and bring you the fruits!" Lucky swiftly left the toilet room and headed to the living room with fast paced. On the way there he bumped into somepony. After apologizing, he continued with greater speeds. At this moment, saving her was the only thing going in his mind. The mission took a second seat in his priorities, which would cost him dearly. The pony, in which he collided, was the ninja, who finally got rid of the annoying photographer with the help of Phoenix. He was asked to check Orange Boom and that's what he was going to do.

He silently approached the toilet room. He could hear her quiet agony. Foxy was holding to her remaining strength to not give in to the suffering and mutation. It took a big spirit not to scream out of pain like hers. It was enormous and unforgiving. The ninja stood at the entrance and smirked by the pitiful sight.

"Foxy Tail. I never thought to see you in such a pathetic state."

She gave him a fearful look. Her eyes were beast-like and showed no intelligence in them.

"And you are?" she asked hoarsely.

"It does not matter." he carefully approached her. Despite her weakened condition, she was still too dangerous. "Where have you been all the time? The leader was so concerned for you that he sent a team of ninjas through the portal to look for you and the Moon Shade leader. But we both know what really matters." he sat next to her and looked her directly in the eye. "Did you accomplish your task?"

"What if I don't give a buck about the clan? Braking the rules and our traditions for an outsider's help. You must be shameless and unworthy of the title ninja!"

"I'll take your answers as a no. Don't waste your energy on lecturing me. I've lost my honorable life a long time ago. My only purpose is to serve the leader until my very last moment. I guess you are against him, so that makes you my enemy. It's a pity, that you lost your way in this chaotic place."

There were steps coming from the corridor. Then Lucky appeared with a basket full with red and green apples, which he held with his mouth. The pegasus entered inside and placed it on the white tiles.

"Foxy, I've brought you plenty of apples." he was breathless. "Huh, crisis avoided!"

The two earth ponies looked at him silently. Out of a sudden, Lucky felt a powerful kick in his face, which sent him directly at the wall. He almost lost consciousness. The blind pony couldn't understand what was happening. Did he fail to get the fruits quick enough?

Foxy got angry and she attempted to hit the him but the brown ninja dodge her attack with ease. Then with lightning speed pushed her on the ground. He jumped on her and began beating her on the head. His strikes were extremely fast and powerful. He wanted to knock Tail out but she was too tough.

After the sixth blow, Foxy managed to grab his hooves. Then she released some of her flagging control and big sharp claws violently came out, thereby impaling his legs. The brown pony was in a world of hurt but he was used to such pain. The ninja used his rear legs to apply more strikes on her stomach area. It was somewhat effective cause she had nothing to defend herself from such attacks. Her claws were still in his hooves and she couldn't get them out. Tail tried to shake her front legs but he countered this action.

She had to find another way of getting rid of him. Tail timed, when he was about to hit her and then she pushed her body forward. Her force was too immense for him to stop her and both rolled over once. Now she was on top and a demonic smile appeared on her dark face.

Suddenly a flash of magical energy froze her like a statue. Although her rage was still alive in her eyes. The ninja looked up to see who it was. Phoenix entered the room, his horn smoking from the spell he used.

"I guess they weren't here for the party."

"Knock her out but you absolutely need to give her the apples now or you'll have to deal with a dragon." the ninja sounded like he was in great pain.

"Will an apple juice suffice?" Phoenix sounded intrigued.

"I guess so. And one more thing: fix my hooves!"

When the adrenaline wore off, his brain shut down and his brown body loosened up. Now Phoenix was left with three ponies in bad conditions. If it were any other day, he'd not have trouble with time, but now he had to be present all the time in the party.

"Volts could deal with them. He is not needed there. I only need to tell him how to proceed with our false guests. Yes, that's how we are going to do it."

Then he magically lifted the apples in the air, then created a bubble around them and squashed them. He used another spell and turned the fruits into liquid. The unicorn then created a magical hose, which Phoenix connected with the bubble and her mouth.

"Pleasant drinking!"

The guests partied to twelve o'clock. It was dark outside but thankfully the city lights were sufficient at illuminating the lonely streets. When most of the guest left, Quarter and Diamond made their way out of there too. They were tired after the 'games' they had to participate just to get the host's attention. Being decoys was not an easy job and they proved why they were chosen for this task by the Princess. However, their play was in vain. The worst part was that they would learn it after the coming morning.

They were walking in the night to their apartment. There was a breeze, which was very welcomed after the hot assignment.

"And that's why I do not go to Royal celebrations. I'm not as young and energetic as I used to be."

"Key, parties were made to be enjoyed by everypony, no matter the age. I'd say you did pretty good back there."

"Heh, did I ever told that I used to be a party-animal back in the day?" Quarter smiled.

"Nope." Rod shook head. "Now to hope that Lucky and Dragon have fulfilled their part of the mission."

"Yeah. I bet they are back with the evidence and Nose is jumping in the air from happiness."

How foolish they were.

Meanwhile, on an island far away...

The protectors of the old ways and laws were utilizing the shadows of the forest. They silently but swiftly approached the capital of the Dragon Claw clan. They could see the lights from the houses and the city's walls on the distant hill. The tension among them raised with each step but this would not be the night to attack. They needed to be fully rested for the big action. They'd hide in the woods that surrounded the capital and when the next moon was going to rise, they'd sneak inside like the agile viper, locate their prey like the bats and strike like the fearless tiger.

Despite their stealth, they were exposed to the one being. She watched how all of the pawns were moving into their positions. Shadow Sun had seen the possible future but when dealing with biological life forms, she knew better not to underestimate their ability to change the words that were written on the stone of time. They were creatures of choice, which she didn't have. The immortal was forever condemned to suffer from internal hunger and outlive the universe itself.

Chapter 24: Ecstasy Of The Kill

The yellow sun was barely above the horizon. The rock formations in the distance met this day in total silence. The wilderness, though still cold from the night, was heating up with each second. The morning wind was pushing some dead bushes in the direction of the railway. There were few random dried trees, which stood like ghosts from a much more colorful past. Life was hard in this place and for the not so observant eye, it was dead. However, this was far from the truth. Little mammals, lizards, snakes and bugs called this desert their home, in which a mistake meant a certain death.

It was very quiet. Somewhere in the distance, a herd of bisons galloped to the small town of Appleloosa. Their presence could be sensed by miles away. While they were traveling, the enormous natives of this lands left a long dust tail and their hooves shook the ground like an earthquake.

Like a thunder in a bright sky, the sound of engines disturbed the peaceful land. A single airship flew above the desert. It was a small one. Dozens of ropes connected the purple painted balloon with the wooden ship. The Equestrian flag, that used to be on the nose, was taken down. The three portholes were shut and a heavy curtain was placed in front of them. The main deck, on which the helm was located, was empty and thus making the ship appear abandoned. Although these unusual things were not what would catch the eye of bystanders. The first thing they'd see, would be the three hanging ponies overboard. One little purple filly and two white pegasi were slowly swayed from the wind. They were all unconscious. Their wings and legs were tied. The captives looked like sacks of potatoes from the ground. The only thing that held them from certain death was the yellow ropes around each left leg.

Their hoofs, manes and tails were pointing the earth below, as if they were keeping it from falling on their heads. A very pitiful picture this was. Only a very sick mind would put them in such danger and that was just a small portion of what his corrupted soul was capable of.

The ninja grabbed Phoenix on the collar of his brown coat and pulled him closer.

"We should turn east immediately!" he seemed very minatory. His grey eyes brought only cold in the soul of inventor. Although the latter used his darkness in his heart to confront him for the second time in this short journey.

"This is the last time I repeat my self!" he quickly removed the hooves from himself and fearlessly looked him in the eye. "We can't get to your native land. We are lucky to have this small airship. Taking this vessel in the middle of the night was hard without raising suspicion. Good thing that the owner was fond of science and my deception worked. However, he'd want his airship back in a day or two, which is not enough time to fly to your island and get back. This ship is not as fast as your previous ride, you know. The engines would probably die in the middle of the ocean."

"Alright, you made your point. Maybe after we deal with the spies, we'll capture a ship that is capable of long flights."

"Count us out. We are not pirates or something like that. Do not ask us for our help, when the Royal Guards are on your tail."

"Believe me, they'll be the ones, who will run to hills like cowards." he sounded too confident for his own good. The earth pony then looked at his right hoof. It was horseshoed and colorless paste filled the holes, where Foxy pierced him. "How long will I need to wait for them to heal, doc?"

"Darnit, ninja! I'm an inventor, not a doctor!" Volts protested. "The paste will act like glue and help you heal your hooves faster. It may take a several days or weeks. However, I'm amazed that you are able to use them without much pain. Those holes were deep and I feared that she might have damaged your legs too much."

"I live with pain all the time. I've gotten used to it."

"Right." Phoenix glimpsed back at the unconscious mare, who was suspended from the ceiling. Her front legs were tied with yellow ropes and her rear ones were chained with hardened steel. She looked quite peaceful despite holding utter chaos inside her. Foxy reminded him of the dark Princess from his dreams. Was Phoenix fulfilling a predetermined destiny? He couldn't tell. Everything went wrong after the first captured spy. The worsened condition of his health, the ruined deal and the terrific nightmares, they all added up and started to confuse his brilliant mind to the point of madness. Could he be saved from his little hell? Or is his soul condemned to root in a Goddessforsaken place?

The yellow unicorn stepped closer to the prisoner. His blue eyes stared at her, as if looking for some answers. The veteran sensed what the inventor intended to do and quickly moved in front of him.

"Don't you even think of waking her. She will cause you only trouble." he was completely honest and serious. Despite that, the unicorn dismissed the warning.

"I do not underestimate her. However, we need to know, who is their boss and what is his agenda. I want to know why has she, a ninja from your own clan, scuttled from your army. I assure you, I've made all possible precautions."

"With Dragon Born there are never enough safeguards. She is extremely strong and is enchanted with magic. She will escape in the moment she sees a weakness. After that it will get bloody." the earth pony moved closer to Phoenix and said with a quieter voice: "I assure you."

"Information is survival. If we do not know what their motives and goals are then how can we protect ourselves or the machines from more harm? Maybe she has something to do with the destruction of your ship?"

"She can not fly..." the ninja looked back at her, then suddenly he had an insight. "Unless she used her friend the pegasus... Let me interrogate her. We should be able to speak in one language."

Phoenix thought for a second, in which he got to the conclusion that he might be a better choice for the job.

"Alright, you'll do it. But we will not leave you alone with her."

"Absolutely. Watch for any suspicious moves. Use that paralyzing magic on her again, if things get out of hoof."

The unicorn nodded.

Then the earth pony concentrated and warily approached Foxy. He didn't feel fear. The pony stood on two legs and hit her with all his might in the stomach. Tail opened her big orange eyes and stared at her torturer. She was not exactly happy to see their faces.

"Good-morning, Dragon Born." the ninja greeted with an evil grin.

"It will be your last one unfortunately." her dark voice struck fear in the hearts of the inventors but not in the pony in front of her. His heart was dead to any emotion except anger. She tried to free herself from the ropes and chains but stopped, when the brown earth pony shook his head and almost burst in laughs.

"Do not attempt to set your plot free. If you do it, your comrades will fall like chicks from a high nest to their deaths. So, if I were you, I'd think again before trying to escape."

Foxy looked up, where the ropes disappeared behind two holes in the ceiling. She could feel the weight of two or three ponies.

"Delaying the inevitable, eh? Do not worry, I'll make you suffer soon enough."

"Stop with the threats, if you are not in the position to actually make them real. Now, you'll answer a few questions and I may consider painlessly killing the others."

She leaned her head to the right and mockingly asked him:

"Why should I tell you anything, when I do not know a thing about you. You could start with your real name."

"If you so desperately want to know, who your killer will be, then here it is. I'm called Bad Luck."

"A pitiful name for a pony, who'll get sliced to peaces."

The ninja didn't shiver from the dark thought, which was a real possibility, if Foxy decided that her comrades' lives were worth to be thrown.

"Keep dreaming." the strong stallion moved his sight from her eyes to her tummy and then to her legs. She seemed delicious in the black outfit of hers. The pose she was in would suggest other things, if the circumstances were different. Bad Luck moved a little closer to her and whispered in her ear. "You do not know how many bad things I can do to you at this moment. Some of which will be too disturbing for the two observers."

She kept looking straight, analyzing the room. The engine bay was cramped and noisy. Only one ladder lead to the upper deck, which was in front of her. On her left there were machines with tremendous power to change entire ecosystems. Their black rods were pulled out and stacked in front of them. Two sacks full with stuff were laying near the engine. There was barely room for fancy moves.

The two unicorns were standing near the stairway. In the yellow one's eyes, she saw an intelligent soul but behind it there was this little demon, who was pulling the strings. The brown unicorn seemed troubled. He felt not quite in his place.

"...So what do you think?" he asked quietly.

"Sorry, wasn't listening to your mumble."

"You'll experience it. I'll promise you." he backed away and became a lot more serious: "Tell me who sent you!"

"No pony. Now my turn: how many of you are here?"

"Not good enough answer!" Bad Luck slapped her hard with the edge of the horseshoe. This only made her angrier. "Who is your boss?"

"My boss is Lucky Eight." she answered in a provocative way. The earth pony hit her again but this time in the stomach, then swiftly she received a blow in the cheek. The mare gave no sounds. While the ninja tortured her, Volts couldn't look at their direction. It was too barbaric, too violent for his mind. He was disgusted by this and wanted to go outside. Phoenix was the other opposite. The yellow unicorn was secretly enjoying the torture. When Volts looked at him, the inventor could feel the dark feelings of his friend. Was this what they imagined to do, when they were small? What was the purpose of it all?

The brown unicorn turned away and went to the staircase. Before he could reach it, Phoenix laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Where are you going? I'll need you, if she tries to escape."

"I'm sorry, Phoenix. I need to breath some fresh air." he proceeded forward and climbed the stairs. Phoenix stood frozen there with a hoof left hanging in the air. He snapped out of it, when the ninja ordered loudly:

"Bring her partner here!"

He turned his head and questioningly looked at him.

"For what purpose?"

"I'll show you. It will make them talk!" the little madness was coming from his grey eyes and by the sound of his voice, Phoenix hesitated. He wondered what the veteran was going to do. Dark thoughts filled his mind, which disgusted even him. Little did he know that they were generated by the little demon. It grinned and laughed inside him, though no pony could see him or hear.

"I'll ask Volts to bring him. Be right back." the unicorn slowly went to the stairs, looked at them again and then quickly disappeared.

"Would you like to share your plan?" Foxy asked.

"And give away the surprise? Not in a thousand years." his evil grin was obnoxious and unreal. She could sense that he acted like that to only intimidate her. Was Bad Luck out of ideas how to get information out of her? She couldn't tell. Maybe he was scared of her and was trying to make himself look fearless.

"You sound tough, when I'm stuck here. I wonder how long you'll keep your cool, when I'm free?"

"I feel no fear from the likes of you. After what I've been through, I'll accept death, when the time comes. Until then I'll serve the leader and fight for the clan."

"Would you like to tell me about your past experiences?"

"Huh, interested in my past, I see." he ceased grinning and a smile took place on his scarred face. "Our paths crossed in the fight for Moon Light. It was the battle that brought the Moon Shade Clan to their knees. I was part of the twenty ponies attack group, which was assigned to lead the charge with the notorious Dragon Born. The general told us that it was an honor to serve with you, but actually we were the ones, who got the short straw. We knew that most of us won't make it to the end."

"I remember, it was when I confronted White Shadow for the second time. The unit was completely annihilated. Let me guess, you were the only survivor?"

"Oh yeah! I would have died there and finally be set free from these chains. I was wounded and the shade ninja prepared to finish me, when you appeared out of the chaos and cut his throat. After that you continued your rampage through the field, where you clashed with White Shadow."

"So, I owe you a death? It will be arranged." her eyes of a huntress pierced his flesh.

"I like your attitude. So much strength in it. Your thirst for blood is admirable." his evil smile suddenly grew bigger. "I really want to see your spirit crushed after what I'm about do to you. However, your partner must be here to witness this."

"Try me!"

Bad Luck smirked. He looked more like a madpony than a warrior and that worried her.

Meanwhile...

The ropes vibrated for a few seconds, awakening the white pegasus. At first, there was confusion and then realization of his ill situation. Metal Eye looked down and his guts froze from the sight. They were high above the wilderness, traveling slowly at an unknown direction. The pony tried to move his limbs and wings but without success.

"The fliers' worst nightmare." he quietly noted. "At least the view is lovely."

He looked at his little spy friend. The filly was still unconsciously hanging from a rope that connected with his. He was tied just like him.

"Better sleep and not look down. You'd probably be scared to death." then he turned his head to the left and saw another pony, who Metal least expected to be in this journey.

"Lucky, is that really you?! Hey wake up buddy!"

His voice was high enough to wake the pegusus but not the little unicorn. Lucky was stripped of his suit and even his towel was removed from his eyes. His ears began turning like antennas, scanning for his surroundings. The wind that stroke his mane was enough for him to realize that he was high in the air, though Lucky couldn't understand why the gravity changed.

"Hey, I'm here. It's me, Metal Eye."

"Where are we?" the blind pony asked sleepily.

"Above ground, I'd say around eight hundred meters, while hanging on ropes. You know, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

When Lucky heard the bad news, his heart had trouble beating normally.

"Well, I and my partner were supposed to be your rescuers."

"Yeah, I see how much that plan succeeded. Did the HQ get our photos?"

"Yep. They have it all but still wouldn't want to commit to a strike operation. Something about general public would see it as an act of tyranny from Princess Celestia."

"Huh, Doggy Nose told you the same crap? Figures..." he smiled. "Although why he sent a blind pony to help us? I'd would have chosen far better candidates. No offense, Lucky!"

"None taken. It wasn't him, who ordered us to participate in the mission. It was her Majesty herself."

Metal raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Then She made an awful choice. And who is your partner?"

"You'll know her, when she kicks their flanks."

"You sound confident. I like that. I'd like to see those evil-doers go down but you are another liability, which I'll have to carry. I don't think that we'll be able to escape from this." he looked at the yellow ground. Hills and rocky formations came and went with each passing moment. The only thing that was a constant was the earth itself.

"Did they brake your spirit? The Metal Eye I know would look at every danger with a big grin. You may have expected a real cavalry but I and my friend are here to make sure that we all safely get back home! Also I'm glad to hear you after almost three weeks." Lucky words were full with positive feelings, something Metal Eye really needed to hear after the hell in the inventors' laboratory.

"Thanks, Lucky. I'm happy to see you too!" then his pink eyes looked up at the ship. It seemed that no pony was listening to their conversation and proceeded with quieter voice: "Here's the thing: Phoenix's Just is mad and I mean really crazy! He has constructed doomsday machines. The madpony also has an obsession over a red tricorn medallion. His partner, though, is surprisingly polite and even good-hearted. Maybe he is not completely committed to their cause, which we could use against them."

"Yeah, I did get the impression that he is not utterly evil from my first meet with him."

"The problem is that he didn't make too much contact with us, so I couldn't learn more about him." there was a short pause, in which they listened to the high voices of the ponies inside the engine bay. They couldn't learn about what they were talking but from the tone it was not connected with great destinations for a vacation. Metal then proceeded with quieter voice: "Lucky, I know that the time may not be right, but it's not a coincidence that you are here."

"What do you mean?" he asked worryingly.

"An year ago, just after your accident, you were standing in the middle of the field, changed into a monster. The moment I looked back at the laying pegasus on the other side of the plain, you disappeared without giving any explanation what happened."

Lucky wanted to hide behind his baggy mane.

"Metal, it's a little complicated..."

"The Lucky I know is probably laying in his bed, cursing his fate. I don't see how it is possible for a miserable pony, who has lost his faith in himself, to come to my rescue. So, are you the other one, Lucky from an year ago?"

Those words struck deep in the blind pegasus. They were sad but true. More than a week ago he was nothing more than just a pathetic pile of meat that kept living, However, things changed for the better and he was no longer an hopeless pony.

"Metal, I'm the friend you know from our childhood. I've come a short but a meaningful way, in which I've endured quite a lot of stuff. I am the one and only Lucky Eight, reborn from the ashes of my past self."

Metal Eye smiled warmly and almost made himself cry.

"Hm, you do sound like you are back."

"Yeah and it's good to be back." Lucky smiled happily.

"But this doesn't mean you can get away so easily. I'd like to know what happened to you and about your sudden appearance an year ago." he gave the serious look, which embarrassed Lucky.

"Can it wait after I rescue your flank? Kind of busy at the moment."

Suddenly there was a creak of planks from the upper deck. Both kept perfect silence and listened to the sounds. Somepony was going to the nose of the airship. Volts leaned against the red railing and stared in the distance. The green fields and forests were far back. They were like a dark line on the horizon. He wanted to leave this ship and head back home, away from the madness. In his dreams, Volts never thought that he'd take part in an action, which he may regret to the rest of his life. The spies saw too much and the unicorn knew that it was too big of a risk to have them breathing. He guessed what their fates were. The thought of it made him feel sick. If only there was another way...

The yellow unicorn appeared from the staircase. He stopped and looked at his friend. There was a small feel of guilt of forcing him to come on this short trip. Phoenix needed him. Volts was his pillar, on which he could stand and look for advice. But lately he used him mostly as a servant, which was an utter insult to their friendship. He would make up for it after their work, until then Volts was doomed to be the water boy.

"Volts, would you bring the pegasus, named Lucky Eight, if that's his real name."

The brown unicorn looked at the dusty ground and sighed.

"Of course." before Phoenix could get inside the engine bay his friend warned him: "Do not leave him out of sight. He seems too dangerous and I do not trust him."

"I will." then the unicorn slowly went back inside.

Lucky was surrounded by a pink aura and was levitated to the main deck. Metal Eye watched him how he disappeared behind the wooden wall, only hoping that nothing bad would happen to him.

When his hooves touched the deck, the unicorn released him from the spell, though there was still one problem, which held him tight. He could barely move his legs with those ropes around them. Volts used his horn again and lanyards began to untie.

"Don't think of trying to knock me out. I used to practice some martial arts and I have a brown belt." the unicorn sounded pretty believable, though Lucky had no intentions to use this moment to escape.

"I'll have it in mind. Hey, would happen to know what will become of us?"

His green eyes impaled the pegasus's face. This question was like a sudden sea storm. He expected it but wasn't ready for it.

"I... do not know. You may have to ask the ninja."

"Do you know where we are heading?" Lucky calmly asked.

"Please, stop with the questions. I'll won't be able to answer them." like Metal Eye said, this pony was very polite. Lucky needed to approach him from a different angle.

"What you do here is bad and I mean like thousands will die, if you continue your work."

"Nonsense!" Volts exclaimed. "I and my partner are not mass murderers!"

"You will be, if these inventions of yours make it to the hooves of the Clanners. There's no telling what will happen then."

Volts removed all ropes from his legs and then civilly showed him the way to the staircase, while trying not to listen to the pegasus.

"Look, this is about saving innocent lives. You can help me or ignore my warnings. You choose!"

The unicorn was silent and showed no signs that he heard anything. Lucky sighed heavily and followed his guard. Things were not going as planed, though he didn't loose hope yet.

When they appeared from the stairs, Bad Luck moved away, so that Foxy could have a line of sight with her partner. He looked in their eyes and noticed a slight connection between them. Out of a sudden, another idea emerged from his dark imagination. "Why torture her, when I can bend the weaker pegasus. I wonder how she would react, when I kill her boyfriend." The earth pony went to Lucky, who was now facing Foxy.

"I've changed my mind. You will suffer, instead of her!" without a warning, he hit him in the back. Lucky collapsed on the ground. Foxy showed no compassion, no emotion. Bad Luck smiled. He stamped the pegasus with his front legs. The steel horseshoes almost broke one of his ribs. A cry sounded through the ship that muffled the noise from the engines. Metal heard it and knew that was his friend. He felt so useless and couldn't stand the painful scream.

Again Tail seemed to be unmoved by the suffering of her partner. She carefully hid the growing anger.

Bad Luck sneeringly looked down at his prey. Although he seemed crazy, there was no hate in him. He only did what he knew best and that was make every enemy of his clan suffer. He was more like a machine, than a being with a tainted soul.

"So, you deny your relation with him, eh? You'd not mind, if I did this." he stepped on Lucky's back and pressed hard. The pain was excruciating, as if the earth pony was trying to make a hole in him. After a few moments of torture, Bad Luck backed away to let the pegasus breath. He then went to Foxy and looked her directly in the eye. The hatred towards him was too big to be hidden behind her mask. "Ah, the blood stare. Finally, I'm getting under your skin. Let's see, if I can get to your heart."

Before he turned away, she vanished, leaving a cloud of smoke at her previous position. One of the ropes quickly twitched up and disappeared in a hole in the ceiling. The dragon ninja materialized next to Lucky. Foxy swiftly took his hoof and before the others could react, both teleported away. They left their torturers in total confusion. Bad Luck feared this moment. however, there was not time for panicking.

"Where is the medallion, which summons the shade?!"

Lucky and Tail came to the main deck, near the railings. She quickly freed his wings, then grabbed him and lifted him above her head.

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

"Save them!" then Foxy hurled him overboard. Lucky felt not so ready for this task but he had no choice. The pegasus retracted his wings and began gaining more speed.

Foxy turned around to see her opponents. The old friend, the shade, with a backup of two unicorns stood in front of the stairway.

"Surrender!" Phoenix shouted.

"Yes, you should."

Foxy jumped to the side, dodging the colorful beams, that struck the railing. Black tentacles flew towards her. She had only a split second to react. Tail rolled forward on her landing and then jumped again. She spiraled in the air like a beautiful goddess of war. The spears missed her completely.

"Volts, make the ground slippery!"

A green aura covered the ground, where she was going to land. The wooden surface suddenly became like a thick ice of a lake in the middle of winter. Foxy corrected her angle of approach. All of her legs simultaneously touched the floor. Her balance was perfect and she slid to her attackers. The shade pony sent another wave of tentacles, which moved on the surface of the deck. When they were in front of her, five black spikes rose to impale her stomach. She kicked mightily with all four hooves and jumped over this obstacle. Her movement had an unheard grace. Foxy evaded their attacks with the beauty of her skills. There couldn't be a pony, who wouldn't admire on this demon of death.

Phoenix prepared the paralyzing spell. He looked in her huntress's eyes and felt like a prey. Those big orange circles filled the inventors' hearts with fear. That's what a real warrior looked like in close.

She touched down on the unicorn in the middle, which happened to be the yellow one. Tail knocked him on the floor and with a swift movement was able to take out Volts with her rear legs. Now the only threat was the shadow. It threw kunais at a point black range. Foxy leaned to the left. The blades that were aimed at her center missed their target. Only one managed to lick her right shoulder. The red line was visible on her grey coat before the hole in her black outfit was closed. She made an attempt to hit the shadow but it kissed the ground and moved away from the ninja.

The minion reshaped itself behind the rudder. Its lifeless white eyes stared at her, anticipating her next move. Volts tried to get up but was struck by a powerful kick in the face. His body collapsed on the floor and didn't move. It was only Foxy and the shade now and no pony would interfere them. Although one question boggled her mind: where was Bad Luck?

In the mean time, Lucky was falling like a projectile from space. The wind blew past his ears, making it almost impossible to hear the filly's scream.

"Don't look down!" Metal advised. He tried to stay calm but with every passing moment his fear grew bigger. "Lucky is coming!"

"Metal, guide me to you!" their only savior yelled. His feelings were in total turmoil. He was afraid not to lose his friend but also feared about his partner. Lucky had to stay focused on the task, despite the difficulties.

"We are on your left! The ground is getting closer!"

Lucky corrected his flight path and missed them by a few degrees.

"LITTLE TO THE RIGHT!"

The desert was dangerously close and the blind pegasus had only a few seconds to save them. Metal closed his eyes, the filly continued to scream with all of his breath. Lucky was relaying on every sense and instinct but also on blind luck. There was no room for error cause he had only one attempt at doing this. He aimed at them and then brandished once with his wings, thus sending himself forward with even greater speed. Lucky felt how time slowed down. His inner altimeter was alarming. His guts shrank up. He held his breath and put his hooves in front of him. His green tail and mane wildly shook from the wind. He was like a speeding bullet in the bright sky, chasing it's holy target.

Suddenly his hooves touched something. It was Metal Eye's rear legs. Lucky grabbed them and then flapped his wings as fast as he could. They were a few meters from the sands, when their flight path drastically changed and now they aimed for the heavens. Metal looked at the ground and sighed with relief that they were not going to die this day.

"Thanks, buddy! I knew I could count on you!"

"It's not over. Foxy still on the ship! I can't hold you forever, so I'll drop you near the river bank. Please guide me!"

Lucky made a one hundred and eighty degree turn and head in the direction of the ship. His heart was working on high speeds and would only calm, when he would see her safe.

There was an awkward silence on board the ship. None moved from their stances. Only the sound of the working engine disturbed the stressful situation.

Then Foxy made a step towards the stairway. Her path was blocked by three tentacles, which made a sharp turn and flew towards her. Their sharp edges could pierce a bear and kill it in an instant. She quickly moved to the left and while doing so, Tail pulled out her deadly claws and with one swoop, the ninja cut the spears. They fell on the deck and died with a violent spams.

Then she vanished into the thin air, leaving only a trail of black smoke. The dragon born appeared behind her adversary and swung at him. The shadow anticipated this move and evaded the attack by losing its shape and becoming one with the floor. She then stamped with such a force, that her hooves made holes just above the engine. However, the shade successfully dodge her and went to the nose of the ship.

From there it reshaped again and threw four knifes at her. The ninja parried them with her claws, then she charged him with a fierce battle cry. The black minion stood his ground. If it wasn't under the control of a master pony, it would run away from the sight of the warrior mare. Her gallop left small holes in the planks, where her nails made contact with them. She performed the flying kick just a meter from him. The shade summoned a dark wall, which absorbed the strike. Then Foxy began cutting it like a tiger. With each swing, her claws chewed through the shield like it was made out of cardboard.

When the ninja created a a hole in his defense a spear flew from him and impaled her left shoulder. Without showing any pain, she cut its stem and then straight punch the shadow in the head. Her claws impaled his face. If they weren't from a dragon, then they would not do any damage to this magical minion. Unfortunately for it, she killed the shadow with only one punch. It's black body broke to many pieces that fell on the floor. A black smoke came out of them and soon they disappeared out of existence. Only her hoof remained in the air.

Then there were steps behind her. She turned around to see Bad Luck with a black rod in his mouth. His grey eyes showed his readiness for the duel of his life. They silently stared at each other, until the earth pony made the first move. He charge her position and swung his metal stick at her. Tail snatched it and pulled it out of his mouth. She almost broke his teeth. The rod was thrown overboard. The mare grinned in an dark manner. Bad Luck felt like his time came and he had to face his destiny like a warrior.

The stallion got up on two legs and began sending a series of fast strikes. Foxy dodged every blow, then she grabbed his right hoof and twisted it. There was the sound of snapping of bones. Bad Luck leaned over the railings, breathing deeply. He angrily looked at her calm orange eyes.

"So fast, just like in the war."

"And you are slower than an average warrior. Are you drinking too much?"

"Maybe. You'd be like me, if you were living in the heart of the insanity and not in a palace, only to get dirty, when our leader commanded it."

"I had my shares of suffering. I lost everypony, who I deemed friends. Let the past go and live in the present."

He shook head.

"There is no present for the likes of me, only death can guarantee me peace." Bad Luck turned at her and shouted with all his strength: "Death, here I come!"

He attempted to jump on her. Foxy kicked him with her rear legs, thus sending him overboard. He went flying straight down to the river. A smile appeared on his scared face. Finally his veteran soul could rest after a life of misery. He kept looking at the zeppelin that was getting smaller and smaller. It was an honor to be defeated by a ninja of her statute.

Lucky carefully dropped the tied ponies on the dusty ground, when Metal Eye noticed the falling ninja.

"Somepony will hit the water!"

"Who is it?" Lucky heart started pumping even harder from the dark thought.

"I think it's a brow earth pony. Is that your partner?"

"No." then the blind pegasus listened for the splash, which came shortly. Everypony was dejected from the death of the enemy. He was a living being too and didn't deserve such fate. Lucky silently began untying them, hoping that Foxy was okay.

"Ouch. That's a very long way down, judging by the fountain!" Tail noted to herself. "It's time to bring this boat around!"

She looked in the direction of the two inventors. For her surprise, Phoenix was up and was pointing the gun at her. There was the loud shot, which ended with blood sprays from her chest. The pain came deep inside her and it was the worst thing she ever felt. Foxy wanted to move but her body didn't let her. Frozen in one place, the mare was an easy target for the unicorn. He armed his bracelet gun and prepared to shoot again.

Sudden anger took over her mind and she really wanted to kill him. However, the second gunfire sealed the deal. Foxy was quickly losing focus and shook like a drunken griffon. Her vision blurred and soon she lost perspective of what was happening. The mare collapsed on the floor. Quickly a red pool formed around her. She was bleeding very badly and maybe her regeneration was not quite up to the task of dealing with the stopping power of the gun.

The two shots came with a delay to the ponies on the ground.

"Are those lightnings?"

"The sky is clear of any clouds. I guess they came from the ship."

"Foxy!" Lucky spread his wings and was about to take off, when Metal Eye stopped him.

"The ship is turning around. Maybe your partner did it?"

The airship steadily headed towards the three ponies. In a few minutes it landed next to them. They went to the starboard. The ramp was lowered. Metal and Spy Fully were shocked to see the inventor pointing his lethal weapon at them. Only Lucky wasn't aware of the situation.

"Foxy, I'm glad that you are safe!" he felt a relief, though for a short moment.

"Foxy Tail, what a beautiful name. Pity that she died so young."

Suddenly, the black world of the blind pony became even darker. His heart couldn't beat properly 'cause of the sadness. He tried to deny the gloomy feelings. "There is no way she is dead! He must be lying! Foxy is the toughest being on the planet. She can't perish like this!" He felt as if a giant stone fell on his back. The pegasus couldn't react to anything, even when the weapon, that killed his close friend was swung in front of him.

"Move your plot to the rest of the group!" Phoenix ordered.

"No, I-I need to see her! She is not..."

The unicorn osculate the gun at his chin.

"Maybe you'll carry her corpse to her grave. The others, do not make a step or he'll end up like her!"

Metal Eye sat down and looked at his friend. His partner meant a lot to him and this sad pony couldn't hold his feelings. "Was she his special somepony? I'm so sorry, Lucky." Metal didn't have the guts to say it out loud, so he just looked away and closed his eyes.

Phoenix and the pegasus climbed the ramp. The unicorn stopped him, when he saw Volts near her lifeless body. The brown pony looked up at them. In his green eyes there was grief. He never wanted to take anypony's life or participate in such an act but now his hooves were stained with her blood, literally.

"She is dead, Phoenix." his voice hit Lucky's head like a hammer. For a moment he almost fainted. "Where is the ninja?"

"He fell off board. An eye for an eye, I'd say." Phoenix then pushed the blind pony forward.

Volts helped him get to her. Lucky sat next to the body, gently turned her over, so that she was laying on her back. He moved a hoof over her heart area. There was no beating. His soul just lost a part of itself. Two long tears dropped from his watered eyes.

Volts understood the pain he was going through. He didn't want to be in his way, so the unicorn slowly backed away. Lucky grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

"Wake up, Foxy! I know you can hear me! Please!"

"She is far from here now. I made sure that those two shots pierced her heart. By the look of the wounds, I'd say the pallets also managed to damage other internal organs. I don't think her powers to regenerate can save her. Huh, fascinating, isn't it?" Phoenix smirked. For some reason, the pegasus's misfortune gave him a lot pleasure.

"How could you be so cold!" Volts angrily stood in front of him. "No pony had to die. What are we doing here? We should forget about our dealings with the ninjas and stop before it's too late!"

"You must be joking. It is already too late. Now we have to bury the truth of what happened here or live the rest of our lives in prison or on the moon."

"Are you mad? What are you going to do?" Volts seemed very disturbed by the notion of his colleague.

"Dig a grave for the dead, of course."

Volts couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked back at the pegasus. Lucky was holding her in his hooves. His tears landed on her dark costume and disappeared inside the clothing. The unicorn was torn. He didn't want to live in jail but he didn't want to be a murderer. Everything confused him and he just moved away, trying to get his head calm after all what happened.

"I'm sorry, Foxy." Lucky whispered. "You and Metal Eye are my best friends. However, you are more than friend. You were my savior, who brought me back to life. You were my eyes and my mentor. I grew to like you a lot, more than I should have. I'll miss you forever, my dear partner."

Lucky shakily pulled her mouth mask. He was breathing slowly. His mouth got closer to hers. There was the kiss. It was a short but an honest one. All of his feelings in one little act of love.

Lucky softly withdrew his lips. He felt odd, as if his mouth dried. Maybe it was just his imagination. It was well know that deep sad feelings or grief could make anypony's head make up things out of the thin air. It was a mechanism that tried to take the attention of the pony and redirect it to something else, so that he'd not think of the source of his misery all the time.

"Come on! Get on your hooves and drag these shovels." Phoenix dropped the instruments on the deck. He was completely gone to the little hell that dictated his actions. Lucky carefully placed her on the floor. He stood up, his face showed mixed feelings but one was the most prominent: anger.

"I'll not gonna dig my own grave! She died fighting, so will I!"

"Are you challenging me to a duel? Ha, you won't survive a minute against me! Though, I'll grand you this wish. It will be amusing than anything else."

"You are on!"

"Would you prefer a gun with a silver bracelet or steel one?"

The sun was high in the sky, shining in its full glory. There was no wind, no clouds to interfere the upcoming duel. The river rustled. The mountains and the rocky formations watched silently how the two prepared to end their lives. The dusty ground was hot and was going to become even more torrid after the celestial nuclear fireball would give up it's throne.

The two faced each other on the dried field. They were far from the river and the ship. The observers were sitting left of Lucky. Foxy's body was put to lay next to Metal Eye. Her head was turned at the duelists. Phoenix saw a poetic irony in this. Even the dead were going watch how he was going to humiliate him.

Volts went to his sick friend and tried to reason with him.

"Phoenix..." he began with quiet voice. "Can't you see that he has no chance against you? He is blind and won't even be able to fire a shot at you. This is totally crazy. You'll murder him like his friend!"

Phoenix stared in his eyes and smiled.

"If his wishes to rejoin with his partner, then I won't stay in the way of his destiny."

Volts grabbed him on the collar of his brow coat. He wished that this was only a bad dream.

"You are making a mistake, Phoenix! Snap out of it! Don't you feel how wrong this is? Does life mean anything to you?"

"It means a lot, actually. I'm sorry that you don't understand my position and yours as well. Years from now, you'll be thanking me that you could sleep in a comfortable bed in your own house. Please, move aside!"

Volts released him. The cold reality just slapped him in the face. He was perplexed, scared and so weak. The unicorn joined the unhappy public. Metal Eye watched how the two prepared for the inevitable in absolute silence. He was not ready to see his buddy's death. He'd have thrown himself in the fire, if only his limbs and wings were not tied again.

Suddenly he felt a gentle jog.

"What is it, Spy Filly?"

"What's going on?" the little unicorn had a purple towel around his eyes, so that he'd not be able to interfere the fight with magic. If he couldn't see where he needs to land those spells, then his horn was almost useless.

"Nothing."

"Is your lucky charm going to die?"

Metal Eye gulped bitterly. He knew the answer, despite trying to deny it.

"I do not know. Maybe his luck will smile on him."

"Would the public be a little understandable and be quiet!" Phoenix shouted. "Now, do you have any last words before we begin?"

"None." Lucky despondently answered.

"Then may the best pony win!"

Total silence fell on the earth. Two ponies frozen in their positions. Both wanting one thing: to win. The blue eyes stared in those dead brown ones. He saw only the fun from the act of the kill. The other saw nothing. Lucky looked inside his soul, searching for the best thing to do. The pegasus wanted to revenge her but he wouldn't allow it to cloud his mind. The thing in common between them was the complete concentration.

Their hairs shook from the sudden wind. A bell tolled somewhere in the distance, from Appleloosa. The ground was getting unpleasantly hot. The air between them was full with tension, almost hard to breath in there. Their heartbeats slowed down, preparing for the moment. There was the final bell, suddenly everything, which was still, lighting fast turned into motion.

Lucky jumped high in the air with long spread wings. Phoenix quickly zeroed in. The barrel followed the climbing pegasus with absolute precision. But he couldn't pull the trigger. Those cyan feathers underneath his wings reminded him of the ones from his dream. Lucky looked like the pony, who saved him from the nightmares. He hesitated for a second, before the demon pulled the strings. Yellow line pierced Lucky's left wing, just when he threw his gun to the ground. The weapon landed a meter in front of Volts, who looked at it numbly.

The white angel lost his balance and fell to the ground on his back. He tried to to stand up. A futile attempt, that cost him his right wing. Bright red stained his wings and fur. Now he was fouled with the his own and her blood. Phoenix enjoyed how the pegasus struggled to use his wings. He then began walking towards him. Another ball entered the barrel and the gun was ready to deliver the final blow.

Metal Eye tried to get out of the ropes. He couldn't stand to watch anymore. By chance, his eyes stumbled across red metal balls that were laying next to Foxy. He then saw her wide open eyes that watched the duel without blinking. He got a little scared after noticing that they were alive.

"Stuck to the ground, are we? Can't use the things that define you. Are you feeling hopeless? Does Shadow Sun whisper your name?"

"So, you are under Her control?" he asked painfully.

"What control? What are you talking about?!" he scornfully looked down at his victim.

"You said Shadow Sun. You must know who she is. The Goddess of Darkness controls you via the medallion. You must take it off, if you want to be free!"

"The medallion has nothing to do with your fairy princess. You just tried to postpone you death." he aimed the gun at Lucky's heart and smiled like a devil. "Nice dueling you. May you have pleasant dreams."

There was a shot. Remarkably Lucky was not dead. Phoenix felt a burning pain his leg. He couldn't move it at all. His mind couldn't understand what happened and slowly he turned to his partner. Volts was aiming a gun at him. The mustached pony seemed afraid.

"Why, Volts?" he asked quietly.

"I aimed for your gun." answered with a shaking voice. Lucky saw an opportunity there and swiftly grabbed it by the tail. He jumped on the unicorn, thus knocking him on the ground, where the white pony sat on him and began sending blow after blow. Phoenix didn't resist. He was too shocked to see his friend betraying him like this. With each hit to the face, Foxy understood more and more Lucky's feelings. He struck with the rage of hundred suns.

She slowly stood up, still weak after her short death and went to them. Metal Eye followed her with sight, still couldn't believe she rose from the dead like that. Lucky was about to send another hoof in his beaten face, when the claws prevented him to do so.

"Let him go. He'll pay the prize in jail."

"Foxy! Y-you are alive?"

"Barely but alive." she smiled. Suddenly Lucky hugged her. She answered the gesture and finally the barriers between them melted away. What a relief it was for both. The second padlock unlocked and fell from her outfit. It disappeared shortly after the touch down.

"I thought you were gone for good."

"Uhm, I ain't no weakling, remember?"

"Hey!" Metal Eye shouted from behind. "We are tied in here. Would love some help!"

Volts came closer to them and using his telekinesis, took off the locket from his friend. Phoenix wanted to stop him but he was so powerless. The crystal enchantment touched the earth and then a hoof landed on it. Many peaces flew to all sides, finally the corruption and power medallion was no more. The yellow pony closed his eyes, admitting utter defeat but also victory over the demon, who followed the fate of the pendant.

"And there goes our lead." Foxy noted.

"I don't think we were supposed to have it. I'm pretty sure Princess Celestia knew that from the beginning."

Phoenix sat, while trying not to use his wounded leg. He mournfully looked at the ground.

"Volts, I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry that I didn't stop us sooner." he then turned to the captives. After one spell, they were free. Metal Eye approached them and said ex cathedra:

"With the right given to me by the Royal Government, I arrest you for torturing, attempts at murder and illegal dealings! We'll confiscate the ship and will turn you in the nearest town."

Volts sat next to his friend without a fight and agreed to his fate.

"Everything will be alright, Phoenix. I can see our future turning for the better."

"In jail? Then I hope you are right..."

"Mr Guardian, spy or who ever you are, would let me treat everypony's wounds? I kind of know first aid."

"Alright but no tricks!" then Metal turned to the duo: "And about you: I'd like to know how you just revived like no pony's business!"

Lucky smiled.

"She is dragon born!" suddenly he received a friendly punch from her. "Alright, she just has a tough personality!"

"So, these claws are real?" Metal pointed at them.

"As real as I am." Foxy answered. Then she pulled them inside her hooves, which Metal found completely gross.

"Awesome!" the filly admired. "Can you make fire from your breath?"

"Sure." she exhaled a purple flame in Lucky's face. Tail was careful not to injure him, only to make him a little more colored. The little spy giggled, when he saw the black pissed face.

"Ha-ha, so funny I forgot to laugh."

Foxy washed him with her outfit and looked at those lifeless eyes. She felt ready to go the next step. He was too. But before that, they had to get out of this place. Soon after Volts took care of their wounds, the group headed to the airship. None of them noticed the two white eyes that watched the entire thing from the only dried tree on the field.

"Good, very good. Everything is proceeding flawlessly. Only one medallion to go and The Big Boss won't ever touch this planet again."

Then the shadow moved inside a crack in the ground, leaving this field of fates.

Though the heroes played their part in destiny, others prepared to storm the lair of the dragon. Will they achieve their goal? Will they survive the clash with the monster? Well, that's for another chapter...

Chapter 26: Into The Beast's Mouth

The bushes shook a bit under the cover of the night. Two pair of eyes appeared from small holes in the corona of of the shrub. They carefully scanned the desolate road, which lead to the only gate of the capital. It was massive, made out of heavy wood and reinforced with a metal grate. In the center there was the scull of the first defeated dragon by the founder of the clan. A line split the white cranium in two equal halves. The long spikes from the forehead were covered in gold. Lanterns were place in the eye sockets to illuminate everything in front of the gate.

"The Blood Portal. Quite the sight. It speaks of might and warns everypony not to mess with the ninjas behind the wood and bones." Master Triple admired. "I love the attitude of the Dragon Claw ponies, too bad we are on opposite sides."

"The walls are higher than what I remember. Our hooks won't help us climb it, on top of that our chances to get inside without being noticed by the many guards on those towers are quite slim." Blue Circle noted. He turned to the rest of the ninjas, who were waiting in ready. They were hidden behind rocks, bushes or trees. No sound was coming from this elite group of assassins, as if they weren't there at all. "We have six pegasi, twelve earth ponies and five unicorns. We won't be able to teleport inside because of the flashes of the spells, which will alert every guard in the capital. And using the pegasi as transports would be to slow and this method also has a big chance to fail, due to the noise of the flapping of the wings."

"So many guards, I wonder if they were alerted to our arrival?" Triple sat on the grass. The pink unicorn looked confused. "No, there is no way they could know that we are here. I'd have sensed their spies a mile away, if there had been any."

"We do not have time to think about it. We'll need to focus at the current problem. We can't sneak past them, so why not create a diversion. They'll send much of their force to chase a rabbit, while the real snake is eating their chicks."

"If his forces are united, separate them, as one ancient general said. Might work but it means that we are splitting our smaller group, which I'm not a big fan of. Maybe we can appear in the least expected place?"

Blue turned to the elder. Their eyes met and suddenly the shadow leader understood his plan.

"Controversial, but I like the idea. Let's make it happen." the white ninja stood, thus creating some noise in the bush. He gave a sign and the four pegasi approached him. "Here is the plan: we need the gate opened, so two of you fly to the left tower and the other two to the right. Show authority, scare those guards a little. They shouldn't be elite ninjas, so if you look tough enough, they'll obey your orders. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." the purple pegasus answered.

"Wait, what?! Are you sending us on a suicide mission?" the young white pony stepped forward. "Four of us against so many guards, we'll be overrun in the moment we land on the wall."

"No pony is sacrificing you. Master Triple will make sure that you'll see the real fight." Circle moved into the personal space of the pegasus. It was close enough to see the imitation of insanity in his blue eyes. "It's his plan, so what can go wrong?"

The ninja from Diamond Shuriken felt uncomfortable and was unable to look him in the eye.

"I understand."

"Good. I'm confident in all of you to do your task flawlessly. Wait for the signal from Triple, then force the guards to open the gates. Now, get flying!"

The pegasi spread their wings and quickly disappeared behind the trees' dark coronas. They silently ascended to the clouds. The winged ponies were fortunate to have the moon blocked by the messengers of war or they'd have been spotted the moment they left the cover of the forest. The fliers hid inside them and waited for the signal. From their position the capital wall seemed like a bright yellow line, on which small dots synchronously moved.

"They are probably ready. Let's make our move!" Blue attempted to leave the bush but was prevented from doing so.

"I alone will go." Triple said. "If they see you, the guards will probably attack you without hesitation. After the war you've become a symbol of hatred among the dragon warriors."

"You think that they still remember me?"

"How could they forget. You've struck so much fear and hate in their hearts that for generations to come your name will be the synonym of death. Better hide yourself among our fighters. Do not try to appear mighty, just a little average and we'll pass through the gates without any incidents."

It didn't take him long, until he agreed. Circle went behind and nodded that he was ready. The pink old-timer smiled.

"Wish me luck!"

Then his figure disappeared in the bushes. He was on dusty road, which saw so many hooves, marching to their deaths. It was called the Golden Tail, though not many saw fortune at the end. Triple turned to the big gate and started walking. The darkness slowly gave path to the bright light, that came from the torches on the wall. Soon one of the guards saw him.

"Hold right there! Who is approaching the gate!?" the guard shouted and thus the unicorn received more and more attention from the ponies above. Triple stopped just in front of the light zone. Most of his body was still in the shadow of the night. He looked up without making unnecessary movement.

"Who are you young guardian?"

"Do not mock me! Answer the question or get out of here!" the short-tempered white earth pony yelled. He was wearing a black costume with red stripes. A short blade was sticking out from the scabbard on his back. To protect his head, the guard had put a doughboy helmet, which was very common among the dragon ponies. "Do you know where you are?"

"In front of your glorious gate, great gatekeeper." he answered calmly. "I only wish to enter your magnificent city to find shelter for the night."

"What is this? A traveler without a home? Your words may be kind but as far as I know they may be poisonous! Final warning, tell us who you are or pay the consequences!"

The unicorn smirked.

"My humble name is Master Triple Spirit."

That was the signal, which unleashed the four pegasi from the black clouds. They swiftly approached the shocked guards like birds of prey. Everypony on the isle knew, who this master was. His name was spoken only with respect and fear of the power he possessed. Some of the Dragon Claw ponies turned to the unexpected guests. All of them bowed, when they saw the famous insignia on their right shoulders. The pegasi stood like gods among unworthy creatures. None opposed their might and legitimacy.

The guard that had the pleasure to shout at their leader was now sweating like after a long gallop. His body was shaking, he looked quite pathetic.

"We are the Guardians of the Portal! The news of our arrival must not be delivered to the leader or spread among the population!"

"Yes, our lords!" the ponies simultaneously answered, while looking at the cold stones under their feet.

"We demand the gate to be opened at once!" the young white pegasus ordered.

"Yes, my lord!" the shaking watcher bowed again and then turned to the guards on the ground. "Open the gates!"

The six strong earth ponies began pushing the big wooden wheel. The sound of the opening of the massive door pierced the calm night. The guards from the nearby section of the wall were puzzled of what was happening. They sent a few to investigate the matter. Very quickly the news of the unexpected arrival of the Neutral ponies spread throughout the ranks on the wall. Despite that the information did not fall on the ears of the general population or the leader.

Triple kept smiling like a conqueror at the opening of the large gate. It was a sight to behold. As if the chest of an enormous beast opened to show its strong heart. When the two halves of the skull stared at each other, he lifted up his left leg. Then from the shadows twenty ninjas appeared. They marched in two perfectly straight columns. They were showing off perfect discipline, power that could not be surpassed by the low-ranking guards and greatness, which was backed by the years of experience of these assassins.

The master waited until they arrived and then together entered through the wide opened gate. A few guards came to greet them. The black ninjas stood in a line. When Triple stepped inside the capital, they simultaneously bowed. "So far, so good." the unicorn thought. Blue Circle was hiding among the others and tried not to be conspicuous.

"Master Triple, welcome to Draconicus." the chief of the guards greeted. He was a veteran from the war, who survived with most of his sanity intact. His cloths were painted in pink, indicating his mid rank in the army. "We are honored to have your presence here. Would you tell us the purpose of your visit, sire?"

"Yes, there are rumors about a certain group of ponies, who do not respect the sacred laws and traditions. We've come here to investigate the matter and set those faulty individuals to the right path."

The chief looked questioningly at the pink unicorn. At the same time the elite ninjas encircled the guards.

"We have not heard of such rumors. Should we notify the leader?"

"No, we can not trust anypony here to deliver the message to Young Hair and also I do not want to trouble him with this small matter." Triple moved closer to the chief and stood loftily in front of his small black eyes. "No pony should know that we are here. If the information spreads, I'll have you accountable and the punishment is only death, do you understand me?"

The chief of the guards bowed down on his knees and swore:

"I'll not fail you, Master. You are only but shadows and ghosts, who are passing through our capital."

Triple nodded.

"Good. Two more things before we begin our investigation: we'd want to be left alone and not followed. This matter is for the Guardians of the Portal only, so do not come to help us. And last, I'd want to know why there are so many guards on the walls. Are you expecting an attack?"

"Yes, my lord. Four days ago we received an anonymous message, which warned us about arsonists in the vicinity of the city. Since then we are on high alert. The terrorist group consists of warriors from all clans and is notorious for the several arsons in the countryside."

"Renegades? Hm, maybe I should meet these ponies." Circle thought.

"Terrorism must not be tolerated. If they choose to spread their dirty flames tonight, we will immediately help you to deal with them."

"Thank you, Master. They'll regret the mistake of challenging us. All of them will be annihilated to the last hoof." the chief spoke with so much glory, that Triple wanted to hit him. The master was not fond of killing others. No pony deserved to die because of his crimes. There had to be more civilized approach, when dealing with such problems 'cause killing only leads to more killing. He taught his philosophy of no killing and peace to the other Guardians and for the most part it was accepted but it never saw the light outside of his circle.

"You have your orders, now it's time to move on." Triple turned to his comrades and made a signal to spread out. The ninjas quickly disappeared in the shadows. They did that in a very quiet manner and lived up to their names. Like specters, they headed to the center, a hill, on top of which stood the leader's palace. It was the tallest structure, a tower that aimed for the heavens like an arrow. It's roof was covered by green tiles. On each angle golden serpents made faces at the four corners of the world. Yellow light was coming from the many windows. Only a small wall isolated the Great Home from the rest of the capital. This would be too easy, if there weren't the leader's personal guards, who were only loyal to him.

Triple was last to embrace the deep shades of this civilized jungle. His eyes showed absolute determination, his gait was of a pony, who had a meeting with destiny. The guards kept looking at their hazy figures. They could feel that something big was to come. The chief made a sign with his hoof and the six muscled ponies began pushing the wheel again. There was no other sound except from the closing doors.

Ghosts were roaming in the sleeping capital. Invisible for the naked eye. They were here for only one thing: to punish the criminal. Everything seemed so innocent in the lonely streets. The white houses carefully watched them move, though they do not have mouths to tell later on, who was coming that night. A cat ceased its game with the mouse and ran far away because it knew that death was marching behind them.

The night patrols never noticed their presence and continued on their predetermined paths. Their approach was as smooth as silk. When the palace's walls were in front of them, the ninjas stopped and looked around. No guards were on sight, which was a little worrisome.

"Do we use the same strategy or do we sneak?" Circle whispered.

"I do not believe that the same trick will work here. These are his personal guards, who are too loyal to the leader. If I were him, I'd do the same."

"What do you mean?" Blue turned to the old pony. He had a thoughtful look.

"If I was to do the same crimes as he, then I'd not tell everypony about them, only to the selected few, who will not question me and are loyal enough not to betray me. So, that means the ninjas inside will show resistance and probably force us out. It may also come to bloodshed, but we are too few for a frontal confrontation. In this case, we need to take the stealth approach, use minimum lethal force only where it is needed and quickly capture the leader. If we do this, then everypony under his command will surrender to us."

"My kind of plan." Circle looked at the short red wall on the other side of the street. How easy it was to just jump it over. The real problem was once they get inside, they'll probably be met by a welcoming committee. "How many guards you sense in the courtyard?"

"It's difficult to say, when we are surrounded by so many bodies. We need to get near the wall for me to find out."

"Alright then." Blue waved ahead and the ninjas quickly began crossing the street. In just five seconds everypony successfully made it to the other side.

"Now?"

"I sense exactly twenty. Six of them are positioned on key areas, the rest are making clockwise circles around the palace on fixed intervals of thirty seconds. At this moment there is only one earth pony, who is patrolling nearby. Two are standing in front of the main entrance. The rest are not near. This would be ideal to sneak in."

Triple lifted up his right hoof and one of the pegasi jumped in the air. He hovered high enough to look at the surrounding behind the wall. There were several chaenomeles on a flat grassy field, a shrubbery on the left and two trees on the right. There was not enough cover for the twenty five ponies, so only half could get inside. The lonely guard continued on his path, unaware of the intruders. One by one, they entered inside the court and carefully concealed.

The next patrol consisted of three ponies and they seemed more attentive than the previous one. The guard who lead them was holding a torch in his mouth. The light illuminated the cold grass and the near bushes. They stopped and looked around. They didn't find anything unusual in the garden, only shadows and pretty flowers. The three ninjas carried on. Triple sensed that there was a slight delay in the next group, which would give them a perfect window to get inside the palace.

He gave the sign and suddenly this quite place enlivened. Dark figures moved next to the palace's wall. The other half got inside and joined with the others. Above them there was a big window, which was closed. The same pegasus from early peeped. He saw the palace's kitchen. It was dark and empty, which would suit them very well.

The pegasus gave the sign and Circle went in his shadow form. Many tentacles came out of his back, waving like separate beings. Their time was melting too fast, so they had to hurry. A black snake was sent inside a little crevice below the window. He managed to get it on the other side and with it, Blue opened the casement. The yellow pegasus carefully pushed it and then went in the kitchen. The rest followed him one by one. They were doing it as fast as possible, no pony slowed down the queue.

The steps of the approaching guards could be heard. Time was not smiling on them and they just got only one half inside the stone structure. Circle prepared his tentacles to strike the patrol. When the last ninja was in, he quickly jumped inside and the window was immediately closed. The ponies outside didn't notice anything suspicious and continued forward.

Everypony had ducked. Only when the guards moved on, they unfroze and silently took positions.

"Like a ninja boss!" the taller brother bragged.

"Shush! You idiot! You are going to screw us up!" the shorter one hit him in the head.

Circle and Triple went to the only door that lead to a long hallway. Both put an ear and listened. It was too quiet for their liking.

"How many you can sense in the palace?"

"A lot. Thirty one. Most of them are in the mess hall. Seven are on the upper floors and oddly there are only two near his excellence's room."

Circle looked a little worried.

"Could this be a trap? It's long past dinner time."

"It could be. However, there is no way to know. I'll constantly check their movement."

Out of a sudden they heard steps. Somepony was coming and the two ninjas backed away, taking positions on the two sides of the door. The handle moved, everypony prepared. It was opened with slight squeak. Bright light invaded the kitchen. A unicorn, dressed in purple silk cloths was standing at the entrance. She was holding a small lamp. Her well kept black mane covered the right half of her lovely face. The white mare entered in the dark. It was too late, when she saw the band of ninjas. The door behind her was quickly shut and tentacles immobilized her. The maidservant couldn't scream for help. She dropped the lamp. One of the Guardians managed to grab it before it touched the floor. The young beauty was so scared that she was about to lose her mind.

"You sensed her, right?" Circle turned to Triple, who looked like he had a sudden headache.

"I should have." he shook head. "Probably its the interference from the many ponies in the capital."

"You don't seem well, maybe you should wait somewhere safe until we have captured him."

The pink unicorn stood mightily, showing no weaknesses.

"I'm coming with you no matter what. I do not need special treatment because of my years. Knock her out and let's continue!"

Circle didn't like that but what choice did he have. One of the tentacle formed into a hammer and then hit her in the head. She immediately lost consciousness. He quietly put her on the ground and turned to the door.

"There are eight floors. The leader's quarters are on the seventh. We'll need to defend the staircase at the sixth and the eight from an air assault." Triple said. "If things get out of hoof and have to retreat, we'll use the balconies of the last floor. The pegasi will have to connect the roof with the nearby buildings. Use all of our ropes. We must do it quick and without mistakes. Got it?"

Everypony nodded.

"Let's pay his majesty a visit." Circle opened the door and went inside a vast corridor. The rest followed his lead.

At the leader's chamber, one pony was patiently sipping some warm tea. The yellow-orange fire in the hearth kept the cold away. It was a peaceful scene. The room was large and had the feeling of freedom roaming inside it. There was a single luxurious bed on the left side, near the fireplace. Long garlands were hanging over it. A big wardrobe was standing on the right side of the room. The walls were made out of wooden lattice and covered with silky textile from the both sides. The room was in the center of the building and surrounded by a hallway.

The leader was sitting on the soft carpet, on which was illustrated a battle scene, where a courageous warrior stood against a fire breathing red dragon. The fighter was pointing a golden spear at the beast's heart. His bright mane was waving by the wind. No fear was found in his eyes, only full determination. The serpent had spread his wings and stood in a threatening pose. Both wanted to kill each other. Their clan was born by this epic duel and thus receiving the nicknames blood ponies or dragon ponies. Their entire psychology was dictated by the heroic acts of the few and many tried to imitate them. Too many were the brutal warriors, unlike in the other clans, where the the farmers had the greater numbers.

A small round table stood in front of Lupi, on which was painted a rose on a black background. The edges were covered with gold, just like the short legs. The beautiful porcelain kettle was in the middle, next to a second cup. On it were illustrated forest and green mountains. His green eyes moved from it to the hearth. The flames played their demonic games and laughed at the ashes. His soul was alone and darkened, his heart was cold and closed for anypony. The burden was to great for him. He only dreamed of being with his loved one but when would his wish be fulfilled? Lupi loyally served his ponies. With the ghost on his side, he fixed the mistakes of the previous leaders but for what prize? To lose somepony he loved and literally become a slave to destiny. No freewill, no choices to make. Everything seemed so predetermined, was he playing under the spirit's secret plan? Why would the entity care about the world of the living? The leader only wished to be happy and carefree.

After his father's death, five months after their expedition in the mainland, his life turned for the worse. Problems were arising like mushrooms after a heavy rain. He had too little time, not enough to even have a word with Snake Tail, who traveled throughout the lands to search the answer of her curse. There was just no window of opportunity to meet her.

Then time quickly moved forward and her time came. She gave birth and passed away a day after, never to find her Holy Grail. It was too late, when he went to see her. Lupi witnessed how she was embalmed just like her mother before her. The lifeless body was then placed inside a glass sarcophagus. At that moment, he felt as if a half of him died. Her remains were put in the same temple, where the first cursed warrior rested to this day.

He was left with her child, which he took as his own. Watched her grow, gave her the best training but never showed how much Lupi cared for her. Maybe he was too afraid of repeating the history, so the leader stayed in the distance, when it came to personal relations with Foxy. He was only a commander, who send her on missions and expected the best results from her.

When she went after Blue Circle and didn't return after many months, he felt so hopeless. Lupi didn't want to lose her so soon, that's why he ordered his finest warriors to track her down and bring her back home. Since then he only prayed that Foxy was going to return any time soon. Lupi'd have never forgiven himself, If she had died alone in a foreign land.He touched the red medallion under his cloths and wished for a better future.

Suddenly the guard on the left broke through the wall. His lifeless body fell on the ground with a bang. His neck was impaled by three kunais. Then the one on the right fell dead on his face. The door was violently opened and a pony in a white outfit entered in the bedroom.

The leader stayed calm and continued sipping from his cup. Behind Circle appeared Triple and the two carefully approached their goal.

"It's impolite to burst in like that in this late hour." Lupi turned to the uninvited guests. His eyes scanned them from top to bottom. What caught his attention was the familiar handle of the famous sword. Dark feeling and urges began spreading in his heart, nonetheless he kept them under control. "I see that my most favorite warrior is dead. Was her death glorious?"

"I do not know. The last time I saw her was more than a week ago. I'm certain that she is still alive." Circle moved in front of him and sat.

"Then why her sword is in your possession?"

"A minion stole it from her and then I stole it from him. I assure you that I haven't touched her tasty flank." he took the kettle and filled the empty cup with the mint tea. "Do you know why we are here?"

Lupi glimpsed at Triple.

"You've found out what I've been doing. I guess, Number One wont be coming to his family."

"And it is only you to blame. Your rule of terror is at an end."

The tan earth pony took another sip and then looked inside his half-empty cup.

"Rule of terror? Since when did I deserve such a critique. My clan mates live with the knowledge that they're a conquerors. I've struck fear in the hearts of my enemies and finally my clan can sleep without worrying about the past mistakes. I've brought wealth and glory to my ponies, something the previous leaders couldn't do."

"Glory? There was no such thing on the battlefields. You've brought only utter chaos and destruction to thousands of lives. You shall be remembered not as a victorious leader but as a mass murderer."

"It may be so. History will judge us all by our actions. I for one do not shy away from my past. I had my reasons and I did what was best for my clan." Lupi put the china cup on the table. "What do you aim to achieve by breaking into my home and killing my loyal ninjas?"

"To stop the madness you've been creating so far." Triple said. "We do not want to kill you or harm anypony else. We want you to confess about your doings. You went against our laws and traditions, so you'll be punished by giving up your position as a leader and coming with us."

"Traditions and old laws, their time has long passed. We live in a modern age, where everything is permitted and no old teachers will stop this trend. Why don't you ask Clan Tiger about the killings of villagers, who would not bow to their commanders? Isn't that in contrary to the rules?" he smiled sardonically. "What you ask is unheard of. No leader in the history of the clans has given up his rightful place. If I do so, then who will rule after me? Who will become the legitimate leader of the Dragon Claw Clan?"

"I will." Circle sipped from his cup. "I'll merge the two clans and bring order to our ninja world."

"By my white mane, this would only lead to another war. The consequences will be more devastating than after the last Big One." Lupi shook head. "I have to decline the offer."

"This is not a negotiation." Triple put his hoof on the table. "Also we'd like to know what you were going to do with the machines from the Equestrian kingdom?"

"Save my clan." Lupi whispered.

Circle ceased drinking and stared deep in the leader's eyes. Was he honest with the answer?

"To save them from what?" Triple moved in Lupi's personal space.

"I was told by the ghost that our world was at the bring of extermination. Environmental disaster is going to wipe out every living being off the face of the planet. The machines' purposes was to create a protective bubble around my clan. That way my ponies would be spared from the hell outside."

"Lies!" Blue exclaimed. "Who is this ghost, if I may ask?"

"The spirit told me that she watched over my ancestors and helped them in the time of need. Though the recent rulers forgot about her and denied her place at their right side. She never said her name."

Circle smirked.

"I bet I know who she is: Shadow Sun!"

Lupi raised his left eyebrow and looked in disbelief.

"Shadow Sun does not exist. It's just a myth and a false prophecy. If the spirit was Her, then why in Tartarus would She help me?"

Circle put the cup on the table.

"Horse crap! You've allied with Her and you are playing Her game! Stop the acting and take off the lamb's coat. "

Something winced in his green eyes. Circle noticed it but it was little too late.

Meanwhile...

The pegasi finished with their job and returned to the palace without being seen. Two unicorn with magically held bows guarded the last floor. They made sure no pony would attack from the air. The moment the six fliers approached the tower, the grounded Guardians aimed at them.

"We are friendlies!" the young white pegasus notified.

"The magic word?" the red unicorn asked.

"Please?"

The two archers immediately granted them access to the balcony. Everypony landed safely.

“All preparations are done.”

“Good. If everything goes as planned, we'll not need them at all.”

The pegasus nodded and then went to the staircase, when the black horn asked:

“Where are you going?”

“I want to check the others. I'll return shortly.”

He went down the stairs. It was little dark, there were few candles that didn't provide enough light for the entire hallway. The pegasus could hear the conversation inside the leader's chamber. He went past the dead guard, who was struck by his kunais. There was a large pool of blood around the body because he hit an artery on his neck. The victim never stood a chance.

His attention was caught by the noise that came from one of the rooms. There weren't allies in sight, so he took the initiative and stealthily went to one of the many closed doors. Although they had checked them all, it didn't guaranty that an enemy could be sneaking. The palace had big enough windows in every room, that it was possible for ninjas to break in. They didn't have enough Guardians to guard every window, so such attacks were very likely.

The young ninja took in his mouth one of the knifes from the belt and clenched tightly. He listened through the door. There were at least two ponies in the room. Suddenly it opened, he jumped forward. The knife stopped just in the throat of the bigger brother. In his brown eyes fear was visible like a bright beam in the darkness. The attacker looked quite scary.

“Hey it's us! There is no need to be so jumpy!” the stronger one shouted.

The pegasus backed off and put his weapon in its place.

“You were making too much noise. That can get you both killed!” his serious tone did not scare them at all and the two brothers smiled.

“Nonsense! Only our guys are here.“ the taller one turned to the other. “Should we show him?”

“What exactly?”

The shorter pony turned around and took something from a chest.

”We were just trying some of this awesome costumes! Check this!” he threw the expensive clothing at the pegasus. The later was a little surprised. It was soft and light, colored in yellow. The edges and the buttons were red. There was a single pocket on the left side. “It's your size, so why don't you try it?”

The white pony shook head and hurled the costume to his right.

“We are not here to steal pretty dresses. Start acting like real Guardians of the Portal! Our mission is serious and the future of our world depends on it! The enemy may be planning to attack us, so we need to be on guard.”

“Relax, bro! Nothing bad will happen.” the taller ninja lied down on the pile of royal cloths. He smiled. His dreamy eyes looked at the stone ceiling. “Ah, we're going to be fine.” Suddenly his brain remembered something and the pony raised his head. “Hey, did you hear about the big find?”

“No, I was busy doing my job.” the pegasus scornfully looked at him.

“Hah, if we didn't have the worst luck in the history, we could have been in the company of the leader's harem.”

"The guys on the sixth floor found it. Ah, think of all the beauties there just waiting for us to show them some ninja tricks, if you know what I mean." the shorter pony nudged the pegasus.

The wing pony was a little embarrassed by the thought of many elegant mares, who would surround him and send him down to the world of holy pleasures. Though still young, he wanted to see what was to be with a girl. Unfortunate for him, the Guardians weren't allowed to have intimate relations with the opposite sex or the same.

"You haven't seen anything, until you've been with a babe. The last female Guardian died ten years ago, since then there haven't been any new lady candidates, though they would become like sisters, which kind of kills it."

The two brothers sadly looked down.

"But orders are orders and we shall remain on this level. At least we found this little treasure room with all kinds of clothes. May the ones down below be cursed!"

The young warrior shook head again to wash all the sad feelings and actually stop carrying for such things. He stamped and looked at them directly.

"We might not be lucky but we are protecting our leaders, which is an high honor of itself. To serve Master Triple, while being close to him. That means that he thinks that we are trustworthy. And..."

"Yeah, yeah. Spare us the looser speech." they waved.

He angrily stamped again.

"And also the Dragon Claw leader is said to have only one pony in his heart, so the harem may be just a joke!"

"Aha... maybe someday, when you grow up a little, you'll know that there can not be only one!"

The pegasus facehoofed and sighed.

"I'll not argue about love and ladies with you. Just get back to your positions and look for any dangers." he turned around, suddenly something caught his eye.

"What? Is there anything else?" the shorter pony asked.

The youngster looked to the left and for his horror saw that the yellow dress was levitating in the air. It was in the middle of the room, so there weren't any objects on which it could have landed. The white ninja immediately threw two kunais at the clothing. There was the sound of piercing of flesh. Then a black warrior appeared out of the thin air and collapsed on the floor. The three Guardians looked on in disbelief.

Out of sudden five more appeared in the room. They drew out their swords and knifes. This was a trap. The pegasus took out six kunais with his wings. The knifes' handles got between the feathers.Then he threw them at the enemy ninjas. Two fell down, the rest managed to avoid the blades. They charged. The two brothers quickly drew their swords. The sound of metal hitting metal sounded throughout the entire hallway.

The pegasus backed off, when the third attacker swung a sword at him. The blade was about to hit his head, when he was saved by the short earth pony. He quickly overcame his fear and threw one knife at the unprotected tummy of the dragon pony. It struck deep in his body. The pain was unbearable. Then the friendly sword moved down and cut the chest of the wounded fighter. Everything happened in a blink of an eye, though the pegasus thought that the act of the kill took eternity. The death cry marked the beginning of a very bloody battle.

Then the short pony blocked the next quick attack. Steel was met by steel. Sparks came from the contact point. The enemy ninja was pushing forward but the Guardian stood his ground. The pegasus threw another kunai. The blood ninja jumped backwards and thus dodged the lethal projectile. Now it was time to be on the offensive and the strong stallion jumped forward. His sword was aimed at the enemy's heart. He parried.

The taller ninja was having some problems with his opponent. Their duel was very fast paced. They were sending hits after hits but no pony could wound the other. Soon one of them was going to make a fatal mistake and pay with his life. The pegasus attempted to throw more knifes, unfortunately he ran out kunais.

"Close quarter it is!"

He spread his wings and jumped in the melee. The bad pony didn't expect an air attack, so the winged ninja smashed right into him. Both fell down. Then a sword impaled the black pony's throat. Blood began pouring out of the wound, staining the two Guardians.

"Fresh Biscuit!" the tall pony shouted. His brother fell on the floor, struck in the thorax. The cut was not lethal but the next blow would be. He stared in his executioner's eyes with no regrets. Before the victor could claim his life, a flying blade went inside his head and emerge from the back. The Dragon Claw ninja stood like a statue for a few seconds, until his lifeless body fell on the ground.

They went to him and turned him around.

"I never knew you were so accurate." he whispered.

"It wasn't me. You have to thank Free Feather for saving your sorry plot."

"Big bro, you disappoint me again." he smiled painfully.

"I'll take care of your wound. Just do not think of going to the other side! Feather, make sure that no pony comes close. I'll need five minutes to treat him."

The long range ninja nodded. He swiftly collected his kunais from the bodies and went outside. The noises of the fights in the corridor were loud. The Guardians from the sixth and eight floor were fighting the endless stream of dragon ninjas. The wounded cried from the top of their lungs. It was a pure chaotic melee. He couldn't recognize friend from foe. They all were colored in crimson. The floor was turned into a small lake of blood. Bodies lied all over the place, most of them were from the enemy forces. His sight turned to the leader's chamber. Was it all under control after they captured him?

Ten ninjas made holes in the walls and entered inside just to be met by ten tentacles. They were cut down like sheep. Then the black spears were aimed at the calm tan earth pony, who continued to drink warm tea.

"Stop the attack or I'll be force to end you!"

A devil smile appeared on that old face.

"The spirit said that I'll live after the slaughter, so I'd rather test this claim."

More draconian ponies entered from all sides. They swung their weapons and all missed the old master. He used his special talent and created two copies of himself. They moved as one, fought as one and were generally very annoying for the attacking ninjas. One would dodge, the other two would strike. His art was precise and fluid. He hit spots, which controlled motion of their limbs. Many just fell flat on their faces, paralyzed and barely breathing. Four more tentacles emerged from Circle's back and with their help, he cleaned this wave.

"You are living me no choice!"

The ten sharp spears impaled the sitting pony. However, there was no hit, no blood. As if Lupi was made out of air.

"What magic is this?!" Blue asked.

"A gift from the ghost. You are not the first to try to assassinate me and fail." the leader calmly said. "You can say that I'm untouchable."

"Is that right?" Circle drew out the clawed sword with one of his tentacles and swung it at him. Before the blade landed on his head, the earth pony managed to grab it in mid-air. "Ha, what's the matter? Afraid of a little chopping?"

"The sword has magical properties that can hurt me, though that's only one weapon in the entire world. It would be very unfortunate, if it was lost."

Theurgic rainbows moved from his hooves, through the weapon and landed on the black tentacle. Blue couldn't move because of the enormous energy that burned him from the inside. Triple quickly interfered. His hoof touched Lupi's neck and concentrated a lot of energy on that single spot.

"Ghost or not, you'll feel this!"

Bright white light illuminated the room. Lupi released the sword. However, Circle was still under tremendous pain and was not able to strike him again. The leader took out the medallion from under his cloths and aimed it at the unicorn. The red beam pushed Triple, sending him to the other side of the room.

The two clones promptly attacked. The leader used his locket again and destroyed one of the spirits. Red scratches appeared on Triple's body. The second one knocked him down. The crystal pendant flew in the air and landed on the cosy bed. Lupi pushed the copy away to find out the incoming blade.

His body sank under the stone floor. The sword hit the floor, not the target. Circle was still in a world of hurt but the determination in his eyes told Triple of his intentions.

"Don't follow him! He'll only lead you to more traps."

"If we don't kill him, he'll kill us with his evil plots."

Then a bloody unicorn appeared at the entrance. His blue cloths had lost their original color. The big sword was hovering right next to him. It was still thirsty for more heads, though the user was at bring of collapse.

"Master, they are coming from all sides! We can't defend this floor much more! It may sound dishonorable but we'll have to flee!"

"Will you sacrifice our lives to go after him or will you help us escape this trap?" Triple was completely serious.

Circle was angry. How could he let him so easily? The shadow ninja stared at where the leader used to sit. Then looked at the bed. The medallion was gone. His feelings were mixed. However, his common sense was vocal enough to persuade him to choose the path of life.

"I never immolate anypony. Better retreat and fight another day."

Triple nodded, then he stood up and together they left the leader's bedroom. Outside it was a total massacre. The Guardians were putting a very good fight. Pegasi attacked from the ceiling, earth ponies blocked the enemy advance, unicorns caused damage with their bows and magically held blades. They had created a defensive perimeter around their only exit. However the endless stream of black ninjas was steadily exhausting their low numbers.

"Everypony get to the staircase and start evacuating!" Triple shouted, though his voice was lost in the sounds of the battle. The dying screamed, the living fought desperately. There was an evil presence among the fighters. It encouraged the fires of war and laughed at those miserable creatures.

Free Feather was out of knifes again, thus his role as at the front ended and he began helping his wounded comrades to get to the upper floor. Circle went full specter on the enemy. With his help, the Guardians could have a moment to rest. He was brutal with his tentacles. No mercy was shown, every victim of his died on the spot. After his appearance in the melee, the enemy ponies were not so reluctant to attack and soon they were unable to advance because of fear.

This gave them the opportunity to escape and the group quickly repositioned itself on the eight floor. There they prepared the wounded for evacuation. The ones who were capable to fight, stood in front of the stairway. The four remaining pegasi took some of the ponies, who were unable to walk by themselves and entered in the realm of the birds. Their final destination was the forest, from which they came. The rest had to get there by hoof. For the unlucky ones the night was just beginning.

When Free Feather was about to escaped this little castle of hell, the taller brother said to him:

"Don't drop him! Throw him at the enemy, if you must but not because you felt tired! Understand?"

"I'll make sure that his flight is enjoyable." the white pegasus smiled, then he jumped and followed the wind.

At the same time the tintinnabulations sounded throughout the entire capital, alerting every guard, ninja and warrior to their presence. The Guardians began descending on the ropes, soon only Circle and few unicorns remained. When they took their turns, he took the unlit torches, used the lighter and then threw them at the staircase. The wooden structure quickly blazed into flames and thus cut the route of the enemy.

Lupi watched how they escaped from a safe place. He was unpleasantly surprised to see Circle escaping his trap, though he knew that the chances of killing him were not very high. This was the legendary White Shadow, who fought like one pony army, he tried to trap. Defeating him would not be easy and it looked like it would take awhile.

The door opened behind him, a captain of his personal guard was standing at the entrance. His cloths were colored in red and purple.

"What are your orders, my leader?"

"They'll escape no matter what we throw at them. They wouldn't have come here, If they didn't have a darn good escape plan. Also we must not make ourselves the enemy in the public's eyes. Many still follow the old ways and have high respect to the Guardians, so track them from afar. When they are out of the city, you have my permission to hunt them down to the last pony. Block the portal to make sure that none escapes the island. Take as many ninjas as you want. I'll wait to hear the good news from you."

The captain bowed and then silently left. The leader looked outside the window again.

"A little more my love. Soon we'll be together again and this time I'll show you what feelings were hiding in my lonely heart."

On the window appeared a reflection of a dark mare. She smiled at him, knowing that this poor soul completely belonged to Her.

Chapter 27: Coming Home

It was a fresh new morning. Life in Appleloosa had awakened. Ponies were going to work, some on the fields, others on the tables in the local tavern. The aroma of baked apple pies was all over the town. The vendors were eagerly waiting their customers from the desert. The buffaloes adored their pies and in exchange they brought herbs that thrived on specific places in the wilderness.

Lucky turned on his back and yawned. He needed that good sleep after the yesterdays heroic acts. Never in his life did he feel so scared for somepony's life. The pegasus came to the realization that Foxy was more than a friend but also his answer to happiness and love. However the question begged to be addressed: was she having such strong feelings like his?

He stretched his hoof and noticed that the ninja was not in bed. Lucky stood in sitting position. The warm beams of the early sun shined on his face. His green mane was a mess. The brown eyes stared at nothing. His wings were bandaged. It'd take awhile before they were fully healed. Although he wanted to get up, his body had opposite intentions.

"Maybe five more minutes." he fell on the mild bed.

Half an hour later, Lucky went outside of the house. He was still very sleepy, at least his mane was brushed to an extend. He breathed deeply, the tasty smell of pie immediately excited his appetite.

"Good-morning, sleeping princess." Metal Eye greeted from the restaurant next to the hotel. It was in the opened. Almost every table was taken. Luckily for the master and junior spies, they managed to arrange something with the host. "How was the night? Has anything interesting happened then?"

The hints in his voice irritated Lucky a little, nevertheless the pegasus kept his cool.

"What do you think happened?"

"Well, I don't know. Last night you two disappeared from the humble party and made me thinking that something bad could have happened to you both. I would be very offended, if you did something you may regret in the future before talking with me about it."

"Nothing happened. We only went to bed early."

"Ha, that's what she said!" Metal smiled. "Isn't that right, my little partner?"

The purple unicorn nodded and then happily drank from his milkshake. Lucky was not in a mood for jokes.

"Speaking of whom, where is she?"

"On the roof."

"Why would she be on the roof?" Lucky asked himself.

"Hey, are you going to stand there all day or will you join us for breakfast? We have some delicious white flower sandwiches, your favorite ones." Metal Eye flew over the wooden fence and approached him. He helped him to get to their table and then together enjoyed the tasty food.

Foxy was trying to meditate at the roof of their hotel. Her mind was troubled with one thing: her connection with the ninja world. Despite that she didn't want to have anything in common with the rest of the warriors, her past still haunted her and reminded her why Tail left it for good. The machines that the inventors created were tools for evil and it was a good thing thing that they destroyed the leader's plan. However, how many other schemes did the pony, who she used to bow to, have? Was Tail obliged to stop them every time, when she just wanted to have peace? Foxy didn't want to return to her homeland and experience the cruel reality of the ninja world. The answer to her salvation was three floors below. He was the one, who could bring her out of the cold water and warm her heart with friendship and love.

She looked at the horizon, the small line where yellow and blue met. The sun was smiling. There weren't any clouds to block the magnificent view.

"How I despise such scenery." she said to herself. "It would be better, if there was a storm. Hm, that's old me. The new me actually enjoys this."

She looked down at the restaurant. The sheriff approached her friends and gave a letter.

"This just came from Her Majesty. She orders you to bring the unicorns in Canterlot and there's more."

Metal took the letter and started reading.

"Princess Celestia wants you to meet her. Your ninja friend is invited too. If we take off in fifteen minutes, I think will get back to Canterlot before the sunset." Metal stood up and spread his wings. "Mr Sheriff, bring the convicts at the airship. I'll inform her about..."

Suddenly a pony fell on the ground with a bang. Foxy landed on her four legs, keeping a perfect balance. She brushed the dust from herself and then turned to the surprised company.

"You didn't just jump off the roof, right?" Lucky asked.

"That's exactly what I did." she snatched the letter and gave it a quick look.

The sheriff took off his cowboy hat and nodded. When the brow earth pony made it to the other side of the street, Foxy crumpled the letter and threw it behind her.

"So, we are going to the capital?"

"Yep." Lucky answered.

"By the way, you know that you just threw away a royal order? Such documents are not to be treated like trash." Metal schooled her.

"I do not care." she gave him the carefree look. "I'm ready to travel. Just need to get my apples from our room."

Then she went to the hotel.

Metal turned to Lucky, who was about to take a bite from his sandwich.

"A very strange girl you've chosen, my friend."

"I didn't. I was forced to be her partner, nevertheless I do not regret it. She is kind of like that."

Meanwhile in the concrete jungle...

Ponies in golden armors approached the door. A very strong earth Guardian turned his back on it and then kicked powerfully with his rear legs. The hinges broke. The door slammed into the ground. Immediately five Royal Guards stormed the building. They spread out. There was no pony in the living room. Then one of the unicorns waved ahead, two pegasi quickly went to the hallway, that led to the kitchen and the staircase.

The rest followed. They were cautious and were prepared for any surprises. The Guards checked the entire first floor, then they proceeded to the second. They moved fairly quick. Nothing escaped their sight. Soon they found the door for the laboratory, it was locked. The same earth pony attempted to break it but instead he hurt his hooves. It was armored, so the unicorns took their turn. The horned ponies aimed at it and fired purple beams. In just ten seconds flat they melted this obstacle.

The pegasi entered inside. While the operation was at its peak, Quarter Key and Diamond Rod entered the house of the inventors.

"I can only hope that they are untouched." the old horn said.

"The Princess won't like that we burst in the home of her subjects like this. She'll probably retire Nose because of this."

"It is the right thing to do! Four lives are on the line." Quarter seemed very worried and Diamond understood him perfectly.

The commander of the strike team approached them. He was not looking happy. Key feared the worst.

"No pony was found in the entire building. They probably left under the cover of night. The equipment you asked us to search for is also missing."

When he heard the news, the older unicorn felt very uneasy.

"What now?"

"Diamond, I do not know..." he sadly shook head.

Outside of the building, a quite large crowd was forming. They were interested to know why the Royal Guards stormed the home of two inventors. They passionately speculated. The most popular rumor was that Phoenix and Volts had an accident in the lab.

Three guards blocked the entrance. They stood like marble statues. Countless questions were fired at them only to be ricocheted back.

"It's Royal Guard's matter, no other information is available." the mighty guard said in a monotone voice.

"The public has the right to know what happening inside!" the elegant pink unicorn demanded: "At least let the journalists inside!"

"No can do, mam." this mountain in front of her wouldn't move, even if all of her publicist friends tried to push him away.

"Could you at least tell us, if there was an accident in the laboratory? Is the city safe?"

"I can not answer, mam. Please go back to your own duties. The news of what happened will be released soon."

"Back to my duties? I am doing them!" she shouted and angrily waved her hoof. "Expect an official complaint to your captain!"

The guard ignored her. She stamped and turned around. Then her deep purple eyes caught the distant figure of a pegasus Guardian, who was holding a scroll in his mouth. She decided to stay and see what would happen.

The messenger landed in front of the three guards, whispered something in the ear of his colleague and then he was granted a passage. The flier seemed very exhausted.

"Here... letter... Her Majesty!" he dropped it in Quarter's hoof, the latter unroll the scroll and started reading.

Diamond was surprised to see the rock falling from Key's back and the small smile on his grey face.

"What is it?"

"Lucky and the others are safe. They've managed to neutralize them and are currently in Appleloosa. They'll travel back to Canterlot." he sounded a little excited.

"I think I know where this is headed." the white unicorn smirked. "We are going to meet them there, am I right?"

"Only if we take the early train. Prepare our stuff in the hotel and then come to the station. I'll buy us tickets and try to delay the train as much as possible."

"What if the Princess wants us to stay here?"

"We've completed our assignment, so I do not think we'll be much of help for the Guards here. Also we can defend Nose better, if we are there and not via mails. He had his orders not to take any action against the inventors and only because of us, he decided to neglect them. We owe him, so let's return the favor."

Diamond nodded. Then the two unicorns turned to the commander and saluted. Afterwards they quickly left the building. Frozen Flash followed them with sight. Judging on their gaits, she learned that they were in a hurry for something important. They were going to lead her to the truth.

"Well my luck finally smiles." she thought and then went after them.

Fifteen minutes later everypony was on board. The two inventors were hoofcuffed and tied to the nose of the ship. The engined roared, the propellers started turning and soon they were airborne. The Equestrian Flag gloriously waved from one of the ropes. The small town stayed behind. In front of them was the vast wilderness. The green color appeared on the horizon. Below them was the railway, which Metal used as a pointer. He knowingly flied the airship and with the help of the winds, they were going to arrive in Canterlot a lot sooner than he thought.

Foxy leaned against the red railing of the starboard. Her orange eyes were staring at the distance. Behind the land and ocean, there was a isle of misery. It was very far away but it's presence could be felt even here. Why it wouldn't let her alone?

Lucky sat next to her and stared with his unseeing eyes. He smiled at the world in front of him, unlike her. After a few minutes of silence, she asked him:

"Am I so obvious that even the blind can see that I need to talk to somepony?"

He raised his left eyebrow.

"You wanted to talk? I didn't know. What is on your mind?"

"My home. Those idiots back on the island will kill each other sooner or later but why should I care?"

"Cause it's the place where you were born, where you were raised and lived most of your life."

"But it is literally hell in there!" she raised her voice to levels, which the others took notice of. "It is the worst place on the surface of this world! Then why I'm troubled with thoughts about its future?"

"I understand you." he looked down and continued with quieter voice: "Maybe you haven't left everything behind. You are ninja, who was created for that reality. What purpose your skills have in Equestria rather than to be a really good acrobat?"

She shook head.

"It's not about purpose in life. I abandoned everything I knew to search for a better life but my connection with my homeland is still strong. Even when I run away, it keeps showing its dirty face again and again." she glimpsed at the two unicorns, who were sitting silently. They were guarded by the Spy Filly, who did not lose sight of even the slightest movement.

"Though I do not believe in predetermined paths, maybe it calls for you to return? Could it be that you are destined to bring peace to those, who seek destruction?"

"Me, as an agitator of peace?" Foxy chuckled. "I'll be giving justice with the ends of my claws. Are you out of your mind?"

"At least I made you a little happy." Lucky turned to her with a big smile.

"So, what would you advise me, Mr Merry Stallion?"

"Do what ever your heart tells you... Nha, your heart is frozen. Probably should go with your hoof."

Tail suddenly pushed him hard. Lucky wasn't prepared for that and fell on his right side. His wing hurt but it was not such a big deal.

"Yep, definitely trust your hoof!"

Foxy smiled on him and then looked at the big world.

"There's one last thing."

"Shoot!"

"I had a weird dream last night." she said very quietly, so that the others couldn't hear her. "I saw my mother and a stallion climbing a mountain, on top of which there was a hidden temple."

"Do you know who the stallion is?" Lucky asked with a concerned voice.

"He felt familiar but whenever I looked at him, I'd lose focus. For some reason his face was shrouded by a fog."

"And what happened?"

"They found the secret shrine and my mother began meditating. She tried to contact The Jester of Flame but without a success."

"Wait, what do you mean contact him? Wasn't he dead?"

She looked around to make sure that the others weren't eavesdropping.

"It is said in some ancient text that the dead go to another realm. My ancestors had a method of contacting the dead, though the techniques were lost and only a few secret temples had enough spiritual energy to be used as connectors between the both worlds."

"Could it be that my parents are in this afterlife?"

She felt uneasy to answer the question 'cause Tail knew how much his dead folks meant to him. Foxy didn't want to disappoint him.

"Maybe or maybe not. The only way to be sure is to actually see it by yourself, though I do not think you'd like to die."

He looked a little gloomy. That changed, when she placed her hoof on his shoulder and said in a friendlier voice:

"I'm sure that they are in the lands of dreams, watching over you from the sky. They are probably smiling at us at this very moment."

"Thank you, my lo... Foxy. " he looked away, embarrassed by what his mouth was about to spill out. "Would you continue?"

Tail's cheeks blushed. Thankfully she had her mask and no one saw it.

"What were you going to say to me?" she whispered in his ear.

"Oh-uhm... he-he... what I said: Foxy." a long drop of sweat fell down from his forehead. He continued with a higher voice. "It was just a slip of tongue. Like there were times were after hard work I'd say "Of course, mom" instead of "Of course, Metal". Do you remember that, bro?"

Metal Eye was concentrated on the flying and barely heard what the blind pegasus said. He noticed that Lucky was grinning at him. The pink-eyed pony understood the sign and smilingly waved at them.

"Very unconvincing." she criticized. Tail looked at the dusty land below and continued. "So, while my mother was trying to connect with the dead dragon, her friend guarded the temple. Then something bad happened. Shadow Sun appeared in front of him."

"The. Worst. Possible. Thing!" Lucky exclaimed.

"Hey, I'm serious! It's a well know fact that in my family the dreams are gates to the past. For example, my mother saw in one of her dreams how grandma fought the dragon and she was able to describe the battle to the smallest detail."

Lucky looked on disbelief.

"Are you saying that you saw your past?"

"I think so, though it was vague and the dream seemed to be fractured. I know for a fact that Snake Tail and the current leader used to travel around together. So, maybe the stallion is him. However, I don't recognize the mountain. On my island there isn't such a high mount and I've never read about this particular adventure in her dairies."

"Your mother must have kept it in a secret. If I were to find a source of such power, then I would not brag about it. Did you see anything else?"

"Shadow Sun gave him a red medallion."

Lucky now understood her first problem. If this was true, then their adventure was not over again.

"Are you sure that it wasn't just a bad dream?"

Foxy looked in him and saw her concerns on his face.

"I would love to believe that it was just a nightmare. However, It could be a warning from the past."

"What are we going to do now?" Lucky asked honestly.

It was a tough decision. She didn't really want to return in the pit again but if they were to follow the prophecy, they had to. That place was dangerous and she might not be able to protect him all the time. No, she really didn't want to see him hurt and was done with those murderers back on the island. Now it was time to look into the blue unknown and live her life as fully as possible before the curse decided that it was her time.

"Nothing. Probably it's just my fears that clouded my vision of the past." Foxy looked at the clean sky and quoted: "Now I want to experience peace and maybe some love."

Lucky remembered, when he said that. It was just after his battle against the she-dragon, who wanted to eat him but was also his friend. It seemed so long ago, though it happened just a week ago. This was the sign he was hoping to hear. Now Lucky knew what he had to do, once they got to Canterlot. Suddenly his dreamy state was forcefully pushed by the the yellow unicorn's voice.

"Mr Lucky, would you come over here?" he asked timidly.

The pegasus was surprised by the request. He stood up and by using the railing as a pointer, he got to the nose of the ship.

"What is that you want?" there were still anger in his voice, when he addressed him. Lucky couldn't forgive Phoenix for what he almost did to his love.

The unicorn had lost his gentle look and now seemed like an outcast without a future. The sparks of life were gone in his blue eyes. His red mane had seen better days. Phoenix was just a shadow of the pony he used to be.

"I had a dream..."

"Oh, boy! Here we go again..." Lucky thought.

"... in which I saw you. The white pegasus with the cyan feathers saved me from the nightmares."

Although he wasn't in a mood to listen to him, Lucky didn't want to be rude and didn't want to show the worst possible way of dealing with the prisoner.

"After that night I felt better for the first time in months. Then you stopped us from making the biggest mistake of our lives." the unicorn was little shaking. He looked him directly in his brown eyes. "After I got shot, I realized that the world I've been living in was false. I-I do not understand how I was able to do the many things, which I regret now."

"You were under the influence of the medallion. However, that doesn't excuse you!"

The unicorn looked down, he had a troubled look.

"I ask for forgiveness. Please, will you help me?"

"Help you how?" the pegasus started to not like the direction of the conversation.

"Like you did in my dream. You gave me a hoof and pulled me into heaven. Will you do the same thing in the realm of the living?"

Lucky wasn't sure what to say. He barely knew this pony and now Phoenix was asking to be friends with him. After what he did, Lucky wouldn't never think of being close with this evildoer.

"Well?" the unicorn asked after a minute of silence.

"Please, Mr Lucky!" Volts begged. "I don't think that I alone can be much of help to him. He is confused and weak. He'd need a lot of support to bring himself to who he really is: a genius inventor and a good friend. That damned locket changed him for worse but I believe he can redeem himself and become a better pony. Please, help him."

Lucky thought for a moment, which seemed like eternity to the unicorn.

"When I graduated from the academy, I received the worst news in my life. My parents died in the line of duty in a place far away from here. No friend of mine could help me with the pain, though some tried really hard." he turned his head to the captain of the vessel then back at them. "This was something I had to endure alone. Have you heard of the phrase:'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?' I still carry the loss of my parents in my heart but I draw strength from it. It's like an experience, which stays for life. Thank the Princess that you are alive and start moving forward!"

The unicorn nodded.

"Thank you!" Phoenix was sincere.

After this conversation, the trip was plagued by silence. The yellow landscape changed to green. Tall mountains stood in the distance like pillars. Below them orchards were stretching for miles. Hills with delicious red apples were the first signs that they were approaching the little town called Ponyville. From their altitude, the houses seemed like yellow adorable rectangles. There were many interesting buildings like the round town hall with the brown conical roof or the the huge tree that was the home of the Princess's personal assistant.

Canterlot was far, behind the blue walleye. The Royal Castle was the most visible thing. Its white towers showed greatness and authority.

The sun was falling from the thrown, when they arrived at the busy airport. Two pegasi in uniforms grabbed the ropes and moored the ship. Then the ramp was lowered. The first who got off the ship were the two inventors, closely followed by Metal Eye and the young spy. Seven Royal Guards were waiting. When the prisoners touched the platform, four strong soldiers made a diamond formation around them.

"Woaw, I didn't expect such a warm welcome." Metal smiled. The Guardians didn't seem amused.

When the last of the passengers stepped on solid ground, the rest of the welcoming committee surrounded them.

"Princess Celestia is expecting all of you in the Castle." the unicorn addressed Lucky. "Without further ado, let's get moving!"

"What's up with the big escort? Are we prisoners or something?" Metal moved in front of the unicorn in full golden armor.

"This is for your protection, sir. A lot of Guardians have mysteriously disappeared in the past week and the Princess doesn't want to take any chances."

"It's okay!" Lucky said. "Lead on, please."

The Guardian turned around clockwise and started marching forward. The rest followed.

Celestia was reading some papers at her magnificent throne. Scrolls were lying next to the tall white pony, waiting to be read by Her Majesty. The throne was made out of gold and almost reached the high ceiling. The upholster was made out of red soft fabric. It was standing at the bottom of the vast throne room. The tall windows on both sides were representations of various events and heroes. They were colored in almost every known hues. Most recent were the ones, where her assistant Twilight Sparkle and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon, the Master of Chaos and the Changelins' Queen. The floor was made of crystal clean marble tiles. A red long carpet stretched from the throne to the big doors. Four guards were quietly standing at the two ends of the long room. Their only task was to protect the ruler of this land and they were doing a darn good job.

The sound of the opening of the big gorgeous doors broke the silence and took the attention of the mighty white alicorn. It was her dark blue sister, who was approaching.

"Working all day, I see. Why don't you take a break and leave them to me?"

Celestia put the papers down and sighed.

"With your old mindset from one thousand years ago, you'd probably cause big misunderstandings. You are still new to the changes in Equestria, so take your time and learn everything. Only then I'll let you deal with the problems of our subjects."

Luna sat beside Her and asked with a quieter voice.

"Are you worried about the pegasus and the prophecy?"

The white alicorn looked at her and tried to find strength in her dark eyes.

"Yes. I couldn't think of anything else. I'm trying to find some peace in reading these documents, though most are a little boring."

Luna smiled.

"Maybe we can read them together? Like in the old times?"

Celestia felt very warmed by the suggestion. She wanted to say yes, when the doors opened again. The main guests for the afternoon arrived. They moved inside and continued to the throne. Celestia and Luna stared at them with the eyes of Gods. Tail answered the greeting with her demonic gaze. The two inventors looked quite sad. Lucky was a little fidgety. Metal Eye was smiling and ready for the inevitable meeting with the two most powerful beings in the entire world.

"Your Highness, I present you Lucky Eight and his friends." the Guardian bowed.

"Excellent. Guards leave us for a moment." Celestia ordered. The armored ponies headed to the exit. When the door was closed, Celestia stood up and approached the guests. Her royal gait indicated of her splendor and power. He pink eyes were aimed directly at the blind pegasus, nevertheless she couldn't but noticed that the scary stare of his partner. Everypony bowed except the ninja.

"Welcome back home, Lucky Eight. I see that you are in great shape. Congratulations on the completion of the mission." She then turned to the ninja The foreigner was showing great disrespect but Celestia was going to forgive her. "Foxy Tail, I presume. Thank you for helping him fulfilling his destiny."

"How you know my name?"

"Princess's secret." She winked. "Please stand up. Have you brought the medallion with you?"

"Wait, what!?" Lucky felt uneasy. "We were supposed to bring it to you?"

"I didn't ordered you because it was obvious. What happened?"

"It was destroyed in the fight." he made a very unconvincing smile. Lucky knew that he was busted and now feared that he would be send to the Moon.

Celestia made a very disappointed grimace. Her rainbow mane began waving differently from a moment ago.

"I needed the locket to quickly find a cure for the inventors."

"Cure?" Lucky sounded very puzzled.

Celestia looked at him earnestly.

"The red medallion radiate dark energies. He..." she pointed at Phoenix, who trembled with fear. "... carried it for a long time. I needed them to be cured for the task I was going to give them but this changes everything."

"Is there a possibility that I'm irradiated as well?" Lucky couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You are alright. When we received your locket from the survivors of the expedition, it didn't radiate anything. The same can not be said for the red one. Without it, their treatment may take years."

"Blooming Rose's friend!" Lucky remembered. "She also wore a red medallion. Is she in danger too?"

"Her locket is another beast of itself but Rain Paint will be alright."

"How do you know all of this stuff? Why didn't you prevent it?" Foxy asked.

"I can not tell you how I know it. There are things beyond the realm of 'normal' laws of physics and magic, which you won't understand. To answer why neither I, nor my sister did anything about it, was because of the prophecy, which Lucky Eight had to fulfill. However, there are some unexpected turns from what was said in it."

"The prophecy states that the doom of the world will be prevented by a white pegasus with cyan feathers." Luna approached. Unlike her sister, the Princess of the Night looked more warrior-like. "We are all grateful to you."

"Should I take this as a job finally done?" Lucky raised an eyebrow. "There aren't any other surprises, no more evil to fight against?"

"You could put it that way. Our future was protected and now you can get your deserving rest." Celestia nodded.

"Yeah!" Metal Eye shouted to the roof.

Lucky sighed with relief. Tail seemed unmoved by the good news.

"Now I can concentrate on the things I care." he thought. "Foxy, I'd like to share this happiness with you."

Celestia guessed what was going on his mind and was a little worried.

"I'll reward each of you for your contributions. Do not say a word to the others. This must remain a secret."

"Of course."

"Phoenix's Just and Blue Volts, you are going to the Royal Hospital to begin your treatment. Do not think that you've escaped from your punishment. You'll be free after you've been healed and finished the assignment that will be given to you by the captain."

"Yes, my Majesty!" the two unicorns bowed down.

"Then you are free to go, except Lucky Eight. We'd want to talk to him in privet."

"Can't my partner stay with me? She'll learned what went on in here anyway."

"No!" Celestia denied.

"It is okay, Lucky. I'll be waiting outside." Tail ensured and then she joined the rest, who were headed for the door.

When they left, Celestia went to the purple window, on which was illustrated Nightmare Moon and six ponies, who were wearing five necklaces and only one had a crown. Those tools of almost limitless magic were called the Elements of Harmony. Each of the heroines represented an element and were connected with each other. Together they were an unstoppable force that could change fates in the blink of an eye.

"Would you tell me what you think of your partner?" Celestia's tone changed, which made Lucky a little uncomfortable.

"She is strange, sometimes scary and a close friend. Why you ask?"

"Do you have special feelings towards her?"

"I do." Lucky answered straight away.

"I see." Celestia turned around and looked at him with her serious pink eyes. "I'd want you to stop having them."

"What?!"

"You heard me. I'd want you to stop caring for her."

"Excuse me, Princess, but I do not tell you to stop caring for your sister. What I do in my life is my business only."

"So, your feeling for her are deeper than I thought." Celestia approached him. "You love her, am I right?"

"What if I do?" he sounded really annoyed. "With due respect, your Highness, I do not understand what's the big deal?"

"It's for your own good, Lucky Eight."

"My own good? How is denying my happiness anything but good?" he raised his voice to unacceptable levels.

"I understand your anger. I'm not saying that you should stop being friends with her just do not make a mistake, which you'll regret afterwards."

"Then let me make the choice. I don't see how my well being is endangered by having a close relation with her. If that is all, I'd like to leave."

Celestia was let down again.

"Think about it. You may leave now!" she said quietly.

He turned around, when the guards entered inside. One of them helped him to get to the door. He felt kind of betrayed to hear such things from his ruler. This was something he'd not forget to his last moment. Before Lucky left, he said to her:

"One pony told me that the Princess is the perfect tyrant: loved by many, feared by many but never hated. Please remember that."

Then he silently left. Celestia was annoyed by the claim. In her mind she was not a tyrant but a pony, who desperately fought for the future of her Kingdom. After a heavy sigh, her internal equilibrium returned to normal. Luna looked a little worried. What the pegasus said was very offending but it had some truth.

"Sis, why you want him not to pursue happiness?" she approached the white alicorn from the right side.

"Because the prophecy didn't come up as foretold. Foxy Tail was supposed to die."

Luna froze in one place. Did she heard this right?

"Her death may be coming soon and I do not want him to suffer. Sister, was I at fault here? Am I really controlling the lives of my subjects like an undisputed Goddess?" she sounded a bit confused.

Luna shook head.

"Nay, you tried to protect him. You gave him a warning, it's up to him, if he chooses to neglect it. You are not a tyrant like some kings. You only think of the welfare of everypony. Look in the brights side, maybe there wont be any incidents and they'll live happily together."

The honesty in her voice gave Celestia some hope that the future was not going to be stained with the black dye. The sun was setting and thus the light of throne room changed to orangish. Celestia and Luna sat together on the throne and started reading the next scroll.

"So what happened?" Foxy asked on their way to the exit from the Castle.

"She schooled me about not bring the locket and spoke of the future and such. Nothing interesting really."

He couldn't fool her, though Foxy didn't ask him further about it.

Somewhere far away from the peace loving kingdom of Equestria, on an isle of hatred and killing, eighteen ponies were hiding in the woods. They were in a good position to ambush any ninja, who'd dare to follow them. Everypony was wounded, some lightly, others were with the one hoof in the grave. The lack of medicine, food and water were going to be their downfall. The Guardians of the Portal took another big hit to their forces and moral. They were too tired to fight. Their only goal was to get back to the mainland via the portal and sealed it temporarily. However, their speed was hindered by the fact that they had to carry their wounded fighters.

Triple was always on high alert. He used his ability to sense other creatures all the time. He didn't want to be caught by surprise like back in the leader's palace. The old unicorn couldn't believe that so many ninjas could be cloaked like that. He underestimated Lupi and his brothers paid the price.

While they were having a few moments of rest, Blue Circle was laying a false trail, that would buy them time. Things weren't looking very good. The Guardians only hoped that they could make it safely on the other side.

The mare of the stars looked down from her black throne and enjoyed the pain and misery of the mortals below. Every lost soul in this little conflict went directly in her belly, well-nigh satisfying her hunger, her only bane. If She would not enter, then she was going to set the planet on fire with her only trump card.

Chapter 28: Angels Fall, Phoenixes Rise

It was getting darker in the woods. Deep shadows consumed every small shrub and grass. It was getting colder but that was least of their problems. The trees' coronas were gently shaking by the evening's wind. It brought the smell of fear and death in this peaceful forest. Somehow this small garden from heaven avoided the war and remained beautiful. Many small creatures were hiding behind it's tick green barriers to save themselves from the fires, that consumed their previous habitats. Prey and predator had to live together in this place and hope that nature would spread its skirt to the scourged fields that held the remains of thousands of warriors. Bones, weapons and standards were lying chaotically in those barren plains. Not a single tree or grass grew in those places. The only inhabitants were the worms and the vultures, who were feeding from the decaying flesh of the many brave ponies. It was Hell and no living thing wanted to be near those fields.

The sun was diving in the horizon. The Guardians had hidden themselves in bushes or on top of some trees, the pegasi that was. The trees were enormous. Their thick stems were homes of many mushrooms. The grass was very low because of the lack of sunlight, which was mostly blocked by the tall coronas. The higher a plant grew, the more strong it became and thus dominated the local flora. Of course nothing could bring down the real kings but many bushes and smaller trees fought in a unwinnable battle against the hegemony of the ancients.

Half of their force stayed on guard, ready to attack any unsuspecting pursuer. The ones, who were too wounded, fought their own war against death. Three unicorns were doing everything possible to help the unluckiest ninjas. The ninjas were all exhausted but they couldn't stop to rest 'cause the enemy was near, well rested and probably fed. Those fresh warriors would make a short work of them, if it would come to a front confrontation, so they had to hide just like the animals and pray not to get caught by the flames.

"How many you sense, Master Triple?" Free Feather asked. The pegasus looked dirty, bloody and his eyes begged for some sleep.

"None." the pink unicorn angrily stamped the ground. "They must be using that damned cloak."

"Master Triple, please, it is not your fault that they've ambushed us back in the palace." Feather tried to calm his teacher but it caused more rage inside the elder's heart.

"Should have seen it coming! If we had killed him quickly, then so many lives would have been spared. The blood of my students and the dragon guards is now on my hooves." he hit a nearby stem. His leg impaled the tree and stayed inside it for few moments. "One pony! One son of a tyrant!"

The white pegasus came closer. His blue eyes were full with anxiety and understanding.

"Master..."

"Don't call me like that!" Triple removed his leg from the stem. The hole reached the center of the tree. "I lost my position as your master. I've brought doom to the Guardians of the Portal and I should perform seppuku to clean myself from this shame."

Feather and few others from the near public were shocked to hear him saying this. They would never imagine that he would suicide to save the honor of their holy organization.

"No!" the young pegasus almost shouted. "We need you, master. Without you, there won't be anypony to guide us! You are like a father to us and none want to see you perish like that!"

"Yeah!" one earth pony concurred.

"We stand behind you, Master Triple. Performing seppuku, would mean that you leave us alone in this harsh world." the yellow pegasus said from his long branch.

"You are all delusional!" Master Triple waved his hoof at them. He looked down at the ground because he couldn't look at them in the eyes. "I-I... am not worthy to lead you or teach you!"

Crystal-like tears fell from his experienced eyes and smashed into the ground.

"Master..."

"There is no place for an old peace-loving fool like me." then he suddenly looked up at them. His brown eyes had a lot of pain in them but also that small feel of a master. "This world is lost to the cold. It doesn't need our protection anymore, when it tries to kill us. There is just no point...."

Everypony was a little stunned. They couldn't say anything. The mood was so depressing that Triple wanted to grab it and brake its neck. Only if he could...

"We, no, you are going to survive this. When we get on the other side, I and Blue Circle will go back and finish the job. The rest of you will head north, to the pony kingdom!"

"No, we are coming with you, master! We'll follow you to the death, if that's how it was written!" the Blue Ninja said fearlessly. Others followed:

"Yes, let's get revenge for our fallen comrades!"

"We will show them the might of the Guardians!"

"No!" Triple shouted. He then approached them and slapped the pony in the blue ninja outfit, though most of the original color was gone because of the blood of the slain. "You cretins! You seek death and destruction! Is this what we stand for? Your lives mustn't be thrown like kunais. You must continue our traditions, here they'll only get forgotten."

"But-But!"

Triple lifted up his right hoof.

"I've decided!"

"Master, it's like running away from a duel! We can't let you carry all the weight, you need our help to dethrone the Dragon Claw leader!" Free Feather placed his right hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "If we are not united, then we are weaker. This is a moment, when we need each other the most. Separating us, will bring only harm!"

Triple looked at him with the eyes of father.

"From all Guardians you should understand me the most. You wanted to live your own life and be free from your duty. It's good that you finally saw the bond that connects us all but your time is not now, will not be soon but after you've experienced the outside world. As you said, nothing holds us here." he then turned to the rest. "Don't you understand? Our purpose was not only to protect these fools from utter destruction and chaos, which we utterly failed at but to save our heritage. We are warriors, we are free and we like to take a nap in the afternoon. I know that what I'm asking you to do is too coward-like but in order to preserve what is sacred, you must live on! Staying on this cursed island will get yourselves killed and for what? Because of duty? Because of honor? Ha, honor is not known in this place, when even the leader disgracefully disregards it."

The unicorn turned his back to them and stared in the shadows of the old forest. It was painful for him to say it but it had to be said now:

"From this moment the Guardians of the Portal are no more."

Everypony froze on their places, as if time stopped for them.

"From now on you all shall be known as the Phoenixes. Born from the ashes of the old to meet the brave new world." then he pointed at Free Feather. "I appoint you the leader of the Phoenixes. Your goal is to find a suited place, which you can call home. As the last master of the Guardians that's my last order and I relinquish my position. I've spoken."

No pony said anything. If this was how destiny wanted it to be, then they had no choice but to comply to its will. They were going to follow this last order of their beloved master without objection. However, there was none. who didn't felt the bitter kiss of failure. They bowed and then silently returned to their posts.

"Why me, master?" Feather asked incredulously.

"Because you are the only one, who can lead them to a better place. You have leadership and know what you want. You always speak your mind and most importantly, your desire to live is what will make them change for the better.” Triple placed a hoof on the shoulder. “Be the example of how they should live. Do not go on that path, from which there is no return. Look at them. They are all in their prime and some just passed the green. They deserve to raise a family, find happiness in life and peace.”

Then he placed a second hoof on the left shoulder of Feather. He stared inside his crystal blue eyes that had so many things to see. Those eyes had to be stroked by the mare's beauty. They had to see how his future seed were going to grow and have children of their own. Free Feather was too innocent, too young for this world and yet he had the spirit of a future leader.

“I am counting on you to get them safely to the northern kingdom. Watch over them as your own children. Be their light, breath and pulse.”

Those words sealed in the pegasus's mind. He was not going to disappoint his former master.

“Will you join us, after you've done the deed?”

“Son, after I and Circle kill the Dragon Leader, we won't be coming. His death will ignite the flames of war once more. We'll be needed here to extinguish it with our own blood.”

Feather felt heavy. The future was not looking bright at all.

“Hey, at least we'll meet in the afterlife, so don't get upset by it.” Triple smiled.

Out of a sudden, noises came behind the bushes. Every ninja stood ready to greet their followers. Twenty black ponies were approaching their trap like unaware game. They were all wearing steel brondie helmets. Most of them were earth ponies, who had single short blades. The few pegasi were girded with two belts that were fully loaded with kunais. They moved in cautiously. Their commander wore a crimson outfit. He was in front of the patrol.

The Guardians were lying in waiting for their prey to come a little closer. The winged ponies' feathers were itching for some sweet revenge. The unicorns planed the attack in their minds and selected who was going to die first. The earth ponies tried not to make any noises.

Suddenly the commander of the blood ponies stopped and lifted his right hoof high.

“The voices came from somewhere near. Spread out and hunt those smelly foolish suckers, who dared to challenge our beloved leader!”

“You mean me?”

The crimson ninja turned around to see how Master Triple simultaneously paralyzed two of his ponies. Then he pushed them on the ground. They fell like statues. The commander pointed at him and shouted:

“Get this pathetic old bad breather!”

The moment he ordered the command, four kunais pierced his plot. He jumped and cried out loud before he was silenced for good by the big sword of the blue ninja. In the next second the dragon ponies found themselves almost surrounded. Steel was raining from the dark coronas, softening the enemy forces. Then the real body crusher came. They tried to fight back but their luck went short on them.

The black pegasus threw a barrage of razor sharp knifes at the blue ninja and his wings. With one swung of his giant sword, he was able to parry most of them. One of the kunais struck the pony on his right in the leg. Battle cries spread throughout the woods like a forest fire, alerting the lonely White Shadow about the slaughter. It was another blood bath, which was filled mostly with the bodies of the enemy.

Free Feather jumped in the air, dodging two kunais. He landed just in front of another pegasus. The later quickly drew his blade for close quarters and parried the incoming blow. The black ninja jumped backwards to distance himself from Feather. The white pegasus spread his wings and got high in the air, then he flied in a straight line towards his opponent with a knife in his mouth. His target prepared to jump to the left in the right moment.

Feather was merely a meter from him, when the blood pony dodged his attack from above and swung his knife at his left wing. The blade touched the plume, moved to the flesh and then it went through the hollow bones. The black ninja managed to cut it entirely. Tremendous pain, Feather felt, such that could not be measured. He crashed on the ground, while doing barrel rolls. When he stopped, his amputated wing fell next to him.

The pegasus tried to withstand the hurt and steadily stood on his hooves. Blood was gushing out of the wound. There was a lot of anger in his eyes. They impaled his adversary's red ones. Suddenly he noticed the fear in them and the hope to survive this massacre. The stained knife in his hooves was shaking.

"He wants to live too! What are we doing?" Feather looked at his own bloody hooves. The white had long turned red. He felt dizzy.

The enemy approached with a knife in the mouth. Death was calling his name. He wanted to escape but his movement was sluggish. He was bleeding, losing the precious fluid that powered his body. Fear was creeping his spine. His time came.

The black ninja stood in front of him. Now Free realized that his enemy was a mare. Her weapon was shaking in her mouth. She had to claim his life and move on to the next warrior. Their eyes met closely. He thought that they were beautiful, at least he was going to die, while staring at them.

Then the knife was dropped. It felt on its edge and drove into the ground. He stood there completely shocked. The mare ninja was breathing fitfully. Then tears formed in her gorgeous eyes.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to cut your wing!" her voice was like melody for his ears, that eased the pain a little bit.

"Why? Why are you stopping?" he asked with a quiet voice.

"Because you are a Guardian of the Portal! It's against the sacred laws! I-I do not know what happened to us." she quickly bowed down shakily. "I ask for your forgiveness!"

He seemed quite confused. Nothing looked real to him now. The short battle was at its end. The few enemies dropped like flies, only one managed to avoid attention. He was further back and the only thing left was to run away. The earth pony didn't want to follow his comrades' fates. He turned his pony tail and began galloping as fast as he could. Some of the Guardians saw him. They were about to pursue him, when the coward was impaled by dozens of black tentacles.

A shadow appeared from one of the trees. His crazy blue eyes stared in the victim's soul. The unlucky pony was still alive but barely. He was uncontrollably shaking from the cold pain. Heavy sweat was coming from him that smelled like death. Circle approached the loser slowly until his tall covered in black figure was in front of the dying ninja.

"Very, very unfortunate for you. If you surrendered, you might have breathed another day."

Circle glimpsed at the others, who were watching the execution from their places, near the fallen dragon ponies. Then he concentrated all of his attention on the goner. He was moaning like a child.

"Crap. I do enjoy stabbing suckers but judging by your age, you are not ready to meet you ancestors." then something caught his eye. Another tentacle appeared from his chest and pulled out the only object that interested him from the dying's cloths. It was a small drawing of a pretty mare. There was even a name on it. Circle sighed heavily.

"Very unfortunate indeed. Just made another enemy." he then lifted up the drawing at the level of his eyes. "Look in it. Immerse in its fine details. Think of her only!"

The almost dead pony painfully opened his eyes and looked with his blurry vision at the only creature in his heart. Then lightening fast, the master ninja pulled out his tentacles. The runaway collapsed on the grass. He was dead. Circle put the drawing back in the pocket of the rightful owner and carried on to the stained with blood ninjas. He was not looking happy to see what went on, while he was laying false tracks.

"Casualties?" he asked coldly.

"One dead."

"How many survivors?"

"Six from twenty." Triple answered.

"Seven!" Feather said, while he was helping his opponent to stand up. "She is asking for forgiveness."

The white pegasus swayed a little on his place but he quickly found balance, when she put a shoulder.

"I, no, we are ashamed that we participated in this ugly act of killing. I know that it's too much, but please, spare our lives!"

"What the new leader will say about it? Will you choose life or death?" Triple made a serious face at Feather. Circle raised an eyebrow. It seemed a lot happened in the camp, while he was gone.

"If we leave you be, you'll willingly or unwillingly notify the Dragon Clan of our position. If we kill you, we'll save ourselves because you'll not tell anything and we will be spared of the trouble of carrying you around as prisoners. So, I'm asking you to willingly join our clan, clan Phoenixes, only if you choose the path of life!"

The mare looked at him and felt something, something she never had: the freedom of choice. From the moment of her birth, she was a slave either to her family or clan. This had driven her to the point, where she was thinking of leaving and now her dream moment became a reality.

"I, Silver Knife, choose life. I will be honored to become a member of your clan. And I'm sorry to cut your wing."

"It will grow up!" he painfully smiled before the dizziness opiated his legs. Everything seemed to spin around him.

"Medics, begin treating everypony's wounds." Triple ordered. "Silver Knife, as the first deserted, I welcome you to our small herd. Your first duty is to give medical attention to those, who need it. After that talk some sense in the other six. If their pride is too strong, then they don't leave us other choice."

Circle turned him around and looked in him very seriously.

"Phoenixes, right? What happened?"

"I had to create the Phoenixes because those baboons were too stubborn to understand that they don't have a future in this land. I had to direct them to the correct path."

"And you gave up the command?" three tentacles dangerously closed in to the old pony's face. "Are you sabotaging us on purpose or was this just an honest mistake?"

"First of all, stop waving your demonic snakes at me, young man."

Two unicorn spirits pressed the four points on his back and thus his shadow technique was ceased. Circle was not surprised or impressed.

"Second, our objective is still the same: get to the other side and seal the portal. However, they will not wait for us and they will be heading north. Lupi was right, when he said that another war will ignite, if we remove him from power. The same thing will happen, if we tell the other clans about his plans, though they'll surely lose because of those evil machines. And that leaves us with one choice: to kill him and hope that the war won't drag for years. So, they are going to preserve our traditions in a safe place, far from here. Have you calmed down now?"

Circle bowed his head.

"I apologize for my inappropriate behavior."

"Using Shadow Sun techniques too much doesn't seem to work so well for you, eh? Why don't you get some rest?"

"The prize of my powers is my sanity." he whispered. "No rest can help me."

Circle silently went forward, Triple gave him path, while the rest began encircling the old master. They began to worry, when they saw the legendary ninja so down.

"Master, what should we do now?"

"After we've helped the wounded, we'll have to move far away from here. Other patrols are probably alerted about our presence in the vicinity, so we need to disappear quickly." he turned to Feather, who was been taken care of by one of the unicorns. Crimson Knife was assisting the medic. Triple saw the spark of goodness in her red eyes and that made him believe for a moment that the future was going to turn out to be brighter.

The last orange light beams were piercing the thick coronas, one of which illuminated the new leader with the blessing of the late sun. Though lost a wing, he gained a new ally, which in the future had to prove her trust. His first battle, his first alliance. Tonight the Phoenixes forged their their glorious first page in the history. Yes, the future was theirs for the taking.

"Cut the ill branches to save the whole." Triple remembered an old saying.

Across the ocean, in the throne room...

Celestia and Luna were finishing the last documents. The guards were still standing on the same places. It was almost time for dinner. Everything was quiet. The two Princesses looked very cute, when they were working.

"Ah, the last one."

"Luna, I didn't know that you had such a flair for sorting public problems." Celestia unrolled the last document and placed it, so that both could take a look at it. "You've been in so much help, we should do this more often."

"Ay, it was quite enjoyable, sis." Luna made her forever charming smile. "So, do you know what the royal chief has prepared for us?"

"Probably the same as two weeks ago. I've noticed a pattern in his cooking, so I guess it will be a lot of green salads with banana cake." she answered without moving eyes from the yellow piece of paper.

"Your favorite. I wonder, when would he make the traditional Canterlot meal from thousand years ago?"

"Probably, when you shout at him with your royal voice from that time." Celestia winked.

"You do realize that you talked like that a thousand years ago?" Luna looked away and continued with a more provocative voice: "Last week I heard you singing in the bathtub with the traditional royal voice. It would be very embarrassing, if this landed on somepony's ears."

"You would not dare." Celestia gave her the blood stare.

Suddenly the two alicorns noticed something wrong and looked forward, when a shadow entered the magnificent throne room. Before the guards could react, tentacles came out of the black pony and froze the rulers' personal guards. Celestia and Luna jumped from their seats and stood in defensive stances. Their bushes of manes waved like flags. Pure magic was coming from their charged horns. The two most powerful beings on the planet prepared to send this intruder in a world of hurt, when the shade spoke in a familiar voice.

"Greetings, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. How's the kingdom progressing?"

"Who are you?"

"You have not heard of me, though I will introduce myself. They call me The Jester of Flame. Pleasant to meet you!"

"State the purpose of your coming in here!"

The shadow pony began fearlessly walking forward. No living creature would dare to face them like this, a good thing that he was dead.

"I'm here to smell the fright from your hearts. In a few days from this moment, you'll be bowing to me." a white grin appeared on the dark face. The two soulless eyes were looking at them in a mocking way.

"What makes you so sure of yourself?" Celestia accepted the challenge and began walking towards the shade.

"You think you've defeated the right enemy but you are so wrong! Shadow Sun was never a real threat. You've all played my game to the last letter."

"You know about the prophecy? You should also know that utter destruction was prevented. No black cloud will darken the sunny future of our ponies."

"How foolish of you to think that." the shade shook head. "Keep staring at those future-telling mirrors, they are as good as the fortune cookies, which are not bad, if you try them with apple sauce."

Celestia was not fond of its mockery and was quickly losing patience. Luna joined her. Her cyan war eyes wanted nothing but to see this intruder punished for his trash talks.

"And where is your evidence? We, the mighty sisters, would never let chaos rule over Equestria, so do not expect an easy fight."

The shade lost its shape and went to the throne, where it materialized and sat like a king. Such an insult was not tolerable, though the two sisters kept their cool.

"I do not need proof, cause it's a fact. When I get the throne, I'll hunt you and put you on my walls like game. Fires will consume this land and the rest too. Every living creature will call me master."

Luna remembered the images from the vision in the mirror and that made her feel fear like no other time. She looked at Celestia and saw only the face of the strategist, who was calculating everything without a drop of emotion. Her bigger sister, who had lived like an immortal among mortals, knew how not to get easily scared by claims of delusional psychopaths.

"Try to take over Equestria, I dare you..." the white alicorn made a brave step forward. "... I double dare you, powerless spirit. Get back from what ever hole you crawled from and stay there. As long as I and Luna are alive, your existence is threatened. Now get off my throne!"

"Shish, somepony needs her pills. I'll leave, Your Highnesses. Enjoy your rule, while you still can and don't say that I didn't give you a friendly warning. Have a pleasant evening!"

The tentacles around the guards went back to their owner. The ponies unconsciously fell on the ground. Celestia and Luna fired spells from their horns to capture this demon, though he proved too difficult to capture and managed to get outside from one of the windows. The noise from the magic, alerted the guards outside. They broke in and checked the entire room.

"Your Majesties, are you all right?" the white pegasus asked.

"We are unharmed. Take care of the others. I'll need the commanders to be called and gather in the Ready Room. It's an emergency."

The Guardian bowed down and began performing his orders.

"Sis, the spirit's words..."

"Words of delusion." Celestia interrupted. "Nothing what he said will happen. Believe me, my little sister."

Luna looked inside her and she saw the fears of the future. Deep down, her guts knew that something bad was going to happen but the angel of night was too powerless to overcome them. Luna really wanted to believe that everything will be okay. Only if her spirit was like Celestia's.

Chapter 29: Sweet Love Of Mine

The tall white Palace seemed to pierce the sky with its edgy golden roofs. The sun was in less than the last quarter of its reign. The blue dome was cloudless. Life in the Capital was very energetic. Stylish gentlecolts and ladies were doing their evening walks around the beautiful cultural sights. The classy restaurants were meeting their loyal clients. Musicians were playing on almost every corner. Life was great in here.

"What Celestia told you?" Metal Eye hugged him in shoulder. Both were walking like victors, though mostly the pegasus with the blue mane did. Foxy and the little spy were behind them and were quite silent, despite the fact that they too were going to be rewarded for their actions.

The wide corridors seemed to go on forever. The floor was covered with long superb carpets from a very fine wool. The walls were painted in bright violet. They held quite a lot of old paintings. There were a few guards here and there but for the most part if felt kind of empty.

"Well, nothing special." Lucky tried to be impartial, though the little angry muscle spikes gave him away.

"Nothing you say. Ha, if the Princess just wanted to chit-chat, I don't think she would want us to leave. But hey, I won't bother you about it. Everything said stays in that room and who am I to disregard Her Majesty's will?"

Lucky smiled a little.

"Ah, what will we do now? Hm, I'm think of celebrating the success of our mission with a lot of cider. Oh yeah, I'm all for a wild party after my prison!"

Lucky felt a little mixed about it. He'd rather spend the evening in a quiet place with Foxy. His heart wanted to express its feelings, though his friend's offer was very tempting.

"Sounds like a good plan." the blind pony smiled. "It will be just like before!"

"Oh, yeah! Tonight we gonna get drunk for the glory of Equestria!" he then turned to the rest and asked: "What would you say?"

Foxy and Spy Filly looked indifferent. Both of them didn't drink.

"Well, it's decided then. To the pub!" Metal enthusiastically pointed forward. The pegasi hasten their pace. They looked like the two were about to fly away. The two grounded members of the group fell behind. Foxy was daydreaming of being alone with him. These thoughts were very unfamiliar to her, nevertheless they filled her hearth with anticipation of the moment. Just a little longer, she had to wait.

"I do not understand the obsession over cider." the voice of the young unicorn pulled her out of the sea of hopes. "Can you explain it to me, please?"

"The answer, I do not have. I don't drink cider or any liquid for that matter. I guess, it's a natural for them to celebrate with alcohol."

"But I've tasted cider and I do not find it enjoyable." suddenly the purple pony looked at the black ninja in disbelief. "Wait, you mean that you don't drink even water?"

"Yep. I do not need water to survive." she looked around to make sure that the occasional guard would not hear or see them and asked: "Would you like to know why?"

"Because you are different?"

"Because I'm cursed by a mighty dragon. Rawrr!" the mouth mask fell and she showed her sharp teeth. The snake tongue waved in the face of the little unicorn. The latter was not scared at all, actually he was amused by it.

"Cool! Oh, oh. Could you do the trick with the claws, please?"

"Fascinating. You are brave little pony, aren't you?" she put her mask back and then stroke his pink with green strips mane. The youngster pretty much liked it. Foxy's action awakened some forgotten needs inside him, which made the little spy feel like a loved child for a brief moment. "That trick will make things a little messy. I'll display it to you, when we are not in such a clean place. We would not want to smirch this great castle, right?"

He happily nodded. For some reason Foxy felt good after her little interaction with him. Was it because of that she was going to die, after the birth of her own child or was it because her cold soul was defeated by the light? Either way, this evening was going to be great for all of them and that's what mattered only.

The group exited the palace and found themselves in the vast courtyard. The grass was nicely cut. Green bushes, flowers and statues decorated the yard. They were about to arrive at the front gate, when our heroes stumbled across two unicorns, who were in a bit of a hurry.

"Ah, Metal, Spy, Lucky and Dragon. Nice to see that all of you are okay." Quarter Key shook hoofs with the white pegasi.

"Hi, old horn. What brings you to the Palace?" Lucky sounded surprised to meet him.

"All of you and of course, our duty to defend Nose's reputation. After you two disappeared, we convinced him to order a raid on the inventors' laboratory, despite having direct orders to not take action against them."

"Woaw, I'd never think that he was capable of disobeying orders." Lucky nodded. "We appreciate his gesture. I hope everything turns alright for him."

"Hey, what would you say to have a huge party in the pub, after you've finished?" Metal Eye went in between the two unicorns and hugged them tightly. A big grin appeared on him. "The one kind of party with no rules, with a lot of cider and of course the last pony standing pays for the entire treat. What you think of my proposal?"

The gray pony looked him seriously in the eye.

"Are you suggesting that I should pay for the party? We all know that I don't drink that much, unlike some ponies in the current company."

"Alright, alright. I'll pay for it. So, you two game?"

"You bet! Who would refuse free cider?" Diamond patted him in a friendly manner, though it felt a little mockingly.

"Excellent! We'll wait you at De Pub. Quarter Key knows, which one."

"There are only a hoofful of taverns in here. Do not start without us, you hear!" Quarter warned with a strict voice.

"Yes, sir!" Metal Eye saluted, while still grinning.

Then they parted ways. Quarter and Diamond quickly got inside the Castle, while the rest went to the closest pub to the Royal Guards Office. The inn was constructed in the traditional way to induce feelings of being in the country. A big wooden sign above the door said: Everfree. It was on the corner of the street, next to the gorgeous monuments of the Equestian heroes. Six statues of ponies from the past, who contributed to the bright future of this great nation, stood mighty in a line in the center of the junction.

A waiter in white and black welcomed them with opened legs. He showed them their table and happily took their order. They sat on red cotton pillows. Everything seemed perfect and ordinary, except that they're being followed by a pink unicorn. The journalist was quite good at spying on them, unfortunately her presence was noticed by Foxy's sixth sense. The ninja kept it a secret from the others. Tail didn't want to spoil the fun, unless she was absolutely sure that they were in danger.

Frozen Flash entered in the old pub after waiting for five minutes. She sat on a table for two next to the windows. From her position the journalist had a great view on them and in the same time the unicorn didn't look too conspicuous. The yellow waitress took her order, which was a glass of red whine. The beautiful mare glimpsed at the happy company on equal intervals. Her purple eyes memories every detail, action and expression on their faces.

Then the beverages were served and as always Metal began drinking from the tasty alcohol, despite Lucky's warnings. The apple cider made him feel, as if he became extra light, like a feather. The little spy had a milkshake, which surprised everypony, who thought that it wasn't served in here. He was like an angel, when sipping from the straw. Lucky hesitated at first but the urge was too strong. The blind pony fell for the power of cider and took a deep one. Only the ninja was empty hoofed. Tail refused to take a try from her drink 'cause she knew what the taste was going to be: like ashes. Nevertheless she was genially having fun, they all did.

Paid musicians were creating the perfect mood with their awesome rock music. Not to fast, but not too slow. The atmosphere was more than great. Everypony enjoyed the evening with their friends over a mug of cider or wine, for those who were a bit classier. They celebrated the end of the day and the beginning of the night just like the ponies did thousand years ago.

After an hour, Quarter Key and Diamond Rod appeared in the pub. The elder was not jolly by the fact that they didn't wait for them but his bad mood changed quickly, when the king size mug was delivered in front of his eyes. The grey horn sat next to the Spy Filly and Foxy. The brown mane sat next to Lucky.

"So, how it went?" Metal asked after he took a sip from his mug.

"After waiting for forty minutes, the guards finally told us that we couldn't see the Princess at this time. We'll try tomorrow."

"Something about an unexpected thing happened and she was too busy to grant us a visit." Diamond added.

"Well, better luck next time! Now let's make a wassail eveypony!" Metal lifted up his mug and said proudly: "For the successful end of the mission! Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The mugs clanked and then the cool liquids satisfied the thirsty throats. It was pure alcoholic dream.

"Hey, what are you going to do with junior here?" Quarter pointed at the little unicorn. "I've heard rumors that you'll adopt him."

Metal Eye put the mug on the low table and looked at the carefree kid. His innocent look made him feel warm inside his heart. There was a bond between them, which was deeper than many thought.

"The rumors are true." the pegasus smiled.

"Wait, wait. You want to become his father? Woaw, that's quite unexpected of you." Lucky said.

"I know. I do not look like the typical family pony but I do enjoy his company. And also he doesn't know what parental love is. I can not let that happen, so I'll take him under my wing and teach him all about life!"

"Life with cider, am I right?" Diamond smirked.

"Well, cider is one of the things in this world a filly needs to absolutely know and love, so to answer the question: yes!"

"Can she be my mom?" the youngster snuggle Foxy. The later was surprised from this act.

"Why me?"

"Because you have awesome powers!" the unicorn happily answered.

A white wing enfolded him and pulled him to Metal Eye. He tried to escape the all mighty feathers but without success.

"Sorry about that. It seems I'll have to look for a mate now. He-he."

"For the new parent!" Quarter Key lifted his mug high in the air. "May our little spy become the greatest one!"

"Cheers!"

They drank until their mugs were empty and then simultaneously put them down. This cider was very good and it ignited their spirits like love. Speaking of it, Foxy silently looked at the little pony and then at Lucky, who was in front of her. "Family. I never had one. What is like being in one?" she thought. Her answer was sitting just a hoof away. Lucky unknowingly stared at her. Somehow she saw his feelings in his dead eyes, feelings that were too sacred to be shown in public.

"Hey, Lucky, what you gonna do now?" Metal asked.

"I think of living in a quiet place. Maybe Ponyville, where I'd like to pursue happiness and do hobbies."

"That's a bit boring. Why don't you go on another adventure with your partner, if you know what I mean?" Metal winked.

Lucky felt a little uncomfortable. His plans included her but he wasn't ready to share them with the rest of his friends.

"Private Detective Lucky. Hm, I can live with that but not with fire breathing dragons on my tail!"

"I hear you, bro!" then Metal Eye made a sign for the waitress to come. The yellow unicorn quickly responded to their call and prepared to receive their next order. "More cider, please! Oh and another milkshake for the little one! You are not going to separate from the group, eh?" He stroke the mane of his future son, the filly made the biggest smile in his short life. He absolutely adored chocolate milkshake and getting a second for free was a dream come true.

"So, what's happening with you? I've heard that your sister is going to get married. Are we invited?" Metal asked.

"The lucky guy disappeared, just like many other Royal Guardians. At this time, my sister can kiss him good-bye." Diamond took a big one and after finishing, he exhaled heavily. "There is just no trace of them and are probably not coming back."

"That sad." Lucky noted.

"Let's not ruin the night and change the topic, shall we?" Quarter Key said.

The joyful group continued with cheerful jokes and talks. They drank like kings, though their singing wasn't top notch. It was so bad that the host threatened to drive them out, if they continued. Two hours passed and Frozen Flash was getting tired. Maybe it was because she had too much whine or the scene bored her to death. There was not a single thing that was related to why there was a raid in the inventors' house. It was clear to her that they would not speak of it in public, so the entire time she was watching them having fun and drink. However, it wasn't a complete waste. The black earth pony interested her. She didn't have a single sip from her mug for the whole evening and was the oddest in the entire pub. Frozen was thinking of ways how to make her talk. The 'Orange eyes', as she called her, didn't seem to be from around here, which excited her interest in her. There was a very strange feeling coming from Foxy, which she didn't like.

The waiter approach her table and passed her the bill. She took a quick look and almost spit the red liquid in the neck of a brown earth pony. How much did Flash really drink? The unicorn checked her pockets for bits. She could pay only half of the entire cost. Froze put few gold bits on the table and then swiftly made it to the door. The irregular client was not noticed by the waiter, unfortunately for her, Foxy was all aware of her escape. The ninja knew that she was the one, who spied on them all along, so she wanted a few words with the unicorn.

"Dragon, you haven't touched your drink at all. If you do not like it, you can choose something else." Quarter Key suggested.

The ninja looked at him and pretended to be flattered by the suggestion.

"I'm not in a mood to drink. If you excuse me, I'll go outside for some fresh air." Foxy stood up and then with a fast pace went to the exit. The wooden door opened and the assassin disappeared in the night. Quarter Key and Diamond watched her leave and then looked at the full mug. Lucky told Metal that she didn't drink anything but to make her blend with them, they ordered her a drink.

The two unicorns' had emptied their mugs but the thirst was still not quenched. Metal Eye saw a way to cut his expense and carefully took the mug in his field. The unicorns followed it move across the table with opened mouths. Their cheeks were reddened from too much cider but that didn't stop them from wanting more.

Metal smirked. He had them by the horns.

"So, who wants the last mug with untouched cider in it?"

Quarter and Diamond reached out but the cunning pegasus pulled it closer to him, so that they couldn't get it. He then handed it to Spy Filly.

"Here, my little buddy. You have to start from somewhere, so taste it and tell me how you feel."

The little unicorn looked puzzled. Metal had already given him to taste cider before and his future father knew how much he disliked it. There was a trick, so the kid played along.

"Mmm, looks very good. The smell is superb! I will try now, father." the mug was in front of his lips. The unicorns began to sweat. Diamond couldn't take it no more and used magic to steal it from the filly. This action was stopped by Metal. He grabbed the mug in mid air and prevented it from moving any further.

"You can have it, only if you pay one third of the tab."

The unicorn ceased his magic and thought for a moment. Was it worth it for a single mug? He happily nodded and then he received his promised drink. Ah, the taste of the cider was heaven for his tongue. Metal Eye hugged the little unicorn and smiled. They really looked like father and son.

"That, my little friend, is called bargaining."

"With half drunk unicorn. He-he." Quarter added.

Out of a sudden Lucky stood up. His mind seemed to be somewhere elsewhere.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" the grey unicorn asked with a little trouble. He had too much and that was the line, Quarter was willing to not overstep.

"I'll go for some fresh air too. If we don't return, then I'll give you my best regards. Have a nice evening."

Metal Eye understood him perfectly. He escorted him to the door, which was on the other end of the pub. This place was still lively, though not a small number of ponies had already hit the road. An angry waiter entered in the pub. He closed the door and went past the two white pegasi. On the way out, Metal gave him an advice.

"Be gentle. Show no fear and she will be yours."

Lucky stopped and couldn't belief what he heard.

"Wait, what? I'm really going for some air and maybe get back home, if I remember where it is."

Metal Eye placed a hoof on his chest. His heart was beating fast and he knew what that meant.

"Brother, you're on fire! Would you like me to get some water?"

"Ha-ha, very funny. Anything else, you'd want to tell me?"

Metal hugged him and with his free hoof he opened the door. His friend added only one thing:

"Make it happen!"

Lucky looked down shyly. Time was being wasted and he was not a fan of it. The moment came and the pegasus was ready to face destiny.

"Thanks. I will."

They shook hooves and then Lucky went outside. Metal closed the door behind him. His smile became bigger. This night his friend was officially becoming a stallion.

"Ninja, are you here?" Lucky asked. There was no answer. He then tried to make a map from his memories in his mind and began searching for her.

Meanwhile...

Frozen Flash was breathing hard. She managed to avoid the waiter's wrath and live to tell the tale. However, she totally blew it. Now the unicorn had to stay out in the dark and wait for them to come out. She hid behind the corner of a blue building and stared at the entrance. The public lighting was burning bright, defending the Capital from the absolute night. There wasn't a single bloody soul on the street.

"Looking for me?"

The dark voice totally scared the living horse crap out of her. The pink unicorn turned around and saw how the ninja tossed her on the ground. Her strength was out of the ordinary for a mare. She wanted to push the attacker away from her by using a spell, though the ninja swiftly did a sign in the air and touched her horn. Black smoke now covered it. Froze was unable to perform magic. She was no match for the skilled warrior. Fright was written all over the unicorn's beautiful face.

Foxy stood above her and stared down. Her evil eyes brought more fear in Frozen's hearth.

"What we have here is failure to spy on us. What is that you seek by doing that? Answer me!"

The elegant unicorn almost fainted but the strong shaking kept her in the world of the living.

"Tell me!"

"I-I wasn't spying on you. You must be wrong!" she answered with frightened voice.

"Liar!" Foxy stamped the ground near her head with such a force, that she left a mark from her hoof on the pavement. "I'll start crushing your bones until you've become a lifeless meat!"

"Please, don't! I do not know anything! Let me go!" tears began to fall from her eyes. The panic had full control over her.

"Do not play with my temper!" Tail stamped again but this time with her left leg. "Your time is ticking!"

"Yesterday, the Royal Guards stormed the home of Phoenix's Just and Blue Volts. They refused to give any information of why they did that and knowing that th-they were going to make up a cover story, I-I took the initiative. I've followed the two unicorns from the RG to find the answers but so far I was not able to find anything in particular. Please, I'm telling the truth!"

Foxy stared at her for a few more moments, until she was sure that the pink unicorn was sincere. The dragon pony backed off and let her to stand up. Before Frozen could take a breath, Tail moved in her personal space and looked her in the purple eye.

"Why you need that information?"

"Because I'm a journalist."

"A journalist?" Foxy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I write stories. I spread the news of recent events, so that everypony can learn what happened in the world they live in. You could say that I'm truth-seeker."

"How do you spread the news to everypony?"

"Easy, by newspapers. Hey, how do you not know such a simple thing as newspaper? Are you coming from a cave?"

"From where I come, there are no newspapers." Foxy calmed down and now didn't look as threatening as earlier. "So, you are saying that you hunt the truth? Hm, too bad for you. Your potent ruler told us not to speak of it with the rest of her subjects, so you'll get nothing from me or the others."

"Princess Celestia forbade you to speak? It must be something very important." the unicorn looked quite surprised. "It seems She is the one I'll have to ask for answers. Now, if there was a way to get Her to talk..."

Foxy thought for a second, after that she looked around to make sure no pony was near.

"What if, you were to give somepony a large sum, the truth might emerge." she looked at Frozen in a way, that had a double meaning.

"Are you saying that you want to be bribed? You know bribing is a big offense in these lands." she made few steps backwards. "Why you want to disregard Her Majesty's order? Who are you exactly?"

"I'm a traveler, who bows to no rulers. For me the laws are just words in the air. You game?" Foxy made a few confident steps forward. Flash felt like she was pressed against the wall, literally. The ninjas face seemed to become darker, maybe it was because the street lamp was behind her.

"I-I... let's do it! The Princes has no right to hide important information from the public, so we are going to do justice to everypony. How much would you like to open your mouth?"

"Half a tone."

"What!?" Frozen exclaimed. "Half a tone of bits? That's too much. I do not have that many savings..."

"Half a tone of apples. Preferably red ones or no truth for you!"

"That's still quite a lot to pay. Why would you need that many apples? Are you going to bake apple pies or something?"

"I'm gonna eat them, of course! I do not need them put into sweets. So, what will you say?"

Frozen was sure that she could pay her that much but it would be too suspicious. Giving away so many apples would bring unwanted attention and that's something she didn't want to happen.

"Can we tone down the sum? What would you say about one hundred kilograms of apples? That's quite a lot for only one pony and I'll not go bankrupt in the process. Deal?"

Foxy's lightening hoof stopped just in front of her gorgeous face. The unicorn's hearth stopped for just a second. Did she tried to negotiate with the wrong beast?

"Half a tone! That's my offer. You take it or beat it!"

The seriousness in her voice made Frozen realize that there was no other way.

"No deal. I'd rather try my luck with the Princess than with you." she pulled out a visit card from her small pocket and handed it to Foxy. "If you have a more reasonable offer, then you know where to find me. Now I'll have to prepare for tomorrow. May you have a nice evening."

The unicorn went past her and headed to the nearest hotel. Foxy looked at the little card. There was an address in Manehatten. She memorized it, then burned it with her fire breath, after that she made another sign and the little cloud disappeared from the Frozen's horn. The ninja went back to the pub. Tail returned to the table. Everypony there was surprised to see her.

"What happened?" Metal Eye asked concernedly.

"Nothing. Where is Lucky Eight?"

"Uhm, didn't he tell you something?" now the pegasus was very worried.

"No?" she looked perplexed. "I haven't seen him."

"Oh, pony!" Metal jumped from his seat. "He went out to tell you something. He's probably still near. Find him! Go!"

"Metal Eye, what in Celestia's name are you talking about?" Diamond asked.

Foxy realized what he meant and without wasting a second, she galloped her way out of the pub. A lot of the customers there were intrigued by the speedy mare. Tail almost ran over the door and in the next moment she was galloping on the streets.

Diamond looked at the rest in disbelief.

"What was that all about?"

"That's love for you, sonny." Quarter Key said calmly.

Lucky was having trouble navigating via his virtual map. The alcohol in his blood was taking its toll. He couldn't concentrate and make good calculations. That's why he was a little off course. The blind pegasus was next to the big park, which had a lot of nice places for midday picnics. It also had some very astonishing sculptures made from fine marble.

Suddenly he heard steps. Lucky stopped to listen. Somepony was galloping, it didn't seem like the pony was going after him. He knew that he was lost and asking for directions would not hurt.

"Excuse me, do you know where we are?" he shouted.

The pony immediately changed her heading.

"Here you are." Foxy stopped just a hoof away from him. "Had to search an entire neighborhood to find you."

"Oh, sorry to trouble you like that." he felt a little embarrassed.

"So, you wanted to tell me something. What is it?"

His heart started pumping harder. His cheeks turned even more red. Suddenly he lost control over his mouth and was unable to speak very fluently.

"Uhm, I... ar... lo... Arrgg!" Lucky hit his head several times to get his thoughts moving again. "Where are we?"

Foxy looked around and answered.

"in front of a park."

"Would you like to take a walk with me? The night seems okay and there's barely any wind."

She gladly got closer to him. Her soul was waiting for him to be ready. Together they entered in the park. The ponies followed a small path that took them to one of the most beautiful places of this green paradise. There were lamps on every twenty five meters, so it was kind of well illuminated. It seemed like they were the only ones in here, though there were few silhouettes in the distance. There was only the silence and the sounds of their steps.

They got under an apple tree that was spreading its branches over the path. Green apples were hanging from them. Lucky Eight slowed pace. He felt like it was time to reveal what was hidden inside his hearth.

"Foxy?"

"Yes?"

"The one thing I want to tell you is..." she was waiting in anticipation. This was it. "... as my closest friend, I think of you very highly..." Lucky took a deep breath. "... to the point that I love you. I love you for everything you are. You rescued me from my little hell, you've taught me what was to be a pony again. You are my pillar, my other half, my...mmhmm..."

Lucky was interrupted by the close encounter with the ninja's face. Foxy kissed him with such a passion, that other lovers would be jealous of them. They hugged, creating an unbreakable chain that was going to last for eternity. It was pure ecstasy. The feelings exploded inside them like supernovas. Her lips had the sweet taste of love. Their hearts were like small motors that worked full turnovers. Their souls fused like oxygen and hydrogen. Enormous energies moved from him to her and backwards. This was the true kiss that both were waiting for. It expressed everything they felt for each other. They couldn't get enough from it. The kiss was better than everything they've experienced in their whole lives. It was so intoxicating. Finally the last barriers melted.

The third and the last padlock unceremoniously fell on the cold ground and disappeared forever from this realm. The two ponies gently lied down on the soft grass, their lips still connecting their hearts. Time lost its substance and gracefully moved forward, though the two lovers were not affect by it. Love was their shield and noting could break their bond. Not even the events that followed in the next day...

Chapter 30: Bloody Winds... The Shadow Coming

The crimson ninja entered in a dark part of the temple. Tall pillars with many ancient inscriptions held the wooden roof from falling on the shamans' heads. Candles were put on the floor and burned with little yellow flames. Molten wax covered the stone floor around them. It was cool inside this great house of champions.

After the forest of giants, there was a wide section with two glass sarcophaguses on stone tables in the center, which were sculptured like dragons. Inside these eternal homes, lied the bodies of the first two Dragon Born warriors. Their shells were preserved for thousand ages. They seemed asleep, not dead. Both were beauties or used to be in that matter. On the right was Lion Tail, the first cursed ninja and on the left was the ice maiden Snake Tail. The first one was a blue unicorn with a white mane, the second one was green earth pony with red-yellow ruff. They were put to rest in same positions: their front legs crossed and the rear ones were put together. Both had iron masks which followed the lines of their faces. Their manes were made into braids and placed around their necks. Their tails were not touched and were used as bedding for the rear legs. On the front glass gold plates held the names of the fallen warriors.

The beautiful corpses were surrounded by a group of shamans, who were doing their morning rituals. They all wore purple robes and were arranged in four columns. In front of them Lupi Do was lighting up two ceremonial lamps, that illuminated with green light. They were placed in front of the sarcophaguses and were meant to guide their souls through the darkness of the afterlife. As a leader, he was responsible to direct his ponies not only on the physical plane but also on the spiritual one. He had to perform rituals with the shamans every morning and afternoon. The leader had to have such a strong connection with the priests. It embodied his link with the life beyond the realm of the living and showed rightfulness for him to lead the clan.

The crimson ninja silently sat next to one of the big wooden columns and waited for the ceremony to finish. It would be highly disrespectful to the spirits, if he interrupted the rituals. Lupi was wearing a black toga, which symbolized death and final peace. The tan earth pony bowed down once and whispered in an ancient tongue. The waiting warrior watched him without blinking once. When the leader was finished with the prayer, he stood up and stamped the ground three times with his silver horseshoes. This marked the end of the morning ceremony and every shaman said in chorus:

"Rest in peace!"

Then the priests began moving backwards, while looking at the sarcophaguses. The leader was still facing the dead green mare. When the big group reached the entrance, the patient ninja walked to the leader from behind.

"May the spirits find peace in the afterlife!" he ceremonially greeted.

"What's the news? Have you found them?" Lupi asked without looking at him. His eyes couldn't move from the corpse of his love. If the ninja could see him, he'd say that his leader was about to cry his hearth out. His sad face was illuminated by the small flames of the green lamps, which gave him gloomier look.

"One of our patrols found them. However, they were ambushed and almost completely annihilated, my lord."

"Almost?"

"Six of them are missing. Their bodies were not found near the slaughter. They could still be alive, taken as prisoners." the ninja made a confused face, when Lupi started slowly negatively shaking head. "Are you disagreeing, my leader?"

"The Guardians of the Portal do not take prisoners. It's either perish in battle or join them." Lupi turned around to face his subordinate. His face had lost everything that resembled emotion. It was cold, even for the veteran ninja. "They'd rather kill them on sight because taking prisoners would only hinder their already slow speed, something that they do not want to happen at all. They are like a wounded tiger that tries to lick its wounds, while being hunted. No, that's not true. They've turned from a tiger to a mouse that is desperately trying to abandon the ship."

"My leader, are you saying that our ninjas joined them? If this spreads, our warriors might not be eager to fight them. In the worst case..."

"... they'll turn against me and alert the other clans!" Lupi finished with a very serious tone. "Your orders are to extinguish the fire before it spreads to the rest of the forest."

"But-But!" the warrior looked in disbelief. "Those woods are homes of many spies. It may be too late."

"I know but that's the reality of the situation, commander. Storm is coming again to show its brutal kindness. Silence everypony, who thinks that he has a big mouth. Do it secretly and without much noise." Lupi then turned to the sarcophagus, where his friend was lying in peace. He remembered her beautiful orange eyes, in which he found entire worlds. How joyful Lupi was back then. Her soul was corrupted by the curse, but her heart was not. "Commander, what do you think of me in the current state of affairs? Be honest in your opinion."

The ninja was not sure what to say. He was scared that if his tongue dropped something very offending, his head would roll on the stairs of this temple.

"I think you are a fine leader, my lord. You've shown strength and endurance in the past years beyond anything the previous lords had in them. You are the most powerful ruler but also the nicest one."

"Is that your real opinion or are you afraid to spit it out?" Lupi smiled ironically. "I forgive you for your dishonesty. You say that I'm the most powerful but what happens, when I lead an army of hungry warriors? In the past forty years our clan has grown to such great proportions that we alone can feed ourselves with the land given from our ancestors. That's why the leaders before me tried to make deals with the others clans to fix this growing problem. However, their warrior minds were not made for diplomacy and soon we found ourselves in a very delicate position, from which there were two paths: to give up considerable land and slowly die from starvation or meet our enemies face to face on the battlefields. So, I'm asking you: did I make the right choice?"

Lupi looked back at him with the eyes of ruler. The latter felt like being examined by his teacher back in the ninja school.

"You did right, my leader. Better die in the fields of glory than from an empty tummy."

"I understand. If that's all, please, leave me alone. I'll give my thoughts about the Guardian problem before this noon."

"There is one more thing, my lord. The only survivor from the attempt to take your life was saved by our doctors. His conditions is bad but he'll live. What would you want me to do with him?"

Lupi looked again at the iron mask of his love. The maiden calmed him and gave him hope that someday he was going to break his chains of misery and fly like an eagle. Unfortunately for him, the dark angel was always going to remind him of the great pain.

"Treat him like a royal guest. The Guardians fought admirably and he deserves to live many more days. However, he must not be in contact with the common folk."

"Understood, my leader!" the crimson ninja bowed and then left the sacred place. Once Lupi was completely alone, he went next to the glass, looked down and put his hoof on the smooth surface. The lonely pony wanted to kiss her but knew that it wouldn't bring her back to life. If only the spirit would tell him how to be together with her again, at least for few moments, in which he could feel happiness again.

Two tears fell on the crystal clean glass. They shattered on impact like two lost dreams.

While he was moaning at her cold body, two white eyes stared from the darkness. A white evil grin appeared from the thin air. His torturing gave her pleasure that could be measured only by the length of the universe. The Goddess of Eternity was going to dance on the music of suffering. The conductor was going to be the one and only Lupi Do. So much destruction and pain was going to fall on this peaceful planet. The Princess just needed a little patience for her plan to produce the fruits of death and she had all eternity.

In an untouched forest, a group of runaways were hiding like prey under tens of thick roots. They were at the edge of a big crater, which dived in apeak. The wounded were barely hanging and needed help from the others or they'd drop like rocks into the green abyss. They were making no noise because the enemy was near. They could hear their steps above them. The chasers were searching for the Guardians harder and harder. The dragon ninjas knew that they were just under their noses but somehow they still managed to evade them. The black pony checked the pit, which was overgrown with smaller trees and bushes. He couldn't spot anything except nature.

Another pony approached him and reported:

"Sir, we've checked and double checked every tree, shrub, grass and leaf. The tracks are fresh and they are probably very near."

"Let's get down there." the commander pointed at the large green pit. "Spread out and look out for traps! The enemy is notorious for his dirty tricks, so do not lose concentration even for a second. Move out!"

Then the two left the earth terrace and went back into the deep woods. When their steps couldn't be heard, everypony took a deep breath. The number of ponies they just managed to fool was around thirty four. They were tired of running for two nights and one day and still be so far away from their goal. They didn't carry any food and they found very little in these places. The water was running low and most of what they had was given to the injured. The situation was very desperate but they had to hold on to their guts and survive every obstacle thrown at them.

With some help of the pegasi, the grounded ponies managed to get back on top of the rim. The pursuers were far away, so they were safe for the time being. The forest was as always mysterious with its tall trees and sun beams, which made the place look alive. Birds were playfully singing the morning songs. Their beautiful voices could be heard everywhere in the magnificent woods. Squirrels were jumping from branch to branch. Bunnies were persistently looking for food for their young ones. The natural order seemed undisturbed by the invaders, who only brought death with them.

Free Feather was looking at his brothers and saw ponies, who were stout but not super beings. There wasn't a pony, who had escaped every fight in the past days untouched. Many had only flesh wounds, the unluckiest ones badly needed medical attention, which couldn't be given at this point due to being hunted all the time. If only they could stop for more than twenty minutes and help those souls.

His blue eyes moved from one pain to another. They were put to rest next to each other. It was a very sad sight to look at. Two unicorns took care of their needs and holes in their bodies. The two brothers were lying under a pine tree. Both were injured badly. The taller one got stabbed with a sword in the tummy, fortunately the blade didn't cut through an important organ, the other was wounded in the chest from that night, when they tried to assassinate the leader. Both didn't look very well, but the latter was with the one hoof in the coffin. With each day, the life in his brown eyes diminished. Feather knew that he was dead, it was just a matter of time before this stubborn earth pony was going to take his last breath. However, when they were together somehow the pain disappeared from their faces and instead, there ware smiles. They held hooves, together they were enduring this test of might. Fresh Biscuit and his brother Light Wood were along and that's what mattered for them. Their bond was too strong to be cut by the gray sickle.

Suddenly he remembered about his lost wing. Free was never going to fly again. The pain from where it was cut began to alarm. He had to stop trying to move something that was not there and leave that part of him to rest. Somehow Feather didn't hold Silver Knife responsible. It was pointless.

The blue ninja approached him from the right. His giant sword jiggled on every step. Something in his gait suggested that he wasn't bringing good news.

"Leader, Silver Knife and the others have been searching for food for far too long. I expect that she's betrayed us!"

Free quickly turned his head to him. He didn't seem happy to hear that.

"She wouldn't do that. I know that because I've seen what her soul is in her eyes. They're probably being late because of enemy patrols."

"I concur." Triple said behind them. Both turned to their former master. "I'd have sensed the dark thought, if she had one. If Silver wanted to betray us, she'd not have told us how the cloak works, so that I can start sensing the enemy again. It would be a good idea, if we prepared a searching party of three ponies."

"That will not be needed." Silver Knife and two more ninjas appeared from one of the bushes. They were carrying wrapped pieces of cloths on their back, which looked stuffed with something. "We've found an opening in the forest, a field of many wonders. There are enough flowers and apples for an entire army! Red, yellow, green or white, you choose!"

They put down the precious gifts from nature and in just three seconds later, hungry ponies surrounded the food like timber wolves. Very quickly the flowers and the apples were brought to the dying and began feeding them. All those happy faces made Feather hope again that they were going to escape this island together. The spirit among the warriors went to the positive side fairly quickly. Finally they could replenish their strength to fight one more day.

Triple smilingly patted her on the shoulder.

"I guess from now on you'll be called the Bringer of Life."

Red spots appeared on her cheeks. Silver never felt so honored in her life. It felt quite exciting to help this troubled ponies.

"How did you find food in here?" Feather asked. He was glad that the fears of his second in command were proven wrong.

"I used to roam in these woods with my father, when I was a filly."

"Wait, so that's why you volunteered. You should have told us that a lot sooner!" he looked at her crossly. This sudden change in his behavior made her to immediately kneel to the ground. Silver knew that she screwed up and now waited to be punished. Most of the Guardians didn't notice what was going on because they were too busy filling their tummies. However, the most important one patiently watched what was going to happen next.

"Please, forgive me!" her voice rang in his years like melody again. Was he liking to see her begging. Silver Knife looked just like yesterday. Weak and siding with the strongest. No, this was the demon of anger, who bended his vision and hearing. This sudden fiend was not coming from his soul but from the harsh situation they were in. He had to absolutely resist it, defeat it and throw it out of his mind.

Her red eyes pointed the ground, when he stopped just in front of the black ninja. Feather sat. He seemed to want to tell her something but words escaped him. The world around them blurred. There was only Free and Silver.

"I'm sorry for getting angry at you." his quite voice traveled to her saddened ears and she looked up at him. Their eyes met. The mare saw the honesty and the kindness in them. No anger, no grudge towards her.

"I'll not embarrass you or the clan again. I promise!"

"You do not need to promise me anything. I'd like you to... uhm... tell us stuff like this in advance, so that we can take the best course of action for our survival. Oh and if you expected punishment, well, we do not have those..."

She jumped forward and hugged him. He was not prepared for it and was quite stunned, nevertheless Feather liked it.

"Thank you!"

A smile appeared on Triple's face. He knew that his choice of leader was perfect. This pony had what it took to guide everypony out of the darkness and show them the bright beams of the sun.

Suddenly Silver Knife realized what she was doing and quickly changed position. She withdrew and was now very embarrassed. Her beautiful eyes couldn't look at him.

"I'm sorry to disrespect you. Accept my apologies." her tone completely changed to more formal one. Free knew that she was hiding something that troubled her. The black ninja then slowly went in the direction of the rest, who were enjoying themselves with the nature's gifts. However, she didn't joined them in the feast and continued forward, where Silver sat next to a rock. The white pegasus watched her distance herself with a confused gaze.

"Better talk to her. It's always good to know what the ponies under your command think." Triple placed a hoof on his shoulder. "That way you'll learn their strong and weak points and thus know how to command them better."

Feather looked in his smiling face, though he still felt unsure of what to do. The old unicorn then went to eat some juicy apples. His black clothed body mixed with the other warriors. They left nothing for the dogs. Every piece of edible food was going directly into their stomachs.

Two earth ponies from the six dragon ninjas, who joined last night were feeding the brothers. They were too weak to do so by themselves, so the attention they were receiving was very much appreciated. They were even more happy because the ninjas were mares and that was a dream come true to be treated by the opposite sex.

"Brother, I feel like a king!"

"Me too, bro." Fresh Biscuit answered, though the enthusiasm in his voice was not as powerful as his brother's. "Hey, girls now that you are in our clan, we can get to know each other better."

The two mares looked at each other and then back at him.

"You wish, weak lad."

"We are not interested in the likes of you, unless there is something heroic you could show us. Maybe after you can stand up on your four hooves, but not before that."

Strangely, both of them sounded like tough mistresses of war. Biscuit liked their provocative nature and his curiosity to see them without their black ninja cloths grew bigger. Wild smiles appeared on the wounded ponies' faces, which would indicate of their later actions.

"I will show you both how strong I am! Just give me a few more days and you'll see the most skilled ninja in this little clan. Ain't that right, little bro?"

"Yeah!" Wood energetically lifted up his hoof in the air. Immediately his wound hurt, forcing him to make painful sounds. "Oh, oh... nurse, please, it hurts. Could you kiss it to make it better?"

The mares were not amused. Their answers came shortly. They stuffed their mouths with enough food to make them quiet for a few moments. When Light Wood was done chewing and swallowing, he again made his stupid grin.

"Hey, bro. I like these gals."

"Eye. But if things don't work out, we still have three more to try our lucks. Good think that five out of six were mares that joined our just cause! Or it would have been quite boring."

"Uhm, make those two. Feather has already taken one."

The white pegasus went past them, though he didn't hear what they were prattling about. His attention was concentrated at the lonely pegasus next to the rock that had a 'C' form. She was gazing at the forest in front of her. The wild green seemed so carefree and out of touch with their small problems.

"Have you changed your mind? Are you going to punish me?"

"Me? No. I do not like punishing anypony." Feather sat on her left side and looked at the great green picture.

"Then you'd like me to explain myself?"

"Maybe. What's on your mind?"

She didn't seem ready to unlock the inner door yet.

"How is your wound?" she asked concernedly.

"It is getting better. Though I'll forever miss my wing."

"I hope that you do not have grudges against me..."

"No, I don't! We were enemies back then, who fought for the same thing: to survive. You just came a little on top and well, stuff happens." Silver looked in his youthful eyes that gazed in the beautiful scene. "Hatred is born only by the ponies on the top. On the battlefield we are all brothers and sisters, who kill each other for the pleasure of the leaders."

"You speak, as if you've been in the War."

He shook head.

"I haven't. The Guardians were not allowed to enter in the conflict, which as many felt was a mistake. Master Triple thought that we were going to bring more fuel into the fires, instead of calming the opposing factions. And he was half right. It was not our business to get involved with clan matters. Our job is... used to be to guard the Portal and protect them from forces outside of their world. However, I believe that if we had interfered, a lot of the killings could have been prevented."

"I see. I guess you blame us for the suffering. It would explain why you wanted to assassinate the dragon leader." her red eyes pointed at the ground. Her voice became a little sadder: "We are not monsters in your eyes, right?"

"No, of course not!" he looked away because the feeling of screwing up burned him inside. "The warriors are not the ones to blame, it is only the leaders."

"That's not entirely true." Feather looked puzzled by the statement.

"How so?"

Silver Knife was finally confident enough to let out what was grinding her mind.

"The ninja training begins from an young age in our... I mean my previous clan. Everypony has to undergo ninja school and know how to fight. It doesn't matter that some ponies may not be suited to be warriors, the teachers will brake them and make killing machines out of them. If somepony resists too much, there's probability that the unfortunate soul will not see the day, when he or she graduates."

"That's horrible." he noted.

"That's not even the icing on the cake. The school was real torment for many of us. They'd beat us to learn what pain is, they'd make us exercise until our bodies couldn't take it any more. There were some, who endured like 'real warriors', other kids were on the bring of collapse."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

She gave him the serious stare.

"Don't be. That's how it was from the beginning of our clan. It's a tradition that made us in what we are today." Silver looked again at the seamless forest. "There is no higher honor to fight and die for the clan! That's what they taught us, not only the teachers but the entire society. Everypony believed that we are all meant to be warriors and not farmers like Clan Tiger or Clan Diamond Shuriken. They said that we are destined to face opponents and beast and our heroic acts will determine, if we are worthy of going to the other world."

"That's an absolute brainwashing!" he said with some anger in his voice.

"But also it is tradition. Every family has to have at least one great ninja or they'll hold the shame and be looked upon as outcasts. So, you see, the warriors have to blamed too because of their inability to change and take the matters in their hooves. Things would have been different, if my clan had changed for the better all those centuries ago."

"Hm, there is some truth in what you say. Hey, you said that you were beaten. I know that the wounds have long healed but is your spirit well?"

She sighed deeply.

"You are right, I still bare the mental scars from those days. I was trained to kill, to be a good little sheep and take punishment for my errors. That would explain why I expected to be penalized for my mistakes and afterwards why I hugged you. I wonder if I and the others will be truly accepted by you."

Free Feather stood up and went in front of her. He touched her chin and gently made her to look in his blue eyes.

"You are part of the Phoenixes. You have no need to bow at me or anypony else because we are all equals here. We all have our sins, there isn't a pony without them. What makes us fly above everypony else is our choice to better ourselves and live in peace with the surrounding world. Yes, we may have to kill to defend ourselves but that's how the ninja world works and until we've left this cursed place, we'll have to do everything in our power to survive. Once we are on the other side, you'll see a different world. You'll feel free for the first time and I'm sure that you'll like it a lot!"

"The outside world?" she was looking at him with wide opened eyes. "What is out there? How does it look?"

"Wild forests to where the eyes see. The air is fresh and nothing suggests of violence, though there is the occasional dragon and you have to find cover or be turned to ashes."

"What is the feeling of seeing one?"

He smiled and sat again. Feather was happy to see her excited for a dream, she may never see with her own eyes. He coughed a few times and began:

"It's a sight to be behold. The lizard soars in the sky like a king of all beasts. His long wing flapping can be heard from miles away. A powerful wind is created below him, which carries his scent. I assure you that it's quite strong and unpleasant but the sky king does not care for us, the little creatures. His ancient eyes have seen ponies raise and fall. The long spikes from his back show that he was coming from the distant past. His strong tail plays in the air like a snake. There is no force that can stop him. He is free and does what he wants."

"Woaw, that's really cool. Are there many of them?"

"Once I saw over one hundred. Dragons are not extinct like in here."

She shrugged and looked a little sad.

"If it hadn't been for us, we'd see these magnificent beasts flying here."

"Well history is history. Nothing can stop the Great Dragon Hunts. The important thing is to look forward and carry on."

Suddenly a noise came behind them took their attention. Circle had returned from his mission. He laid false hoof prints that would buy the Phoenixes more time to rest. Although some encircled him to see, if he brought something but Blue was empty hoofed. White Shadow looked very tired, which was very unlike him. He was the one, who seemed to have unlimited energy but using his shadow techniques so often was too much for his body and spirit. The master ninja sat next to Triple, who greeted him with an apple.

"Take this, it will replenish your strength."

"Thanks." he then sighed. "There are so many. I've encountered at least fifty black ninjas. They are headed for the portal. They'll try to block our exit. We need to be fast, if we want to deliver everypony in Equestria."

"Equestria?" Silver Knife and Free Feather approached them.

"Equestria are the lands in the north, where lies the Equestrian Kingdom. Once you get on the other side, Master Triple will seal the Portal."

"You are thinking of closing the only way out of the island? But if there are more ponies, who want to join us and leave this place as well? I mean, if six of us had a change of heart, then there may be others, who'd like to escape the horrors of our reality. And what Kingdom means? Is it a clan or something similar? So, there are ponies, who live on the other side?"

Blue dropped the red apple on the grass and stood up. His crazy blue eyes stared deep inside her soul. Silver felt chills on her back. His aggressive pose suggested that he was not in the mood.

"A kingdom is similar to a clan. And yes, ponies do live there. In Equestria you'll be far away from this hell hole, which must be sealed on all cost! When Lupi gets his toys, he'll destroy his opponents and afterwards his sight will turn to the other lands. Think of how many ponies will die, if he starts to spread destruction to a foreign country, which is not prepared for invasion. This a precaution for the case, when we fail to eliminate him."

"What toys are you talking about? Can they be stopped at the entrance of the Portal?"

"No, because the machines are transported via air. They are used for weather-manipulating but can do a lot more with their raw power."

"Then why closing it, if our... the leader can just use the winds? That way you'll be denying many folks the right to live. Who are we to choose, who lives and who dies here?"

Circle moved a little closer. He just didn't have the patience to argue with her.

"Because I'll destroy his flying machine and if possible the doomsday tools. He'll be forced to use the portal to transport his warriors and equipment to the other side. Judging by our first failed attempt, there are big chances that he may survive again. I and Master Triple could shamefully die. If that happens, the only thing that buys time for the Northern Kingdom is the Portal. Once the leader finds a way to quickly transport his troops across the ocean, then all Tartarus will break loose. As for the unfortunate clanners, there is nothing to be done! They made their choice in the War and now will enjoy the rotten fruits of their mistakes."

Silver understood him but one thing she couldn't believe. Knife courageously stepped forward, so that only some centimeters separated their faces. The crimson red eyes would not blink, while staring in the deeps of his madness. The ninjas around them saw the sparks between them but no pony had the courage to stop them.

"How can you be so sure that he'd destroy every clan and then this Kingdom, which has nothing in common with us? What is the reason to go to war against ponies, with whom we never previously had contact? Where is your proof? And why you are condemning everypony on the island? Don't they deserve to have a better future?"

"You want to know why? Because that's what I'd do, if I had that much power! It would be stupid of him not to use it to take over as much land as possible and take the title of the greatest leader ever lived. But most of all, it's because his mind is corrupted by Shadow Sun. Everything he did prior to this day, was because of the Princess of Darkness! And She only seeks destruction to our world! As for the rest of the ninjas they are curse, so that's why!"

"You and your Shadow prophecies. No pony believes in those fairy tales!"

Out of a sudden, the master ninja turned black and tentacles immediately enveloped her. The warriors jumped backwards from fear, only Free Feather tried doing something about his actions. The young pegasus went to his side to stop this stupid act but two more shadows emerged from the black body and tied his legs. Circle lifted her in the air and turned her upside down. She angrily stared down at him. He answered the gesture with his blue circles of insanity.

"No pony will tell me that they are horse crap! No pony you hear me! Not the Guardians and not cowards like you! The Prophecy is real! I've seen it with my own eyes!" his voice was filled with anger. Little did he needed to crush her with his enormous power. "I've lost a lot, endured a lot and when I say the truth, I'd like you to listen!"

Then he noticed a familiar presence behind him.

"You are not yourself, friend. Let her go!" Triple calmly warned. He was ready to paralyze him and end this nonsense. However, then Circle won't learn how to end such acts by himself. Everypony stood still. Some secretly prepared their weapons in case the shadow ally would turn against them.

A painful minute passed in total silence. Only the songs of the birds could be heard. It was like ninja standoff, though all were against one. But this one pony could kill them in a blink of an eye. Circle's anger slowly dissipated and he finally got some sense in his head. The urge to kill her was big but it would not make matters better. He ceased the technique and Silver Knife dropped on the ground like a full sack of potatoes. No ninja could look in his almost demonic eyes. They demanded blood and were sending shivers to those, who looked at them.

He then quietly took his apple and went to the other side of the small camp, where he could be left in solitude. This was one dark side of his that many shouldn't have seen. He couldn't be helped. Only time would tell, if he was going to go completely mad, which was the fate of a lot of Moon's Shade leaders. When they reached that state, they were usually sacrificed by the shamans. This was a ritual, in which the soul of the leader got preserved clean and set free from the poisoned body. However, he couldn't return to his clan, not at this time, when the fate of the entire planet was hanging from the edge of no return.

"Leave him alone. Do not disturb Blue Circle. If you do so, I'll personally punish you for doing so!" Triple stood between them and the lonely white ninja. "He is right that we need to hurry and close the Portal."

"It would not be possible, when we have to carry so many wounded." Silver Knife objected.

"You have something in mind, my little trouble maker?" Triple looked at her quite earnestly.

"The enemy is traveling with greater speeds than us. They have air superiority, so we have to move cautiously, which takes time. What we know from master Blue, is that they think we are one step ahead. They are racing with us to the Portal and they'll surely win. So, why don't we let them have their little victory. We could stay behind them, which will be a lot safer for us and in the mean time we'll be helping the wounded."

"What if they decide to turn around and surround us from all sides. What if there are more coming from behind?" Feather asked.

"This won't be the case because these woods are somewhat neutral grounds. Many spies use the forest and Clan Dragon Claw can not allow to send an entire army here. My guess is that the ponies Circle saw were the last ones to be sent out."

"You have a point but we should not forget that the machines are probably arriving as we speak. That leaves us with little time for me and Circle to get back." the pink unicorn had a thoughtful look for a moment. "In the middle is the truth. Hm, alright let's make a longer stay here, so that we can take care of our brothers. But not for far too long. We should also prepare for a quick escape, if the enemy approaches near."

Everypony agreed. Light Wood painfully tried to stand in a sitting position. With each motion his wound hurt. When he heard the good news that they'd rest a little longer, Wood wanted to relay it to his brother.

"Hey, did you hear! We won't be moving any time soon. Finally we can have a good nap!" he prodded him on the shoulder, but the latter didn't react at all. Wood froze, time froze, his heart was barely beating. This extremely great pain began to raise inside him. Tears of sorrow fell from his brown eyes. His soul felt one of the worst griefs in the world, as if it was torn in half. Fresh Biscuit passed away in the morning of late spring, the first of who were never going to see the North. If only they had medicine for the unfortunate ones...

Chapter 31: Love You After Death

The night was young. No stars shined in the black dome. No moon shed its light on the ponies below. It was still warm from the long sunny day. The capital seemed darker than ever before or so it seemed for Foxy. Ponies were having dinners in the open. They were happily making conversations about many various topics that did not include pain and death. Those were words not known in here. They cheered and drank wine and cider, unaware of the tragedy that fell on her heart.

Two silhouettes galloped on the dark illuminated streets. One carrying a white lifeless body on its back. They were like ghosts, who didn't belong in this world. Tirelessly they ran like the wind to unknown destination. The darkness shrouded the three, making them completely invisible to the joyful carefree revelers. Foxy felt, as if the entire world turned against her. Her strong heart suffered for ten ponies. Her mind was still engulfed by the rage, hate and hopelessness. Time seemed to move with the speeds of a snail. Despite giving everything she got, the mare felt like her legs barely moved. Tail wanted to go faster, faster than the speed of light to save her heart. While she was following the gentepony, to ease the hurt, her mind recalled the beautiful morning...

The sun was starting to climb the celestial stairway. Not a single cloud smirched the blue sky. The life in the big Capital started its daily routines. Shopkeepers woke up early and opened their shops. Mail was being delivered to many houses. Pegasi, who were in charge of the weather, were flying high in the air, preparing for today's duty. New guardians relieved the old tired ones from the night shift. The early risers were doing their usual walks around this magnificent city. Some went through the long paved streets to stretch their legs, others wanted to enjoy some nature and thus ended up in the park.

Foxy felt something beating her on the shoulder and her flank. The little creature was desperately trying to wake her because the poor thing was getting crushed by her weight. She did weigh three times more than him. Tail slowly opened her orange eyes. At first, everything was blurry. She couldn't remember where they were. There was green all around them, a brown thick stem on the right and a little bush with flowers next to them. The sun beams caressingly stroke her face. Then she remembered. Last night they had a real good time together. They felt alive and the world seemed to spin around them that evening. Inside her heart still resonated the explosions of feelings from then.

The hits became more frequent and powerful.

"Foxy, you are suffocating me!" Lucky tried to scream but was out of air.

"Oh!" Tail quickly moved, so that he could breath again. She had to be careful not to become his cause of death, if they were going to sleep together. Lucky's breathing normalized and when he was sure his body was not in danger, a big smile appeared on his charming face.

"Thank the Goddess, I survived one night with you! How are you feeling today? No regrets, right?"

"None. Actually I liked it very much. Was it your first time? I haven't done it before last night. And you?"

"Mine too. I've never thought that it can feel so awesome, though let's not do it again in the park."

"We were lucky that no pony saw us. On the other hoof, I'd have not hesitated." Foxy moved on top of him, but this time she made sure that her mutated body would not squash him and dearly looked at him in his lifeless eyes. The hints were readable in her stunning smile. "The first time was satisfactory. We must do it again! Care for another try?"

She did really took his breath away and now she wanted more from him? His cheeks turned in the color of tomato. The alchemy inside him was mixing again and the powerful rising feelings couldn't be resisted.

"But-But!"

Foxy forcefully kissed him like priestess of love. Their lips created again this unbreakable connection for their souls. It burned like the sun. Their little hearts were working on full potential. They left themselves to be carried by the tide of their feelings. Pure happiness, they felt. This was so narcotic that it should be banned. He hugged her tightly. Her coat felt soft. Few hairs from her mane fell on his forehead. Their tails intertwined.

There were hoofsteps coming to their direction. Then there was the outrage.

"Dear, Celestia! Don't you have some shame, you two? The park is for everypony and not your private quarters!" the unicorn shouted from the near pathway.

There was something wrong. Foxy wasn't sensing him. He should be looking at her, because she was on top of Lucky. Tail looked at the pegasus, who was still enjoying the kissing. Suddenly some red hairs caught her attention. From where did they come from? She quickly stood up and moved away from him. The latter was confused by her sudden change. The ninja looked around but there wasn't a pony with a red mane in their vicinity. And there they were, the red hairs were just in front of her again. She looked up but still there wasn't a pony.

"He must be behind me now!"

She almost instantly turned around but the only thing her eyes spotted were the beautiful trees and flowers. This confused her a lot. While the grey mare was doing her mambo jumbo, the gentlepony approached her. His earnest look didn't portend anything good.

"Young lady, what's the matter with you? Have you gone crazy out of a sudden? Did that stallion do anything to you?"

She stared in his blue eyes and tried to do her magic on him.

"Where is the pony with the red mane?! Answer me!"

The unicorn with the top hat didn't seem to be affected by her sorcery and answered without a drop of fear in his voice.

"Right in front of me and please, you are making a fool out of yourself by staring at me like that. Your mane is colored red and there wasn't anopony else with a red on his or her head except you. Are you sure you are feeling alright? I can call the Royal Guards to help you."

Foxy touched her head and noticed a mild mane. Then she looked at her own hoof, which was not covered in black magical cloth. Tail then checked her entire body. There wasn't a dark spot to be seen on her coat. Her cutiemark was shown for the entire world to see. An orange fox tail with a black end. Foxy noticed a reptilian skin on her tummy, thankfully the unicorn couldn't see it or he'd ask questions, which would be very difficult to dodge. Her tail was long and almost formed like the animal's, on which she was named to. Her mane seemed to be quite short. From this experience Tail learned one thing: she was completely naked and that made her feel very uncomfortable.

"What's going on, Ninja?" Lucky slowly approached them. Tail swiftly jumped behind him and tried to hide her body from the gentlepony. She seemed really frightened by what happened to her. "Foxy, what are you doing?" he whispered.

"Sir, you haven't poisoned her mind, right? She acts very strange and..."

"I assure you that she is fine. My friend is just nervous because you found us, when we were showing our love for each other."

"Pardon me, dear sir and madam." the grey unicorn took off his cylinder hat and bowed head. "Love is a beautiful thing but you should know where you can practice its arts. Try somewhere more romantic, where you can be alone and not in the park. For the sake of you two, never kiss like that in the open. Have some restrain for Goddess sake! Imagine if the Princess sees you two making out, what would She think of you? The shame! Think of how much shame you'll bring to yourselves."

Lucky silently nodded and said calmly:

"Thank you for your wise words, mister. We apologize for our inappropriate behavior. It won't happen again, we promise."

The unicorn smiled and then put his hat back on. His blue eyes turned to the scared grey mare, who was actually a beauty to look at.

"I'm deeply sorry for frightening you, young lady. I wish you two a lot of happiness. Have a nice day!" the unicorn then turned around and continued on his way. When his dressed in an expensive costume body disappeared behind one of the trees, Foxy felt some relief.

"So, are you going to tell me what is going on?" Lucky asked with a serious tone.

"Feel!" she grabbed his leg and moved it around her fur.

"Your cloths!"

"They are gone. I'm nude! We need to find something for me to wear! I can't let myself be seen like this." she sounded really worried, which didn't make any sense to him.

"Wait, I walk naked all the time and many others do, so what's the big deal? Ah-oh, now I get it. It's related with your ninja traditions, right?"

"Yes, a ninja can't be seen in public without her or his cloths. Everypony will know my identity just by looking at my cutiemark! I feel so exposed!"

"Huh, so that's another of your weaknesses. You've got to be really kidding me." Lucky thought.

"Listen, Foxy, without your cursed outfit you'll be able to blend in with the others just fine. By the way, if you do not have your cloths, does that mean the curse is lifted off?"

Tail sat and thought for a moment. She then looked again in her right hoof. The ninja lost some control, expecting to see the transformation but nothing happened. She did it one more time and again there was no sign of the claws bursting from her hoof. Then Foxy made some signs in the air but no magic came from the tricks. This was very strange for her. Never did the mare think that someday she was going to be stripped of her powers.

The ninja stared at Lucky, who looked concerned and rightfully so. Without a warning, she grabbed him by the tummy and lifted him up in the air.

"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked a little anxiously but the ninja kept her silence.

Foxy then hurled him upwards, which came as a thunder in the bright sky to him. Lucky couldn't use his wings because they were still bandaged. His white body flew high in the sky, way above the trees and then started falling back like a stone. He was barely holding himself from screaming. The pegasus waved his legs but it was kind of pointless to use them as spare wings. His mane and tail pointed up. His plot was just a meter from the ground, when Foxy jumped forward and saved his flank from being bandaged too. She then carelessly dropped him, which hurt his back.

"What were you trying to accomplish by making me temporarily air-born?!" he made a not-so-amused-face.

"I had to know if my strength and agility are up to par. I'm sorry for that."

"And?"

"They are. However, I lost my sense of magic. I can no longer do my tricks."

"What about the dragon form?"

"I can't feel the demon inside me. So, that means..."

"Your long life burden is finally over! Foxy, you can finally live a life without fear of harming everypony around you!"

"A life without fear of being chased by my old clanponies." Tail looked thoughtful.

"Foxy, this is great! For you, it's a brave new world from now on."

"New possibilities..." she whispered. Her face looked like after seeing a ghost. Tail was utterly overwhelmed with thoughts of the future. She was not going to die young, she didn't have to worry about killing everypony by incident. Her mind was opened for many choices, which Tail had never thought about. She looked around them. Beautiful nature was all Foxy could see with some occasional conical purple roofs of the nearby buildings. Everything felt different somehow, the ninja couldn't put her hoof on it. This, my dear readers, was called freedom. Freedom of choice, freedom of how she was going to live from this point forward. Her chains were broken and now she was able to fly in whether direction her spirit would choose.

Her eyes stopped at her love. He was standing perfectly still, though she knew that deep inside him raged a storm of feelings. What an irony. She was as strong as ten ponies, he was just one and blind. Without each other, they're lives would have been miserable. They were going to take care for each other, they were made for each other. Their love was pure because it was born by their spiritual needs and friendship. No force could separate them now, except...

"Lucky Eight, I'd like to be with you through life and death." the feelings in her voice were great music for his ears. He smiled and opened his dead eyes. Though they couldn't sense the light, they could perfectly see her standing in front of him in the blackness. This was the power of love that gave him this little gift, for which he was forever grateful.

"I am ready to enjoy the life with you, Foxy Tail."

Suddenly, this glorious moment was interrupted by weird vibrations that were coming from the mare's stomach. She never felt such a thing before. It was painful and the roaring sounds made her a little embarrassed.

"I guess somepony is hungry, eh?"

"I need apples!" she said anxiously.

"Nha, you can put them aside for awhile 'cause whole life you ate only that. I know a place, which will satisfy your hunger. It's time to meet the confectionery! However, I'll need your eyes to help us navigate. Come on."

She smiled and together they went to Doughnut Joe's famous pastry shop.

The memory faded away just like her love's life force was steadily dropping from him. Foxy didn't feel tired even though she carried a pony on her back, while galloping with full force. The earth pony in front of her turned around the corner of a street. When she was making the turn, out of a sudden a couple appeared. Tail had to do evasive maneuvers by jumping over their heads. Luckily the pegasus didn't fall from her back. The two unicorns ducked immediately and watched how this acrobat of war almost flew. Then warm red drops landed on them. They looked back at the galloping ponies and saw a bloody trail behind her. Though her back and legs were all stained in red, the pony responsible for this new color was the dying pegasus.

While they were passing by some home, a door opened between the two galloping ponies. Foxy tried to go around it but little too late and she slammed into it like a train. Wooden flinders went all over the place. Because the hit was so powerful, it sent her and Lucky on the ground. She fell flat on her face and on top of her landed the lifeless pegasus. That woke another recent memory from that morning...

Metal Eye sat in front of his favorite table in the Joy's confectionery that was next to the windows. Like many Guardians he liked to occasionally have a breakfast in here, where his tongue could taste one of the best sweats in Equestria. The pegasus was very fond of Joe's special doughnuts, which had white cream in the inside as well as the outside. This was one unhealthy pleasure but after a week of imprisonment, Metal decided that his lips deserved some love.

The yellow unicorn came to him. He was wearing a cooking white hat and a white uniform.

"What can I get you?" the chief pulled out a writing pad and a pen.

"The specialty, of course."

"How many?"

"Hmm, that's a tough one." he looked at the ceiling, as if the answer he was looking for was written there. The doorbell rang, two friends of his entered inside. Metal Eye had to turn to see the new visitors and now knew the answer. "Six, please."

"Be right back." the unicorn went to bring the precious doughnuts.

"Hi, Lucky and who are you?"

The mare tried to hide behind something called Lucky Eight. She was getting unwanted attention, which made her very nervous. The confectionery was a favorite place of many ponies and this morning business was booming. Because of her natural beauty, she was a sight for sore eyes of many stallions.

They quickly approached Metal, then sat in front of him.

"It's me, Foxy." she whispered.

The blue mane blinked several times. He couldn't believe that. Instead of the dark assassin, who always looked mysterious and very unfriendly, now there stood a pretty lady with soft facial lines, which would not indicate of her real nature. She was a belle and his heart was not ready for a sight like her. He tried to look at his friend, but his eyes won't let him.

"Why she seems to be trying to hide behind you?" Metal asked.

"Tail is afraid of being watched naked by others. She's been doing this from the moment we got out from the park. Is the little spy here?"

"No, he's probably still lying in his bed. So, Foxy, why you ditched the outfit?"

"I didn't. The curse was lifted last night, when... I guess, you would know."

"Ah, I see. Love was the answer." Metal smiled and then patted his friend on the shoulder. "I knew you had it inside you, tiger."

"Yes, love freed me. To think that my mother spent all her life searching for such a simple thing and never to realize that it was just under her nose."

"Well, history is history. Let's look in the future. We'll celebrate this great news with doughnuts! They ain't ordinary but the best of the best that master pastry cook can deliver with his amazing skills! I'll guarantee you that your lips will be satisfied to the max."

The confectioner placed a silver platter with six good-looking doughnuts. They were still warm and oh, the direful smell made them lick their lips.

"I see that you've brought friends. Holy Dough, are you Lucky Eight? I haven't seen you around here for some time. And who is this charming beauty? Heh, you three enjoy my beastly sweets and have a great time!"

"Thanks, Joe."

"So, you ready to taste something different than apples?" Lucky asked her.

"What if it tastes like ashes again?"

"There's only one way to find out."

Foxy looked at the delicious doughnuts like a frightened kitty. They were covered with white cream and sprinkled with chocolate sticks. Her appetite grew bigger, her stomach begged to get some of the ambrosial dessert. She took one from the plate and moved it closer to her mouth. The aroma was of pure awesomeness. For a moment Tail could hear it whispering a song:

"Eat me! Eat me! Eat me! I'm the holy pleasure of all taste buds!"

She opened her mouth, there weren't any sharp teeth. Her tongue was not snake-like. Tail precariously took a bite and began chewing. Then the great taste hit her like nothing before. For the first time, Foxy tasted something different. The experience was awesome and so satisfying, that she began eating it like a savage beast. Metal watched her devour it. He was quite stunned. Lucky just listened to the sounds of the hungry brute. Yep, the mare enjoyed it fully and when she finished, her hunger demanded more. The second doughnut disappeared quicker than the first one and yet her tummy was not satisfied completely.

"You are not gonna eat those, right?" she looked Metal in the eye and the latter knew that if he refused, only bad things we going to happen to him. Metal made a gesture that it was alright and then the mare took the last two, which very quickly found their way into her mouth.

"You are like a bottomless well." Metal dazedly noted.

"What? And I still can't get enough of these! I demand more to be served!" she slammed her hoof on the table, it instantly leaned towards her and hit Metal Eye in the chin. The pegasus fell on his back. Little yellow stars made circles in front of his eyes. The noise brought a lot of attention to them and that Foxy didn't like. She shrugged and tried to snuggle against Lucky. Her orange eyes moved from one gaze to another. Some of the customers were not happy to have their breakfast interrupted like that, others were curious of what happened. They all made her feel very uncomfortable. Without her black outfit, it seemed like she lost her tough skin.

Lucky hugged her to protect her from those all-seeing eyes. He felt no shame of her action and was ready to defend her name from every pony in the confectionery.

Metal jumped back on his feet and then quickly fixed the position of the table.

"Ha-ha. It was just an innocent accident. No pony got hurt, so there's noting to see here. Move along."

One by one the others turned their eyes to their breakfasts and steadily the place turned to normal again.

"Foxy, you might want to be more gentle next time. Also, you can relax, no pony is looking at you."

She sighed and did as told. This was quite strange to see this ultimate killing machine being so afraid of being watched.

"I apologize for my behavior, it won't happen again." she sadly looked down.

"Nha, you don't have to. If what Lucky said about you is true, then I understand you. It's like a whole new world just opened before you. It's hard not to get excited about everything. Speaking of everything, Lucky, you are a real stallion now, right?"

The tone at the end of the question made him to feel shameful. This sort of thing was too intimate, even between long time friends.

"Ha, Ha, ha... we didn't get to that part."

"What is this lame answer? Oh, well. I'll still brag in the Office about you being a legit stallion. The secret will remain between us only." he winked.

"Meh, I do not care. The only thing that matters for me is that I'm with her." Lucky boldly said.

"Well, well." Metal smiled. "Hm, I just got an idea. Why don't you two have a nice adventure around the Capital." a pouch with twenty bits was placed on the table. "I think this will be enough for a day. Go to the theater or check the zoo. Or take her to the racing. You choose!"

"That's too generous of you but..."

"No but. You'll return the favor, when you can. Do it for Foxy, bro. She has the spark of an explorer and she'd like to see and try a lot of stuff. Maybe later Foxy may grant you the path to stallionhood." Metal smirked.

"Do not talk like I'm not here!" the ninja stared at him like a predator.

"Alright, I'll take it. When I get my payment from Rose, which we left in Manehatten, I'll return you the due."

"We are grateful for the gift. And thank you for the breakfast." Foxy bowed and after that she turned to Lucky. "Would you like to go now?"

"Can I finish my doughnut first? I haven't taken a bite at all." he dismally looked at his untouched pastry.

"Fine."

The merry memory ended. She opened her eyes and focused. Time was slipping away and they still were not near the Canterlot Hospital. The gentlepony stopped and went back to help her, though the strong mare showed that she could stand on her own. Tail grabbed the white body of her friend and placed him on her back again. When she saw the earth pony coming back for her, anger engulfed her mind.

"What are you doing!? I didn't ask for any help!"

"I-I... am sorry." the guide began shaking from fear.

"Start leading us to the hospital! Now!" Tail ordered with the top of her lungs. The brown pony quickly turned around and they began galloping again. The owner of the broken door angrily watched them disappear in the dark streets.

Earlier that evening...

"Woaw, never in my wildest imagination did I think that I'd have so much fun doing activities with somepony. The museum, the race, everything we did was awesome! This was the best day of my life!" Foxy jumped in front of him. She was all excited and thrilled to have spent the time with him. Before her purification, Canterlot seemed like a very boring city, filled with nothing but dull ponies. Noting felt interesting to her, wherever she traveled. And now, after her senses were freed, the world around her suddenly looked, sounded and smelled exciting, fresh and full with wonders. Her curiosity grew with every moment. She wanted to experience everything this Kingdom could offer. Maybe this was so, because almost her entire life there wasn't a thing Tail would consider worthy of her attention.

"Foxy, you are on fire! I'm happy that you like our Capital so much. I've greatly enjoyed our time together." Lucky smiled. "Do you know what will make the day perfect? To see the last sun beams shine upon the world from one of the terraces. They have a gorgeous view of the land below and if it's not too dark, you'll be able to see Ponyville in the distance."

"That would be great."

"If I'm not mistaken, there should be one at the end of this street."

"Let's go then."

A few minutes later, they were at one of the many large terraces of this magnificent city. It was a lonely place, just for them to enjoy the beautiful scene. Mountains in the distance stood guard like titans, on whose shoulders the dark sky rested. The sea of forest below was mystical and beauteous to look at. Somewhere in the distance was the small town. Only the yellow roofs of the houses were visible. What a scenery it was. Foxy felt like her eyes were seeing the entire world.

"It's beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it."

She continued looking at the wonderful land of Equestria, when something behind the scenes was forming. Five black ponies moved like shadows in the dark city. They were invisible for the common Equestrian. The specters were on only one mission: to bring back their legendary warrior. They were searching for her under tree and rock non stop. Without her the ninjas couldn't return home. Endless shame would fall on their families, if they failed.

They used the roofs to have a better vision of the ponies on the streets. The watched those little unaware creatures going to their homes or to the nearest restaurants. Like predators, they assessed the situation and planed how to proceed with the search.

The sixth member of the wolf pack joined them. He brought the good news from the scouting:

"Captain, I've found her!"

The tall ninja glimpsed at him with his green eyes.

"Are you sure it is her?" his voice was rough from the cough he was having the past week.

"Absolutely, sire. I followed her and the spy from this kingdom!" suddenly the brown eyes of the scout turned white and flashed. Black clouds appeared in front of their eyes, which then entered inside them through the pupils. Now they were under his absolute control. He pointed his hoof to the direction of the two victims. "They are on a terrace, negotiating for information about our clan. She betrayed us and she should be punished by the leader! Hurry now, before it's too late!"

"You heard him! We have to stop her before she does the unspeakable and puts shame on our entire clan! Onward!"

The captain charged forward, followed by his sisters and brothers in arms. Their silent run echoed in the strings of time and Shadow Sun felt what was going to happen. There was nothing She could do to prevent it. The Princess of Eternity just patiently waited for the events to unfold from her space throne. The scout watched them nearing their target with delight, knowing that his plan was executed with utter perfection. Evil white grin appeared on the black mask, he couldn't stop laughing maliciously.

Lucky felt a bit nervous of what he wanted to reveal to her, so he waited a little longer. The sun was no longer on the horizon and night had officially arrived. Then the pegasus started with a quiet voice:

"Foxy, I was thinking. With the reward Celestia will give us and with the money from Rose, I'd like to buy a house in Ponyville. I've heard that it was quite lovely there. Quiet and away from the busy life of the big city. Beautiful nature around it. Friendly inhabitants." Tail turned to him. Her heart began to beat faster. "I have a dream. A dream of peace and a new beginning. You are a big part of it. So, I ask you this: would you like to live with me there?"

"Staying in one place will be boring. Could we also travel around Equestria? I want to see more, experience more."

"Of course, my love. Your wish is my command!"

"Hear this: we'll go to Ponyville first and then where the winds take us! After we've seen the entire world we can get back and fulfill your dream."

"It's settled."

They hugged. Their warm repelled the night cold wind, protecting their little hearts from the darkness. Their manes waved like small flags. They made a magnificent sight to look at. Two tortured souls in a symbol of love. They felt each others hearts beating inside their chests. They were in rhythm. How they wanted to stay like this for eternity, expressing deep feelings of friendship and affection. Nothing could separate them... their ears quickly turned to the source of a very silent noise. The sound of fast flying edges that pierced the air.

Foxy opened her eyes just when the kunais pierced the back of the pony, who would die for her heart. The sound of the knifes impaling the flesh was the most horrible thing her ears ever had the misfortune of hearing. The metal blades struck deep in his white coat. Lucky exhaled painfully. He couldn't take a breath to cry because of the excruciating pain. He lost his grip, his legs were powerless and his body leaned against her. Tail was frozen like a statue, staring at him. Cold shivers, she felt on her back. Foxy couldn't believe that death followed her even in this peaceful place.

Five black silhouettes made a step towards them. Then the ghosts split up and quickly encircled Foxy and Lucky. They moved like one, they worked like synchronized clocks. The ninjas drew their swords and aimed them at her. The mare didn't react to this threat. Her mind was still blocked by what just happened. The captain was facing her from a safe distance. He knew of what she was capable and five of them were no match of the real dragon pony.

"Dragon Born, you've disgraced your name by shamelessly selling your clan! You'll come with us and face judgment from our leader. If you have some dignity left, you'll come peacefully and he may consider a lighter punishment."

Foxy was like a broken toy, like a doll, who tried to reach out to her master. Then something snapped inside her skull. The other ninjas noticed that and were on the high alert. Her pupils focused on the unicorn in front of her. That blood stare. The warrior felt like a defenseless prey. While they were under the spell, the ninjas saw her in the black outfit. They were not realizing fully what was going on, like puppets they played under the orders of the master from behind the scenes.

There was an awkward silence. Everypony waited for her to make the first move. Who was going to die first?

Lucky painfully lifted up his head and whispered in her ear.

"Get... them!"

Foxy quickly removed her hooves from him and made room for his body to fall flat on the ground. She lighting fast punched the ninja on the right with such a force that the unlucky warrior was sent flying ten meters in the air and then he fell into the dark green abyss. The earth pony screamed like a baby on his way to certain death. The only black pegasus jumped after him. She was using her full rage, nothing could save them now. The next pony, who tasted her hooves was the one from behind. He swung his sword to make a cut on her back. Foxy kicked him in the jaws with her rear legs, sending the unicorn over the marble railing. His figure disappeared in the blackness. The only mare on the enemy side, backed away and joined the captain. Both had their sharp swords pointed at Tail. She was a demon of war, who's anger was like a forest fire, which couldn't be extinguished.

Her orange eyes saw only their doom. The two ninjas waited for her to attack. They were going to slice her on two sides and pray that she wouldn't stand up after that. Foxy charged them like a furious tiger. They simultaneously swung the blades but missed. Tail jumped high in the air and landed behind them. She kicked the unicorn with the force of a thunder, the unlucky one flew forward but managed to grab on the railing.

The other ninja quickly dodge the next kick, turned around and made a series of fast swings. Tail evaded every strike, then hit the dirt and rolled to the right before the blade sliced the ground. The unicorn rejoined the fight by sending more kunais at her. Tail leaned to the left, absolutely avoided the knifes that were aimed for her center. The mare with the sword tried to cut her. Foxy jumped over the attacker and while in midair, she pressed a point on the her back, which rendered the possessed ninja completely useless. After her landing the mistress of combat slammed her in the head with her entire being. Blood splashed, staining the demon pony's hooves in red. The black body lifelessly hit the ground.

The unicorn used his horn to fire a powerful electric spell at her. Foxy was not able to move away from it's path. The pure energy hit her like a train, sending her on the other side of the street, where Tail slammed into a wall. The captain continued electrocuting her with more intensity, hoping that this would knock her out. However, that stubborn pony had Goddess like strength and resisted the magical surge like a rock.

Suddenly the spell ended. The unicorn was out of juice to continue frying her. There was a black spot on her chest where most of the energy was concentrated. Tail seemed unharmed by the attack. Her orange eyes angrily stared at him, his fate was sealed. She made one step forward, when the great pain in her heart almost brought her on her knees. The unicorn knew that he had to use this window of opportunity and charged with a sword in his mouth.

She slowly looked up and saw the incoming ninja. Foxy wanted to get away from the attacker's path but her legs wouldn't move. She didn't feel fear, if this was her final moment then her soul was going to accept it. Her heart couldn't beat without her love, who was lying alone in his own blood. He looked calm. Tail wanted to be with him. To help him. Then there was an extremely powerful surge from within that gave her the needed push. She rolled to the right, when the blow arrived, which only scraped her flank. A red line defaced her cutiemark. Foxy then jumped on him with the her entire body, knocking him down on the ground. The sword was dropped from his mouth and slid away from him. The unfortunate captain tried to make a stand, but it was futile. She stood up on her two rear legs and made the most fearsome battle cry, he ever heard in his short life. Then the hooves of judgment landed on his neck like two hammers. There was an awful sound of cracked bones. Hoofprints stayed on his deformed throat. The unicorn died on the spot.

The mare was breathing hard. Her sadistic eyes spotted movement on the terrace. The pegasus brought the earth pony on the terrace. She wasn't able to save the other unicorn, who had smashed somewhere down on the mountain. When they saw what happened to the rest, fear quickly found its way into their hearts. Tail quickly grabbed the cold steel from the street and threw it at the pegasus. The blade impaled her dead in the center of her body, emerging from her back. The black pegasus coughed blood. There was so much pain in her eyes, it was difficult to look at. The ninja collapsed on the railings and started shaking.

The earth pony stood in a defensive position but this didn't help him, when he had to face the charging mare of destruction. The fear of death was in his blood like disease, which stained some rock in the mountain below the white Capital. After Foxy ended the agony of the last ninja, she sat next to Lucky and removed the knifes from his red back. Tail took him in her legs. Their eyes met. He was barely holding.

"I guess..." he coughed blood on her dirty face. "... the forth time will be too lucky of me."

"No. I'll find help. Just breath and don't let death lure you in her cold hug."

"Foxy, I'll love you after death." he coughed again. "Don't cry for me!"

Her eyes couldn't look at his pain. Behind her warface great sadness took over her being. Her heart began to fill with so much pain that she almost lost her mind. Tail didn't know what to do. She didn't want to leave him alone, not in his dying moment.

"You'll always remain in my heart. No!" she angrily shook head. "This is not your time! You can't leave me! Fight it like a warrior! Don't be slave to the power of death! If only I still had the curse, I'd have saved you!"

"No, you are better without it. I do not want you to die by a stupid spell." he said with a quite voice. "Don't be mournful. Today I finally saw your brightest side and I do not want you to lose it."

Then something caught her attention. It was approaching with a moderate speed. Hope.

"I hear steps. Help is coming!" she turned to the approaching gentlepony, who just noticed the bodies on the ground. "Help!" she screamed. "Where is the hospital?!"

The earth pony was shocked by the sight and needed few seconds before he could speak.

"Wha-What happen in-in here? Are they dead?"

"They are! My friend is dying and needs help! Show me where the darn hospital is!" Tail's voice was full with pain. She stood up, shouldered Lucky and began walking towards the innocent bystander. The stunned citizen couldn't remove his sight from the warm bodies. Never in his life did this witness see death before his eyes. She stood in front of him and shouted in his face: "Lead me to the hospital immediately or you'll follow their fates!"

The scared brown pony snapped out of the frozen state, quickly turned around and began galloping in the direction of the healing place. Foxy put Lucky on her back and followed him.

"Don't be so loud. You'll scare everypony..." he mumbled something, which Tail didn't hear. Her entire being was focused on one task: getting to the hospital as quickly as possible. They left corpses lying on that terrace for everypony to see. Their silhouettes disappeared under the cover of night. Somewhere in space, the daughter of pure dark energy was not happy by the events. The thread of time was cut and joined with another end, which was not going to lead in the direction She wanted.

It was a quite large white building, with a red cross at the entrance. It stood like a beacon of hope in the darkness. The gentlepony broke through the door and found himself in the bright reception, all shaking. One of the nurses near the desk looked at this unexpected visitor and asked:

"Are you feeling alright, sir?"

The brown pony only aimed his hoof at the white door. Then Foxy violently entered with Lucky on her back.

"I need the doctor, now!" she shouted from the moment her hoof stepped inside.

When the healer saw the blood on Tail and Lucky, she swiftly turned to her colleague.

"Get Dr. Cure immediately!" the nurse ordered. The white unicorn with a red snake as a cuitemark, went to Foxy and carefully helped her to take him off her back. The pink doctor came with two more nurses.

"My surgery knife! What happened to him?!" he looked closely at the pegasus. Then put an ear on his chest. He was not breathing at all. The unicorn checked for pulse, there was none. His horn flashed and he checked him from top to bottom. Dr. Cure frowned. When they turned Lucky on his side and saw four deep wounds on his back, the medics were shocked. "Where did he get these?"

The doctor looked at the gentlepony, who was too frightened to say anything.

"We were attacked by ninjas. Those are from knifes." Tail answered.

"Wait, what? A murder in the heart of our Kingdom? That's unheard of!"

"What?!" Foxy couldn't believe what her ears told her. "Can't yo save his life?"

"Unfortunately, I can't sense his life force at all. This pony is dead. There's nothing in my power I can do for him." then he darkly turned to the nurse. "Write this: moment of death 9:36, cause: four deep stabs, probably damaged internal organs, bleeding. Notify the Royal Guards about this incident."

Foxy was frozen solid. She couldn't think, couldn't believe the reality she was in. When finally destiny gifts her an opportunity for a better life, her curse had to steal it and remind her of the miserable path she had to walk for eternity, that was full with death and pain. If Only Tail could have one more moment with him. Her heart was shattered. Her soul darkened. How much she wanted to die, instead of him. Tears formed for the first time in her life but they didn't leave her eyes. There had to be another way to cheat death, maybe the most powerful being in Equestria could do the trick.

"Nurse get the..." Dr. Cure was tossed from Lucky's body. Foxy made the most demonic face she could do and warned with a very dark voice:

"No pony touch him. If you follow me, you'll die!" then she grabbed her lost love and made a run for the door. She exited with a bang and quickly disappeared in the dark streets. The thunderstruck healers couldn't do noting but to clean the bloody mess on the floor.

Princess Celestia was reading some old letters from her faithful student in front of the fireplace. The flames gave light and warmth to the entire quarters. It was a very enjoyable atmosphere. Her eyes moved from roll to roll, smiling at what Twilight Sparkle learned about friendship. After the long day of being a ruler, Celestia wanted some peace and the writings relaxed her quite a lot.

Suddenly there were loud hoofsteps outside the door. It opened, interrupting the Princess's relaxing reading. A Royal Guardian appeared in a gold armor. He looked like after a short battle and was out of breath.

"My Princess, I come to warn you of an intruder! She is coming this way and she is bringing..." he couldn't finish because a grey mare behind him pushed his sorry plot with a titan's force. The Guardian fell on the ground, shrugged like a little scared baby.

Celestia dropped the letters and stood up. She looked all mighty and Goddess-like. Her serious pink eyes scanned this rude violator of her rightful peace.

"Foxy Tail?! What's the meaning of this?"

The ninja carefully put down the body of her friend and then bowed.

"Please, Goddess of this land, save my love! I'll do whatever you ask of me! I'll serve you till my last hour! Just please, save him!" Tail begged from the the bottom of her heart. Celestia looked at the dead pegasus, her fears came to life. So, the prophecy was wrong all along or did She just misunderstand it? The alicorn came closer to Foxy and sat next to her. It was a little difficult to tell this broken mare the truth, but it had to be said:

"I may move the sun but I too am powerless to the power of death. I'm sorry, Foxy Tail, I can not bring him back to life."

Her calm mother voice confused Tail. The grey mare looked her in her sympathetic pink eye. Her gorgeous rainbow mane sadly waved. The great pain rose again. There was no hope. Her heart was condemned forever to feel the hurt of a life time. Celestia spread her long wing over her. Foxy couldn't hold it no more, the feelings fell down like a waterfall. The ruler of Equestria knew how painful it was for her because She too had lost many friends and closed ones in her extremely long lifetime. Celestia could only show her compassion to this broken heart, which felt the pain that no mare must ever experience. The guard understood and quietly left them alone. Foxy never in her life felt so miserable. This was a sad moment, she'd not forget. The moment, when death separated them with it's scythe.

Chapter 32: No Brave New World

In early morning Lucky Eight was laid to rest in the Royal Guards cemetery that was on a field in the skirts of the mountain, below Canterlot. It was a quiet, very well-kept place. Woods surrounded this eternal home of many brave ponies. White tombstones were arranged into perfect rolls. They were all unnamed, only the cutiemarks were engraved on every white surface. The graves were pointed at the direction of the rising sun, so that the sleeping Guardians saluted her Princess every morning.

The beams shined on the white stones. The newest edition was the fist on the new roll. Six ponies were standing silent in front of the freshly put stone. In the brown earth were planted tens of seeds of many flowers. A tradition that was as ancient as the Guardians themselves. The priest was quick with the prayer and then quietly left the friends of the dead to give their respect to him.

The wind was warm but it felt ice-cold to Foxy. She couldn't look away from the carved eight with wings. There was no sign from the sadness in her heart. Tail kept it all inside like the beast before it. Her orange eyes were as cold as before. After a full night of crying over his lifeless body, no feelings were left in her at this moment. There was no hate, no anger, no happiness. Just nothing like an empty shell. Her emotionless self had returned again to protect her from this world full of emotions.

Quarter Key, Diamond Rod, Spy Filly and Metal Eye grievously were staring down. The loss was too painful for everypony. His death left large holes in their hearts. Just when he got to know joy, destiny twisted again and this time it took him with her. That bitch, who played with his feelings and sanity, had to take his life too just to make a point: no pony could run from her, no matter how hard.

Celestia was watching the sad ceremony from her tower. She was not happy of last night's event. The one of the saviors of this world left the living world far too young. The Princess knew that his death was a part of an unholy plan but what was this new menace? What were its goals? Who was standing behind it?

Questions and more questions, which the answer, She did not have. Last night, while Foxy was having the worst moment of her life, Celestia realized how fragile the peace was in the Kingdom. It was built on deception and dishonesty. This false sense of serenity in the Kingdom was going to crumble someday and her subjects were going to see the truth about the world around them. It had already started. Yesterday a journalist came to her with questions. She was easily dealt with but what will happen when everypony starts asking them? Then Celestia would not be able to stop the truth from escaping and maybe her subject might turn their backs on her.

This murder complicated things. Thankfully, the Royal Guards were able to clean the scene before too many eyes were able to take a look at all those corpses. The only witness was taken care of by a couple of psychiatrists that were able to convince him that he was not going to die. The poor pony, he couldn't stop shaking from fear all night. The witness stayed in the hospital for further treatment. And the doctors, well, they were politely asked not to spread the news of what happened. Did they opened their mouths later on, it was not known. However, in the later months there was a rumor of an horrible murder, which took place in the Capital, though none believed it.

Returning to the present, the Princess was having deep thoughts about the future, when a dark blue figure appeared at the entrance of the balcony. Her sister came as asked and was looking concerned.

"Good-Morning!"

"My it be good." Celestia greeted without turning at her. She sounded troubled.

"What is so important that you have to wake me up from my good sleep?"

"Haven't you heard? Lucky Eight is dead." Celestia said in a calm voice.

Luna froze. The other day they were giving him their congrats and royal gratitude, and now this pony was no more. What a change in the tides of time...

"The shade?"

"Maybe, though I'm not ruling out the possibility that it was another evil force that sent us a message. The attackers were ninjas from her island. She left none alive." Celestia turned to her sister and looked her seriously in the eye. "Black clouds are forming near, I can feel it. We must speed up Twilight's ascension. She has to become an alicorn in no more than an year and I know what her next challenge will be."

"The Crystal Empire." Luna whispered in the royal kind of way. "Do you think she is ready for it? Do you believe that she can become one of us in that little time?"

"My faith in her is strong. With the help of the book of Star Swirl The Bearded, Twilight Sparkle will find a way. Also, I'll step up her training, so that she'll be ready to overcome every obstacle in her path."

"I'm not so quite sure, big sis." Luna went to her and looked below them, where the cemetery was greeting the newest soul. The two had eagle eyes and were able to see everything that happened there. "What if Twilight Sparkle can not endure the stress? She may hold great power inside her but magic can burn even the most skillful sorceresses."

"If she fails, then we'll know that my choice was wrong and we'll have to look for another."

"Like your previous one?"

Celestia glimpsed at her blue sister. The Princess of the Night touched a delicate string.

"She holds the most powerful magic and that is the magic of friendship. Twilight will prevail! I know it."

"I do not question your wisdom, sis. However, even We make mistakes."

Celestia had to agree on that. In her long life, she made some mistakes that took centuries to fix and some were raising again left and right. Like she made the mistake of putting the stoned body of Discord in the Royal garden and forgetting that even though he was powerless inside the marble sculpture, the master of ponies found a way to escape and almost destroyed Equestria. If it wasn't for her faithful student and her friends, they'd not be having this conversation.

"What about his partner? Is she alright?"

The white alicorn focused on the dot that was Foxy. She was in the middle of the small group. Even from the balcony, her dark presence could be felt very strongly. Something very bad, the lone mare was planning and Celestia knew exactly what it was. She had seen it in others, who had chosen that shadow path.

"Yesterday, Tail came to me, carrying him on her back. She swore an allegiance to me and in return, she wanted me to save her love. This little warrior looked so determined to reach her goal but after I told her that I can not bring him back, I saw how this strong mare lost her entire strength in just a trice. Like a wax figure in a fire, her spirit fell on its knees. She cried all night."

Luna looked sadly at her bigger sister. Her rainbow mane waved fluently. Her pink experienced eye showed no emotion, just like a master strategist.

"That's awful."

"Yes. However, her heart is closed now. I sense many dark thoughts. I fear that she'll go on the path of revenge. Just like the molten figure, she may turn into something horrible."

"We must stop her!"

"We can, we must but we won't."

Luna was not sure that She go that right.

"We mustn't get in her way because inside Foxy Tail beats the dragon heart and we know that the dragons do not like to have their freedoms taken away. She is the master of her own destiny. Her choice is hers only and we have no right to interfere."

"But-but like you said she might choose the path of death. No pony should ever make that choice. At least, let me talk to her. I used to be the warrior Princess, so I bet that we'll find a common language."

Celestia slowly shook head.

"Once the dragon heart has chosen its path, no force can change its mind. Do what you think is best. I'll not try to stop you." the white alicorn said with a quiet voice.

Luna turned her eyes again to the cemetery. She was not fond of the idea of doing nothing. The dark alicorn wanted to help this most unfortunate pony in this sunny morning.

Quarter Key and Diamond were the first to leave. Then under the suggestion of Metal, Spy joined them at the entrance. The old horn couldn't stand the thought that an younger friend of his died and desperately wanted to be far away from here. The earnest unicorn had nothing else to say to the forever resting pegasus and accompanied the old Guardian. This lonely place was not for little ponies and Metal didn't want his future son to stay too long in this silent white forest. He should be in school, playing with others in his age and be carefree. Though this would be a lesson for the little spy about death and in the future this would be one of the truths, on which his life was going to be guided by.

Only Foxy and Metal Eye stood in front of the white tombstone. It was not easy for both of them to say one last good-bye. The pegasus knew that the silent ninja was in complete turmoil and she needed some help to overcome the loss.

"May you rest in peace, my friend." Metal sadly wished.

"No, he won't rest until the pony responsible for his death joins with him in Tartarus."

The darkness in her voice worried him. Was she planning to do something, from which there was no return?

"What are you saying?" he looked at her with his big pink eyes.

"I'm going back to the little hell hole, from which I came and I'm going to avenge Lucky."

As if a lightening struck him. The seriousness and the simple brutality in her tone made him a little afraid of her. This mare was ready to dive deep into the black to give rightful retribution to anypony, who would dare to stop her holy quest.

"Foxy, hate and revenge won't ease the pain. It will only seal your soul with the demons and from that point you'll never be able to feel happiness again. Only more misery and death awaits on that path." he grabbed her on the shoulders and turned her to him. Metal now saw the demonic eyes, which were so corrupted by the darkness that had lost the spark of life in them. "Hear me. Lucky was more than a friend. He was like a brother to me. We shared happiness and pain together. Yes, I'm angry and my heart demands from me to honor his name with the souls of those, who did this to him but I won't because it will lead to only more killing and suffering. Please, do not do it! Do not become a slave to anger and hatred!"

"Just watch me! No pony can stop me."

"Think what Lucky would do, if he was standing in your place. He'd not go on a personal mission of revenge!"

"That's because Lucky was blind and wouldn't stand the slightest chance against a single clumsy ninja. Metal Eye, you better get your hooves off me or you'll regret it!"

He backed off a little, while constantly looking her in the eye. The spy would not give up easily, so he did the unexpected:

"If you can not be persuaded to choose life, then I'm coming with you, not as an avenger but as the beacon of light. I'll pull you from your darkest hour, I'll be with you, when you decide to not throw your life away!"

"No, you will not. You have a son to take care of. The place, where I'm heading is not safe. There's a big chance that you will die. The orphan doesn't have to endure your death too."

Metal dismissed the warnings and now was more confident in his words.

"Junior can hold on his own and I'm not planning to perish in a foreign land. I'll promise him that he won't live a lonely life and I never brake my promises!"

"Brave words." Foxy then looked again at the grave of her dead love. "Too bad they have no meaning in the Pit." she then looked up at the bright blue sky. Somewhere, at the top of the world, her white pegasus smiled on them. Tail wanted to believe that his soul was in a good place, waiting for her to join with him in the dance of the dead. The reality was too oppressing, no forgiveness was going to be shown. "It's decided then. You'll come with me."

"How are you thinking of getting to an isle that is far in the ocean?"

"Via the portal that connects the mainland with the island. But first we need a ride to get there first."

"The airship, by which we came here."

"However, it needs to be faster and I know just the pony, who might make it so." Tail turned away but before being able to make a step, a hoof landed on her shoulder.

"Remember, Foxy. I'm doing this because Lucky would want to see you alive and happy in Equestria. The moment you get too deep..."

"I'll drag you with me." she ended the sentence with an evil tone. Then the grey mare began walking in this maze of relics. Her gait was steady, her shadow was big and frightening. This pony of might had one goal in her life: to kill the leader of her clan. Simple and merciless, like a sword she was going to pierce his heart to make sure that he was going to feel her pain as well before his ending.

Metal Eye turned to his friend under a meter and an half of fresh soil and said:

"Why you had to choose her, pal? Whatever the answer is, I'll make sure she returns here and lives a good life. I'll promise you that! So long!"

Then the white pegasus went after her and they joined with the waiting unicorns. Together they left this place of eternal rest, where many heroes had their rightful sleep. Now Lucky was part of them and they welcomed this new brother with opened arms.

Later that morning, the two went in the Royal Hospital, a large building that gave the impression of sterility. Two guards met them at the door. They were standing like unhappy statues. The two unicorns glimpsed at the visitors, when they saw the pegasus they saluted. Metal Eye answered the greeting and then first entered inside. A doctor and two nurses were discussing medical matters. The room was vast. There were three corridors that led to different parts of the building. The walls were painted in bright colors and paintings of beautiful scenery decorated them. The floor was constructed with dark wood as well as the benches on the two sides.

The pink mare looked at the newcomers and ceased the conversation with her colleagues. Her crystal blue eyes pointed in the orange ones of the grey earth pony. She immediately could tell that darkness surrounded her soul, though the doctor's smile didn't disappear. The other seemed to hide sadness behind his tough skin.

"What can we do for you?" the pink pony asked.

"I'm Metal Eye from the Royal Guards. I have to see with the two inventors that are being healed here. Could you point me the way to their room?"

"Of course. Follow me."

A red ball bounced off the wall and returned to its owner. The yellow unicorn grabbed it and then quickly hurled the round object in front of him, repeating the process again and again. Every time the ball hit a solid mass, it produced a sound, that was getting on Volt's nerves.

The brown pony turned around in his bed and covered his ears with the white pillow. It did no help. He only wished for few minutes of silence but his partner was too bored and this repetitive exercise of his was the only thing keeping his brain functional. The medical personnel wouldn't let them have a single pen and a piece of paper, on which to draw what ever his sick mind could think of. At least they gave them books, which Phoenix ate with covers.

This bright room felt so oppressing, as if chains were holding his every hoof. This was the most obnoxious healing process in his entire life and because of his activity, Phoenix was making it a real hell for his friend.

The ball was coming his way, he stretched his hoof to get it, when a flying pillow ruined his amazing score of three hundred and twenty one throws without a single omission. Though, he was not angry at Volts for that. The red ball landed next to his bed but Phoenix was too lazy to get it.

"You could have just asked me to stop."

"I asked you four times, nevertheless you kept throwing that darn ball of yours! Can't you let me have some sleep, for her Majesty's sake?" the brown pony sounded tartly.

"I'm sorry, Volts. I'll try to keep my boredom inside myself." the yellow unicorn lied down and stared at the white ceiling. This was proving to be more difficult than he thought, when they were shown this room for the first time. He missed experimenting, finding the answers for the endless questions and inventing new tools. Was he going to be allowed to invent again? Maybe after they were cured completely from the dark energies. But even then it wasn't very sure. What he'd do for a screwdriver and a basket full with different parts.

There was knocking on the door, which immediately grabbed the attention of the two prisoners. Inside the room entered an huge, strong unicorn in gold armor. He made room for the visitors. First was the familiar pegasus but the mare Phoenix couldn't recognize.

"Metal Eye? What brings you in our humble corner of the hospital?" the yellow unicorn asked from his bed.

The white pony nodded to the grey guard, who then wordlessly left the room and closed the door behind him.

"What is the matter?" Volts sensed that something was not quite clear of why the two visitors were here.

"We've come to ask for your help." Metal moved forward and looked at the yellow pony. "We need your brain for the task."

"What?!" the unicorn was surprised. "You can not be serious. Though from the tone of your voice, I can safely say that you are but could there be a slight chance that you are mad?"

The mare jumped on his bed, marched towards him, grabbed him and lifted his weaker body, so that he could barely touch the bedding with his rear legs. Her cold orange eyes stared at his frightened blue ones. By how seamlessly she was holding him in the air, this soulless creature seemed to have the strength of ten ponies. The reptilian skin on her tummy was perfectly visible and Volts couldn't look away from it. Who was this muted pony?

Then, like a thunder in a bright sky, Phoenix learned who she was. Those eyes and unbelievable strength could be described to only one pony.

"Foxy Tail? What happened to your costume? Oh, my gosh! Is Lucky here? Has he come to guide me through the light? To help me recover faster?"

"He is dead!" she said with a dark voice.

At first, Phoenix thought that he didn't hear right but then the realization struck him like a lightening. The world around the unicorn broke into pieces that reflected different lights and then blackness surrounded him. He was numb and needed a strong shaking from the mare to wake him from his trans.

"You are going to help me get to the portal in the south as fast as possible!" she ordered him. "You two are going to make the airship faster, got it?"

"Please, stop her! She is going to kill him!" Volts jumped from his bed and tried to stop her. Somehow Foxy managed to kick him in the face without losing balance on one leg.

A friendly hoof touched her shoulder, which ceased the strong shake. She let her animal instinct to dictate her actions. The invisible pain, the source of all darkness in her heart was pulling her strings like a puppeteer and that meant that no pony was safe around her.

"Foxy, calm down. Let him go. You are making too much noise, the guards might hear something." his friendly voice was like a guide for her to get to that state of spirit, where she could maintain inner equilibrium. The grey ninja slowly put him down and moved away from the unicorn, while keeping her demonic stare at him. Phoenix was trying to get some air. He was shocked by the news and need a minute before he could get his thoughts together.

"He-he is dead... No, no, no no... that can't be right. Lucky Eight is supposed to help me get better. He has to to show me the peace inside my head. I dreamed about it!" the unicorn seemed, as if he was starting to lose his mind.

"It's a fact." Metal Eye said. "Though I may not approve it, Foxy is planning to punish the pony responsible for his death. I'm coming with her only to make sure that she'll return here alive and less bloody, though I do not know if that's possible with her. We are planning to take the airship, with which we came to Canterlot. Foxy wants you to make it fly faster. I know that the idea may sound ridiculous but we need you both to come with us."

"Count me out." Volts stood up from the wooden floor with a blue spot around his left eye. "I do not want to have trouble with the Princess again."

"I'm in." Phoenix said confidently. Metal and Volts were stolen upon by his quick decision. Only Foxy kept her serious look, as if she knew that he was going to say that. "Although I barely knew this pegasus, there was a secret bond between us. He was the one, who saved us from becoming real monsters. And he was supposed to guide me out of my little hell." the unicorn looked at his little offended brown friend and continued: "Dear Volts, do not take it like an insult. You are and always will be my best friend! However, an ill pony can not cure others. Only the one, who is pure from all demons can help us. And now he is dead. His name must be honored by fulfilling his closest friend's sacred mission. I understand why you do not want to come, Volts. I hold no bad feelings towards you."

"Phoenix, if you leave the hospital then you will be punished! Please, think this out thoroughly!"

"I'm sorry, Volts. This is the way it has to be!" then he turned to her. "When do you want me to modify the ship?"

"Today, before midday. We are going to steal it in eleven o'clock."

Phoenix looked at the round clock on the wall. The arrows showed fifteen past nine. There was barely any time to prepare.

"Aren't you rushing a little?"

"It's my speed of doing things." Foxy said.

"Then the next logical question is how are you going to get me out of the hospital without anypony noticing? As you can see the windows have grates. In no means, I think that you can not break them but the guards are not that deaf."

"I think I have an idea!" the most unlikely source spoke up. They turned to him and listened to what he had to say: "The nurse that checks our condition should be arriving anytime soon. I can use an illusion spell and make him look like her. No pony will notice him sneaking out of here, unless there is an unicorn, who is powerful in magic. Here's what we need to do..."

There was knocking on the door. They didn't have time for other discussions. The plan was a go.

A white mare entered in the room, where the two visitors were silently siting on Phoenix's bed and the unicorns were innocently lying in their beds.

"How are you feeling today, Mr Phoenix and Mr Volts?" she asked smilingly with sweet ringing voice.

"We are fine. How are you today?" Phoenix asked in a friendly tone.

"Fine. Thank you for asking." she went between the two beds and placed new books on the short table. "I've brought you something new to read. I've never seen such an inquisitive reader like you, sir. Hey, why are you all staring at me like that?"

There was no sound to warn the guards outside, who were having very delicious pies. It was their first meal In their twenty four hour long guard shift. Even if they heard something, their lips would not move away from the pans.

Foxy was holding her very tightly. The nurse couldn't scream cause of the grey hoof in her mouth. The skilled ninja was so quick that the medical pony didn't realize what happened, until she was captured. The unlucky mare made an attempt to break free but the much stronger Tail was bear hugging her and not a centimeter, she let her make. Metal and Phoenix tied her with the white bedding and gagged her mouth with a yellow towel. The innocent mare tried to resist this filthy act but what could she do against three of them? Then they placed her on Phoenix's bed. Volts sat down on the floor and stared at her. The nurse was scared shitless. The brown unicorn concentrated on her and soon his horn flashed in pink and violet light. Then a magical beam came out of his long end, which twisted around his friend like a snake. White bright light engulfed him and in just a second the entire magic show ended. The result was a perfect copy of the nurse.

"Woaw, I feel strange." Phoenix admitted, while looking at his new body. Suddenly he realized that his voice didn't change like his appearance. "What the? Why I do not have a girly voice?"

"Because the spell only changes your appearance. It doesn't actually alter your body but makes everypony else think that you are the pony, on whom the spell is used. Try not to talk much or you'll get spotted quickly. Also, there is a telepathic link between you and the nurse. For example, when she feels scared or happy, you get those feelings too."

"Aha, so that's why feel kind of uneasy and yes, scared. Where did you find this spell?"

"In a book. You should better hurry because I won't be able to maintain the incantation for long. This the least I can do for you."

"Thank you, Volts." the fake nurse hugged him, though the brown unicorn was having more trouble with the spell because of that. If he lost concentration for even a second, then the spell would cease.

"Stop. Hugging. Me. Please, Go!" Volts seemed a little annoyed.

"I'll pray that Celestia doesn't get too mad at you. Bye!"

The door was quickly opened and the three silently skinned away, leaving Volts and the fortunate mare alone. She stared at him with big scared green eyes. Actually, that was the color of his. Now he noticed her beautiful auburn mane. For some reason Volts felt pity for her, though she wouldn't be harmed at all. She looked quite pretty, while being tied like a hostage. Her virginal body for some reason called for his heart. The unicorn tried not to give in to such thoughts and concentrate harder on the task.

After a minute of staring at her, he couldn't stand looking at her frightened face. Volts stood up, without losing sight of her and approached her slowly.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Bear with me a little longer and I'll set you free. I promise!"

The mare seemed to calm a little but not enough for him.

"Would it be better, if I got rid of the towel around your mouth? Could you promise not to scream for help, if I remove it?"

The nurse nodded, while trying to make a intelligent sounds with her blocked mouth.

"Alright then." he slowly touched the yellow towel and steadily began removing it from her face. The mare didn't scream, like she promised and now her true beauty could be seen. Volts froze. Strangely, he had seen her thrice but now, as if she opened like a book and his eyes were looking at her soul.

"Why are you all doing this?" there was still fright in her voice.

"Uhm... because of lost love, I guess." he answered quietly.

Her cheeks blushed. They seemed like two little blooming roses. The stallion was trapped in those two green abysses. Energy was moving from her to him. He couldn't quite describe it 'cause his heart had never felt such a thing before.

"Mr. Volts, I really like your mustache." her voice of with the epithet of innocence and youthfulness.

"And I really like your eyes and I do not want to see an ounce of pain in them."

The fright left her and on its place came this pretty feeling. Everything turn in pink for some reason. He was her focus, she the big fail of his spell.

They were on their way to the exit, when for some reason Phoenix felt this unbelievable sensation that he couldn't resist. Metal Eye noticed the sudden change in him, though he wasn't ready to defend himself from the fake mare, that moved inside his personal space. He could only look in shock how Phoenix was giving him one of the most passionate kiss. The pegasus tried to escape but without success. Foxy turned around and saw the scene that reminded her of gone happiness. The pain hurt very much. She really wanted to hit them both.

Then Tail heard somepony coming. She quickly tapped Metal on the shoulder, warning him of the danger. The pegasus understood and took the matters in his own hooves. He hugged Phoenix and faked that he was enjoying the kissing. The doctor approached, slowed his pace, only glimpsed at them and carried on.

When he was far enough, Metal dropped Phoenix on the ground, who had already changed his appearance. There was no word to describe his disgust of kissing another stallion.

"What was that all about?!" the pegasus was barely holding himself from yelling.

"It wasn't me! Arggg... The feelings overwhelmed me and I couldn't stop! As if I was being controlled." Phoenix looked a little pissed by this fiasco. "What are they doing back there?"

"My guess, something worthy of their time." Foxy answered with a serious voice. "The deception is over and we need to think fast how to restore it."

"Give me a sec. I need to remove something from my mouth." Metal coughed a few times to get all alien germs out of his mouth.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad. I for one, enjoyed it for what it was." Phoenix then looked around. All doors were closed and they were completely alone in this hallway, but for how long? "I might have an idea. You two shall stand on my two flanks, hiding my cutiemark, so that they can't recognize me easily."

"Can't you just teleport us out?" Metal Eye asked.

"No, the other unicorn in the hospital will sense this magic and they'll know that somepony has escaped. You see, when teleporting, my horn will produce residual magical energies that will travel in all direction. Their spread is just like the waves after the rock hits the surface of a water. Depending on how thick are the walls and from what material they are made, those 'waves' will lull differently. Knowing that this hospital was constructed primarily with rocks, concrete and wood, I can safely say that everypony with a horn will notice the flash and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it was me, cause such sort of magic is very complicated and only a few can do it."

"I see. Metal, be on his right side, and you..." she turned to the only unicorn. "... try to hide as much as possible. The doctors may no be able to notice you, if they are still engaged in other matters."

They quickly rearranged and marched forward. They were lucky that no pony was coming their way. The corridor seemed too quiet to be true. The blue nuance that was everywhere was very depressive for the unicorn. Only their hoofsteps sounded here, as if everypony was dead silent inside every closed room. There were some pictures on the walls, that showed many happy patients with cured or fixed problems. They felt kind of creepy, all starring at him, knowing that he was escaping from this generous prison.

They got to the big reception, where the same doctor and nurses from early were having a quiet debate. The three moved inside like no pony's business. Metal and Foxy showed iron faces, the pony in the middle started to sweat. The medical ponies didn't notice his presence. While they were approaching the front door, Foxy steadily moved to Phoenix's back, so that she could hide him from the unwanted eyes. This was a success. Metal smirked, Phoenix could smell the taste of freedom again. They were just a hoof away from the handle, when the door suddenly opened. The spy froze like an ice cube, his big pink eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing. The unicorn fell on his knees and started shaking from fear. Foxy stared without a drop of emotion at the dark alicorn.

Her blue transparent mane with hundreds of mini stars waved majestically without there being any winds. Her cyan eyes looked deep in the eyes of the trio and wondered what they were up to. The Princess of the Night stepped inside like a ruler of all, her might was unlimited. The only pony could oppose her was the broken ninja, who didn't show any fear from her.

"What's the meaning of this?" she asked in her royal accent.

"Not your business!" the grey mare moved in front of Luna, still staring at her, as if She was her biggest enemy.

"Oh, yes it is. You are trying to escape with the inventor. Why you need him?"

"Ain't. Your. Darn. Business! Now, move out of my way!" the darkness in her voice didn't scare this glorious Princess, 'cause she used to be a warrior like her at one time. Luna understood the pain this little pony was going through and guessed correctly of her intentions: "You are going to avenge him, aren't you?"

Foxy didn't answer. Anger was raising from the deeps and was starting to take over her body piece by piece.

"Princess Luna!" the healers shouted from the other end of the reception. "Welcome to our hospital. Wait a... that is Phoenix's Just! Quickly, surround them!"

"All stay back!" Luna ordered with her powerful voice. "This is a matter between me and them."

The doctors stopped their approach like good little puppets and watched the scene from a safe place. Luna was now completely serious and ready to play game with Foxy.

"Your silence betrays you. Foxy Tail, I know your pain but revenge is not the answer. It will not bring him back to the living."

"I'll avenge him. Lucky didn't have to die!" she shouted in her face, the latter took it calmly.

"Causing pain to others won't solve anything. It will bring more misery and I do not think that's what your love wanted you to do."

"It's exactly what he told me to do! Get them! Yes, I'll kill the pony responsible for his death and anypony standing in my way will receive equal amounts of my rage! That applies to you too, Princess."

Luna sadly shook head.

"Don't you get it? You are ready to hurt those, who have nothing to do with your lover's death. That's not honoring his name, but acts of a broken warrior, who seeks destruction. Going on that path will turn you to something Lucky would not want to call his love. Think about it, Foxy Tail."

Metal Eye anxiously looked at the ninja. The mare was staring the wooden floor, trying to rationalize everything she heard. Her previous threatening look had disappeared, replaced by confusion and uncertainty. The Princess was right but her happiness was taken away forever. Her soul would not bear knowing that the Dragon Claw leader was waking up every day and Lucky not. One sleeping the eternal dream under the earth, the other sitting on his rightful throne. In his memory, she had to make that cursed pony pay for his crime with his own blood.

Foxy looked up, in her eyes there was pain and deep anger. She made her mind, now was time to go and finish this torture once and for all. Luna regretted seeing those orange circles of a demon, of a dragon, who would not be stopped, even if the entire Equestrian army was sent at her.

"We are leaving." Tail said quietly. She forcefully lifted Phoenix from the floor and pushed him forward. Luna stood like an old statue of hope, which was disregarded like an old history book. She didn't try to stop them. Foxy was forging her own destiny and no pony had the right to interfere in her grand path. Metal Eye quickly saluted and left too. Luna only gave him a warning stare. He was very embarrassed and it was difficult for him to hide it. The medical ponies were standing in shock. One of them moved barely forward and immediately was ordered by the Princess:

"Do not follow them! Do not warn the guards! The ruler of this land commands so!"

"Yes, your Majesty."

Across the sea, in a secret cave, one white pony was meditating in front of an ancient shrine. He tried to concentrate on the little order that still remained in his head. The madness was taking over his mind too quickly and Circle needed more time, if he was going to finish the job. Then, in those dark moments, when the legendary ninja was in a deep meditation, his soul sensed changes in the energy net that connects every living thing. He learned that a special pony will be returning home with a broken heart.

Fate now had a different task for him. A holy mission, which would cost him dearly...

Chapter 33: We Part Ways, Destiny Awaits

The cold morning winds brought death beyond the seas. It also carried the anger that knew no bounds. This was a warning that many felt but none knew what was coming their way. A mare, who was shrouded in darkness. No pony in the Dragon Claw clan was safe as long as they served the leader.

The capital was lively. Warriors were practicing their arts of war at the big square in front of a public. They moved in a perfect synchronization, showcasing that they were parts of a well oiled machine of death. Little ponies with their mothers watched them swinging their weapons with great admiration. The kids even mimicked their moves and smiled, as if they were in front of a confectionery. For them this was their dream, to become ninjas, mighty warriors, who would seek challenges and feats. This was their wicked culture of the absolute warrior clan, which had one problem: there weren't worthy deeds to be done in these times, in which the truce still held everypony on a leash of peace, as short it may be.

This skilled ponies in black were ready for another war, which was just waiting for the little spark to ignite the land again. These killers were going to burn fields, forest and murder many brothers and sisters in the name of the leader and the clan. Were the fillies and colts ready for it? Could they live with the thought that their mothers and fathers were going to perish one by one, never to return to their families? Could they actually comprehend the reality that there is no glory on the battlefields but only misery and death? How many orphans this society had to produce until everypony snapped out of this poisonous dream and saw the real pain around them?

Too many questions and almost none to know the answer of at least one of them.

The leader was practicing with his warriors, wearing black like every other ninja. You couldn't notice that he was there, they all looked the same. This had a symbolic meaning, that the leader was one warrior in a sea of thousands. This created a strong bond between him and the ponies under his command. By showing that he was one with them, Lupi was giving his respect to the ninjas, the ponies who were the extension of his body. Without them, he'd not be able to lead this clan to glory, without them, Do would not be the leader he was now.

The training ninjas were at the end of the morning practice. They all jumped forward and stabbed the air with their different kinds of weapons and shouted like one mighty dragon. The powerful cry could be heard in the entire capital. This marked the ending of the morning session. The warriors simultaneously turned left and marched out of the square. When they reached the streets between the houses, they spread out and quickly disappeared from sight, probably headed to the nearest pubs.

Only one ninja remained in the open. Lupi took off his mask and sighed, when his eyes spotted the approaching military advisers. He wanted only a minute of peace but he was the ruler after all. There was no escaping his duties.

"My leader, we have troubling news." said the red ninja, who was accompanied with three others, who were wearing purple.

"I'm listening." the leader pierced him with his earnest stare.

"We've learned that the enemy spies have delivered information of our Guardian problem to their leaders. We can expect angry letters from them anytime soon. Sire, maybe we should prepare our territories for upcoming invasion."

The leader needed a few moment to assess the position of his clan. He was not found of two versus one scenario like in the last war, which ended not so long ago.

"They won't." he whispered.

"What was that, my leader?" the red ninja sounded a little confused.

"They won't attack and I know why. The Guardians of the Portal are the only thing that prevents them from completely renounce the rules of combat and of how our little world works. It will be in their best interest, if the ancient Guards are no more. They'll use the opportunity to tarnish our image and impel everypony against us. If they are going to attack us, it will be after we've dealt with the remaining Guardians."

"I see, my lord. What are your orders?"

"The villages that are near the border need to be evacuated. It should be a steady process. Do it as silently as possible. Lie to them, if you must! We do not want to scare everypony with the news of another war. About the Guardians, we must kill them but let's make it look like they were ambushed by the enemy's forces. The families that still believe in the old ways will be easily persuaded to willingly join our cause. Also let's prolong the Guardians' days on this physical realm, so that we can prepare for the inevitable clash."

"Of course, my leader!" he then walked closer to him and whispered in his ear: "There hasn't been any news from our airship. Maybe we should send a team to find out what happened to them."

"It my be a little too late. I believe that Blue Circle has killed them all. Without the machines we won't be able to control the weather and help the few farmers in our clan. It seems we are stuck in the deep hole. It will be hard to recover but we'll endure. I think its time to change my politics a little bit. Gather two hundred of my warriors and start their training in cultivation of vegetables. If anypony asks why, tell them that is for the greater good of the clan. If there are ponies, who are too proud of themselves and refuse to obey my orders, punish them in front of everypony."

The ninja nodded, bowed down and then backed away from Lupi. He watched them ride off, when they were far from him, his green eyes turned to the little happy ponies that stared at him with their big cute eyes. They were the future of this clan and his actions were not making it easy for them. Was Lupi going to bring the reaper to the next generation? Those still innocent little joyful creatures were far too young to die. Lupi would not let suffering and misery take over their reality, though he didn't know how it would be possible to avoid the tragedies. .

Why was this world so fucked up?

Maybe their warrior-like ancestors could be blamed for their current situation. However, this would be like escaping responsibility by blaming the dead for the problems of the living. What would have happened, if he didn't listen to his most trusted adviser? Would their world be a more peaceful place? Sometimes Lupi doubted what he did in some situations but the spirit said that it was for the greater good, for the brighter future. Could he completely trust Her?

"I can hear your thoughts, young leader."

Her scary voice almost gave him an heart attack. Lupi froze still. Never had the spirit appeared in public. None knew that he was able to speak with Her or that She even existed. If others learned of his ghost adviser, then his position as a leader may be threatened. He put the mask back on his face, so that no pony would be able to notice him speaking to the air.

"Why you've come now? Couldn't you have waited until I'm in a lonely place. I hope that you haven't shown yourself completely."

"No, I haven't, my prince. Those small cute kids won't see me. I have a message to deliver to you."

"You too? I guess, this morning can't be more interesting than what is now." he whispered.

"A familiar figure will be arriving form a long journey." the Princess of Doom said calmly, with the slight demonic tone.

"Foxy Tail? Is she really coming home?" Lupi couldn't hide his surprise and excitement. "I'll greet her properly, like a hero!"

"She is coming to kill you, my prince. You've caused her great pain. Your future is not safe, the clan's future is unclear. She must be stopped!"

"What?!" he shouted and was heard by the little bystanders. "Why is Foxy coming to kill me? I've never harmed her in any way."

"Yes, you haven't but she believes that you are responsible for her pain. My prince, if you want to see your love and bring the promised glory to the clan's name, then she must be stopped. There's no other way."

Her words felt like ice cubs, that fell on his head. How could he kill the only daughter of his love? Maybe Lupi could get those misunderstandings sorted out with a simple talk. For him, Foxy was like a daughter and the thought of murdering his own adopted child was mind-boggling. This was far over the acceptable line he was willing to cross. Lupi didn't believe to have the strength to do this dirty deed, physically and mentally.

"What you ask of me is too much. I will not kill her!" he really meant that. The black spirit was not quite happy to hear this, though there was a way to persuade this insignificant, powerless, microscopic creature compared to her, the Goddess of all Time and Space.

"Your clan's future depends on your decision, my prince. You have time to think about it. You have been warned!" then her cold presence instantly left him. Lupi yet again could feel the warm sunbeams. He quickly turned to the young audience in front of the square. Ah, the little sweet future murderers. They seemed a bit scared of his strange behavior, being all alone, talking to himself, though the spark of admiration was still in their pure eyes. Their icon silently headed towards the palace to think about the choice he was given: the clan or Foxy.

Somewhere in the deep forests...

"What's the matter, Master Triple? Why are we moving so far away from the camp?" the white pegasus asked with a concern in his voice. The old pink unicorn didn't answer and quietly guided him to the secret place of their meeting with the shadow ninja. The woods stood tall, like bars in prison. It was darker in here. The green coronas effectively absorbed almost all light and leaving nothing for the vegetation below. A few red winged butterflies were dancing in the air, not caring for the troubles of the ponies. Usually this beautiful creatures lived in more opened areas, where the sun was the king. However, this butterflies actually preferred the shadows. They were called crimson spirits, because of the paint of their big wings. When in the air, they resembled ghost that tried to penetrate this existence. Quite scary, but completely harmless.

There were click sounds, that would repeat on regular intervals. Never in Feather's life did he hear such a thing. It kind of resembled two blades meeting. The ponies silently came to a big stone, on top of which Blue Circle was patiently waiting for them. He was sitting, only one dark tentacle held a metal object, whose silver top he repeatedly opened and closed. The master ninja seemed to meditate and looked very calm. Nothing in him indicated of the big decision he made, that would have a great impact on the Phoenixes.

When they arrived in front of the overgrown with mold stone, Circle looked down at them and noticed the curious gaze of Free. His blue eyes were pointing at the lighter, an object that was not known in their world. He put the top and then placed it in his hoof. Feather carefully followed it. Yes, the new leader was definitely interested in this little piece of technology that came from the Fountain of Fates.

"Circle tell him the exact same thing you told me earlier." the old master was all serious, which worried the young pegasus.

"I'm not a recorder, you know." then his mad crystal blue eyes pierced Feather. There was no sanity left in them, like of a psychopath. The new leader stood bravely in front of those abysses and prepared for the important news. "We'll part ways here."

"What? Why?" Free tried to hold his fears under control.

"Destiny has a different path for me. I can't waste any more time protecting your sorry plots. My time is nearing. I must return and prepare the soil for the chosen one. Funny, I always thought that I'd finish the prophecy with the white pegasus at my left side and the black mare at my right. However, this dream of mine won't come true."

"Why is that so?"

Blue looked down at his lighter. Something told the pegasus that the next piece of his revelation would be worse.

"The white pegasus is you!" he almost instantaneously pointed at Feather. Circle sounded more like a madpony than a fearsome ex-leader.

"Me?" the pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the other, of which you've previously spoken about? How so I'm your prophecy's holy pony now?"

"The other has already done his part. You and the one from across the sea are the bodies of one same soul. You are fulfilling the prophecy by leading these good ponies out of Tarturus. And to back my claim just look at yourself! You've lost something dear to you..."

Feather glimpsed to his wound, where used to be his left wing. He missed it but in the past days Free had many more important things to worry about but for some plume.

"The ultimate sacrifice for one winged pony is to lose its ability to fly, one of the characteristics that defy you. Just like the prophecy said. Also, remember a few days ago, when you claimed that you'd return to your mother clan, when they are going to leave the island. You can kiss that dream Good-bye, son! Now you are stuck with these dying brothers of yours as their leader. You have sacrificed your freedom to preserve the true spirit of the warrior."

"Aha..." Feather was beginning to worry about this sick master ninja. Though there was a lot of truth in his words. "Master Blue, the one, who is connected somehow with me, isn't he coming here to help the chosen one, whoever that might be?"

Circle stared at him in a way that sparked some uneasy feelings in the pegasus.

"He is dead." the white ninja said in an emotionless voice. "His mate, the chosen one is coming to avenge his mournful death. Her name is Foxy Tail and may the ancient spirits have mercy on the souls, who will be forced to stand against her. While I was meditating, I felt so much rage and pain, true dragon feelings that only resonate in the beasts heart. They were intoxicating despite sensing them from so far away. Like a very good drunken sex!" Blue licked his lips and made an evil smile. "Blood will rain. And it will be glorious! Better start hiding, cause none will be spared!"

"Cut the horse crap, Blue!" Triple angrily shouted. Circle turned to him, the old unicorn saw only insanity in his big blue eyes. He wasn't scared of him at all. "You are not making this easy for all of us! If you leave now, than the chances of a successful escape will be very low. How are we supposed to break through the barricade at the Portal without your help?"

"You tell me! You are the wise one, think of something. Or you could just wait for Foxy to arrive and enjoy the show."

"I sense that you can't be persuaded to change your mind. When will you leave?" Feather asked calmly and with understanding.

"Immediately, after I have a word with you. Master Triple, could you give us a minute alone?"

The pink unicorn frowningly nodded, unwillingly turned away and went behind the woods. Only the two remained. The young and the experienced were looking at each other silently. Then the older jumped from his stone, landing in front of Feather. Circle was with one head taller than than him. The feeling of standing face to face with White Shadow, was like when facing a giant mountain, whose white peak was somewhere above the clouds. Free felt a little nervous and invisibly prepared for any dark surprises Circle might throw at him.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Circle smirked.

"Because we may not see each other again, that is, not in this realm, I'm willing to give you a few advises. Do not trust Silver Knife too much. She may have sworn allegiance to you, but trust doesn't come that easily, just by words. This is something only time will tell, if she is that trustworthy."

"Silver Knife will not betray us. I kind of understand why she joined us and my faith in her is strong."

"Do what ever you think is best. However, when we meet in Tartarus, don't tell me that I haven't warned you. The second thing is, be a good leader. Don't fall on dirty tricks, always be the moral ground for the rest because they'll follow your example, and examples often become traditions and the thing that characterizes your ponies."

"Well, that's an advise I'll follow."

"And the last thing, give this to the rightful owner!" Circle took off the scabbard and handed it to him. The pegasus felt honored to hold this holy tool of destruction, the Legendary Clawed Sword. Although it was almost weightless, the burden given to him equaled to carrying a giant rock on his back. The blade was perfectly balanced. Its power could be felt, even when not wielded. "Protect this sword like... your eyes." there was slight sarcastic tone in his voice.

"Yes, I will. This weapon will be delivered to Dragon Born. I promise."

"Good. Then I'll be going now. On more thing, tell Triple that I'm sorry for my behavior again."

"I will."

The master ninja turned around. A single tentacle appeared from his side and took the lighter from his hoof. He opened the top and tried to light the lighter. Click, click. There was no flame, on which his mind could concentrate. It helped him to endure the madness that has already consumed a big portion of his mind. His blue eyes were frozen and would not move, until they were shined on by the small orange flame. Click, click.

"What is that?" Feather asked behind him.

"I call it a flamemaker, though it won't light up for some reason." suddenly the white ninja turned back and passed him the small metal object. "Here, it's yours. I have no use for it, where I'm going. It has brought me a lot of luck. You'll need it in order to get to Equestria safely."

"I-I... thank you." Free looked closely at the surface of the shining metal, where the unknown symbol 'V' was.

"We'll no more gifts to give. May your journey to the North be as painless as possible. So long!"

Then Circle used a spell to teleport himself away from this silent place, where red winged butterflies danced without being disturbed. His body degraded. Pieces o his fell from him like leaves and when they touched the ground, they'd become one with the earth, gaining its properties and color. Free Feather was all alone in this place or so he thought. Two red eyes watched him from a high branch of a tree. Her body was hidden quite well but not enough for the master of spirits. He was behind, sitting on a higher branch. His earnest brown eyes did not lose sight of her. The unaware mare watched how Feather put the scabbard on his back and hid the lighter under his right wing.

"Spying on fellow comrades, eh?" the grave voice of the old pony startled her. Silver lost balance and fell from the thick branch. Good thing she was a pegasus, so her plot never smashed on the ground by the force of gravity. Knife steadily landed, when from behind her came Master Triple, surrounded by a magical pink semi-transparent orb. This levitation spell helped him get to high places and descend with ease, without worrying of braking his neck or other important parts of his body. The only problem using that spell was that it would not lift others, except the one who is casting it.

"Master Triple!" the ninja in the black outfit made a wide big smile. She was not wearing her mask, so the old pony saw her fake happy-to-see-him grin. Intriguingly, there was no sense of fear in her eyes.

The magical orb disappeared and the unicorn closed the distance between. Their faces were just an ear away from each other.

"Explain yourself! And spare me the false excuses because I saw what you were doing."

"It's not what it looks like!" she sounded oddly honest. Her tone changed to aggressive. "I was just making sure that psychopath would not harm him!"

"No pony talks like that to Blue Circle, the legendary White Shadow, young lady!" he pushed her lightly with his hoof. "He may be strange, sometimes almost evil, but if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be here. That pony has endured more than you'll ever do in ten lives. Do you know what is to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders? You got no idea, darling! So, have some little respect to the warrior, who is going back to the beast's mouth on his own and the only thing that keeps him together is his belief. I do not agree on his decision but pony's got to do what a pony's got to do. So, toss aside your grudge against him. You should feel ashamed!"

"Ashamed of what?" Feather came out of the blue. Both turned to him simultaneously. "You know, it was very difficult not hear you. So, what's seems to be the problem here?"

"Silver Knife was spying on us." Triple said without a drop of a doubt. "I explicitly said back at the camp, that this was to be a privet meeting and everything will be revealed after its conclusion. Why could you not wait?"

"What?!" Feather looked at her beautiful red eyes. "Is that right? Silver Knife?"

The mare began to feel embarrassed. Their stares, one earnest, the other confused, were like swords that slowly moved inside her body. This uneasy feeling was what held her from speaking up the truth. The silence was dreadful. If they thought that she was not on their side, Silver was going to quickly say farewells with life.

"Silver?" anxiety was all over his face.

Out of a sudden there was a noise from the local bushes. They shivered, something was moving inside them. The three quickly stood in defensive positions. In a contrary of their fears, a family of bunnies appeared out of the greens shrub. They were cute little grey creatures, who ignored the ninjas and continued on their search for food. The ponies calmed down and returned to the triangle.

"Well?" Feather sounded a little bitter.

"I was not spying on you! I swear! I came her in case of danger."

"Protection? Ha!"

"I believe you." the pink unicorn in dark cloths turned to him. Feather was absolutely serious about what he just said. The mare felt a huge relief and was grateful for his trust in her.

"Be careful, Free Feather. Like Circle said, trust doesn't come that easily, on which I agree."

"You were eavesdropping us too?" the white pegasus looked surprised.

"Of course, I was. I'm a Master ninja Triple Spirit, for equilibrium's sake! If I didn't listen to your little conversation with Circle, then how I'm I to know what lesson I need not to repeat, that he may already told."

"So, you are guilty too!" Free angrily stared in the unicorns wise eyes.

"Partially, yes. However, I am not the intruder here."

"Boys, can we stop arguing who is the biggest spy? I admit that I did it, but my intentions were solely to protect you." Silver Knife looked at her leader, who was shamefaced after her revelation. "I'd not want to see you harmed by that lunatic, like he almost did with me."

Triple looked at both and saw a small spark that was just enough to start a forest fire. A sparklet, which he used to have too in his prime years. The teacher knew that they should be left alone, for that little light to make contact in their hearts. The unicorn tactically began moving in the direction of the camp. His little escape was noticed immediately.

"Where are you going?" Feather asked.

"I'm going to bring the bad news to the rest." Triple turned to her and apologized. "Sorry about the harsh tongue from earlier. Circle's decision to leave us resonates inside my head and I let some of the frustration to slip away. I can only imagine what will be the reaction of the others, when they hear that our strongest card just walked away. See you two back at the camp."

Then smilingly he went forward, disappearing in the maze of hundreds of woods. The two remaining heroes looked at each other. She was older than him, though the crazy little feeling did not acknowledge any bounds. They stared at each other for quite some time, until one of them spoke up:

"Silver Knife, would care to have a walk with me?"

"Well, it's not like I'm busy or anything. Yeah."

They happily started walking in unknown direction. The forest was everywhere, as green as it was possible, with brown to support it. A calm environment surrounded them. Their hooves were stepping on grass or small rocks. Steadily walking in known direction.

"So, you did hear what Blue Circle told me about you?"

"I wasn't able to hear anything. Unfortunately I do not have the senses of the Master."

"Oh, well, he told me not to trust you." Feather looked at her crimson eyes, the color of blood and felt like he finally found something, which was missing in him. "However, when I see your eyes, I feel like I've known you for many years. I want to believe in that."

"I too have the same feeling."

"Silver, why you really hesitated to kill me that night? Why you joined our little doomed cause? I want to know the truth!"

"It's hard to explain... I didn't kill you because I saw a reflection of myself on your place. I saw anger but not hatred in your eyes. You were afraid to die, but you didn't let the feeling dictate your actions." she looked away, her cheeks blushed. "And you kind of looked cute, when you made your last stand."

His eyes were wide opened. Feather honestly wasn't expecting such an answer.

"I-I joined your small clan because I was fed up with mine. I just felt out of place, taking orders, doing suspicious stuff in the name of the leader. I like some others started to doubt our rightness in our actions. After seeing you fighting for your lives, for your beliefs, I knew that I had a knew purpose in my life. That is why I and the other five joined you."

"Wow, that's very honest of you. Thanks for sharing it with me."

A big smile appeared on his face and on hers as well. They felt very good. The bridge was made and from now on, it was only history.

"Should we get back?"

"I think so. Let's see what happened to the moral of the rest of the Phoenixes. Hope, that my former master was able to calm everypony's roosters or the enemy will easily find us."

They turned around, when there was a sound from a place near them. They turned their heads in the direction of the source. The two were nastily surprised by flying kunais, their only targets - the enemies of the clan Dragon Claw. Suddenly, from all sides appeared a flock of sharp metal edges, all aimed at the two not so lonely ponies. Time stood still. Under black rain, they stared at their own fates, which were waving their skeletal limbs. Big dead grins were welcoming this two to the other side of the world. How unfortunate of them to be in the heart of the trap...

To be continued...

Chapter 34: Triple Horn Rule

How unfortunate of them to be in the heart of the trap. There was no way to dodge this attack from all sides. The seconds turned into hours, as they hopelessly watched the twenty blades flying towards their position. Their razor sharp edges wanted only to pierce their flesh and leave them dead, while they were standing in the red circle. The reflection of the kunais in their eyes as they approached were ominous. Death stood high above them and prepared to scythe the two unlucky ponies.

The black blades were coming closer and closer like speed demons. They were guided by pure hatred. They're going to punish the responsible for the attempt to kill their rightful leader. The sentence was going to be quick and merciless.

Except, there was one big problem. At first it was a small flash that grew exponentially in size and stopped, when an entire pony could hide in its light. Like an angel from the sky, Master Triple emerged from the teleportation and immediately his horn shined in a blue light. A sphere shield appeared between them and the blades. Metal smashed into the protection spell, not a single one of them managed to get its target. The ringing sound of the knifes hitting the blue wall gave the beginning of a lightening attack. As if the forest came to life, when twenty black ponies together jumped out from their covers, with blades pointed at the trio.

The pink unicorn fearlessly looked at them. He was ready to face them all. Every attacker wore an yellow piece of clothing around their necks. They were having a game with a notorious unit, known for its ambush tactics and attitude towards survivors: they took no prisoners. Three of them had steel claws, with which they liked to rip out their prey's guts. Like horses of war, these veteran warriors knew no fear or despair. They were going to fight to the last pony, if they had to.

Triple waited for them to come closer and when they did, he stamped the ground, which expanded the shield very quickly, hitting everypony in its way. The enemy ninjas hit the ground like ninepins, though they didn't lie there all day to enjoy the beautiful nature. The warriors renewed the attack, but this time with more fury. Battle cry sounded between the trees.

"Back-to-back!" Triple ordered. They immediately made the formation, now facing every enemy. They prepared for the unavoidable clash. Feather, using his only wing grabbed the handles of his remaining three kunais on his belt and aimed at his first targets. Silver knife drew out her dagger and stood in position to counterattack. The old pink unicorn thought of a spell, which would help them get the upper hand in this dire situation. There was not a drop of fear in their eyes, only calmness. They needed to have a cool assessment, if they wanted to survive this. "Feather, better use the sword in close quarters!"

Free quickly glimpsed at the handle near his head. The powerful tool, made for the dragon cursed, his burden. He was not worthy of wielding it but the situation demanded that this blade saw combat. His blue eyes turned at the incoming dark ninjas. They seemed more like vicious beasts than warriors. The black unicorns slowed down a bit, maybe to prepare spells. The pegasus jumped in the air with their steel claws aimed at their hearts, which were struggling not to beat fast. The earth ninjas continued the furious charge, they were going faster and faster. The forest seemed darker now, more evil-like. Sinister shadows fell on each pony, like veils of death. This was going to end in a bloodshed and the worst part was that the chances were not on their side.

When the attackers crossed the invisible line, which marked the ten meter radius around them, Triple stood on two legs and his horn flashed as bright as the sun, blinding every attacker and hindering their synchronized attack. Feather threw his kunais at his three targets. The knifes struck deep in their chests and the unfortunate victims bit the dust. He then immediately drew out the magical sword. The pegasus lifted it high so everypony could see with what they were going up against. Some of the ninjas, he was facing, had second thoughts about charging blindly at him, though their hate had much more driving force, so none even slowed down. The bone claws on the blade patiently waited for the flesh to come near. Feather felt its power going through him, like a bolt of magical energy, oh, that's because there was a real power surge that connected him with the horn of the enemy unicorn, though Free was not affected by it. Like a lightening rod, the sword guided the energy to the ground, protecting the user from its harm.

The legendary blade fulminate brightly in a pink light. Now this epic show brought some fear in the hearts of the attackers. They were witnessing the might of this weapon and whoever held it was almost invincible. The first five came at blade distance, Triple dodge two very fast attacks, swiftly moved between the two ninjas and pushed some sensitive points on their backs and necks, which turned them to stones. They stumbled over and hit the dirt, their last actions in their lives. Silver Knife parried a series of fast strikes with her long dagger. The opponent was skillful but he made a crucial mistake and let her put her edge inside his throat. Warm blood stained her beautiful face. Before this mortally wounded warrior lied down in the eternal sleep, she continued toward her next kill.

Three all together tried to stab Feather. The latter jumped to the left, barely escaping the blows. Then the sword was put horizontally, with the sharp claws facing the first to be sacrificed to the Goddess of War. He became one with the blade, moved swiftly forward and though the edge only reached the second attacker, when the pegasus cut off the head of the nearest one, an invisible force sliced the others too. The three black ninjas immediately fell on the ground, blood was pouring like from fountains. Free stood there, with the glowing sword in his mouth. It was feeding from his will to live and thus its true powers were revealed. He felt kind of funny, the urge to kill was growing to become a madness, a cruel sensation that was visible in his dark blue eyes. His black mane waved by the force of this unity with the weapon, which should not have been.The next three stopped their charge and thought twice before they jumped at him.

Silver Knife took it to the sky, followed by two pegasi with steel claws on their hooves. She skilfully maneuvered around the trees, trying to get them off her bright tail. Silver was leading them to a maze of pointy branches. Turned left, turned right, up and down and rolled, executing every flight trick under her belt, but they were still gaining on her.

Silver then decided to dive into the battle on the ground. Flying just a meter from the ground, she used the ninjas as obstacles for her chasers. The mare just passed Triple by. He was battling four warriors, three of which were unicorns. They threw magical fire at him, he blocked either by jumping from the harms way or by creating a blue shield, that could only take two to three balls of doom per life. It was quite a spectacle to look at.

The forth one was a pegasus with gold painted claws. It showcased that he was very experienced in this style of fighting and many had fallen by his hooves. While they were taking the pink unicorn's attention, he flew to his side like a fast missile. If Triple didn't duck, he'd surely be gutted badly. When the flier missed him, the master bumped him with his plot, screwing up his flight path and sending him directly at one tall tree. The pegasus smashed right into it with a bang. The huge ash shook from the crash.

One of the unicorns successfully used a freezing spell on Triple. He stood still like a statue, the perfect target. The old master was unable to free himself from it, at least his horn was aimed at them. His clarion flashed, creating a purple beam that got one of the unicorns. The magical energy send him flying across the forest, until his body hit a tree trunk, where the ninja broke something very important. His soul got out and went straight to Tartarus!

The other unicorns moved out of the way of his horn. Two more ninjas came to this little party. They threw kunais at his back. Triple gathered a lot of magical energy, concentrated it and unleashed it in a form of a bright light that hurled everypony around him in different directions. The kunais ricocheted, though they found a new victim, one of the pegasi, who was pursuing Silver. His body was sent flying downwards in a spiral before hitting the ground.

The mare saw what happened and an opportunity was given to her to finally end this exhausting chase. She turned around, slowed down, her enemy approached her with greater speed. There was no hesitation in her actions, she moved below him, when his claws were about to shred her to pieces and stabbed him in the tummy. The dagger ripped his stomach like hot knife to butter. The ninja's guts got out, blood was raining from the open wound. Screams of pain were the music in these parts of the woods.

Silver then looked at the old master, who was in a bit of a trouble. Because of the magical surge he unleashed, his body was a bit fried and Triple couldn't stand up to face the four enemy warriors. When they recovered from the blast, they quickly charged him again. The two earth ponies were going to stab his plot, when a dagger entered in the head of the one on the left and then the mare jumped on the last. They rolled a few times, until they stopped to an hold and began fighting each other. She managed to save Triple from one attack, but the next was forming now. The two unicorns went for the kill.

With the last remaining magical strength, Triple levitated two swords from the bloody ground and threw them at his opponents. They managed to dodge the flying blades and continued on their predetermined path of death. The old unicorn was not going to give up that easily. He waited for them to come closer, they did and that was when the old master rolled to the side, escaping the supposed finishing blows. He kept on rolling and rolling, while they were trying to end his time in this world. One of them got the same idea of using his sword as a projectile. The blade was sent flying at him in the same time Triple pushed himself from the ground. While the unicorn was rolling in the air, the sword got into his hooves. He redirected it to the nearest sucker. By using its kinetic energy and his rotation speed, the weapon flew swiftly at its helpless target. The edge pierce the center of the poor ninja. The stopping power of the strike put the unicorn into a hold and then his body graciously fell to its eternal place of resting.

The remaining opponent used again the freezing spell but this time Triple was able to shield himself from it. Then the dragon ninja jumped forward, landing on him and finally catching this mighty warrior. They began a struggle of life and death. The much younger horn had a great strength and was pressing hard his blade at the old one's throat. Triple was sweating from the tension his old body was forced to endure. Their eyes met, divided by worlds of pain. If only they could stop to look at all the death around them...

Suddenly, the black unicorn felt a patting on his shoulder, he turned around and saw two more Triples. The spirits had come to save his plot and they did with a great punch, which made the blood pony air-born for a brief moment. They lent the old horn a hoof and got him back on his legs. He was happy to see them answering his call and coming to his rescue.

"Took you long enough to show up!"

"We needed time to heal our wounds, Master Triple. The Dragon leader hurt us badly that night... Behind you!"

They tossed him on the ground to protect him from the claws. The spirit on the left attempted to disarm the enemy ninja, who quickly dodged and then pierced his chest.

"Crap! Not a again!" the clone puffed. From the little cuddly white clouds came a surprise attack from the second spirit. He tried to paralyze him, though the swift pegasus would not let him touch his body. The flier jumped over him and cut his hollow head. When he landed on the ground in front of the real unicorn, the spirit exploded into tiny puffs. His eyes augured only doom to the weakened Triple, whose body now had many bloody marks.

The unicorn was calm, he even smiled. The doom bringer stepped closer to his victim. His claws were hungry for blood. Like a big shadow, the black ninja stood tall. This mountain was his judge and executioner.

"For the death I've caused today, I humbly accept my fate! May the spirits show me my eternal home!"

Free Feather was utterly slaughtering the five ninjas, who he faced alone. None was able to get close and inflict any kind of harm on him. They all fell under the hungry clawed blade. He was turned into a demon of war. His white coat was covered with warm red. In his eyes could be seen the corruption, that only the rightful owners of the sword could resist. The pegasus turned around to see what was going on with the rest and that's when his eyes witnessed how the last remaining pegasus pierced the old pink pony in the guts with his deadly claws.

"Master!" Feather screamed in terror.

Silver Knife just finished her fight and looked back at the unicorn. She froze. Cold shivers were sent down her spine. Justice was served. The pegasus avenged his fallen comrades, though his time came shortly. A flying razor sharp gift impaled his throat. Bright blood splattered everywhere. The last one fell on Triple's body, shaking uncontrollably and drowning in his own red fluid. Soon Feather came to finish him by separating his head. A furious warrior cry echoed in the forest, scaring every little animal in the area. The glowing sword was dropped on the ground. It was satisfied by the killing and slowly the pink light faded away.

Death was all around them.

Feather felt much anger and despair. He violently removed the beheaded body from Triple, not caring about the respect to the dead. The old-timer was not looking pretty. His seconds were numbered, he was breathing his last breaths. Cold was creeping inside him, death was whispering his name. He had only one thing to do now: to obey his real master!

Feather was joined by Silver, they both sadly looked down at the critically wounded. They could not say anything, grief was starting to take over their hearts.

"You fools! Smile! Death is just another form of life!" Triple barely spoke.

"Master..."

"Do not be sorrowful or I'll come from the spirit world to slap you both! Free, remember, never let the darkness cloud your mind!"

"Yes, master!" tears by the force of gravity made miniature rivers, on which his feelings found their way to the unicorn's bloody cloths.

"Take care of..." he tried to breath, but the cold mistress took him in. His muscles loosened up, the final beating marked the end of his long life.

The last master of the Guardians of the Portal went on the path of eternity. His brown eyes stared dead at Feather. His life force left this body without finishing his last sentence. The pegasus understood what he wanted. The leader was going to fulfill this dead pony's last wish. But before that, he needed to give his last respect to this legendary warrior, a brave ninja, who believed in peace but lived in times, where such thing was not wanted.

The loss was felt across the sea. Foxy was waiting in front of the ship, which was going to get them to the Portal, when this strange feeling made her shiver. There was no cold wind, so she guessed right that something bad had happened. With Phoenix in front of her eyes, they were waiting for Metal's return...

Chapter 35: All Aboard!

It was five past eleven. The sun was majestically shining in the bright blue sky. The giant, but yet so small fire ball of almost infinite nuclear explosions seemed kind of sad. Its rays didn't have the exact warmth they used to give. It felt cold. The lonely grey mare was sitting like a statue with a gaze, that saw nothing but death. Winter was the season in her heart and this mini ice-age could only be melted by the hot blood of her enemy.

Next to her was Phoenix, who was still recovering from the unnatural short temper of his now sister in arms. To get inside the airport, he had to endure violent pushes and her attitude towards him. As if the inventor was just a tool and not a pony with his own soul. Phoenix was starting to doubt his decision of agreeing to help them. Was what they were doing even moral? These thoughts were scattered in the moment, when the familiar white pegasus approached them, carrying two huge brown sacks and a spear with a steel edge. Metal was out of breath.

"You are awfully late." Foxy pierced him with her fiery eyes, which did not burn hot but icy. Metal thought that his bones were going to freeze from that stare. The guardian put down the load and sat to rest a little. Sunbeams reflected from his gold armor, making him shine like a divine being. Its surface was carefully polished, before he took it. The pegasus seemed more like going to a parade, than to a personal war.

"Somepony is awfully impatient..." he took off his spartan helmet and placed it in front of him. "I went through ice and fire and there isn't a single thank you... Phoenix, I brought you the parts you need in order to modify the ship. However, your sword..." he looked at the ninja. "... of which you spoke off, was not in the archives. I and the guard searched for it everywhere. After spending twenty minutes, looking inside boxes, the pony responsible for the sorting of all evidence and objects went outside to notify his superior of the theft. Huh, to think of how hard was to convince him to let me inside and then to find out that the prize was already taken..."

Foxy was not pleased to hear this news. She stood like an ice sculpture, thinking. No pony dared to move even slightly in this rare moments, when she was deciding their fates.

"The Royal Guard's Office was supposed to be the safest place in here... Seems like a false rumor to me now. We'll go without my weapon. It will be a bit difficult but Justice will be served!" she swiftly turned to the ship and ordered with her emotionless voice: "Everypony, on board!"

Phoenix and Metal looked at each other. Then both followed the grey mare climbing on board with sight. Deep shadows were falling on her, as if the darkness of the void itself wanted to play a role. The power of absolute zero could be felt in the hairs of their coats. Below that thick ice was a nuclear turmoil of unknown proportions. Several supernovas could get inside that dragon heart. The ice wall was barely holding the primal rage from getting out and spreading throughout her body. If that were to happen, then no living thing near her was safe. It was preserved for later, when she's going to face her enemy.

When the red fox tail disappeared behind the railings of the ship, Phoenix pony upped and quietly went to Metal.

"I start to wonder, if what we are doing is the right thing." the yellow unicorn quietly said.

"It isn't. However, she is going to do it regardless of us, so we need to make sure she doesn't throw herself away to the abyss." Metal then looked at him. "I talked to the flight planners and convinced them that I'm going to return the vessel back to its owner. They didn't ask me too many question, maybe because of the armor. They won't stand in our way."

"Does that mean that I won't be able to modify the ship's engine, while on the ground?"

"Yes, you'll have to modify it, while we are in the air or they might become suspicious. Can you do it?"

"I can but if my modification fails, then it would be quite difficult to land without an engine."

"Do not worry about that." Metal smirked, though Phoenix was having trouble of feeling assured. "Come on. Help me with the sacks."

They took the provisions, the only weapon, the tools and the parts for the engine on board and prepared to set sail. Metal went to untie the ropes, that held this wonder of science and magic to become one with the sky. Phoenix started the engine, it purred like a cat. The propeller began slowly turning, creating weak wind behind it. The Equestrian flag began shaking from the vibration of the metal heart. Metal returned on the deck, after he was done with the ropes and raised the ramp. Then the Guardian went at the helm, the unicorn took the two sacks and put them inside the engine bay. All of the weather changing machines were confiscated and the little room had the feel of freedom. He placed them near the staircase and then returned on the main deck.

While the two were preparing for lift off, Foxy stood at the nose, staring south. Somepony would call her ungrateful, that they were doing all the work like good little worker ants. She needed the time of being alone to pull herself from the nuclear winter that was going inside her heart.

After Phoenix checked the condition of the purple balloon, finally the green light was given. Metal carefully began unleashing more of the power of the engine. The small ship lifted off the ground. Soon this bird of revenge directed itself to the blue sky, like a phoenix from the ashes of the old to become the deliverer of death. Fire was its fuel and weapon, the holy anger was the captain and the crew were the unfortunate souls to come on this journey of pure destruction. The airship flew as high as the sun, Foxy thought that she could touch it. However, the ninja knew of the legend of a pegasus, who tried to reach it. It ended with him turning into ashes just before fulfilling his cloud-castle. With dreams shattered, she could only pray for such death.

The fresh green ground was far below them, heaven that Foxy could not reach. Only the hell of the blue ocean enveloped their view. The ship was flying on full throttle. Thankfully there was a tailwind that helped a lot to get out of Canterlot's airspace. They were nearing Ponyville, when Metal cut the engines and that was the sign for the unicorn to prepare for the difficult task at hoof. The craft flew with the help of wind and its own inertia.

"I have to ask you to come with me inside the engine room."

"We'll come."

Then Phoenix went down the stairs. Metal approached the staircase and looked at her. She didn't seem to pay any attention, though that was far from the case. He silently went inside the belly of the wooden bird. The unicorn was pulling out instruments and parts from one of the sacks and carefully arranged them on the floor. He finished with this small task, when her steps sounded above their heads.

"So, what you want to show us?" Metal was intrigued.

Phoenix didn't say at first. He suddenly turned to him and the gray mare. His eyes seemed very bright, was he enjoying it?

"The thing I want to tell you is that this..." he almost ceremonially pointed at the sleeping metal beast, that was painted in pink. "... is one very reliable engine, on which design I've work as a student back at the engineer school. No matter how much punishment you throw at it, this little metal heart will operate without a drop in its performance. However, its drawback is that it can not reach high speeds like many other modern engines. I know how to turn it into a speeding devil, but for a high prize. We'll lose its reliability. The probability of braking or stopping to work, while in mid-air, is above the acceptable norms and the process is irreversible. So, I need you to be completely sure about this decision. Reliability or speed, your choice?"

Foxy glimpsed at the engine and then looked back at the yellow unicorn. There was the feeling of not carrying about this little problem coming from her eyes.

"Stop wasting time and start the modification! This ship will not stop! If that was all, I want not to be disturbed by anypony."

"That's all..." Phoenix's enthusiasm kind of faded away. Then Foxy turned around and quickly went upstairs. This was getting awkwardly bad for this little team of avengers.

"Would you require some assistance?" Metal asked.

"No, I can do it on my own." he sighed sadly. "I hope that she doesn't hate me for what I almost did... Metal Eye, do you hate me for the tortures you had to endure in my little laboratory?"

"I hold some anger towards you but I try to keep it inside. I understand that you were under the medallion's influence and you didn't realize fully what was happening..."

"That's not true. I knew very well what I was doing. When I tortured you or when I pointed the barrel at her or at him, I really wanted to kill them. I liked the smell of death that was coming from their sweat. Now, I just want that nightmare gone. If I could, I'd erase it all from my memory or better, I'd erase it from history and change things for the better."

"Well, we all face our demons and what matters is how we deal with them and what we have learned from them. If we had the power to change time, then why bother with anything, if it's going to be changed anyway? What makes us stronger and wiser is to learn by past mistakes and try not to repeat them."

"I see what you mean, Metal. You better go talk to her. Despite her tough look, she is in a desperate need for a friend."

The white pegasus nodded and then went after Foxy. The inventor turned to the engine and whispered:

"Now, it's you and me, pal." he levitated an instrument from the floor with his horn. Then Phoenix began opening the engine casing. A memory emerged in his head of when he first opened such metal hearts. Just like then, the unicorn felt excitement. This was his thing and finally he could do what his cutie mark had destined him to do.

Phoenix reached for another tool, when his hoof touched something oddly familiar. It was an instrument for killing. His blue eyes looked at the silver bracelet with a barrel attached on it. A sense of horror went through his mind. Then he noticed the dark figure of a pony with big white eyes.

"Hello, Phoenix! I told you that you are mine." the shade said with a very dark voice. Before the unicorn could scream for help, the faint consumed him. Covered entirely in black, the pony tried to resist. It was hopeless. Then the shadow moved inside him, hiding deep in his body. This felt so painful. Fear was all over his face. Phoenix wanted to shout, but the thing inside him would not let him do so. The alien entity whispered in his brain: "Don't even think of calling for help. I pull your strings now. If you obey me, you'll live. Otherwise I will eat your life force and it's really tempting to taste your juice."

"Who-who are you?!" Phoenix asked in his thoughts.

"The one, who freed you from the Shadow Princess." the shade told him with a slight mockery in his voice.

"No, it was Lucky Eight!"

"You think? Ha, I won't shatter your believes, yet! Ha-ha-ha!"

"Please, get out!"

"Oh, no no, it doesn't work like that. I like it in here. It's very comfy and warm..." the shade touched his heart, which Phoenix immediately felt. The darkness was clean of anything resembling good. This demon knew only one thing: death and that was what the unicorn would receive, if he didn't play his game. "You see, I can take your life at any given moment but for the purposes of your mission, you must be alive and well."

"What do you want?" Phoenix tried to stay calm and think rationally.

"I want you to kill Foxy after she has fulfilled her destiny!"

"I-I can't! I couldn't! It's wrong!"

"Wrong?" slow, evil laugh sounded in the unicorn's head. "You have time to think about you moral dilemma. For your information, the choice is already made. And remember, I see and hear everything. Try warning her and you'll be dead before you even speak your first word."

"Why are you doing this? Who are you?" the inventor began to despond.

"I'm the Jester of Flame! And welcome to my world!"

The shadow burst in demonic laughs that echoed inside Phoenix. The unicorn was frozen, scared to the bone. He was doomed to be a slave to this master of ponies. His blue eyes were staring at the lying on the floor bracelet gun, that was loaded with only one pallet. He better not miss...

Meanwhile...

On the main deck, Foxy was again looking in the distance from the nose of the small ship. She was in no mood to talk but Metal really needed to put some sense into her.

"Foxy, can I have a word with you?"

"What is it, Metal?" she asked with a cold voice. The pegasus stood behind her from a safe distance, so that her rear hooves of mightiness would not kick him right in the face.

"I've lost a dear friend and I understand your pain, but you don't see me acting like a heartless evildoer! Is there something I could do for you to ease the pain?" a lot of guts was needed to tell her that and more courage to stand by it. Tail turned around and stared deep into his pink eyes. There was a lot of sympathy and also sincere feelings towards her. They were silent for a moment. A moment of recalling the good memories with the dead one.

"There is one thing." Metal was all ears. "Can you bring him back?"

"I can not. If I could, I'd do it in an instant!"

The mare just silently turned her back to him and looked at the bright sky. Then a hoof landed on her shoulder and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"Foxy, hear me! I'll not let you carry the pain only by yourself! Please, let me help you." his words sounded sincere and commiserative as much as irritating in her ears. She wanted to kick him from her personal space. Oh, yeah! Tail was about to, but then she saw the one creature that gave her purpose in life. Instead of the pony with the blue and purple strips mane, now the one with the green was smiling at her. This illusion made her heart to beat without a rhythm. It was so real and yet, faded so quick.

"Foxy?" Metal sounded very concerned.

Like after a sweet dream, the reality hit her right in the face. It hurt... a lot...

Foxy looked away and whispered:

"Leave me alone."

Metal didn't want to. He steadily backed off, realizing that his presence brought only more harm. The pegasus wanted to hug her and protect her from the sadness. How was this even possible for a warrior like her to be so weak? Couldn't there be a way to shield herself from these emotions? Could there be another, who could fill the wide dark gap?

The stallion just stood there, looking at the mare. Then he gloomily looked down, understanding that she would not let him help her. His mind couldn't think of anything that could make her at least a little happy. If only she had let him die back in that night, in the hotel, then all of this would have been avoided. Yes, but then Foxy wouldn't have experienced happiness even for a brief moment, she wouldn't have known what love felt like...

Metal slowly turned away, unwilling, without losing sight of her, he began to recede, leaving Foxy in her little hell. The nuclear war and the great winter had a lovely party inside that little heart and the night had not yet come.

After an hour and half, Phoenix was done with the modification. When he appeared from the staircase, the unicorn didn't seem very happy, actually, his face was more of a pony, who just learned that he had a terrible sickness. No pony asked him anything though. The moral of the rest of the crew was barely floating above the danger zone to notice his troubles.

"She is good to start again!" Phoenix unsuccessfully made a little smile. It made him look less happy and more grim.

Metal went at the helm and pushed a button, that brought life into the iron beast. It roared like a bear, then the propeller began turning with a great force. The captain pushed the stick forward, increasing the speed of the craft. They were flying like a rocket, unleashing the maximum power of the engine. The purple balloon was significantly lagging behind the nose. Wind was hitting them like an invisible wall, trying to resist this speeding bullet. With such a speed they'd get to the Portal in no time.

"Foxy, could you point the direction?" Metal shouted from his end of the ship.

The mare lifted her hoof and the helm quickly rotated, changing their course. They were going straight to the Hell Pit on the wings of revenge.

Chapter 36: Rise Of The Leader

In the deep forest, where shadows were the curtains, a group of ponies were giving their last respect to the old Master, who had lived much and taught a lot to these young warriors. The trees seemed sad of his death. Their branches made arcs that pointed downwards to the ground, where all creatures went after their ends. Crimson butterflies were dancing the mournful ritual, like fiends, who laughed at his cold corpse.

The ponies made a circle around him and all spoke in ancient language. It was their way of giving him last farewell. Despite them being trained in the arts of war, they were also trained in the arts of love. This brother's death left big holes in their hearts. He used to be their guide, their teacher, their father to whom they could always turned to in a time of need. Now, Triple Spirit was just a decaying meat, a food for the worms. It looked like destiny just took him away to have him only for her.

Every ninja had closed their eyes. Their dirty faces showed humility, but looking closer in those tired faces, it was visible as a clear day the pain each were holding inside. No pony moved from their place for fifteen minutes. Dead silence had lied down. Free Feather was the only one looking down at his former master. His blue eyes had lost their innocents, there was only uncertainty and fear. The future of this small clan was uncertain. They could be dead in the next hour or in the next day, never to fulfill the old pony's wish. However, they had to come on top and free themselves from this pony hell. They needed to get to Equestria or the blood of the first warriors will be forever lost.

Next to him was the big blue ninja unicorn with his huge sword on his back. Silver Knife was on the left. Despite not knowing the dead master like the rest, in these past few days with the Phoenixes, she learned to respect this pony. Finding him very wise and interesting to listen, when he talked about the past, Silver was never going to forget his optimism and the old smile, he would make at times. As if he was trying to tell her about the bright future that she and everypony in this little group of assassin were going to live in.

The ceremony was over with placing branches over his body and cover it with leafs. The forest blanket forever hid that pink calm old face. Although they had to burn the body, they didn't do that because it would give away their position. The ponies slowly made a bigger circle around the resting place and bowed down for one last time. Then they all spread out, disappearing behind the dark curtain. This also had a symbolical meaning that the spirit of the dead was allowed to escape the shell and unite with the ancestral spirits. They welcomed him with open legs.

Soon they met again, near the bright camp, where the wounded were somehow still breathing, barely,,, Feather looked at each ninja, who participated in the ritual. The moral of his brothers was at it's lowest point. Problem after a problem, these tough ponies took all hits like punching bags. However, unlike the soulless object, they had a threshold of endurance. Once crossed, it would be quite difficult to bring them back on the track.

The Phoenixes would not look up, they all seemed to like staring the grassy ground. Way too many bad things happened in these two weeks. Too many friends were lost forever. Could they survive with their heads intact? Who was going to be the first to drop the ball? Such dark thoughts ricocheted in the leader's head that it was difficult for him to concentrate on one thread. He didn't even notice Silver approaching in front of him.

"How are you holding?" she caringly asked. The white pegasus needed some time until he reacted to her question.

"I can't begin to describe the chaos that is in me." he looked up. Because they were in the brighter section of the forest, gold beams were falling from every little hole in the thick corona, creating a spectacular lighting. One of such beams was falling on her face, making it brighter, like of a pure creature, that is here to help these unfortunate souls. In other words, she looked very pretty, despite the dirty face. Her blue color really fit her red eyes, in which he could jump into her soul. And the bright mane was shining like gold. For a brief moment, all his worries disappeared, though they came back, when the blue unicorn approached them.

"Feather, what are we going to do now?"

The young pegasus turned to him and looked in him in those serious pink eyes.

"I-I do not know." he answered very quietly. He looked very unsure and weak.

"What?!" the mighty unicorn stepped inside Free's personal space. "You are the leader, the master! Who will know, if not you?"

Feather sadly looked away. He tried to find some strength by looking at her.

"I don't..."

Suddenly pink aura surrounded him, immobilizing him completely. The very sharp edge was moved next to the unclean white throat. The huge sword was slightly pushing his coat but not enough to make a cut. The blade had a beautifully engraving. The tens of black curves took a shape of a dragon head at the end. This sword was ancient and was used for slaying dragons. The holder came from a family that lived by the old laws and when the Guardians came at their door to ask for their son, they gave him this treasure, so that he would resound their family name. It was a big burden to carry at first but the years of training created the symbiosis between him and this razor sharp tool. He was one with it, like an extension of his legs and spirit, this sword served him well and would continue to do so in the future.

The blue ninja looked quite threatening. His tired pink eyes, which haven't seen a lot of sleep, showed a lot of anger. There was also glimmer of hope that this strong warrior would not do the unthinkable...

"Tell me something, Feather, why the old master chose you to be our leader? What makes you more special than the rest of us? Answer me!"

The young pegasus was scared. He numbly stared back at the unicorn, who was preparing to kill him, if the answer was not satisfactory. Free wanted to say something, just a word but his mouth was sealed by the power of fear. He understood the turmoil in the hearts of his brethren. They've lost everything to gain almost nothing. This was the time to make a strong stand and show everypony, that he's fit to lead them to the heavens. This was the moment, when he had to jump into the unknown without the help of Triple.

Suddenly, a second edge moved closely to his throat. He glimpsed at the second executioner. Icy sweat began to fall from him. Silver Knife was aiming her long knife, ready to take his life. In her red eyes there was no sign of friendship, only cold, as if they're longtime enemies.

"He's mine!" she said with a little mockery in her voice. "If you want killing him and take his place, then you've thought wrong! I'll be the one to kill him and become the next leader!"

"Get lost, Silver Knife!" the blue ninja gave her the blood stare. "I need to know, if the master I'm following can be trusted with our lives!"

Silver put a hoof around Feather's neck and closed her face to his. The pegasus was not even making the slightest motion. He was desperately trying to figure out what was happening. The mare smiled in a diabolic kind of way, totally sure of what she was doing.

"You see, I won't leave that easily. I'll kill him before you do. Isn't that right, boys?"

The rest of the ninjas were not liking the situation. They all had drawn out their weapons, ready to attack either of these lunatics.

"Both of you drop the act! Get away from Feather!" the black ninja ordered.

"Or what? Ha, you can not do anything from your position! We control the show!"

"Don't make fun of us, Silver Knife! If you don't move away from him, then we'll be forced to act!" the black ninja prepared to strike and the others too. The warning didn't seem to get into her head. However, the powerful shout did.

"Bucking stop!" the blue ninja angrily stared at her. "Silver Knife, I do not wish to take his place! Can't you understand everypony? I'm trying to learn if he is fit to lead. When Master Triple made him into our leader, we all knew that the big shadow of our dead teacher was falling down on him. Feather was our new master but he sought wisdom and guidance from the old unicorn. However, now the Master is gone. Can Free actually fulfill his mission as our leader? Can he bring us to the light? Or are we doomed to fail? Our strongest warriors are gone, now we are completely alone against an enemy that has pretty much all of the good cards! Because the will of our dead Master is honored by all, no pony can challenge Feather for his position. If he doesn't not fit, he must die!" his pink eyes turned to the still closed in his little dark room pegasus. Not even a shiver was made. "That way somepony more suited for the task will take over his position. I'll accept my fate and be punished for my actions."

Every ninja was shocked to hear that. Silver was numbed.

"Razor Sharp, how could you say such a thing?" the black warrior anxiously asked. Fear of what would happen in the next few moments was readable in his brown eyes. "He is our friend! Killing him won't make things better! It will only degrade to downward spiral until we hit the floor with spears!"

"I've lost so many friends. I saw them lying in their own blood! I don't want this to continue. If Feather can't get us all safely to the other side, then he must die!" Razor turned to the white pegasus. The intent to kill was in the air. Things were becoming darker inside that young head. His mind was trying to to find a way from this situation. But it seems to always hit the wall in that maze of thoughts and doubts. The future, the present and the past were colliding in epic clashes that produced thunders with enough power to vaporize his inexperienced soul. He couldn't give a false promise, he was not a God to be able to protect them all from danger.

"We all have lost friends, Razor!" one of the ninjas shouted. "We too feel the loss of our master!"

"Yeah, and you don't see us threatening the life of one of our own!" the next spoke out. "What would the ones, who are not among us and the Master say, if they see you now?"

"I'll protect him with my life!" Silver Knife said with a lot of punch in her voice. Her red eyes were foretelling only bad stuff to the blue ninja, who seemed very alone in this band of brothers and sisters. The mare positioned her knife, so that she could parry the first strike. Silver said in his ear: "Feather, snap out of it!"

"They would understand. You leave me no choice then. I'm sorry!"

The pink aura vibrated with a different frequency and the large sword began moving. Silver Knife pushed Feather on the ground, then like a thunder, the huge blade clashed into the smaller knife. She almost lost balance from this powerful strike. The horn of the blue ninja flashed in red and a strong push sent her flying to tree behind her. She hit her head and lost consciousness. The ninjas around them charged like the wind. Razor got on his two rear legs, cried like a beast and then stamped the ground, combined with his magic, this created a massive shock wave, which stopped the attackers on their tracks. A crater formed below him. Everypony was thrown in different directions. Feather kicked in the air and landed painfully on his left side, where his wing was missing. He slowly turned his sight at the approaching blue demon. Pain and rage was in his pink eyes, they clouded his mind and were inciting him to become his slayer.

The enormous blade was lifted again and ready to take his life, when purple light came from the scabbard. The clawed sword was urging him to use it and fight. The edge was sent flying downwards, aimed for his throat. Feather blinked once and when he opened his eyes, something had changed. He was no longer looking like a defenseless kitten, but a wounded panther that was gonna fight with claws and teeth to the bitter end.

Steel met steel.

Sparks were produced by the clash of metal. The magical blade was shining in deep purple. The pegasus was transformed into this darker form, which liked to see destruction around it. They stared at each other, one blinded by his feelings, the other corrupted by the power of the sword. The tension was great where the two blades touched. Then like a speeding bullet, the pegasus jumped over the sword, landed on it and then jumped again to the unicorn.

Razor had just two seconds to react. His horn flashed, blinding the attacker. Then he jumped away from danger. Feather turned to the blue pony, when the incoming huge chunk of steel was thrown at him. He immediately ducked. The blade only shaved some of his hairs, then it hit the tree trunk behind him. The cut was really deep.

Free began galloping towards the unarmed unicorn, who had one more trick under his sleeve. A electrocuting beam was sent at the incoming ninja. Feather parried the magic with his sword, which absorbed the energy. Razor was stunned to see him unharmed. The image of the storming white pony with a sinister weapon in his mouth was reflected in his pink eyes. Now he saw his answer.

Feather swung his sword at the throat of his opponent. This was the moment of truth, in which every illusion was going to perish into the great unknown. Razor Sharp closed his eyes. He could feel the cold blade next to his flesh. Did time just stop? It didn't move inside. Just waiting for the master to do the kill. He carefully opened his eyes and stared at the the magical blade. It was shivering a little, the swordspony was having trouble to decide if whether Razor had to die or not. The urge was strong to take his life, but Feather had to resist the dark powers of this amazing blade. He didn't want to do it. They were friends after all. Brothers in fate, how could Free go beyond it? No, he was not gonna kill him and instead he was going to show a perfect example of why he was chosen to be the leader.

The purple shining steel moved away from his throat and then the blade was stuck into the ground. After a few seconds the glow began to fade. Razor looked at the pegasus, who seemed to still battle the evil urges. They were silent, the old forest too. Some of the other Phoenixes began to wake up, though they were still stunned by the powerful blast wave. Silver blinked a few times to clean the blurry view.

"Why?" the strong unicorn quietly asked.

"Because killing you would make me into you." Feather calmly answered. He looked down at the lively grass and said: "Death, she is such a great kisser. Her kisses are pure poison and leaves pain in the hearts of the living. How easy it would be, if I died and was set free from our terrible problems and lives. I understand that you want to be safe and more, you want our friends to live. I can't promise you that everypony will survive the next days, but I promise you this: as long as I'm the leader, my whole being will be dedicated to this small newborn clan. I'll watch over you, while everypony sleeps. I'll show you the safest path in the dark woods. I'll be opened to all! The only thing I'm asking is some understanding. I'm only a pony, who was given the difficult task of being in charge of our fates. However, it all depends on how we work and live as a group of warriors, who seek the light! Will you follow me even the blackest caves? Will you be at my side, when the odds are not on our side?"

Razor listened carefully everything the pegasus had to say. Sharp had options. He could either try to take the sword between them or run away and try his luck on his own. He chose to bow down and ask for forgiveness:

"I'll take any punishment for ever doubting you, Feather! I was at a great error in here. My only wish is that in your warrior heart, you forgive me!"

"I don't like punishing anypony, even the enemy." the pegasus came closer, looking down with understanding of this mighty ninja, who almost lost his ways. "Stand up. I do not like ponies bowing to me."

Razor obeyed. He's ashamed to look him in the eye. One of the ninjas managed to stand up and immediately went to them with a prepared weapon.

"Stop!" Feather ordered. "He means no harm now. Leave him alone for a moment!"

The yellow ninja lowered his knife and nodded. Soon the rest came back to their normal vertical positions and encircled the two. Like dark statues, they stared down at him with watchful eyes. He felt, as if his world has turned against him.

"Should we punish him for ever lifting a sword at one of us?" the black ninja asked.

"No, he is in his own Tartarus now. He does not need to surfer physical pain, he'll endure it. However, I can not say the same for his spirit. I want you to leave him for now with his thoughts."

"As you say, Feather."

"Tell the others that we are moving! We are too near to, where we got ambushed and the enemy is probably looking for us as we speak. And our little fight didn't help us stay invisible for our enemy. We need to get to the portal, as fast as possible."

"Changing position in daytime? Isn't that too risky?"

"I think we can do it." Silver entered in the conversation. "The pegasi will scout the way, the earth ponies will carry the wounded and the unicorns will protect them with shield spells."

"Silver, you are going to be the leader of the scouts. We know the woods around the portal but we do not know how the dragon ponies think."

"I'll not disappoint you!" Silver nodded.

"What about the ninjas, who are guarding it? We can't just sneak past them. And we are not ready to go to another battle. Who is going to distract them, while we are teleporting to the other side?"

"We are the decoys." Feather confidently said.

"Wait, what?!" the earth pony almost jumped from his place.

"The owner of this sword will be here soon. She'll help us escape." he pointed at the clawed bladed, that was still stuck into the ground.

"I hope that what you say is right. I'll go and prepare the clan!" he turned to the rest and said: "Come on, lads! We are changing houses! Come, Razor!"

Everypony turned at the direction of the camp and energetically disappeared behind the vegetation, Razor was slowly following their steps. The huge sword flew next him in the air. Only Feather and Silver stood in front of the legendary blade. They were silently looked at each other. She sensed that he was in a need of help, despite his new more confident look. Two quiet minutes passed, when Feather asked.

"Can you help me lift the sword?"

"Are you afraid of it?" she concernedly asked.

"I almost chop Razor's head off. It's not meant for me to wield it. I have the feeling, that if I take it one more time, I'd lose myself to the corruption..."

Silver came closer and took his hoof. He didn't resist and only watched what she was doing. The mare placed his hoof on the handle and together they took out the mighty sword from the ground. It didn't shine in any light, the dark forces were absent. She then helped him to put it back into the scabbard. Her actions were fluent, with female grace that showed a lot of care. Free felt good after this small act. He now knew that she was going to support him even in the direst situations. This in turn, opened his heart more to her.

"Thanks, Silver." he made a warm smile. She answered him with the same.

"We should better head back to the camp."

"Agreed."

They stared at each others eyes for a few more moments, studying their souls through the little windows. Then both silently disappeared behind the green and brown wall, never for their hooves to be heard in this place. Half a day passed in the lives of these miserable ponies, who were not meant for this island. What would have happened, if a noble super being had some influence on the ninja clans? What if Celestia and Luna were their rulers too? Maybe the mass killings would have never existed in here. Pain would have been just a thing from the past...

Chapter 37: Airway To Hell

The mysterious night had spread its skirts all over the sky dome. The moon was high, gloriously reflecting the sunlight onto the world below. She was in the peak of her short reign. There were no clouds, the wind was mild. A lonely mechanical bird was soaring, the herald of destruction that followed behind it's mighty propeller. A single lamp was illuminating the upper deck, powered by the metal beast's heart. Metal Eye was at the helm. He and Phoenix were going to pilot it in shifts. The unicorn was in the engine bay, resting, and the lone ninja at the nose, looking at the white celestial body. She remembered when as a filly, she'd go on the roof of the palace and look at the great Luna, whose gentle light brought some peace in her mind. As you are well aware, dear reader, Foxy didn't have the best childhood. Born because of a curse and not love, she was a scary little pony, who had the power of the dragon. Despite her being the clans best ninja, no pony wanted to be near her, afraid that she might consume them in flames. Indeed, Foxy was an outcast among her clan mates. After the monstrosities of the recent war, she had enough of pain and death. Why couldn't destiny grant her this simple wish: to live in harmony and peace?

Now, on a voyage of holy retribution, she was going to get back home, the one from which her hooves tried to escape. It was going to welcome her with warm feasts, as promised it was going to be in red.

"Lucky, why you had to die?" Tail asked the moon. Metal Eye heard her clearly as the day from the helm. How he wanted to embrace her and share the pain for his lost friend. But the lone warrior knew not of such beautiful acts, in which true feelings were on the top. Metal had to do something that could distract her from the suffering.

"So, how big is this portal?" he raised his voice, so that she could hear him from the other end and the small noise of the engine.

"Not enough for a whole ship to get through, so we are going on hoof." she coldly answered, without looking back at him.

"Is it guarded?"

"Yes, by the Guardians of the Portal."

"Are they hostile?"

"Yes and no. If you are coming with evil intentions, then you'll be met with hostility. We won't have a problem with them because I know them."

"You do? Would you share your history with them?" Eye smirked. He was finally getting some success after a long day of silence and fail attempts to communicate with this crushed heart. Foxy sighed and turned around. Her orange eyes were winter itself. But behind that curtain was an inferno, ready to burn everything around her. From her looks, she was not exactly interested in this conversation.

"I know what you are trying to do, master spy."

Metal raised an eye brow, trying to make a funny face.

"You do?"

"You want to learn more about the clans, so that you can report to your precious Princesses." Tail approached the helm with a creepy gait. Her red fox-like tail was waving darkly. The pegasus was really thinking of ways to dodge her attacks, if there were any. When she was in front of the helm, Foxy place her hooves on the rudder and whispered: "Thank you for trying to help me. But everything you do will be in vain."

"Huh, I don't give up so easily!"

She went next to him and sat.

"When I was a little, the leader sent me to the most elite ninja schools, where I had to learn to be the best at what I was born to do."

"Would you care to tell me what that is?" he glimpsed at her. She only silently stared at him for a few moments. The answer was clear.

"He asked many schools and many didn't give him permission. One invitation came from the unlikeliest sources. The new Master of the Guardians knew my mother and was intrigued of my gifts, so he wanted to meet me. Master Triple Spirit took me under his horn and showed me an ancient technique, which can stop every enemy on his track, without even using a weapon. I trained four months with him, before the leader brought me back to the clan. He never told me why my study was interrupted, though I sensed that he didn't like what the old pony was spreading."

"What was it?"

"Love and tolerance. Peace and unity, something the leader was and is not fond of..."

"Sounds like a great pony!" he smiled.

"But a fool. He lives a dream world, in which he sees every clan living in peace, something many do not want. His teachings barely got out from the Guardian circle because they live so isolated from the clans." she looked at the pegasus, who was busy steering the ship. Tail knocked on his golden armor, while asking: "You think this will protect you from all pointy objects? The only things missing are some shiny jewels and makeup!"

"It's a standard Royal Guard armor. It let's me maneuver, while protecting the most important parts of the body. I could have taken the full body armor, but then I'd be a brick in the air, wouldn't I?"

She placed her hoof on his unprotected neck and said with a dark voice:

"One cut in here will stop you right on the spot. This is no armor, but a parade costume. You should have never come with me... What will Spy Filly think, after you've been gone for weeks, never to return?"

"He knows where we are going. And interesting enough, he understood quite well." Metal turned to her with his serious pink eyes. "I know the risks of coming with you. If something happens to me, then Quarter Key will become his mentor. I've prepared everything to ensure that Spy lives a happy life."

"I see now why you were late... You shouldn't have told anypony else about this."

"I had to. I believe that truth must always be preserved. We are not on a holiday after all."

Both slowly turned their heads forward. Metal corrected their course, while Foxy was thinking. The night wind gently stroke their manes. Luckily, the engine was working without an error. The moon was above the balloon, but it's soft light was all around them. The land below them seemed to be colored in every nuance of the blue. Nature looked dead but it was a clever deception, meant to fool the unworthy, who dared to travel in the night on hoof. It seemed peaceful. The only noise source was the machine. Many beastly eyes looked up at the sky. Mainly predators, who were still hungry from their last meal, wanted to check the wooden bird. The ponies did not have to worry. They were high enough to be protected by most night hunters.

Then, the question came...

"Metal, how are you holding up after the loss?"

For just a second, he froze still and then turned to her with a friendly face. It was a lie, 'cause behind it, tears wanted to fall like a waterfall.

"I'd lie, if I say that I'm well. Losing a long time friend like Lucky has made a deep cut into my soul. Life can be cruel and forgiving, the only thing we have to do is to carry on. Look, Tail, I know that your pain is great, you were his mate after all, but couldn't you just say no to death and look in the future? You never know what it can bring..."

"It will never bring perfection. Started rough and ugly to become something beautiful and honest. No pony can replace him and for that Lupi Do must die!"

As if her short red mane turned more bloody. Feather did not like her attitude at all.

"Well, before you grant us all the death wish, for once look at the bright side of life."

She glimpsed at him and wanted to hit him real hard.

"Bright side of life? There isn't such a thing in my world. Everything I held dear is gone and the only thing that keeps me going is vengeance itself."

"Oh, really?" Metal let go of the rudder, completely turned to her and pointed at her heart. "Is this what he would want you to do? Did he forbid you to pursue happiness after he is gone? The world doesn't turn around like you think. Everything finds balance and you must too. What will happen after you kill the leader? Will your lust for killing and revenge be satisfied? Or do you have to bring more destruction to the lives of everypony around you?"

"My anger is saved only for the leader and no pony else. If they choose to stand in my way, then I'll deal with them as I see fit. This also goes for you, Metal." Foxy stood up and went forward to the staircase, with a gait of an unstoppable force.

"We are not done!" Metal shouted behind her. The pegasus jumped in the air and landed just in front of her face. Their eyes were on equal plains again. "What if this is a plot to destroy you? You and Lucky stopped the Shadow Princess from consuming our world. Then Lucky dies and now we are entering dangerous territory without back up or anything to ensure our safe return. Think about it for a second."

She was silent. Could he be right? Was she just a puppet, controlled by the secret master? Lucky warned her of the shade, that seemed to be nowhere and in the same time so near. But her blindness, the anger, put the magical curtain in front of her sight and she was not able to see the truth.

"Out of my way." she said with a quiet voice.

Metal frowned but he didn't want to start a fight. He reluctantly backed off and let her pass. Her steps on the wooden floor were like thunders of war drums, playing the final march before battle. Her grey figure disappeared in the deck below. The armored pegasus had nothing else to do except to return to his post. He felt that instead of coming closer to her, now a giant abyss divided them. He could always use his wings and fly to the other side but there was something sinister, waiting for him to get in its trap. Maybe tomorrow would shine on the darkness and show the safest route to her soul.

A single light bulb made sure that the engine room was well lit. Phoenix was lying on his right side, cuddled almost into a ball. A green blanket covered his body. He seemed asleep, despite the noise from the engine. Foxy went to the other side of the room and sat down in a position for meditation. She needed to be rested 'cause the next day was going to be tiresome. They had to gallop all the way to the Draconicus, where the strong evil leader was living in his luxurious palace. It would roughly take them two and a half days to get there, maybe they could sprint all night to shorten the time for them to arrive at the famous Blood Portal.

She glimpsed at the sleeping unicorn, before Tail closed her eyes and began meditating. Unfortunately this mare could not sleep and the closest she got to that was her trustful meditation, which she learned by the old Master Triple. There was only blackness in her mind. Total silence. She concentrated on her energies and began manipulating them in her favor.

While the ninja was going in deeper and deeper, Phoenix was doing the same but with another problem.

"I love how you hid the bracelet gun behind the engine. You really made sure that they'd not find it. Only don't forget to retrieve it for your dirty deed. He-he."

The demon's voice was quite irritating, despite that, Phoenix stayed cool and thought logically.

"If you can hear my thoughts, then I must be able to hear yours as well. Tapping into my brain form the inside must work both ways."

"No,no,no,no. It doesn't work like that. No matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to read my thoughts. And that's the beauty of it. I can see, hear and smell everything you sense."

"There is always a way and I'm going to find it!" Phoenix boldly said. The Jester began giggling and then burst into wild mocking laughs. The unicorn was not hurt but encouraged to search harder for a salution to get this annoying fiend out of his rightful body.

"This is way out of your league, my little battery. You can not begin to understand the forces at play, so don't try to stick out and look, 'cause the blade will surely cut your head off."

"I don't fear your threats, demon!"

"Brave you are, indeed. Stupid too. Ha-ha-ha!"

"Why you want to kill Foxy Tail? What has she done to you?" he asked with some anger in his thoughts.

"Oh, come on now. Do you think that I'll give you information that easily?" the mockery was really getting on Phoenix's nerves. "You have to work for it. Let's play a game, shall we? You try to guess the truth and I'll tell you, if you are wrong or correct? Deal?"

The yellow unicorn tried to calm and think logically again.

"She has done something to you?"

"Cold." Jester answered.

"Some relative or friend of Foxy has done bad things to you?"

"Warmer." when he answered, Phoenixes temperature unnaturally raised by a few degrees, which was a little uncomfortable for the inventor.

"So, somepony in the past did not like you... Foxy doesn't seem to be afraid of an old enemy. That means she doesn't know you or expect you to come back for revenge. It must have happened long time ago..."

"Warmer and warmer!" the unicorn began to sweat, despite inside the engine room was a bit chilly. "Come on, use those amazing braincells of yours!"

"Cursed outfit, she had one but now she doesn't wear it... Can it be inherit? But by whom? Her father or mother? Too many possibilities... Let's try something else." suddenly he realized something bad. "You've killed Lucky Eight!"

"Technically, yes but it wasn't me, who threw does blades."

"What did he do to you? It doesn't make sense to kill him, unless... you want Foxy to think that somepony else killed him and sent her on this crusade... But why?"

"You are clever. However, you will never know the truth. Actually, forget what I just said. I might tell you the whole story, if you do your part."

In the unicorn's mind appeared an evil white grin with dragon fangs. Out of a sudden, Phoenix felt very cold. Chills went though his body from bottom to top. The second realization came...

"You are connected with Shadow Sun!" he said with a bit scared voice in his mind.

"I used to work for her. She is nice, when you get to know Her, but there can be only one ruler, one master to conquer the world!"

"Oh, dear Celestia!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, yes and yes. The imagery are shocking, ain't they?" the sinister voice inside him turned even more darker. Then it burst in another satanic laugh, that chilled the unicorn to the bone. He wanted to scream, the fiend did not let him to make even one sound.

In the ninja's meditation...

Nothing existed in her imagination. She was sitting with wide opened eyes, staring at the nothingness. She did not move an inch, like an absolute ice-sculpture. Tail was bringing harmony or at least trying to do so to her spirit. Foxy couldn't enter in battle with a ruined equilibrium or her techniques and moves would not be quite accurate and as fast as a lightening. The picture was was dull at first, but she found sense in the black painted sphere. This was the state of her mind and heart. The light, that brought many colors was nowhere to be seen, it probably died with the only source.

She closed her sorrowful eyes and concentrated. Long time passed, it felt almost like eternity. Time in here didn't work like in the real life. It could get really slow or really fast, depending on the pony, who had full control over it.

Suddenly there was a whiff that shook the individual red hairs of her mane. It was very weak and it brought warmth. It did not came from the hell fires below the ice-age. Something else was there, in that state of mind.

The mare slowly opened her orange eyes. In their reflection was visible the happy blue sky. The darkness gave a way to a green heaven, where little cute animals ran freely, birds were playing their lovely songs and grass was as fresh as the nearby river. How did she come to this realm? Foxy wondered for a moment, then stood up and looked around. What a peaceful place this was. All kinds of gorgeous flowers made an extraordinary carpet. It would be a sin, if somepony started dancing on these natural beauties. Bees diligently worked to collect the bloom. Their Z-sounds, combined with everything else, made one adorable symphony of perfection and comeliness.

The only thing missing was the one.

Some of the little animals approached her. They wanted to play with Foxy but her cold stare quickly scared them off. She did not deserve this heaven. Tail let the only thing that made sense in her hard life go. How could she dream of such wonders? Wait, wasn't this a meditation?

The ninja tried to wake up from this dream of lies but couldn't. This was not normal. The warrior in her immediately told her to be on her guard. She carefully began walking to the only rock on the colorful field and glued to it's warm surface. Her eyes began scanning the area. There was no threat to be seen. She made a three sixty, when suddenly a white pegasus appeared out of nowhere next to the apple tree. He had a green mane and brown eyes. He was starring at her. Was this a bad attempt of her imagination to bring something lost forever?

The wind shook the grass, the flowers and their manes. He smiled. She didn't. Then out of a sudden he appeared next to her. She was ready to defend herself. The pegasus showed no intents to harm her. Only smiled at her face. They stood like statues, looking at each other. Her eyes began to moister and soon the first salty drops found their splashing ends at the ground below. Foxy wanted him to be true, not a ghost, who was haunting her.

He then pointed with his right hoof at the sky. She slowly looked up. Then her eyes were bombarded by billions of lights. The great cosmos, full with dust, stars and galaxies. Tail saw so much, but so little actually went inside her head. There was life, there was death. The circle continued. Worlds appeared and disappeared. Some lived longer, others only a moment. The universe, the final limit of everything. So many possibilities, so many lives, so much pain and equally much happiness.

She looked back at him, when Lucky began to fade to black. Foxy tried to grab him. Her hoof went through the air, not even close to catching him. He was now one with all and all was him. Then everything crumbled into million shattered pieces. The noise from the falling glass was intolerable. Tail screamed, but her cry was suppressed by the millions of voices.

Foxy opened her eyes. She was lying on her tummy. The engine was still tirelessly working, Phoenix was at his spot. The light from the single bulb was protecting them from the complete darkness. The mare was breathing hard, all sweaty. She sat again in her pose for meditation and thought for a second. The memory of the dream was as white as the day. What was the meaning of it? What was the ghost trying to say to her? These question kept her awake through the most of the night. She was desperately trying to find the answers. Why couldn't he just speak?

Meanwhile, on the other side of the portal, twenty two armed to the teeth ninjas were resting for the big day. Traitors and deserters they all were. Many called them terrorists, murderers of innocents. They called themselves fighters for freedom. Made up by all the clans, this group's only goal was to bring down every clan to their knees. They thought that their purifying flames were the cure for the poison that was sucking the life out of the once proud ninjas.

Their biggest mission was to turn the capital of the Dragon Claw Clan into a majestic inferno, where every sinner was going to burn. What an ambition, which could really become a reality. They had it all covered. Their plan was almost flawless. Their dedication - superb. Everypony here was a skilled warrior, who'd not hesitate at nothing. They were ready to die for their cause with the whole island in flames.

One pony, the one with the eyepatch on the left side, who was wearing green ninja cloths with gold strips, came to his brothers in evil deeds and said proudly:

"Rest now, my brethren. The tomorrow will come in a few hours. Everypony will know who the Fire Snakes are!" he said with his rough voice.

They lifted their hooves in the air and shouted as one. Then the brown unicorn turned away with a big grin on his face. In his grey eye there was only vengeance and madness. Finally he was going to show those so called noble ninjas how a real battle was done. In his heart there was no room for sorrow for the fillies and colts that were going to perish. He would so enjoy to see this great city becoming one giant barbeque. None were going to be spared. They were all guilty by participating in the war, which brought only pain and lunatics.

There was a noise. The unicorn quickly turned around and for his amusement, an unexpected figure was standing in the middle of his warriors, all alone.

"Well, well. White Shadow. What an honor to visit us. How was the exile?"

"Quite interesting. Thanks for asking." Blue Circle fearlessly looked around. Every ninja prepared their weapons. Things were getting hotter. "Impressive gang, you've formed. You must be very proud of yourselves... for bunch of cowards, who burn the homes of defenseless ponies."

"We do what we think is best for everypony. Be our guest, won't you, and state your business of coming here! You have ten seconds."

The white ninja, surrounded by bad ponies, began to sniggle. They didn't like his reaction at all.

"I didn't hear anything funny."

"But I see!"

Out of a sudden twenty two tentacles came out of the white pony, who then turned black. The dark sharp spears stopped just at the throats of each arsonist. They would not make the slightest move. The attack came so fast, that it caught everypony with their pants down. The source of these deadly snakes was laughing like a maniac. It was the only sound in the night forest. The ninjas looked in fear at this mad pony. He could take their lives without a problem. However, Blue needed them for his goals.

"Fire Snakes, eh? You did not live up to your names. From now on you are my personal pleasure mares! Who ever dares to run or resist me will die an awful death. Did I make myself clear?"

"You can rot in Tartarus!" the one-eyed unicorn said without a drop of fright in his voice.

Circle concentrated on him and smiled like a devil. Despite that his shadow form showed no emotions, they all felt the dark urges behind the mask.

"You seem very brave. You must be the leader of these losers. What is your name?" his voice was full with provocation, but it did not to affect the unicorn, who looked more like a great strategist, than a bandit.

"I can't believe that you don't remember me. The battle at Stone Village? I was going to be your opponent, when an arrow pierced my eye." he smirked and proudly stated his name: "General Mighty Zap of the elite Tiger Clan forces."

Blue squint and stared at him.

"I'm sorry. I tend to forget ponies, who are spineless. Did we drink tea together afterwards?"

"Crazier than I thought. What now? Will you bring us to the clans to have us all executed?"

Circle made a thoughtful expression.

"I could do that. The reward for your heads might be a significant one. However, I need you to do something special. I'll let you do the stuff, you do best, but your fires won't target civilian houses. Your objectives will be the barracks, the palace and one place that is hidden to all common knowledge."

"That complicates things. They are the best guarded places in the capital. And that secret place..." Zap leaned his head a little to the left, as if he was trying to see the real Blue behind that black figure. "What's your game, White Shadow? Are you planning a revenge?"

"I wish for my reasons and plans to remain secrets. You do your part and I do mine. I'll distract the guards long enough for you to light those targets. After that we part on our ways. Got it?"

The general was not glad to hear of these changes of his plan. He only needed a moment to assess his position.

"I'll obey you for now but don't expect help, if thing get ugly."

Blue happily smiled and pulled the tentacles to himself. He ceased the shadow technique.

"Yey for diplomacy! Now we can become friends!" he sounded cheerful and carefree, which scared those terrorist even more. They were also confused of his constantly changing behavior. Only the general watched him carefully. Zap needed to find out what Blue was planning and get rid of him because this powerful pony could ruin his plans in just a blink of an eye.

Blue turned around and said:

"Don't look for me. I'll be around. Proceed as you have planed. I'll meet you, when thing start to become interesting." then out of his white cloths came out a single tentacle, which almost instantaneously was sent to a group of ex-dragon ponies. One of them panicked, the others jumped out of the way of the shadow. It wrapped around a sandwich that was lying on the grass and pulled the yummy dinner to Circle.

"You do not mind, if have some of your food, right?" he asked politely.

Everypony, except the general, silently shook head.

"Then see ya tomorrow and have sweet dreams!" he waved to say good-bye. No pony answered him.

Then the lone ninja began walking at the darkness. Every warrior followed him with sight and when his white tail was gone, the second in command turned to the general.

"What are we going to do now that White Shadow is here?"

"We play along, until we find the right moment to stab him in the back." Zap coldly answered.

"But-but, he almost killed us all!" his subordinate exclaimed. "He is too powerful for us!"

"That was only a bluff." the brown unicorn seriously looked directly in his eye. "He is not able to kill twenty two ponies simultaneously."

"How do you know that?" the earth pony was surprised.

"If he was a bit younger, he could do it. However, ponies like him, who are blessed with great powers, also suffer from its corruption. White Shadow, like the leader before him, will soon die, not physically but mentally and he knows that. With the final moment nearing, his powers decline. Why would he ask of our help, if he is so legendary and mighty? I get the feeling that he is going to sacrifice himself and drag us with him to the pit. So, we need to be careful with him. Also, if he managed to find us, that means we have a hole in the ship. Give the warriors only two hours of rest, then we must change our position."

"As you wish, general!" the ninja saluted and left him alone.

Zap then turned away and looked up at the old night. The chilly air foreboded the inevitable tragedies. Things were starting to get very complicated by the hour.

Chapter 38: Parallel

Foxy opened her eyes. A loud noise came from the engine. Metal was grinding into metal, creating hundreds of sparks and tremor in the ship's body. The light bulb was blinking. Metal Eye, who was lying next to the wooden staircase, woke up as well and looked around in confusion. The grey mare jumped from her seat and quickly went to the white pegasus. Tail seemed to have forgotten about last night because her every action was made without much thought. Without saying a thing, she immediately grabbed him and together began climbing the stairs, when on the exit appeared the yellow unicorn. The morning light shined on his face, which was not very happy.

"I couldn't turn the engine off!" the unicorn shouted. "I'll need to get inside and stop it before it goes 'Kaboom' !"

"It will explode?!" Metal asked.

Foxy pushed him up, so that the inventor could get to safety fast and let the inventor inside. The little ship was starting to vibrate in a very troublesome manner. The bags with the provisions fell down and food began to roll and litter the clean floor. Phoenix stood in front of the dying metal heart. Foxy was next to him, in case she needed to get him out of there fast. His horn sparkled, creating a pink aura around the engine. He was trying to stop it's powerful cylinders from rotating the propeller. It took a lot of knowledge to tinker with such a complicated piece of machinery that used magical crystals as well as traditional fuel to power itself. Phoenix used everything he knew about it. He clenched teeth, closed his eyes and concentrated more on the difficult task in front of him.

Foxy looked at the him, then at the engine, understanding the intricacy of putting the machine on full stop. The unicorn seemed in such a stress, if he failed, then it would be his face that was going to get the punch. Several long painful seconds passed, when suddenly the engine calmed down. It's last beat sounded so agonizing and then dead silence. The power was gone and so the light from the bulb. The ship stopped shacking. Dust made visible layers in the air. It was a bit hard to breath down there.

"Well, there goes our engine..." Phoenix said, while looking at the machine that was beyond repairs now.

"Walking is healthier anyway..." Foxy turned to him, her disaffection was all over her face. "You didn't say that it could blow up."

"Yeah...Ha-ha." he unconvincingly smiled. "The chance of exploding is below 1%, I guess we were unlucky."

The mare shook head, trying to hold her anger. She turned her back to him and said:

"Collect the provisions and bring the sacks up. We are going to make an emergency landing."

Phoenix nodded. Foxy went upstairs, leaving the unicorn alone with the mess.

"Nice try to warn her with the false explosion. For a moment, you really tempted me to push some important points in your brain..." the Jester mockingly said in Phoenix's mind.

"I for a fact know that I'm more important alive than dead. You don't want to spoil the surprise, eh?" the unicorn calmly thought.

"Don't try to be clever or you'll quickly say good-bye to your puny life!"

"Afraid, aren't ya! I'll get rid of you and when that happens, I'll make sure to gift you the bullet!"

The demon was quiet and did not answer the unicorn's threats. Phoenix turned to the scattered supplies and started gathering them.

When her head appeared on the upper deck, the cool morning wind hit her in the face. The sun was at the horizon, still young and weak. Small clouds were approaching them from the left. Metal was waiting outside, worried that something bad must have happened.

"Is Phoenix alright? The engine?"

"He is gathering the food that got scattered on the floor. The machine is dead." she stared at him with her cool orange eyes. "You can land without its help, right?"

"I can. We need to find a flat surface, on which to land, while we still have our momentum. Or we won't have control because of the wind."

Metal went to the nose of the ship, followed by the ninja. Both looked down at the endless see of green. The mountain in front of them was covered with a living and breathing ancient forest. There weren't any signs that ponies had stepped hoof in this wild place. No roads, not distant houses or anything to indicate civilization. Only nature. Sadly there wasn't a clear spot, thus this would make Metal's job a tad difficult. The good news was that Foxy recognized the mountain. They were near the final station.

She pointed at the middle of the mount and said:

"There, the portal is in a cave. The Guardians' camp is next to it."

"Hm, I get the feeling that they won't like our ship landing on their heads..."

They looked each other. Tail was not amused by the joke.

"You just land us safely and leave the diplomacy to me." she quickly turned around and headed to the center of the ship. Metal looked again at the land below. So many possibilities to crash into trees. However, he was not scared. The Guardian had an experience in crashing, when Lucky was his partner. He sighed with some regret.

"Sadly, your diplomacy begins and ends with your blazing hooves."

Then Metal slowly turned to the helm and went to prepare the ship for landing. Foxy was standing in the middle of the staircase and looked inside the dark room.

"Do you need help?" she asked with no concern in her voice.

"No, no. I'm okay." Phoenix quickly answered. He was with his back at her, holding in his left hoof a very dangerous weapon. His heart began to beat a bit faster. If she discovered the bracelet gun, then it would be over for him. Fortunately for Phoenix, the mare didn't enter inside. When the sound of her hooves were somewhere near the helm, the inventor slowly turned his head to the stairs to make sure that no pony would see him. He put the gun deep inside one of the brown sacks by using his telekinetic powers and then magically lifted up the supplies and Metal's spear.

When he appeared on the main deck, that gave the green light and the captain pulled the lever, which in turn activated a mechanism that began filling the balloon with heavy air. The nose steadily began to incline and thus the ship started declining. They had enough momentum to control the direction. Foxy and Phoenix were holding tight to the red railings. The Equestrian flag was flapping. Metal was skillfully piloting the ship with an absolute concentration. He did not want to make a mistake or the pegasus'd have to get them out of the ship the hard way.

The forest with its high trees was approaching nearer and nearer. His pink eyes didn't blink once. With every meter that was lost, his confidence grew. The pointy peaks of the of the pine trees were ready to make some holes in the wooden bird. Now the green mountain stood like a giant, everything seemed so big now.

For the first ten seconds the ship barely touched the tops on its descent, then there was the first tree. Metal's plan was to use the forest as brakes. He pushed the lever to lift the nose and keep a good attitude. The trees were slamming into the strong hull like brushes, steadily killing it's speed. His plan worked perfectly for some moments, but with one exception. There was a very tall tree dead ahead and no time to maneuver.

"Brace for impact!" the pegasus shouted.

The ship cut through it like a hot knife to butter. It slowed them down significantly but for a prize. The balloon was punctured and the lighter-than-air gas immediately began to leave its cage. They began falling deeper into the forest like a sinking ship. The green wall consumed their view. Sharp branches tried to wound some of these unfortunate ponies. Metal jumped in the air, grabbed the unicorn and got him out of the ship. Then, the speed was completely killed and the air-ship went straight down, where it hit its final destination. Foxy jumped overboard. Big bang sounded throughout the peaceful mountain. Planks were flying in different directions. She landed next to the smashed air-ship. The fallen bird shook for a few moments, before the purple balloon fell like a blanket on top of it. It was officially buried.

Metal, who was still holding Phoenix, approached her and dropped the heavy payload.

"Are you okay?" he concernedly asked her.

"I'm alright." she answered darkly, then came closer to him and earnestly pointed her hoof at his chest. Foxy said with a little pissed voice: "You call this an emergency landing?! Lucky could have done a better job!"

"Every crash landing, from which we can walk away is a good one." the little scratchy white pegasus looked at Phoenix. "You got the provisions, right?"

The two brown sacks and the spear floated in the air in purple auras near the trio.

"Yes." Phoenix smiled.

"Hey, where are you going?" Metal asked the ninja, who was headed in the direction of the Guardian's camp.

"Follow me! Don't swerve from the path or you can get yourselves killed. Move it!" she ordered and continued forward. Her gait was confident and energetic, as if this pony didn't just experience an air-ship crash.

The spear came to the pegasus, he took it.

"After you?" Phoenix politely prompted.

Metal silently went after her with a prepared spear, followed by the inventor with the two sacks. They had to catch up to her. The mare was unforgiving and did not even make an attempt to slow down. Time was on the essence.

It was cold. The forest was quiet, only a few birds dared to announce their position. Only pine trees and grass grew in here. Woodpeckers hammered distant trees in long intervals. There were no signs that anypony was living nearby. Foxy was fearlessly piercing the woods, anticipating an ambush any moment now. The Guardians of the Portal must have seen them approaching from the skies or at least heard the crash. Metal in his body armor did not feel safe at all. This wild place was too unfamiliar to him. There were literally hundreds of spots, from which an attacker could appear. He was flying low, with an aimed in front of him spear. Phoenix was lagging behind a bit. His blue eyes were checking every rock and tree.

They felt like being watched by ancient ghosts. This place was sacred for the ninjas, 'cause long time ago, the first warriors were searching for a better future in these parts. The discovery of the Portal led them to the promised lands and that was a day, which all clanners worshiped. Home of the famous and mysterious Guardians, this place had the feel of history in every living or non-living thing.

Suddenly, Foxy stopped and the rest followed her example. Her eyes were looking somewhere in the distance, where the grey tents were standing. There wasn't a single smoke from the campfires. They got so close to the Guardian's camp and yet, the welcoming committee was nowhere to be seen. It didn't took long for her to correctly guess that the ninjas were not on this side of the Portal. Despite that, she didn't want to take any chances.

"Metal. I want you to watch our flanks, Phoenix - our rear. Proceed with more caution."

"Why the change in pace? You are not afraid of them, right?" Metal asked.

"No." Tail answered, while looking in front of them and continued with a quite voice: "I'm afraid of the cause, that made them leave their camp. They always have warriors on this side, who watch for trespassers."

Metal nodded and returned to his position.

"I hope that there is a reasonable explanation!" the unicorn said behind them.

"Ah, this place. It brings so many happy memories from not so long ago." the demon spoke from inside. "Many fought against me just to parish without a chance!"

"You've killed them all?" Phoenix couldn't believe that so much death was possible in today's world.

"Only half of them. The rest are probably rotting in their unnamed graves on the other side. He-he."

"You son of a..." before he could end his sentence, the inventor felt pain inside his head, which was intolerable.

"Uh-uh, I think you still don't know your place. This is just a reminder of who is really in charge." the hurt ceased and the unicorn could finally move. The other two were a bit ahead. He quickly rejoined them, while trying to not show his anger. In a few minutes they reached the grey camp. By the looks of it, the Guardians must have left in a hurry some days ago, leaving the tents to the nature's mercy.

"What happened in here?" Metal asked.

Tail only scanned with sight the abandoned encampment. There were no signs of struggle or maybe this was an illusion?

"Wait here! I won't be long." then the grey mare entered in this desolate maze to search for clues. Metal was not fond of splitting up like that but he could only obey her order. The Royal Guardian was on a high alert and ready to defend himself and the civilian from any danger.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"The Portal is west, two hundred meters from here." Feather whispered to Silver. Their heads were barely peeking over the green coronas, just enough to spot the huge rock, in which the magical tunnel was located. The skies were still hostile, so they needed to be careful. Enemy patrols were probably scanning the area for them and every second spent above the forest meant a bigger chance of being spotted. "The area around the rock has almost no cover. Because of the magical energy of the portal, trees and bushes can't grow near it. It would take a lot of tons of rock to block it's negative effect."

"It will be impossible to sneak in. They are probably fifty ninjas waiting for us." Silver quietly noted. "What's your plan?"

"We wait for her." Free stared at on spot, which he thought was an enemy warrior but it turned out to be just a large bird. It was really hard to spot hiding ponies, when the forest was so dense in these parts.

"How will you know, when she is going to make the jump?"

The white pegasus turned to her and pointed down.

"Razor Sharp is the only remaining unicorn, who is skilled enough to sense the fluctuations in the energies of the Portal. However, for him to do that, Sharp needs to be in a meditation. He'll be an easy target but there's no pony else, who can perform this dangerous task."

"I see."

Suddenly, there were low noises, which came from below. The leaves moved with the pony climbing on the tree. Using metal claws, the earth pony managed to get to them as silently as possible.

"Feather!" he whispered. "One of our brothers captured a messenger from Draconicus. What should we do with him?"

Free looked at her and then at him.

"I'll come down and learn what his orders are."

The ninja nodded and the tree ponies climbed down to the shadows. Two not so happy warriors were waiting next to the tall tree with aimed weapons at one green pegasus. The dragon pony was not wearing any cloths and didn't carry any weapons with him. He never needed them, because they'd only hinder his speed.

Free and Silver landed next to them. The two armed ninjas gave a way to the young leader, who looked the prisoner in the eyes. The captured pony seemed very tired. However, his spirit revived, when he saw Feather and begged:

"You must be the one in charge here... Please, you have to let me go!" something in his voice told Free, that this pegasus was trying to race against time.

"Why should I?" Free was highly suspicious.

The messenger's eyes moved from him to Silver and the rest. He felt very scared of what was going to happen to him.

"I-I know who you are! The Guardians of the Portal! I-I..."

"Spit it out! Now!" the leader's nose almost touched with the prisoner's. His blue eyes were earnest and staring directly at him.

"I w-was sent in a hurry to give the-the order to the ninjas, who are searching for you." he was starting to sweat with fear.

"What's the order?" Silver asked him with a gentle voice. The green pegasus took his sight from the leader and placed it on her. There was something familiar in the mare, as if he had seen her before. This gave him some courage to answer the question.

"It's to abandon the hunt and fall back to Draconicus. My boss said that somepony was coming and she is not to be tangoed with any of our forces. Dragon Born is coming and she is not on our side anymore! Our leader fears that everypony in her way will be met with utter destruction."

The Phoenixes looked at each other, only Feather was in a thoughtful pose.

"Does that mean that we'll be on the safe side in an hour?" one of the ninjas asked.

"Not unless we set him free..." Feather said with a troubled tone. He turned to the rest with a serious look in his eyes. "However, I can't let him go or we risk of being slaughtered."

"No, I won't tell them that you are here. I promise!" the messenger got on his knees, there was only sincerity in his face. "They didn't manage to find you, so they failed the leader and that means that you won your freedom. But I absolutely must deliver the order!"

"Why are you so concerned about them? Do you have any friends among those ninjas?" Feather asked.

"I have and if I'm too late, they might end up dead. I flew all day and night to get here. Please, let me go!"

The story was touching and Feather was divided for a moment. He didn't want the blood of Wing's comrades on his hooves but this pony asked too much of him. His answer came shortly:

"I'm sorry for your friends but I can't jeopardize the lives of mine. That's why I have a plan to save them both." Free smiled and gave him a hoof. At first, the prisoner confusingly looked at it and then, knowing that he had no other choice, uncertainly bumped it. "I'm Free Feather and you?"

"Wing Mail." he sounded very lost.

"Wing, we are going to save our friends with minimum bloodshed. Are you in?" his words were full with confidence, which the exhausted messenger grew to like.

"I-I am in."

"Alright, let's prepare the plan, we don't want to be caught unprepared, do we?"

Free helped him to stand up. The ex-prisoner felt renewed and then together they went behind the deep cover of the forest. In just a few moments their hoofsteps were no longer among the sounds of this place.

Back to the other side...

The grey mare came from the center of the camp with a concerned look on her face. Her search was fruitless and it spawned more questions than answers. The two sidekicks were impatiently waiting for her. The feeling of being watched was peeling their nerves.

"I see that you were unsuccessful." Metal lowered a bit his guard.

"Yes and no. The camp was not under attack, when it was abandoned. A lot of their food, water and medicine is still here. Can't say the same for their weapons. I also checked the place, where the Guardians bury their dead. There are almost thirty new graves from more than a week ago. Something bad definitely happened but what was it, I do not know. I'll need more time, if I want to learn more about their deaths, time, which I can not waste."

"So, how do we proceed?" Phoenix asked.

"As planed. We get on the other side and from there on, we gallop to the capital."

"I'm not a fan of this idea. I think we should continue with caution." Metal suggested.

"Afraid of the unknown, eh?" Foxy askew looked at him. "I still hope that under that paper armor beats a warrior heart."

"This has noting to do with my courage." Metal boldly moved forward to her. "I'm thinking ahead, unlike you. We do not know what we can expect on the other side, so we need to gather as much information of what happened here before we make the jump!"

"Investigate all you want. I'm not going to stop or slow down because they are missing."

"Which side is speaking at the moment? The pony, who has lost everything or the warrior? I can bet that it isn't the latter!"

Sparks began to flash in the space between their eyes. Tension was in the air. He knew that he couldn't beat her by force but maybe outsmarting her was the key.

"You want to stay here, fine by me." then she quickly turned around and began marching in the direction of the cave. Metal watched her distancing herself from them, when Phoenix came to him with a lot of concern.

"Should we really let her go alone?"

"That dragon head of hers... What Lucky saw in her, I do not know. We'll follow her but please, stay frosty, Phoenix. We are probably inviting ourselves into the trap but she seems not to care at all."

The yellow unicorn placed a hoof on his shoulder and said with a friendly voice:

"Maybe that's the mare heart?"

"Heart that is covered in black and blinded by anger, more likely." Metal sighed and disapprovingly shook head. Then he looked ahead with a ready gaze and said: "Let's move out!"

"Oh, the drama! The emotions! I can't wait to see what happens next!" The Jester said.

"Can you be quiet for at least an hour?" he annoyingly asked.

"For you? Never! Ha-ha-ha!" what a torment it was for the unicorn.

The two of them went after the unstoppable grey mare, whose red fox tail was dancing hypnotically behind her. It didn't take them long to find the dark cave. Like a mouth of a huge beast it was widely opened. There was a strange blue glow. Metal didn't like the picture he was seeing, Phoenix was curious to learn how it looked inside. Foxy stood for a second in front of it, trying to see if ambushers were lurking behind the dark curtain.

Then with a daring step, she entered into the blackness, closely followed by the other two. It took some moments until their sight got accustomed with the lack of sunlight. They were heading to the source of the blue light, which was shining brighter with each moment. Then behind the corner, there it was, standing on the wall. The crystal clean water, which was making waves was a fascinating sight to behold. This thing was very old, it definitely had more years than the two Equestrian Princesses combined. Their bodies were lighted upon blue shades. Their real colors were lost.

This was it.

Foxy slowly approached the Portal. It's unnatural surface lured them to come close and use it's ability to transport matter over a great distance in just a second. This was a dream come true for Phoenix, but a total nightmare to Metal.

"What can we expect on the other side?" he asked.

"Hell." her answer was clear and simple. It echoed inside the cavern. No pony could get their eyes off the magical object.

"Who wants to go first?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"It's magnificent!" Phoenix came closer to the artificial passage like a fly to a spider's trap. He wanted to touch it but Foxy stopped him. They looked at each other. The bluish light illuminated her in a dark way.

"If you touch it and didn't move inside, then you'll lose the precious hoof." the seriousness in her voice made him to gulp.

Metal came to the unnatural water on the wall and put a hoof on her shoulder. She looked at him a little annoyingly.

"Are you going to try to stop me again with your pretty words?"

"No." he unexpectedly made a warm smile. "I want you to know that I'll be at your side, no matter what. We get in together and together we return home."

She felt honored, but also made her a bit afraid of the possibility that he might sacrifice himself, in order to save her life. Metal didn't have to die too...

"Well, hell is waiting..."

Tail then boldly stepped inside the the glowing magical water.

Meanwhile...

"Wait what?!" Wing Mail made too much noise for what the rest would consider staying invisible for the enemy. "I can't wait a few days! They'll question me after I've delivered the order! Then I'll be dead!"

"Calm down, you are giving our position away." Feather put a hoof in front of his mouth. "Here is how we are going to do it. When Razor notices somepony using the Portal, we'll make a little act. You'll run in panic and call for help, after you've miraculously escaped the Guardians. I'll be the one chasing you."

Silver anxiously turned to him and asked:

"Shouldn't somepony else play that role? I can do it better than you."

"No, Silver. I don't want you to get hurt and I kind of know what I'll be doing."

"She has a point, Free!" said one of the dark ninjas. "If something happens to you, then we'll be left without a leader."

"Guys, I know what's at stake here. I want to be close, when Dragon Born arrives. If things don't go as planned then she'll need the sword to defend herself."

"Feather, you don't have to carry it on your own, we can do it too! I bet that I can deliver it to her in twelve second flat after she made her first step on the island."

Feather shook head.

"I know that you are more than able to do it, but the burden was given to me. If you want, you can come with me."

"Or maybe the corruption of the sword is at play here..." Silver thought with a dark look on her crimson eyes.

"I can't just leave the most important pony hopping around unprotected, so I'll come with you."

"Okay, Silver. The rest have to protect Razor on all cost!"

Everypony around the three nodded. Then they took positions in the shadows and prepared. Razor and the wounded were hidden behind a rock, that had a deep recess, which was used as a short roof. Cut off bushes and branches were carefully placed in front of them to conceal their presence. Only one stood guard near them, who was also hidden behind some vegetation. If it wasn't for Feather, Knife and the messenger, then they'd have won the award for the best blending with the surroundings.

Now they had to wait.

The three ponies went behind a tree trunk and sat. The green pegasus seemed like he was going to lose it any moment. He was beginning to regret this, despite knowing that he had little to no choice. Silver didn't lose Feather from sight. Her guts were telling her to be careful with the magical blade. Free leaned against the wood and closed his eyes. He felt tired and now was a good time for some rest.

Then Feather remembered. The lighter was still under his wing. He took it out and looked at the small metal object with a 'V' symbol on its flat surface. It was not meant for hooves, so for whom it was originally? The pegasus tried to open the top. It didn't work with his hooves. He then put the body in his mouth and then tried again. Success. Now, the only question was how to make to produce a flame.

"What's that?" Silver asked.

"Flamemaker, Blue Circle said it was. He gifted it to me before he left."

"How does it work?" she moved closer with interested glow in her red eyes.

"I haven't the slightest idea." he sadly answered.

Then their attention was taken by the small shivering in the near bushes. The noises were coming closer and closer, when suddenly the guard, who was supposed to stay next to the wounded, appeared before them.

"She is here."

At first, they looked like a lightening just struck them from above. The leader was not expecting her to arrive so soon. Feather then quickly turned to Silver with a stretched hoof.

"Please take it. I don't have pockets."

She willingly took it and hid it under her dark clothing.

"I won't lose it."

Free nodded and said:

"You know what to do! The rest are to be ready! Come on, we need to be fast!"

Then the three ponies jumped from their places and galloped in the direction of the Portal. They made so much noise that it would get a lot of wanted attention to them and not the arriving guests.

Chapter 39: Collision

Foxy appeared on the other side in a much smaller cavern. The entrance was just in front of mare, blinding her with a bright midday light. It was warmer. She was on her guard and silently began stepping forward. Behind her appeared the rest of the small group. Metal took position on her left side with a prepared spear. In his pink eyes was visible the primal warrior instinct, which had kicked in. When Phoenix emerged from the liquid portal, a terrible pain, he felt in the stomach, which almost knocked him on his knees. The painful sounds that were coming from him, made the other two to immediately turn around.

"Are you alright, Phoenix?" the armored pegasus asked.

"I'll be fine, just give me a minute." the unicorn was holding his guts with his right hoof. He thought with an angry voice: "Is this your doing, Jester?!"

"Not exactly, my friend. I forgot to mention that I put a magical medallion in your stomach. I guess there was some interference between their energies."

"What?! Are there other things you'd like to reveal to me? I'd be happy to know about the other stuff in my body, you so grossly put inside."

"I'll make a note for the next host I infect, he-he!"

Phoenix sat. He groaned and felt like his insides were on fire.

"I guess this method of travel is not suited for unicorns... Or at least to ones, who were accustomed to more pleasant way of life."

Metal's warm smile helped the inventor to manage the pain. He had to clench teeth and try to ignore the hurt.

"Thanks, Metal Eye."

"We'll wait until he can move again." Foxy said without a drop of solicitude. "The hardest part now comes. A full gallop to the Capital. If you think that you can't do it, then head back home with half of our provisions."

"No, I'll be fine. I won't disappoint you!" the unicorn tried to reassure her but she sensed something was not quite right. Maybe she was just reading into it too much. She then turned to the entrance and looked outside. The living wall was silent, there was no presence of other creatures in the vicinity. A few minutes passed, when out of the blue, the air brought a scream for help, which took Tail's attention and forced her to peek outside, just enough to see what was going on but still hidden behind the shadows. Metal left the unicorn and went to her. He wanted to check too what was happening.

In the open, a green pegasus was running for his life. The chasers stopped just at the border, where the forest ended and watched how the escapee was distancing himself from them. Then, before the first projectiles were thrown at them, the two ninjas disappeared in the green thick wall.

Out of nowhere, dozens of armed to the teeth warriors appeared from their hidden spots for ambush and went after the fleeing Guardians. Other ninjas came out of the wild scenery like ghosts and very fast approached the messenger.

"Stop right there! Your name and purpose of coming here!" the red and purple ninja demanded with a lordly tone. He had drawn his short sword and would not hesitate to use it on this poor pegasus.

"Wing Mail, sire. I was sent by the leader to give you his orders! On my way here I was ambushed by the Guardians. I don't know how I managed to escape them..."

"Where is the leader's seal?" the captain threateningly pointed his edge at him. In his brown eyes there was no good.

Wing stood on his two rear legs, so that everypony could clearly see the black mark on his tummy. It had a shape of a dragon head with two circles around it. That was more than enough for the captain to believe in his identity.

"What are His orders?" there was still note of hostility in his voice. This old warrior lost a lot of ponies under his command in the past few days and was on the edge ever since the fist patrol went missing. The pegasus was sweating a bit, a little by the gallop and by fear.

"The leader commands you to return immediately to Draconicus and leave the Guardians be. They've learned their lesson, he said. We are all in danger of a new enemy, who will arrive via the Portal. He said that your forces are not match for her..."

The veteran ninja grabbed him and pulled him closer to his face. He was sick and tired of surprises, which cost him pony power, lives he couldn't bring back. The captain didn't want to think of the letters, he'd to write to the families after the end of this mission.

"Who is she?" asked with a calmer voice.

"D-Dragon Born!" the pegasus seemed a lot more scared than a moment ago. More so, that he was trying to escape the strong captain.

"That's me!" a mare voice came behind him. The red and purple ninja did not realize what went on, just that he landed hard on his face a few meters away from Wing Mail. He shakily stood up afterwards and stared at the unfamiliar grey mare with a red mane, who had the nerve to attack a captain from the Dragon Claw clan. The other black ninjas were equally shocked to see her there. How did she came here without being noticed?

"You just brought yourself a death sentence!" the warrior angrily shouted.

"Me? Ha, if you dare to tango or are you afraid?" the mare was fearless and mighty, though the dragon ponies still didn't not know who the heck she was. More ninjas approached from all sides. Very quickly her world was surrounded by black and shining metal. "Stand back, everypony! Do you not recognize me?" she asked with a lot of power in her voice.

Her orange eyes moved from one ninja to another. Her cold gaze froze every warrior on his place. Something told them not to dance with her or else...

"Ha, if you thing that you are the legendary Dragon Born, then you are mistaken! She is cursed, wears a black outfit and has fire breath, can you do one of those, impostor? Where is your famous sword?" the captain stood in front of her, a lot of rage was coming from him.

"Come closer and you'll learn." she mockingly answered.

"Kill her!" what a simple order for an impossible task.

Four attacked simultaneously, she quickly ducked. Four weapons hit not flesh, but metal. She then stretched her hooves at theirs, touched them at some sensitive points, which paralyzed their muscles and couldn't use their front legs. Without a delay, Foxy jumped from her place, smashing the chin of one of the attackers. Blood and teeth, he spilled out. Tail jumped over a warrior, who fell on the ground because of her triple weight. She almost broke his spine. Five more swung their blades at her, she dodged all attacks by doing some fancy aerobics. Foxy was so beautiful, while moving like the total master of war. No pony could capture her, only the wind stroke her goodly red mane and fox tail. Her deadliness, combined with her natural elegance, made Metal's heart go faster and faster. He was to stay with Phoenix, who was still having the stomachaches and protect him at the Portal. Her fighting skills completely captured his soul, now he knew what his friend saw in her. Passion and perfection...

Oh, priestess of awesomeness, please take me to your temple and show me your moves for my eyes only to see!

She kicked their flanks like a mule. Ninjas were flying in every direction, some were able to get back to the unfair fight, others stayed on their places. Her powers found no match in these warriors, who so stupidly tried to harm her. No matter from what angle, how many or with what weapon they attacked, Dragon Born always managed to move out of the way and counter attack with her deadly techniques. Ponies fell on the dusty ground, paralyzed, or with broken ribs or legs. No pony could stop her! Those fools, they should run for their lives than to dance with her!

They were so off bit. The mare skillfully made a short work out of these losers.

It was the turn of the captain to try his luck. He swung his sword at her, like a lightening she rolled to his side. However, he anticipated that move and before Tail could hit him with her triple force, the red ninja tried to stab her in the back. Foxy had to roll forward again or her flank could turn into a Swiss cheese.

The sharp edge only scratched her rear hooves. Both turned around and were now facing each other. Standing still in preparation for the moment, when both we going to charge like the wind. No other ninja dared to interfere in this duel. So much fear was falling from their eyes, they didn't want to take another try with her.

In just a blink of an eye, they got at each other's throats. The swordspony cleverly swung his blade with fluency, but still not enough to make a successful hit on the agile mare. He attacked, she dodged and vise versa. The two seemed like gladiators, who fought for their place at destiny's throne room. The captain was straining his ability to fight with the sword to his highest limit. His heart was beating even faster with each moment. Heavy sweat was all over his coat. He moaned, roared and all kinds of other sounds came from his mouth. He was beginning to breath out of rhythm.

Foxy was the other opposite. She seemed to be playing with her toy just to learn how long he could keep up with her speed. Like a demon, she tormented this veteran and made fun of his misses. Her orange eyes were the depths of his destruction. Her hooves the poisonous spears. Her red mane was his blood.

The rest were horrified to see the captain lasting so long against her. Wounded and the ones, who were not harmed by her fast hooves of bone crushing, were frozen in a circle around those two, who seemed to be on equal ground. But then, the mare made a critical mistake and the blood pony capitalized on that. He hit her right in the face with his rear legs and then quickly pointed his sword at her tummy. She was on her two rear ones, when the veteran stabbed her.

As if time stood still. Because of the the crowd around them, Metal was not able to see what really went on, but that sound of steel shattering into pieces made him to forget his duty and get out of the small cavern. He flew upwards and went directly above the small arena. For his relief, Foxy was not harmed. She was smiling in a dark manner at her opponent. The latter was like gunned down at the sight of his broken sword. The blade fractured at her stomach area, which was covered in a thick dragon skin, which was almost un-pierceable.

This was bad... for the stallion.

She disarmed him, the shattered pride sadly fell on the ground. For him it seemed like hours passed for the blade to reach it's final resting place. The captain was still starring the point, where the edge had to move inside. His brown eyes couldn't believe it. She really was Dragon Born and now it was over for him. The rest of the ninjas couldn't do a thing, like statues, they silently watched the execution. No emotion, except fear.

"Dragon Born!" somepony shouted from the forest. She turned her attention to the approaching white pegasus with a lush black mane and blue eyes. Behind him, silhouettes were spreading to the left and right. Soon these dark figures turned out to be other ninjas, who had a very terrible look. They managed to ambush the enemy warriors, who went after Feather and Silver and now we ready to do one last engagement before they could taste freedom. They took attack positions and waited for the command.

Free came to the mighty mare with the eyes of a filly at the confectionery. Despite not really knowing how she really looked initially, that one pony in a circle of so many enemies, seemed like the chosen one. The dragon ponies found themselves in a difficult position and without their head of command, they were not able to do anything, except to keep watching.

Foxy gave him the cold eyes. She didn't recognize this young pegasus.

"Dragon Born!" he said with so much excitement, which annoyed her a bit.

"Are you going to stop calling my name and tell yours?" the hostility in her voice did not scare him at all.

"Yes, of course! I'm Free Feather, the leader of the Clan Phoenixes. I hope that we haven't arrived too late?" he looked around. So many ponies were lying unconsciously on the ground, that it kind of answered his question.

Then Foxy noticed the handle of the blade on his back. That was hers. He saw at what her eyes were looking and bowed. After that he took off the scabbard and ceremonially handled her the sword. She quietly took it in her hoof, then quickly pulled out the blade with her mouth and lifted it high, so that the clawed edge stood like a tower of power, the undisputed tool of death. The sword shined with a white light, it finally rejoined with it's true master. Every ninja from the Dragon Claw clan immediately bowed down and trembled in fear. Judgment, they were going to receive and it wasn't not going to be the pleasant kind of one.

The captain, who was frozen solid, closed his eyes and waited for death to welcome him in her legs.

"I'd run, if I were you." the legendary mare whispered in his ear.

His heart was beating unevenly. Terror had fully spread its tentacles in every part of his body. He shakily looked at his comrades and ordered with a defeated voice:

"Everypony retreat!"

"Wait! Before you all crawl back to your master, I present you with this choice:" Feather said loudly. "you can come with us through the Portal to live real meaningful lives or you can rot in here, serving evil until your bones melt! Anypony, who wants to give up this Hell for the Light will be welcomed! Choose now!"

The statues looked at each other, a lot of them were too loyal to their leader, some were hesitating and a very few dropped their weapons in a sign that they'd go with the winners.

"Come on everypony! I used to serve the Dragon Claw clan, but the leader is corrupted and thinks of nothing else but war and misery! Look inside your warrior hearts and see the truth! The days of glory are gone!" Silver shouted next to Free.

The ones, who were pendulating followed the example of the first ones but the the majority still stood in the leader's control. No pony else jumped the ship...

Then the statues slowly began moving their limbs. With heads down to earth, they grabbed the wounded and then made a column. Wing Mail nodded to Feather, then went to his friends and helped them carry the unconscious ones. He wouldn't want to leave them, so the green messenger was going back to Tartarus. They began to march in the direction of their capital. The ones, who chose freedom sat and waited. They were feeling like traitors but their souls would not bare to live the old lives, when this opportunity was given to them. The Phoenixes carefully watched the rest leaving this place, only the captain remained. He turned to Foxy without looking her in the eye.

"I'm honored that I was your opponent, Dragon Bron. I'd ask you one thing: kill me!" what a brutal request from a beaten warrior.

Her demonic eyes stared deep into him. To unleash the rage of the mare was really tempting. It would satisfy her demons for some moments but it was not worth it.

"Please, I don't want to live with my shame! I've lost fair and square. I deserve an honorable death!"

"No. Killing you won't serve any purpose. I don't give a buck about your honor!" she put back the sword into the scabbard. "You want to have some honor? You'll get one, if you stop serving that coward, you call the leader!"

The ninja sat on his flank. He had a wretched look. His right to die like a ninja was denied. How could he find peace now?

Foxy was done with this minion and now turned to Feather. Metal landed next to her, some of the Phoenixes were interested in his armor and royal-like appearance. He looked a bit silly in that gold panoply. On the other hoof, the spy was intrigued to finally meet ponies from this distant land, who didn't want to kill them.

"Who are you? And why was my sword in your possession?"

"We are the Phoenixes, the survivors from the Guardians of the Portal. Blue Circle gave it to me with one in mind: to deliver it to it's rightful owner. He stole it from some demon or something..."

"Demon?" Metal asked.

"And who are you? Are you a prince?" Silver entered in the circle. Her crimson eyes didn't gave him a sense of trust.

"Me? No." he smirked. "I'm Metal Eye. Officer from the Royal Guards of the Equestrian Kingdom."

"The Northern Kingdom?" Free's eyes got wider.

"Yes?..."

"After we make the jump to the other side, the clan will head north. Could we expect help from your kingdom, Officer Eye?" the younger pegasus asked with high hopes.

"Of course. We help ponies in need. I can bet my career that you'll be welcomed like family!" he assured.

"Demon?" she thought. "It must be the shadow... Why it would need the sword?"

"Thank you, Dragon Born!" Free quickly bowed again at her. Foxy was not feeling honored because her mind was troubled with stuff that concerned everypony. "If it hadn't for you, we'd have never been able to escape this hell."

"Where is Circle? Where is the Master? What happened to the Guardians?" Foxy stepped forward to the pegasus. Her serious look on her eyes was a bit disturbing.

"The Guardians are no more. Some days ago we tried to assassinate the Dragon Claw leader but failed. For the past days, we were hunted by them. Yesterday, Circe lost his mind and decided to go back to Draconicus to prepare things for your arrival. On the very same day, I and Silver Knife got ambushed... Master Triple came to our help and paid with his life, so that I and she can live." sadness was in his blue eyes, when he mention the death of his former master.

"Circle, did he talk about the Shadow Sun Prophecy? What was the name of the demon, who stole my blade?" questions and more questions were fired like from a machine gun. She demanded answers and the pegasus willingly gave them:

"Yes, he claimed that we are all playing a role in the prophecy. When he came to the camp, days after the attack of the shadow, I overheard the name, The Jester of Flame. I do not know who that is but my guess is that's the name of the demon..."

"I know who he is." she darkly said. Her right hoof was pushing hard into the ground. "A dead dragon, the one who cursed my grandmother. I find it difficult to believe that he is alive..." then her eyes grew bigger from the sudden realization, which shattered her view of the recent events. The curtain fell... "He is the shadow! The master behind the scenes... now everything makes sense..."

"What are you talking about?" Feather confusingly asked.

"Lucky's death... was that his doing?" she was turning her head to the left or right, whenever a question was asked. "Why his murderers recognized me but the ninjas here didn't? My revenge... is it just an illusion? Is this a plot to destroy me for what my grandmother did to him?"

"Foxy?" Metal showed a lot of concern for her.

"He helped us defeat Shadow Sun and then he killed Lucky... Why? What is the Jester planning? What is his goal?"

"Who is this Jester? I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." Phoenix came to them. Somehow no pony noticed him approaching from the cavern.

"A dead dragon..." Metal answered. Then he quickly turned to him in a surprised manner. "Wait, are you okay, Phoenix? No pain in the stomach?"

"I told you that I needed a little time. It hurts a bit but I'll manage." he smiled then said to his friend the shade: "You never told me that you are an ex-dragon. You must know by now that I have learned some spells that can make your world turn upside down, right?"

"Ha, watch out everypony, we have a badflank over here!" the shadow mockingly said.

"Wait until I laugh at your failed plan!" he thought fearlessly.

"Why you wanted to assassinate the leader? How you failed?" Foxy asked the young leader.

"Circle told us that he was going to bring machines of terrible power, that could wipe out the other clans without them having any chances. He also told us that the leader was under Shadow Sun's control. The master and Blue confronted him in his quarters but were not able to kill him. Circle mentioned that he wore a red tricorn medallion with unnatural magic."

"I'm the inventor of the weather changing machines." the smart unicorn revealed. "And I'm not proud of what I was about to become."

"Why would you do such a horrible thing?" Silver was surprised to hear that.

"I was... under the influence of the red pendant..." he sadly looked down at the earth, trying to hide from their piercing sights.

"At least, we stopped you before the unthinkable." Metal place a hoof on his shoulder. His pally words brought some self respect into the yellow inventor.

"Red medallion..." in Foxy's imagination appeared the two crimson pieces, which they destroyed. They were isosceles triangles with one hundred and twenty degrees angles on the tops. She connected them, her mind put the green spiral one in the center with its top facing her. Comparing this to the locket, which was illustrated in the Shadow Sun painting back at the artists' home, Tail noticed that only one piece was missing. "Lupi Do... what have you done!"

"Smart girl, isn't she?" the Jester noted inside Phoenix's head.

"The danger from Shadow Sun is not over! Mix in there the Jester's dark plans... Our arrival here was planned from the beginning!" Foxy angrily turned to Metal, who was trying to comprehend what she was saying. "We are dancing under his music! And I don't like being controlled!"

"I know how much you want to scream and tell them that I'm here. I warn you again, only think of exposing my presence and you'll be dead on the spot!" Phoenix stood silently with a dark flame in his blue eyes. The yellow unicorn was not ready to die but he did not want this evil creature to succeed.

"I'm a little confused... So, Shadow Sun is real? I mean Blue is crazy and we didn't believe him much about that old story. But now, when you talk about it, I begin to fear of how blind we are..." Feather felt a bit guilty.

Foxy turned to him and said coldly:

"Shadow Sun is real! The rulers of the Northern Kingdom believe in her existence and they are semi-Goddesses!"

"Does that mean that our mission has changed? Is this a quest for revenge or for saving everypony's flanks?" Metal asked calmly.

"Both!" she darkly answered without looking at him. "I'll stop the leader and the mistress, he serves, and I'm going to end the Jester's pathetic existence!"

"We would like to lend you a hoof, Dragon Born but our mission is to preserve what is left from the Guardians and our peaceful ways of life. We are too weak to go on another assassi..."

"I don't need your help!" she sharply cut him. "You would only slow me down!"

There was so much pain in her orange eyes, that entire worlds would burn brightly in the hellfire inside her. All her life she felt like being used. Her being couldn't take it no more, it was time to end it all right now. Her life had one meaning - to lay waste to those who brought her pain. She was not afraid to parish in her attempt, she would welcome the eternal peace with a smile.

"It's time to go on our ways." Tail then bowed down at Feather. "Thank you for delivering my weapon. Take some of our first aid kits and half of our food. Phoenix will give them to you."

"I thank you for opening the path to salvation for us." Free bowed too.

The Phoenixes took their wounded to the Portal. One of the two sacks was given to them. Foxy and her sidekicks immediately left for Draconicus after they gave them the necessary provisions for their survival. They began jumping to the other side, finally these tired, dirty and weakened by the past days ponies saw the light in the tunnel. They were leaving pain behind to face the bright future together. From now on it was only history...

One pink and red ninja was sitting outside. His tunnel sight couldn't break from the shattered blade. He failed himself and the leader. What was he going to do now?

"You can come with us, if you want." Feather asked the veteran warrior.

"But we are enemies... how can you forgive me for trying to hunt you all down?! I won't be able to forgive myself for the lives that were lost in these short days, if I choose life..."

"With time everything will be forgiven! You had your job, we had ours... We can't change the past, it is, what it is. The only difference we can make is to pay tribute to the ones, who are not among us and choose the light."

"Wise words from a such a young pegasus..." he looked at him in the blue eyes. They weren't exactly warm, but not hostile either. They were the eyes of a leader, who cared for his friends. A leader worth standing behind. The veteran realized that and his internal flame began to burn in a different light. "I'll follow you!"

Chapter 41: A Night

The dark blue mantle had fallen on the isle. The old night's beautiful skirt was studded with countless of stars. Their distant beams were the only light in the forest. Worlds of many untold possibilities, homes of wonderful creatures. They were as mysterious as this planet.

Silence is usually the only thing a pony would hear in the woods. There was no wind to make those leaves rustle. The animals here were small and invisible for the untrained eyes. The biggest land predator would be the wild cat. It hunted only rodents and was almost harmless to ponies. Almost, 'cause they'd defend their children from any threat and were not afraid to show their claws.

It was calm, too calm for her likings.

In the darkness below the trees, a mare was preparing for tomorrow's final moment. They were having a last rest before the big showdown. For the past half a day and night, they've been galloping their way to the capital without a single stop. It was a miracle that the inventor managed to keep up with their speed. Phoenix badly needed the rest, otherwise his legs wouldn't let him move. They were made for fancy walks in the park, not for a forest sprint. The pain in his muscles was great, his lungs were without air, his heart was beating like a heated motor, but not the physical discomfort bothered him. It was the thing from the magic realm, the same little demon inside his body. He felt how the parasite was slowly draining his life with every beat of his heart. The unicorn was in a bad mood, darkness blinded his eyes. His mind was barely floating above the see of total confusion and utter panic. Phoenix didn't know how to act in his current situation. Held like a hostage, he was also the assassin, who was enslaved by the unclean forces.

He didn't want to do it. But his own life was very dear to him. There was so much to invent, so much to find in their world full of mysteries. Phoenix had so much work that needed to be done but now it all seem so far away. This shadowy road was not gonna lead him to anything good.

"Hey, you seem very somber. Is everything alright?" Metal asked. The lying inventor didn't say a word. "Phoenix?"

"I'm alright!" he exclaimed but then continued with a softer voice. "Just the images in my head of those wounded ponies make me very sad. I can't believe that the inhabitants of this island are capable of cutting legs, wings and heads. It seems so barbaric, so unnatural..."

"I understand." Metal tried to smile. "Have a good rest. I'll wake you up in two hours. Foxy was willing to give that much, so don't waste a second!"

"I will." the unicorn then turned his back at him and closed his eyes.

Metal left him and went to the ninja, who was meditating in front of a tree. Her sword was in the scabbard, lying next to the only bag of provisions. She was radiating calmness but he knew better that it was a false state of her spirit. Foxy sensed his presence, when the pegasus approached her.

"What is it?" she asked without looking at him.

"I'd like to learn more about your le... I mean, ex-leader." Metal sat in front of Foxy. Looking at her beautiful face, he couldn't hide that something was reforming his heartbeats. "What are his weaknesses and strong sides?"

"He's an earth pony, who is very good with swords." she opened her vengeful orange eyes and stared in him. "I don't understand why you need to know, when I'll be the one facing him tomorrow."

"I'd like to know, in case he knocks you out of the ring." he made his charming smile.

"It will never happen. If you want to waste your time with pointless talks, when you should be resting, then fine by me. I won't need your help. And don't you dare to stand in my way of dueling him. This is my personal matter and you won't interfere in it, got it?"

"Shish..." he looked the other way. "Somepony just doesn't get it..."

"Stand back!" she ordered coldly.

"Okay, okay. I won't interrupt your meditation again." Metal backed off a bit and sat.

She stood up and began performing mysterious moves. Tail's movement was slow, full of grace. It showed the sharpness of her mind, while executing this ancient ritual. In the darkness, she seemed like a fading ghost. She exhaled and breath on regular intervals. Foxy was manipulating her internal energies, preparing for the moment, when she was going to unleash her full potential. Metal watched her, hypnotized by her intoxicating dance. The curves, the concentration, the elegance. The mare was a picture to behold. Poetry could be written just for those short moments of sweetness.

Tail turned her back to the tree and then kicked it as hard as she could. Her strong hooves smashed through the thick bark. Two black zigzagging lines began to cut the trunk in half. The big tree swayed a bit, then inclined in the direction of the powerful blow. Loud sounds of wood breaking up into pieces and then the old forest inhabitant collapsed under its own weight. The surrounding vegetation managed to catch their dying friend and prevent him from falling on the ground.

The pegasus looked with unbelieving eyes at the destroyed tree and her. Foxy turned around to see the damage and was not that impressed.

"I hope you don't do this to him..."

"It was a bad kick." she turned her head to him and stared darkly. "His will be much worse."

The pegasus gulped.

"Oh, what's the matter? The others seem to have fun. Why don't you go and play with them? Put a big smile on that face!" the Jester spoke inside his head.

"Leave me alone!" Phoenix writhed.

"Oh, no. I can't leave you 'cause I'm inside you! Muahaha!"

"There is a way... There is a way..." the inventor's thought was looping over and over.

"Keep telling yourself that! The quicker you become mad, the better!"

"There is a way... There is a way..." his mind was trying to beat this monster. Working on full capacity, that organ was starting to heat up his entire body. Sweat began to fall from him. Trying and trying.

"Hey, after you deal with the leader, how are we gonna track the Jester down?" Metal asked, while she was continuing her practice.

"He's been sticking around for a while. His presence was always felt near us and the Jester was the one, who helped Lucky to destroy the Temple. I guess, he'll show up in our darkest hour and then I'll make him pay for his crime!"

Because of the anger impulse, she made a misstep, while being on her rear hooves. Tail lost balance. She was about to fall on her left sight, but the mare put a hoof on the ground and managed to stay above the earth. Metal jumped from his place to help her.

"What do you think you are doing?" she coldly looked at him, which completely killed his momentum.

"I want to help."

"I don't need your aid, thanks for the concern." Foxy got on her four legs and repeated the exercise from the beginning. The spy stood there silently and then slowly went back to his place.

"So, you say that he'll come at us. But, what if he doesn't show up? What if he decides to remain hidden? Then what?" he sounded a bit offended.

The ninja didn't say. Her mind hadn't thought of that. "Everything with its time." Tail remembered an old saying. She had to first finish with the Dragon Claw leader and then go on a hunt for the dead serpent. Foxy would never stop, until she avenged her love, even if it meant to travel through mountains and deserts. The mare continued her training, her art must be sharp and precise. Her opponent was not just a mere pony, but the head of the giant body of many lethal ninjas. The ultimate boss, who was weakened by Circle to give her a greater chance of defeating him.

Metal was worried. Things were in the unknown, there was not enough light to show them the options and the traps that were waiting for them. This was not to his liking. He needed to know what was ahead. But how could he do this? Under his thoughtful look, a battle was fought. He could try scout the road in front of them, Foxy did tell him the direction of the capital, so it was possible. He was not scared of being alone in this strange place. The only problem was that the enemy was too unfamiliar for him. His inexperience in this island was going to work against him, if he ever left Foxy's sight.

It was for the better that he stuck with her and protect her flank. That was the least he could do.

Suddenly, his thought process was interrupted by the new information that was coming from his pink eyes. Tail was not preparing. She was standing still in the darkness. Something must be wrong. He carefully went to her. Then Metal noticed the spiritual hurt, she was feeling. Tears fell from her cheeks. Her being was not able to withstand such stress from the past few days. From somewhere it had to be vented and the weakest spots were her eyes.

"Foxy." she didn't turn. "It's okay to cry, don't mind me or Phoenix. Let it all out."

Now the mare looked back at him. There was anger in them and also the need for somepony to be at her side.

"If you mention this to anypony else, I'll kill you!" she threatened him with a painful voice.

"My lips are sealed." he assured.

She faint-heartedly closed her head to his and then Foxy touched his shoulder, on which rivers of feelings flowed like in spring. Metal Eye stood still. His heart was dividing by itself. But one thing was for sure, he was helping her as a friend, nothing more and nothing less. Tail was paying the price of ever melting her dragon heart.

"Will you stop repeating the same stuff already? Is your mind wrecked?" The Jester showed signs of irritation.

The yellow unicorn didn't stop. Like a broken instrument, his mind was not capable of other thought. Or so did the demon think.

"There is a way... There is..." Phoenix stopped. Something felt odd about his surroundings. He opened his blue eyes and instead of seeing the night, his world was colored entirely in white. There were no vibrations to produce sound. Absolute emptiness. The inventor somehow managed to get to a very low subconscious level, in which the shadow couldn't get him. This was a place, where he could think freely, without being spied on or interrupted by the annoying parasite.

"Finally! I can have a piece of my mind! I wonder, does time move quicker in here?" the pony looked around. There wasn't much to see. "I think I need a working table and a nice comfortable chair."

The moment he said his needs, the objects materialized out of the thin air. Phoenix was amazed by this newly discovered fact of this level and then went to check them out. They seemed to be made out of wood, when he touched them, the furniture definitely felt like made of real materials. But this was just an illusion, created by his subconsciousness.

"This must be kind of like a dream, in which I'm the absolute master." Phoenix sat on the chair and continued: "I need pieces of paper and pencils in order to create a plan."

A tower of white sheets appeared on the left corner and three pencils on the right.

"I'll also need scientific instruments and testing machines!"

Immediately a shelf of all kinds of equipment showed up in front of the table. They were going to serve him well.

"Now, the hard part: to create a spell that can counter the Jester. Where was that book for advanced magic..."

The book appeared in front of him. It had an old look with a lot of yellow pages. He opened it and was not happy to see its condition. Some pages were missing, others were like after a mouse attack with holes in them. Phoenix's Just was talented with magic but it wasn't his best field. He could bet that the advanced science and physics was going to look like brand new, as if just taken from the bookstore. At least, as a whole the spell book was in an okay state.

A smile appeared on his face, when he saw some white pages and exactly those, he needed. The unicorn began reading about the old magic, in order to invent new spells in this theoretical laboratory.

In the caves...

His brown horn was lighting the way. Surrounded by moist walls and walking on a slippery floor, they courageously went deeper in this natural maze, that seemed to not have an end. It was an amazing place to be in, full with wax figures and structures, that were still under the process of being created and reshaped. It may take thousands or millions of years, but nature never disappoints with her work of art.

The shadows of the stalagmites moved with the two ponies. The white light revealed only a fraction of what was around them. This section was enormous. There were only the sounds of their steps. It was cold. They continued forward with caution.

This place was visited only by the ponies, who were to become leaders. They'd take this spiritual journey to enlighten themselves about the world around them. They would learn about the past, the present and the future at the Fountain of Fates. Many of them were not worthy of its knowledge and they returned only with more power and crazier minds. But the ones, like Circle, got to see everything. No pony knew on what conditions it chose, but that things were not the same after they'd gazed into its silver waters.

"Isn't the cave guarded or something?" she asked the ninja with the green clothing.

"The shamans are not allowed to enter in the cave. The only time they do so, is when they accompany the next pony to gaze into it. But even then they don't go deep enough to see the fountain by themselves."

"Woaw, how do you know that much?"

"Circle's memories."

Suddenly, Zap stopped. It didn't feel right. The path before them seemed unreal. Even the spy noticed it.

"A trap?"

"Could be or just our imaginations. We've been walking in this claustrophobic place for some hours now." he kept looking in front of them. His tactical mind was alarming but it could be a false one.

"Are you afraid of tight spaces?"

"Yeah. They don't give me much room to maneuver and that renders many tactics useless. There's either push or retreat." the general looked to his companion and smiled. "Ladies first."

The yellow-blue ninja backed off a bit.

"No, I-I..."

An yellow aura surrounded her and she was hopelessly moving her legs to reach the ground.

"Hey, this is not fair!" the fright in her voice made this moment even more enjoyable for him.

By using telekinesis, Zap moved her in front of him. She looked back, his right grey eye was completely serious about doing this. Her hooves began to shiver. Her heart began to beat faster. The mare tried not to panic. The stallion began marching forward and she with him. There weren't many stalagmites in front of them, only sharp stalactites with edges pointed at their heads.

He walked for a few seconds, when the floor in front of him ended. It went straight to hell, a pony who didn't pay attention would find his end at the bottom of this giant gap. The caught in magic mare was floating above the nothingness. Her cyan eyes were afraid to look down.

Mighty Zap went at the edge and searched with sight for the other side or for a terrace, on which to make a jump. He couldn't spot anything in this darkness.

"General, I know that I shouldn't disturb you but could you get me on the safe side, please?!" the spy was really losing it.

"Oh, I will." he answered with a calm voice. "Hang on!"

The aura shrank, so that her legs were free to move around and touch stuff. Then he sent her forward in the black fog. She vanished. Her being was full of fright. After a few moments he shouted:

"Can you step on anything? Can you reach the wall?"

His voice echoed in this vast empty space in a massive rock cage. Her response was fairly quick.

"I do touch the wall but there is no floor."

His horn shined brighter, which put additional stress into his mind and body. He closed his eye and began moving her to the sides.

"Stop! I sense something... Move me a bit further!" the mare voice came a bit deformed from the other side. "Yes, it's definitely a good place to land!"

He smirked.

Out of a sudden, a bright light came into being next to her. She closed her eyes because the flash hurt them. Zap appeared on the other side and he brought the flame from his horn. It was a tunnel that led to the other places of this cave. The unicorn ceased the spell and finally the spy was free. She immediately turned to him with an angry look on her face.

"That was quite rude of you!"

"C'mon, darling. You know that I'd never heart ya."

"I find your behavior highly disturbing, general. Also, when are you going to tell me why we are sneaking in here? What did Circle want us to do in here?"

The general turned to the long, lifeless natural corridor.

"Follow me." he went forward, she followed at his right side. Then he asked without looking at her. "So, you find me strange now?"

"Well, a bit. After you got White Shadow's memories, you do feel somewhat different."

"And you are correct. By having his memories, I feel like there are two ponies inside me. One is me, the other is Circle." then he glimpsed at her. "Don't worry. I won't turn into him."

She felt a relief and sighed.

"Though it won't matter at all. Very soon Foxy Tail will face Lupi Do and when that happens, everything we know will cease to exist."

The spy was a little confused.

"You won't believe it but we've done this for one thousand nine hundred ninety times." she was totally lost by his claim. He understood his partner. Like with Circle, no pony would believe his words either. What an irony. He was planning to burn this island to the ground and build a new clan, that would put everypony under one banner but nothing really mattered at this point, except Circle's mission. It was painful to see his dreams and images of his idea of heaven burst into flames, when he learned the truth. There was no denying, it had to be done, as the last shadow leader commanded in his last thought. How Zap hated to serve anypony but was forced to do so again. It would lead him to his brightest moment, a glorious moment.

"Who is Her?" she asked.

Zap stopped and she too. The tunnel was splitting into two. Which one should they take?

"Shadow Sun." he looked at both and tried to remember, which was the correct one.

"What? That old filly story?" she was looking very confused. "Every clanner knows that it's just a product of somepony's imagination."

"Sorry to break it to you but it's not. Circle warned us but we didn't have the ears to listen to what he was saying. Not even the Guardians of the Portal believed in his story. He was all alone against the world. No pony understood him and he died knowing that his song may never be remembered. It's that way." he pointed to the left tunnel and together they went in it. "Though it won't matter... This world is not real!" Zap turned his head to her. "We've been living under the corruption of Shadow Sun since the dawn of life on this world. She carefully put the pieces on the chessboard and waited for them to make their own moves. Each time it's a bit different. Remove a piece or change it's position and what you get is a slightly different scenario. Shadow Sun is an immortal and She can wait until her strategy reaches perfection."

"I see." she looked a little sad by the realization of this horrible truth.

"Circe tried and failed. His ill mind couldn't entirely comprehend the big picture like I do. I see the connections of the past events that lead to this moment. The great migration to the South, the discovery of the portal... the recent war... As a tactician, I admire the work but as a citizen of this world, I feel terrified by thought of Foxy failing her task." his grey eye darkened.

"Foxy? Is that Dragon Born?"

"Eye."

"So, what's our role on the chessboard?"

Zap stopped and looked in her big cyan eyes. She needed only that to understand why this mission was an one way trip. But the spy was not about to turn her back on him. Her loyalty was to the general and she would follow him to Tartarus and beyond.

"What do we need to do?" the mare asked. Her mind and body were ready.

"For now, just follow me." Zap continued and she with him.

They walked in silence. The more they went further into the tunnel, the more brighter it became. There was a bluish light at the end of the long corridor. It led them to small room, surrounded by rock from all sides. In the center was the Fountain of Fates, the source of the light. What surprised them was, that it wasn't on the floor but on the ceiling and the water was not falling to the ground but going up, back to the fountain. The picture was just fanciful. It produced a melody, which was in tune with their minds. Both were hearing different things.

Its water was crystal clean but it quickly turned silver, when they approached the magical source with amazed looks on their faces. Now it reflected their bodies in the liquid surface. It looked very sinister. As if it was about to become alive and attack them. Instead, the fountain lured them closer to let them have a peek of what it held. They had a feeling that the mystical object was watching them.

"Don't stare in it too much or you'll get lost the universe."

The spy hardly removed her sight from the shiny object. Zap was having a bad time too. The temptation was just too great.

"So, what now?"

"We have to destroy the fountain. It's very simple. We place our hooves in the water and stare at it. This way, we'll create a paradox, which will cost us our lives." he answered darkly.

"What will happen after we destroy it?" fear was starting to creep on her back.

"Think about it for a moment. Moon's Shade ninjas utilize Shadow Sun techniques, from where do you think they get their power?" she looked at him in puzzled manner. He showed no emotions and seemed like a teacher, who was waiting for the correct answer from his student. The bluish light made him look very serious.

"From Her?"

"Exactly. This fountain is a connection point between the Princess of Darkness and anypony, who uses her power. By destroying it, we'll weaken every shadow ninja and the wearer of the last medallion. It will also force Shadow Sun to ask the question again. Foxy Tail will decide the fate of the entire planet, when that moment comes."

"Wait, didn't the prophecy say that a white pegasus was going to get rid of Her? She wasn't one, the last time I checked."

"It's because the prophecy is probably false. Maybe the first Shadow leader misinterpreted what he saw, when he discovered this place. Or Shadow Sun manipulated the images he saw. Either way, it doesn't matter that much now." Zap turned to the radiant fountain and asked with a rough voice: "Are you ready?"

"I don't feel like sacrificing myself for the greater good. But I don't have choice, right?"

"I understand." he gently took her hoof. She felt the warmth of his. It gave her some courage to step below the magical object. Both looked up at the silver waters. How beautiful it was. They simultaneously touched the ice-cold surface. Both felt fear at this point.

"General."

"Hm."

"Hope I meet you in Hell at some point."

"You bet. It's time to conquer that place." he smiled. "I'll look for you there, my trusted spy."

The blue light turned to red, which absorbed the entire room. He was welcoming his fate, his subordinate had second thoughts about participating in this act. She came closer to him, trying to find a refuge in his stallionly figure. Soon they perished. Their deaths were announced by the great energy spike that shook the entire cave. Purple magical lightnings ricocheted from the walls. It was like in a disco party. For the first time in its long history, the cavern was fully lighted. Then the moment of silence and darkness took over again.

Above the surface, at the Moon's Shade town, everypony fell on the ground by the pain that struck them directly in the core. They didn't understand what was going on. Only that they were becoming sick of the loss of power.

The leader, who was in his royal bed felt it too. He began having a hard time breathing. Thankfully his doctors were near him and stabilize his condition. Lupi took it like a stallion and managed to fight it along with the other weakness in his armor. Tomorrow, his spirit was going to be put to the ultimate test: facing the worst opponent in his life.

Inside a protected dream a unicorn shouted: "Eureka!"

Chapter 42: The Day That Never Was ( Part 1 )

The night was fading away, to give path to the sun. This was going to be a day that ends all time. And time was knocking on the earth's door.

"Wake up!"

A strange voice from afar stroke his senses, which in turn gave a boot signal to his brain. He slowly opened his eyes. At first, the world was out of focus. Strange colors in a blurry mess confused him. The forest was shapeless.

"Come on, Phoenix! We will be leaving in two minutes."

"I feel so tired..." the yellow unicorn mumbled and turned to other side, where a grey hoof was just in front of his nose. Something in his mind snapped and he went from lying to sitting position in an instant.

"Wait! Are we being attacked?!" Phoenix looked around in panic.

"Calm down, we are not. Here." Metal Eye gave him an apple. "This will be your only meal for some time."

"Why?"

"We have to cover the distance to the capital fairly quick, without stopping. Once we get there, we won't have time for a late lunch. We'll also use the Golden Tail road. It's the fastest way to Draconicus."

"Isn't it also the unsafest?" Metal asked.

"Did anypony ambush us on the way here? These woods are perfect for ninjas to hide in and wait for their preys to enter in the trap by themselves. I don't think that there's a warrior brave enough to tango with me."

"But what about us?" the white pegasus pointed at himself and the inventor, who was starting to eat his red apple. "I doubt that they'll be kind to us."

"As long as you are with me then no pony will harm you." she turned her back to them. A heavy shadow was falling on her grey fur. The scabbard was on her back. She was ready. "Hopefully."

Metal looked at the unicorn.

"United we must stand to face the dangers!"

"I think that would be the correct way to do it." the inventor nodded.

Foxy smirked and looked back.

"When you finish with your apple, we leave."

They froze still. There was no sound. Suddenly, pieces of the picture were cut and by the force of the wind, flew into the nothingness, leaving only a black wall. Time went forward and as they were approaching the capital, the cosmic creature was preparing for the moment, when She and Foxy were going to meet.

Burning it's hot fuel, the sun was. The few birds would tell any lonely traveler that the time was around one or two o'clock. The dusty road was very calm. Sounds of nature's life was the only music around. Tall trees made solid brown and green walls on its two sides. The wind was gently stroking the coronas. Bushes helped to fill the gapes in the low. There would be the occasional squirrel that would cross this empty space.

The three avengers were coursing through the lonely route. The mare at the front had a gaze that pointed only at the city in the distance. Even from their position, she noticed its dark appearance. It was almost a highroad to the finish. The damages slowly revealed themselves to the trio, who weren't quite sure what they were seeing.

Metal was on his high guard. Looking either left or right, he couldn't escape the feeling that they were being watched. No shadow escaped the sight of his pink eyes. However, the ninjas were masters of disguise and they could be spying on them as these brave travelers were melting the final kilometers.

"Why it's called the Golden Tail?" the armored pegasus asked.

"It connects the capital with Clan Tiger's. It was built five centuries ago and used primarily by merchants. It was the road to bring fortunes to the ponies, who knew how to bargain. During the war, thousands of hooves marched to their deaths. Now, almost no pony uses it, except bandits and spies."

"So, in the past the clans had good relations?"

"Better than their are today."

"How are we going to enter inside the capital?"

"Through the front door, of course. I have nothing to hide. I'll confront him directly and challenge him. The duel is called Kreeah, from which he can not escape."

"What does it mean?"

"In dragon language it means blood crossing, if translated directly. A ritual of death, where two fight for supremacy and only one lives at the end. For me to be allowed to call it, I have to have serious accusations against somepony." there was an evil feel coming out from her orange eyes. "And I just have what it needs to happen."

"Does everything starts and ends with death on this island?" Metal was a bit upset.

"Much or less, that's how it's done in here. The sooner you accept it, the better your chances of survival are."

Metal was not in the mood to debate morals with her. He looked to the left to check the woods, hoping that his gut feeling was wrong. Then, the pegasus noticed that Phoenix was lagging behind. The unicorn was out of breath and couldn't keep up with the gallop.

"Foxy, we need to slow down!"

Tail stopped out of a sudden.

"How long?" she asked without looking back at them.

"No, we have to continue forward." Phoenix sounded very tired. He walked to them with the magically held spear and bag with provisions. Never in his life, did he gallop so much in such a short time.

"Alright. We'll continue slowly from now." Foxy attempted to make a step, when her dragon sense tingled. She looked at the forest on both sides of the road. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. Just quiet nature. Too quiet to be precise.

"I sense it too." Metal said. He stared behind the curtain, there was definitely something fishy going on in there.

"Look in front of us." Foxy said with a serious voice.

He did. For his surprise, there were four black clothed ninja, who had their eyes on the trio. They wore steel tin hats, which were painted in red. They had mask and only their blue eyes were visible. They were not moving at all. The breeze blew away dust under their hooves. Their very presence on the road felt very darkly in the hearts of the two Equestrian ponies. Tail coldly stared at the four figures, who were as motionless as rocks.

The silence was no more, displaced by the sound of sneaking peril.

"Dragon Born, we presume." the first ninja on the left broke the fog of tranquility.

"What gave me away?" Foxy asked with her emotionless voice. The warriors sensed the rising power within her, so they had to be quick before she decided to strike first.

"There are two possibilities: either you've killed her and took her sword, or you are the one and only cursed ninja, who somehow cured herself from the black magic." the second on the right said. "Also killing Dragon Born would automatically give anypony her title. So, are you the real one?"

"Come closer and the answer you'll see." her orange eyes were turning a bit darker. For a just a moment, the four ponies thought they saw her irises changing to red.

"Interesting to see your true color, instead of the black outfit." the second on the left spoke. "The leader has been expecting your arrival. He seeks to talk with you, if that's not a problem?"

"Talk? I've come to act."

The four elites simultaneously looked first at the golden armored pegasus and then at the yellow unicorn, who was magically holding a spear and a brown bag.

"Strangers, you bring with you. They are not from here, so it's forbidden for them to breath on this isle's air!" they said with one creepy voice.

"Ooh, aren't they four adorable clones." The Jester said.

"They are aiding me in my mission. When I achieve my goal, they'll return home. And since when did you start caring for outsiders? I know your little dirty actions against the Guardians. It would be very unfortunate, if the story was to make it to the ears of every clanner, eh?"

They gave no signs that they felt threatened by the warning shot.

"You are going to meet the leader, immediately."

"Sure, after you!"

"Follow us." the four simultaneously turned around and went forward. Foxy looked to Metal and told him to obey them or the hundreds of arrows that were pointed at them were going to be unleashed. The Equestrian guard knew that this would happen and despite his best efforts to persuade her to listen to his advises, they ended up as special guests. He took his spear and followed cautiously, ready to repel any sudden attacks now that he was sure where the enemy was. But they already got inside the trap, it would be almost impossible to escape from it. Phoenix was speechless, caught in fear that they might not be able to survive this.

They were closing with the city under the veil of constant threat. They now could see the destruction left behind by the previous visitors. The Blood Portal was no more and instead, there was just a massive hole with a crater, where it used to be. It looked like a complete mess. Derbies from the explosion were still lying around, scattered in a chaotic manner. Grey dust covered the nearby ruined houses. A bit in the distance, near the center of the capital, black skeletons, of once homes of many, stood in silence to remind of the hellfire that was brought by the yesterday's act of terrorism. The inferno aftermath had reached the category of insane.

There was no mighty and fearlessness in the look of the capital. The previous glorious appearance was changed with a weaker and sad one. Clanners had grief in their eyes. Their moral was low, their lives were forever marked by that horrible act. Old and young, innocent and not so perished in flames. Their terrible situation reminded Foxy of when she arrived in the Moon's Shade town. Everypony was broken spirited. They looked at the newcomers only when their unbelieving eyes were pointing elsewhere. The common clanners asked themselves who the heck were those three? From where did they come? Why was the pegasus wearing a golden armor? Such and many more questions rose in their heads. They simply couldn't understand the force that was marching on their streets.

From the moment they entered the capital, hundreds of hardened pairs of eyes watched their every move. They weren't going to jeopardize the safety of the wounded city again. Some felt fear, others hate and there were the ones who were a bit to the neutral zone.

Metal and Phoenix were terrified by the devastation. The words were stolen from their mouths. They had not seeing anything like this in their lives. For them, these ponies resembled the ones from the earth kingdom one thousand years ago during the great freezing. So much suffering, so much death in the air. This was far from the Equestrian peace, here it was only chaos and the rule of the fittest. Weaklings were food in here. It was like in the jungle: eat or be eaten.

They silently continued through the black streets to the leader's palace, where the pony himself was lying in bed, not ready to face the wrath of the she-dragon.

Lupi was put to rest in a room on the first floor, so that the doctors could react faster to his condition. If his pulse was to beat unstably, then they would immediately get him to the temple of cure, the equivalent to the hospital. He didn't want to be there. It would only make him weak in the eyes of his ponies.

The room was intended for guests and as such had very impressive decoration, whose aim was to give the visitors the impression of greatness and respect. The stone walls were engraved with texts of poems and extraordinary figures of ponies and animals. He was lying on a red bed with very soft bedding and white pillows, Lupi was surrounded by five healers and of course, his old cyan adviser, who was now wearing a green toga. There was only one window that looked at the garden. A small round table with three legs was standing next to the wall, under the masterfully drawn portrait of a pink dragon with green spikes. An yellow crystal vase with white flowers was remaining on it.

The doctors were preparing medicine in bowls near the bed. They wore belts, on which bags with herbs hanged down. Their white bone masks were scary, to affright the bad spirits. Their work annoyed the hell out of him but without them he may have been in a worse shape. On top of that the leader had to deal with the old one.

"I ask you again, from where did you get that medallion?" his yellow eyes stared down on the weakened tan pony, who couldn't concentrate his sight on either the door or the adviser..

"It's not your concern."

"Oh but it is. How can I close my eyes for this, when the royal line is at stake in here? Why keep the origin of the pendant a secret? Who gave it to you? Why you never mentioned it to anypony? What did you hope to gain by using it? Why it's connected with your health?"

"You remember that I dislike questions?" he angrily glimpsed at him and then returned his sight on the door. "Please, leave me, while I'm recovering. I'll answer everything, when I feel better. Is this good enough for you?"

The bold elderly raised an eyebrow in a bit of annoyance.

"It may be fine with me, but what about the noble families that support this entire clan? They'll certainly not be satisfied. After the recent events, it's very probable that they will make a vote against you and that will mean the end of your ancestors' bloodline." the adviser leaned his head towards Lupi's. His gaze was as threatening as it was trying to give his sympathy. "I don't want to bury the last grandson of my oldest friend. I'd rather sacrifice myself than see you under six hooves of earth."

Lupi answered his stare with a calm look.

"It will never come true. I promise you, after I recover, I'll deal with the families."

The answer was still not satisfactory for the old-timer. He wanted to say something, when the door was impolitely opened, without knocking first. A warrior in pink cloths came in, bowed and notified:

"My leader, I bring news!"

Lupi stood in a sitting position and asked:

"What is it?"

"Dragon Born has arrived!"

The cyan pony was surprised, the other was in a shock. Lupi looked like after hearing the worst news of his life, just like when he learned of his love's death. He couldn't move his eyes away from the loyal ninja. The world around him lost it's color. His ears could hear the demons' laughter in the background, mocking his fate. His internal cogwheels were no longer turning like in a clock. They stopped and began turning independently from one another. What a grind this was in his soul.

"Circle was here, so it's only natural to assume that she will follow him to the Capital. Thank the spirits! We need her help to protect our clan from the stormy clouds that are above us. Bring her in!" the adviser said. Then he looked at Lupi and was immediately concerned by the pale color of his tan face. His white mane was sadly hanging from his sides. His green eyes were full of fright. Wasn't that supposed to be good news?

A few minutes later, the hoofsteps outside began to sound louder and louder. Time began moving slow, the seconds turned to minutes. Death had a form of a pony that he would never be able to beat in combat in his current condition. His only option was to sort everything out via words, otherwise he was a dead meat.

Then from the entrance appeared the same pink ninja, who made room for the guests. Lupi was stunned. Who was this grey mare with a short red mane and orange eyes and carrying a sword on her back? Who were her companions? One covered in gold, the other had a smart look.

"What happened in here?" the mare spoke with a familiar voice. "It's really her!" he thought.

Lupi blinked and smirked. He tried to control his fear and act in a cool manner.

"White Shadow happened. He brought with him the misery and the flames. Foxy... You've changed... You've managed to break the curse, haven't you?"

"I have and so what? Are you trying to postpone the inevitable?" there was a note of hostility in her voice.

"What are you talking about, Dragon Born?" the adviser was clearly in the unknown.

Lupi lifted his left hoof, a sign to stop everypony from speaking

"I-I am proud of you, Foxy. You managed to do what your mother dreamed since she was small. You've turned out to be a beauty, just like..."

"Cut the crap!" she rudely interrupted. "I'm not here to hear your poisonous words but declare Kreeah on you!"

This came as a shock to every clanner in the room. Lupi's time was quickly melting and he had to act fast.

"On what charges?" his voice turned a bit more serious.

"You've made an alliance with an outside force! It's against the rules. And you did that multiple times!" she then pointed at Phoenix. "You must know this pony. It's Phoenix's Just, who was supposed to make those weather control machines for you. He can tell everything about the ninjas, who visited him in one of the Equestrian cities. And to make matters worse for you, your ninjas were hunting down the Guardians of the Portal. You should be already dead only for that. I also claim that you've allied with Shadow Sun! The destroyer of words! The red medallion you wear is the proof of the connection you have with Her!"

"So, I'm finally exposed..." his smirked stayed, despite the accusations. "By the way, the third claim is utter nonsense! Shadow Sun is not real! It's just a foal's fairytale. And if She really existed, I'd never join forces with Her!"

"You are blinded and corrupted by Her!" she made a few mighty steps forward. "I and my friend fought her in the forests and in the concrete jungles. When we thought that it was finally over, the cold reality had to take his life, just to remind me that our job is far from finished! I've seen what her evil powers are capable of and each time there was a red medallion that twisted the minds of ponies! Phoenix used to be under her dark influence but was saved."

"Her friend... he was her love, wasn't he?" Lupi thought. "She must be feeling awful and is not thinking rationally."

"Those are serious accusations, Dragon Born!" the adviser said, then looked at the leader. "I advise caution, sire. But I can't help to wonder, if she is telling the truth? The latest events point out that you in fact have been dealing behind our backs. Are there other stuff you've forgotten to mention, sire?"

He felt like the whole world had turned against him. Feeling alone in the room, he had to find strength to confront her.

"About your friend, did you have feelings for him?"

"I still have, despite that he's no longer among the living." behind her serious gaze was a tortured soul and he was able to see the pain under that ice.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lupi frowned. "If your words are true, that would partially make me his killer..."

"I'm speaking only the truth! You are Shadow Sun's puppet, who must be stopped. I give you two options: One - you give up the medallion peacefully and I leave you alone or Two - we meet in a duel. Your choice!"

"I can't give it you." he said with a low voice. "Surrendering it you would mean to give up everything I've dreamed for years."

"The foolish dreams of conquest have to have an end at some point."

"Not those kind of dreams..." he looked down at his bedding, not strong enough to look her in the eyes.

"Oh, really? Were they all about sunny days and rainbows?"

The leader's mouth was shut. There was no other way, unless to pony up and do the Kreeah.

"Then we are going to meet in front of the Temple of the Dragon Warriors. Prepare yourself for the eternal life because I'll be your end!" she turned around and made a sign for the rest to get out of the room. Before she left, Lupi asked her:

"What was the cure?"

She stopped and answered quickly:

"Love."

"Love?" he thought. Then the realization hit him hard in the heart. All that time, when Snake was still alive, Lupi could have saved her by revealing his true feelings. The leader felt a chaotic storm rising from the depths of his soul and crashing into his chest. It hurt too much, but it was carefully concealed under his serious face.

"I'll meet you in fifteen minutes."

"I hope that you'll put up a good fight, it would be a shame to duel an ill pony, who can't even lift a sword." she then proceeded though the opened door with a gait that gave the feeling of doom. Foxy was in her prime, well trained and a force to be reckoned with. Lupi, on the other hoof, was getting older and his weak state lowered his chances of winning. This was going to be an one sided fight and he knew it.

"My leader, why you chose to face her in a battle to the death?" the adviser asked.

"Because I was a lazy father to her."

"Pardon me, sire?"

"I never dreamed to see her in such a pain. I shouldn't have sent her after Blue Circle. Because of it, she was misled into believing that I'm the enemy. This shouldn't have happened." Lupi looked at the old pony. "Foxy has grown up to become a fine mare, hasn't she?"

"Uhm.. yes, she does remind me of her mother in a way."

"Too bad, I'll never see her happy." he sighed deeply. "Bring my outfit and weapon! And notify my guards, they are to let Tail and her friends to the plaza. I don't want a hair to fall from their heads, got it?"

"Yes, sire." the old one nodded. Then the cyan pony made a sign to the doctors, who quickly packed away their medicine and left the room with him, leaving the leader with his thoughts.

A few minute later...

He was putting the black outfit on himself in the guest room. The earth pony was completely alone. The red locket was on his chest. Small smoke was still coming out of it, which quickly dissipated in the air. He quickly hid it under the clothing. His muscles hurt from every motion but he was a tough pony, Lupi knew perfectly how to deal with it 'cause all that time from the death of Snake Tail to this present moment, he endured hurt like a real warrior.

The Kreeah was given to him, and he had to answer the call.

How much of Tail reminded him of his long lost love. Killing her wouldn't be only physically hard but also mentally. When he looked into those eyes, Lupi saw pieces of Snake. It would be like killing his love, despite that Foxy and Lupi had never been close. Great distances separated them and not even his fatherly feelings could make a bridge between them. In the upcoming duel, the battle was not about who was right or wrong, but simple survival. It didn't felt right.

He put the scabbard with his sword on his back, when a dark voice startled him.

"My advise was neglected, my young prince. Now you are in a grave danger! Everything that was promised to you is in peril. The outcome of the duel will decide whether you will see your love or not!"

"Yeah..." he put on the demonic mask with horns. "Thanks for finally deciding to show up. I have to thank you for warning me about Circle... Why you didn't warn me about him? Are you really on my side?"

The unnatural being was silent.

"So, you do not want to talk, eh? Maybe I don't need the medallion anymore?" he place his hoof on the clothing, under which was the locket.

"You are planning to lose, aren't you? That's not the best solution, my prince."

"And which is it, if I may ask?" his temper got out of control. "Foxy Tail is the child of my love! Even if I manage to defeat her, then how can I look Snake in the eyes, after she's been revived? Just the thought of it makes me sick! I wish that there was another way but Foxy leaves me no choice. I'll face her like a warrior and die with honor. Soon I'll be with her in the spirit world!"

"Oh, don't talk like that. There is another, better way, your highness." the voice in his mind was calm and creepy in the same way. The medallion began to pulsate in dim red light, under his dark cloths. Lupi immediately fell on his knees from the tremendous pain in the chest. He was out of breath to scream. It felt like the crystal object was trying to reach his heart, and it did. This was a silent take over. Darkness consumed his mind, imprisoned his body and turned him into a soulless puppet. His last thought was of her before it all faded away. No consciousness, no feelings, just a shell of a pony, he used to be. The red tricorn medallion became one with the heart. Its dead pulses were resonating in the crystal, creating brief flashes of light. The conquest was completed.

The demon stood up, not by his own will. It breathed deeply. It touched the mask. It was alive and dead in the same time, sensing the world around but still empty of thought. There was a 'leak' from his chest. The puppet checked to see what was wrong. The medallion was still smoking but slower than before. This body had limited time, until it completely died.

"Weaker, I feel, than the last time." he spoke with two voices, one was his, the other was of a mare. "Blue Circle was clever to escape my sight. Next time, I'll make sure that their clan does not exist. It served me no purpose but only to harm me. This leaves me with only one choice: to give her the question again." the ninja went to the window and looked outside. The garden was full with exotic flowers and small ornamental shrubs, which had purple, pink and white as prime colors on their blossoms. It felt nothing by looking at the beautifully arranged yard. "Why are these lesser creatures so hard to conquer? Just mortals, who are trying to immortalize themselves by deeds and short lasting monuments. They can be much more, they will become part of me! But yet, they defy me so many times, other species managed to prolong the inevitable just by little. That would only make them taste a lot better than the rest."

Then the ninja went through the window like ghost, appearing outside. It looked slowly in left and in right with wide opened green eyes. There weren't any guards. Then the demon warrior began to gallop towards the palace's wall and disappeared inside the stones.

"No cheating or teaming up on one!" the four ninjas, who led them to the capital said to Foxy.

"I hope that also applies to your precious leader." she returned with a mocking tone.

"The rules are rules. No pony is above them. We'll make sure that everypony complies with them."

"Sure."

The four bowed and left the field.

"Are you sure that he'll come?" Metal was sitting next to Phoenix on the second stone step from the fifteen, just in front of the temple. Foxy was standing on the plaza with her back to the eternal home of her relatives. The square was surrounded by a large crowd made of ninjas and common ponies. From all sides there were three story houses, primarily made out of wood, who miraculously survived the fires.

"He will. There were too many witness, when I declared Kreeah on him, so to defend his honor, he must show up. Metal..."

"Yeah?"

"Protect Phoenix and yourself, I have the feeling that he'll cheat in some way, so watch out for surprises!"

Metal stood up with his spear and nodded.

"Are you ready to do your part of the deal?" the Jester asked inside the unicorn's head. "The leader isn't quite in his top form, Foxy will definitely kill him in seconds."

"I am." he sadly answered.

"Cheer up, my friend! Look how many fans are here to watch two ponies battle each other to the death. You'll have the grand piece of the show! I'll make you a star in their eyes!"

"Frankly, I'd rather die in a lonely corner than to participate in this..."

"That could be arranged, if that's what you really want. He-he."

"Could you shut up, I'm trying to concentrate. You don't want me to miss, don't you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just want to remind you that the gun is in the bag. I'll try to be as quite as a hatched dragon. Ha-ha!"

"Good, that's how I want it to be."

"Good luck, my little assassin!"

Finally some peace in his head. He had a plan of how to get rid of the demon for good. It was so genius that even the Jester would not see it coming. And the good thing was, that Phoenix didn't remember a thing from it, so his thought wouldn't betray him before the right moment.

The armored pegasus looked at the crowed of unhappy ponies and noticed that the younger generation were all starring at him. For them, he was this mysterious royalty from afar, who for some reason was helping Dragon Born. Yes, the news spread quickly and there wasn't a pony in the capital that didn't know about her arrival. Whispers among them could be heard, even though a good twenty four meters of air divided him from them.

Eye was on his toes, as he looked around, when the atmosphere suddenly changed. In the next moment, he felt somepony's triple weight, smashing into him. They were sent flying towards the stone steps, thankfully his back was protected by his armor. Foxy wasn't aware of what happened. She needed a few seconds to realize that a black ninja was quickly shortening the distance between them. She waked away from her safety pillow and drew out her clawed blade, leaving Metal lying in hurt. It shined with a white light. The leader kept walking forward, unafraid of the killer gloom in her orange eyes. He got the first blow unfairly by materializing in front of her like a ghost. She was going to return the favor.

The crowd was pretty much surprised to see their lord making an appearance like that. The background noises began to quiet down, in anticipation of the second clash.

"I see that you want to play rough. Just how I like it!" Foxy said. The demon stopped just a meter from her. It's dead green eyes gaze into hers, Tail felt a chilling cold. As if the ultimate dark force was trying to get inside her mind via the eye contact. The mare quickly looked away. She was still sensing the magic, that was trying to penetrate her skin, so she used the sword as a blocking tool. The weapon's white light immediately turned black.

"Holy mother of Celestia! What is happening?" Phoenix thought.

"Huh, so the Big Boss Herself came down to this dirt rock. I wasn't expecting that."

"What do you mean She came down? Wasn't She unable to enter our world?"

"She isn't actually here. However, the puppet obeys her every thought, so in a sense She is here. That shell limits her powers, so Shadow Sun can't just consume us in an instant. The moment, when the body dies, her magic ends with it. A friendly advise: better stay away from these two, if your life is dear to you!"

Phoenix decided to listen to the unpleasant guest and quickly went towards the public, taking the brown bag with him. Metal managed to stand up, his back and ribs hurt a lot. He saw the inventor's sneaky escape and decided to follow his example. He took the spear and slowly headed in his direction.

Soon it was only those two in the center of attention.

The black magical energy that was sent at her sword was so much that it literally began to liquify on the surface of the steel and drop on the ground, forming a dark pool below her. The force was so great, that she was being pushed inch by inch. Foxy was standing her ground as much as she could.

"Foxy Tail." it spoke with an unnatural voice. It was very loud and scary. "It's time for your answer!"

"Shadow Sun! I guess I've won, if my real opponent is dead." Foxy joked with clenched teeth.

"Obey your master!" it calmly said. "The time is up!"

"I'm no pony's slave!" Foxy tried to shout, though it sounded more like roar.

"There is no escaping my sight. Come crawling to your lord." the green-eye-stare was sinister. Combined with the fearsome bone mask and it literally made the four referees to tremble. This was not their leader and they realized that.

"She said no!" Metal came from behind, in an attempt to pierce the ninja. The spear broke on contact with its flesh. Metal couldn't believe it, was the leader's coat made out of steel?

A dark tentacle came out from the hole in the cloths and aimed directly at the pegasus. He jumped in the air and flew upwards. The black arrow followed. Even with this distraction, the demon showed no weaknesses. It kept gazing at her, trying to corrupt her mind with dark magic. The sword was doing its best to absorb everything and redirect it away but bits of the transparent stream were getting to their intended destination and Foxy felt how her will to resist was thinning down. She was starting to feel sleepy and powerless with every second.

What were her options? How was she supposed to defend herself from such magic?

"Feel the flow of darkness." a voice from the netherworld spoke in her mind.

"Lucky?"

"You had a creature of complete darkness, use that knowledge to defeat her."

"When I held the dragon inside me? Lucky, what do you mean?"

"Forget me!"

"No! I won't!"

"The only way to change the fates is to forget me! Farewell!" the voice vanished into the nothing.

"No!" she shouted. Suddenly, some of the black on the sword began moving towards her mouth. Foxy fell on her knees, there was no will left inside her to fight the corruption. Then a friend of hers came with a great speed. Like an angel, he descended, grabbed her and together flew away from this monster. The spear was still chasing him, Metal was flapping his wings as fast as he could. Tail was barely holding herself from losing consciousness. Their direction was the untouched by the fires houses and hide there for a moment, until Foxy could bring herself together. They flew half a meter above the colorful manes of the clanners, who were still standing like statues, instead of running for their lives.

The demon watched them escape, while bringing back the tentacle after its unsuccessful attempt to kill the pesky flier. Out of a sudden the four ninjas appeared on the plaza. A second later, they were backed by twenty warriors and more were surrounding this imposter.

"Dark magic! You are not the leader! What have you done with him?" they asked in one voice.

"I ate his life force." the demon answered. "I see more meals coming to satisfy my hunger!"

"It's a fiend! We must kill it before it lays a terrible curse on us!" one of the warriors yelled.

"Oy! This thing killed our leader without anypony noticing and we do not know what its powers are. We need to act with caution!" the one from the four shouted.

"We must avenge our leader! Follow me, my comrades!" a pink clothed ninja charged, backed by ten other.

"No! Wait you fools!" he ordered but it was too late. They were impaled by black shadows, which killed them in an instant. Eleven bodies fell on the ground without much chance. After seeing how those warriors died, the crowd panicked and began to scatter away from the square. Their cries for help drove more and more fighters to the Temple's plaza. Unlike the fallen ponies, they kept their distance, waiting for a command from the four.

"Why you've come here, demon?!" the second on the left asked with a slight anger in his voice.

"To feed." it calmly answered. The tentacles that were still in the bodies of the fallen ones began to suck energies from them.

The bells began to ring loudly, alerting everypony of the new threat that was bringing chaos to the capital.

"Who are next on the menu?"

The four prepared. They were about to knock on hell's door.

To be continued...

Chapter 43: The Day That Never Was ( Part 2 )

"Order the shamans to get their flanks out of the other temple and to come aid us against the demon!" the ninja on the left ordered. One of the defenders of the city took it to the skies to relay the command.

"Unicorns, stay in defensive positions! Prepare to strike on my mark!" the second on the left shouted.

"Earth ponies, protect the unicorns!" the one on the right ordered.

"Your puny strategies will not save you." it said with a frightening voice.

"On my mark, FIRE!" one from the four pointed directly at the leader's body. Dozens of colorful beams were sent at the target from different directions. The deadly rainbows collided with a great force. A powerful explosion sounded throughout the city, killing any other sound for a brief moment. Where the the demon used to stand, was now hidden in a dense black smoke. The ninjas were on the alert. They weren't sure, if it was enough to destroy that creature.

The four red tin hats backed away a bit to breath better air and then using their magic, together they blew with such a wind force, that in seconds the smoke was pushed further away. A crater was revealed on the street but the body was missing. One of the commanders looked up to the ninjas on the roofs of the closest houses. They shook heads once. The red hat quickly realized where the body of their dead leader was heading. He quickly pointed at the street, from which Metal made their escape and ordered:

"We need one to stay here and redirect every ninja to us. I'll need four fliers to warn the generals! Dragon Born is its prey."

"Move out!"

The warriors immediately went after the beast, that had one goal: to ask her the question.

A single figure watched the ninjas leaving the square from the shadows of two houses. The yellow unicorn was frightened for his life, trying with all his mental strength to stay cool.

"Why are you standing in here? Follow them now!" the evil spirit ordered like a boss.

"Did you see what happen to those warriors? Like first year students, they failed to pass their first clash with this monster."

"You are not a coward, are you?"

"No."

"Then go after them, or..." Phoenix felt pain, as if needles were piercing his internal organs. Unexpectedly for the shade, a thought from the unicorn's subconsciousness was brought by a mechanism, that was created to drive the shadow out of him. This was his only chance of freedom, losing it would mean only death.

"Inna kri ni kronium!" this was a bit of dragon and pony language, mixed in one incomprehensible sentence, which in the magic realm triggered series of events. His horn began producing sparks, his eyes flashed in an yellow light. The process couldn't be stopped. Not even the demon, who pulled the strings, could do anything about it.

The mind-meld started.

Phoenix's mind was sent through a colourful tunnel, whose end was blocked by a black sphere. It grew in size fairly quickly, taking over the different lights with its gloomy surface. He didn't slam into it, the yellow pony moved inside it without a problem.

At first, there was nothing, then pictures of the dragon's past life began to appear left and right. They came one after another, starting from his birth.

He was a small and green with red hues on his wings and white spikes on his back. Two horns were coming out from his forehead, which pointed backwards. His eyes were bloody red. Four fangs were peeking outside from his long upper jaw. This little fella looked cute, all baby dragons did. Although later they become more and more ugly due to their greed for wealth.

In the next images, the little serpent grew in size and so did his mentality, which was developing faster than the other newborns. Very soon the first troubles arrived. Surrounded by stronger dragons at his or above his age, they mocked at his uniqueness. There were fights, in which he was constantly alone against superior numbers. Relaying on his clever mind, the young Jester planned ways to defend himself from the bullies. The reason why he couldn't just fly away, was because his body was too weak for flight and his undeveloped wings would take him about a few meters at best. Despite having the shape of a flier, he was way too young to leave the flock.

Each time they came to make fun of him and hurt him, Jester showed them what his brilliant intellect was capable of. However, brains were not enough, when dealing with dragons. His only weakness cost him dearly. It never ended in his favor.

Confrontation after confrontation, his spirit to fight for his honor and the right to be respected as a dragon corroded, making each blow a far more devastating than the previous. Marks from the clashes were all over his armored skin. His smart gaze was lost and despair settled in his soul. Then thoughts of murder began to itch his mind. Killing another of his kind was immoral and was punishable by death. The elderly dragons wouldn't interfere in the battle but they'd drop the hammer on the winner. A harsh rule, which enforced order in the circles of the young dragons. There was another problem, killing an young dragon was not an easy task. It would require great strength and understanding of which spots on his armor were weak and easy to exploit.

Months passed, life was getting tougher by the day. His being couldn't take the harassment no more. In this time Jester studied his opponents carefully and when the moment came, he showed all how deep his razor sharp claws could go. His victims didn't expect it and payed the ultimate price. Stained in the blood of younglings, Jester finally had his revenge for all the hell they put him through. Four dragons were lost, the elderly serpents were not happy about it.

They were about to punish him, when a strong wind came from the north, whispering his name and so, Jester took the chance to fly. With long spread wings, he jumped from the cliff. Every titan there was surprised to see him soaring through the air. He felt like a free bird. His will to live was strong and no regret of his actions could be found in his heart.

Disappearing quickly from sight, they tried to pursue him but all was in vain. After that moment, he was known as The Jester of Flame, killer of own kind. His name was quickly spread through every corner of the dragon world. In his travels he met a lot of hostility and constantly had to fight for his life against hunger and other dangerous beasts. Tough times were ahead and much he didn't know about how the world worked.

In those times of uncertainty, Jester discovered that he had hidden powers, many of his kind would call it a blessing. He was sensitive to magic. It took him a century before he could weld the mystical powers like a master. And when he did, the question came as obvious: what was he going to do with all that knowledge of magic? The answer was simple: Jester was going to become the mightiest of all dragons and change the hierarchy forever. In his mind, there was going to be one dragon to rule all living things.

However, in the beginning of this conquest, something unpredictable happened. When he was traveling to the north to steal some magical crystals, he stumbled across a big she-dragon, twice his size, to be precise. The wind she created under her white wings could be compared to the force of a hurricane. However, she did not follow the flock and by the looks of her scars, he quickly learned that she was an outcast like him.

He approached her with caution, after observing her for a week, as the she-dragons were creatures not to be messed with. Their fury was well-known and one was very easy to upset. Step by step, he approached the mighty beast. His strong heart began to beat faster. At first, she was suspicious and ready to repel this invader, but a little thing called for calmness. He went to ask her to join his cause, but instead the crazy little thing got him in its trap. His heart for the first time felt joy like no other. His mind, corrupted by dark thoughts. finally felt peace. The seeds were placed.

Both had mutual feelings for each other, true feelings that no dragon had ever experienced. Both were different than their own kind. They were unique. She was kind to creatures of all sorts, but was not scared to show her strength and he was a brilliant mind, who could think ten steps ahead of anyone. Together they made the perfect symbiosis. What he lacked, she gave and vise versa.

Thirty years passed from their first meeting. What a wonderful time they had. They were soaring the skies together. He had long forgotten about his evil plans. His only purpose was to be with her until end of time.

Unfortunately, destiny was not kind to him and his mate suffered a humiliating defeat by a single pony. A brave warrior, who sought glory, challenged her to a duel. It was a glorious battle, the story of which was retold to this very day. When the murder of his love happened, he was not near. Jester was looking for a perfect cave for their future family. After not sensing her presence for a day, the lonely dragon went to the skies in search for his heart. He found her beheaded body after three days of flying. The sight of her lying cold body was devastating for him. Enormous rage began to engulf his mind. It was expressed by a mighty roar, which was heard tens of miles away, scaring every animal. The mountain, near which she died, stood like a tombstone, forever marking the end of her journey. Everything that was good in him was exhaled with the hot air from his mouth, leaving only darkness and anger in his heart.

After giving her a proper burial by burning the body to ashes, he followed the bloody tracks of her killer. He wasn't alone, as they showed that many hooves had been trotting in the vicinity. The hoofprints led him to a cave, that had a mysterious portal. It was too small for him to use it. Not knowing the exact place of the other side, the killer escaped his claws for good.

From that day, he sworn to avenge the she-dragon by punishing the entire world instead. There was one vision, a vision of flames that consumed every green plain and forest, every happiness and every life on this rock. Did he eventually find the little land in the ocean, where the killer had created a kingdom? Yes, but the dragon was late by a century. For the next hundreds of years he planned how to destroy the word and when Jester learned about the illusion of this reality, he knew that Shadow Sun was going to help him greatly with his plan.

Everything was calculated. Helping Lucky and Foxy to destroy two of the medallions ensured that his revenge would not be interfered by super powers. The elimination of the elite changelings was going to not only severely weaken the Queen's power but also kill any possibility of peace between Equestria and the changelings. By preparing the soil in the ninja island, he made sure that their region would be in total turmoil and unprepared for what was coming. After his rage was felt by the Equestrian and ninja ponies, his sight would turn beyond the see, where the Gryphon Kingdom and the Lands of Zebra were lying in complete unawareness. No creature was safe from his wrath.

Suddenly, Phoenix felt the pain of the demon inside him, which made his eyes to become wet. Because of the mind-meld, the inventor experienced everything, as if those memories were his.

"You never wanted Foxy to succeed!" his voice was shaky. "You never intended to leave me alive! You are going to take the last pendant and combine it with yours, thus making you the most powerful mage in Equestria! I have to stop you!"

The pony used his magic to pull out the bracelet-gun from the brown bag and tried to destroy it. However, before he could even use another spell, his mind was wiped out almost instantaneous. Blackness came out from his skin and completely covered him in matter of seconds. Phoenix's plan to mind-meld with Jester and control him failed. No force could control the dragon's will.

The gun fell on the pavement.

"Ha, I almost fell to his trickery." the shadow pony took the weapon from the ground and put it on its hoof. "He was darn right to try to destroy the gun and not kill himself with it. The projectile is the fastest and will stop every creature in its tracks. A perfect hunting tool for difficult ponies like Foxy. If only I didn't lose her sword back in that cave, it would have been so much easy. However, with that weapon in her hooves, she has become a dangerous opponent. I'll get only one shot at this."

A few ninjas galloped in the direction of the square, more were to follow. They didn't see the demon in the shadows and continued forward.

"Now I have to wait for her to exhaust the leader's body and when the moment is right, I'll kill her. The rest will be easy." he made a step in the light and the dark hoof quickly began to burn in the sunlight. The Jester moved back into the shadows.

"Why it had to be during the day."

Three more ninjas appeared on the street and were headed towards the plaza. They were wearing black cloths from top to bottom. That gave him an idea.

Somewhere in the city...

"Foxy? Are you there?" the distant voice was incomprehensible for her ears. "Come on! Snap out of it!"

Suddenly, she stood up and took a deep breath. The mare felt dizzy and weakened.

"Easy, you almost fell under her spell. Give yourself time to recover..."

"Where's my sword?!" she shouted with some fight in her voice. Metal knew that this was going to be asked, so he had put the sword next to her. He gave it to Tail. She seized it and held it close to her grey fur. Her hooves were shivering. Her gaze was of a lunatic. Metal was terribly worried about her state. Foxy hectically looked around. There were a lot of white-painted houses. They were in a small tight street. The sounds of panic and bells was all around them. There were the occasional running for their life ponies. Fear was spreading like plague, turning the capital into a giant horror house.

"Foxy, calm down. We are safe for now."

"Safe? I doubt it." then it hit her. "Where is Phoenix?"

"He probably ran away with the crowd. I didn't get time to look around, when a tentacle was on my tail. Foxy, what the heck was that thing trying to do to you?"

"Corrupt me."

"How? I didn't see no energy stream coming from him."

"Yet, my sword turned black the moment I placed it in front of me. It was no pony magic, it was alien in nature. Shadow Sun is not from this world, so I have no idea what She's capable of."

"What is our plan?" the pegasus in armor looked ready to fight, but under him he was terribly scared.

"It's simple, I kill it before it kills me." Foxy stood up, leaning on her sword. Her body was still shacking from that deadly dose of darkness. Yet, her readiness to fight again was in her warrior eyes. If it wasn't for her tough character and body, she'd have fallen under the will of the Dark Princess. "Hit me in the face!"

"What?!" Metal exclaimed.

"Do it! As hard as you can!"

"Okay, okay! I hope that I won't receive your wrath afterwards." he reluctantly turned around, hesitated for a moment and then kicked her right in the nose. Foxy stood like a rock. The Royal Guard was afraid to look back at her pissed face but that wasn't the case. She showed no anger, just awkward calmness. Her nose reddened. Tail didn't seem to be in any hurt. She closed her eyes and sat, while still holding the blade by the handle in a vertical position. The edge pierced the ground.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna meditate. You'd better hide, cause once it finds me, it will get messy."

"You think it will follow us?"

"The sword is still black, I can bet that Shadow Sun can follow the energy that's still on my sword."

"That's bad. We can't run, we can't hide. The only option is to fight. Well then, count me in!"

The end of her mouth curved upward a bit.

"I want you to be in the skies and do the same thing, if she gets me again."

"You got my wings!"

"Good, now go!"

Metal went to the skies and took a good position, from which he could do a fast dive and rescue Foxy again, if it was needed. The mare was alone on the small street. She prepared her mind for the inevitable clash. She cleansed herself from any thought, worries but feelings, well those were tough. If Foxy was to forget him and rid herself of the 'Equestrian weakness', she would have to go back in time, when Tail cared for no pony. When she used to know only one thing: how to kill.

However, this proved to be impossible for her because she lacked one thing. The dragon within. The only thing that kept her in check. There was a saying among her clanners called 'The love and hate of dead is reserved only for the dead.' When a ninja died in combat, every emotion his friends had must be cut and forgotten. This mentality served to stop warriors from avenging their fallen comrades in pointless mini-wars, that could destroy the balance of powers. But it also helped clanners to move forward in their lives, despite the losses. Foxy had lost a lot comrades in the war and managed to live through the hell but she couldn't get over this one loss of a weak pegasus.

Detachment from the short memories was impossible for her. Then there was only one possible choice: to let them flow like a river stream and use the emotions for her goal.

Time was up.

The black figure was standing on her left. Aimed its deadly ray at the calm mare. Suddenly, Foxy woke up just in the right moment. She took the sword in her mouth and attempted to cut her opponent. The dark ninja moved out of the way. Just a scratch from that weapon meant defeat. A powerful curse was put on anything that was cut by it. The wound would bleed non stop, until the subject is dead or very sophisticated healing magic is applied.

The black ninja drew its sword. Blades crossed, producing sparks in the point of contact due to high tension. Shadow Sun knew well that her tentacles were pointless for blocking attacks, when Foxy wields that terrifying sword of hers. Two black snakes appeared on its left and right side. They went straight at the mare, who had to back off and cut them before they managed to harm her.

The demon then stared at her to bring the mutated pony down on her knees but this time Foxy was quicker. Rolling towards her enemy, she barely managed to escape the concentrated hate stream. The demon moved through the wall, escaping the dangerous strike, which ended with the sword piercing the wood instead.

She pulled the blade out of the wall and shouted:

"Get out, you miserable demon! Let me extinguish your existence from this world!"

"You will answer the question, small creature. And the cycle will repeat!" the voice seemed to be coming from all directions. Foxy was on guard. She took a few steps back, when she noticed a movement with the corner of her left eye. Tail jumped from her position but was too late, she was under the sight of Shadow Sun and her corruption began its march to her soul again. Placing the sword to block the magic just delayed the inevitable.

"Obey me, like you have done before!" it said with a creepy voice.

"Buck off!" Foxy was struggling to hold as much as possible. Her strength to resist was unseen. She drew energy right from the good memories and feelings with Lucky. This proved to be highly effective against the corruption.

"Who was the pony in your head?"

"How did She know what went inside my head?" Tail thought, then said: "A special somepony! What? You want one?"

"I am the one being, that will face the end of the universe alone, long after all life has become part of me!" the black ninja approached her, its green eyes trying to conquer this pony. The closer he was, the stronger the magic got. "There is no power above me!"

"Yes, there is!" she shouted, letting out the every feeling for her dead mate. Foxy stepped forward. They were just a few hooves away.

"What is the delusions you speak of?"

"Friendship." Foxy made another step forward. She was close enough to deliver a blow. With extraordinary force and will, she managed to do a powerful swing. Her opponent barely dodged that attack. Unfortunately for the black ninja, a white projectile came down from the sky. Metal was falling dawn like a bullet from a fired gun. Before the demon could react, the pegasus slammed into Lupi, pushing him to Foxy.

However, it dematerialized and fell under ground. The winged pony had to do a sharp turn to the skies to avoid colliding into her.

"What is he thinking?" she followed with sight how Metal returned to his high position.

The Guardian looked below, trying to find the possessed body of the leader but there was no trace of him on the small street and the surrounding buildings. Suddenly, the flapping of many wings took his attention. Pegasus ninjas, in black clothing and wearing steel tin hats, were coming from the temple plaza. They were flying in one perfect formation. Headed right towards him, he thought that he'd need to defend himself from them but the unit ignored him and lowered their altitude. Only two split from the group and went to him.

"What is the situation?!" one of the black pegasi strictly asked with some notion of hostility in his voice.

"She is fighting Shadow Sun! Isn't it obvious?"

"Where is it?" the other moved in Metal's personal space, looking closely at his eyes.

"It went under the street. From that point, it could be in the toilets in every house!"

"This is serious business!" the other raised his voice.

"Ain't it all serious?" Metal smirked.

The mare's scary growl made them look below and saw Foxy charging at Lupi. The dead leader was standing at the end of the street, waiting for her. The pegasi, armed with kunais, followed her in this reckless attack. Just like they used to do in the war. They formed a spear, on top of which was their heroine.

"That's not gonna end well!" Metal looked powerless how she jumped with a sword ready to slice the demons throat.

Foxy swung it directly at him but for her surprise, the dark pony was just an illusion. Death cries from behind, they were paying price for their stupidity. The black spears were coming from the ground. Almost every pegasus was pierced by a tentacle in midair. Life was quickly sucked out of them.

Eight bodies hit the dusty street simultaneously. The survivors immediately went above the houses, their hearts were overflowed with fear.

With the energy it got from the warriors, this body was ready to continue the fight. Appearing in the middle, it's mere dark presence provoked her to furiously attack again.

"Dragon Born has to hold on her own, until the shamans come. Our ninjas are no match for this demon." the cyan pegasus said, while watching the deadly duel from above.

"How good are these shamans against such a thing?" Metal asked.

"They know a lot about the afterlife and have dedicated themselves in learning the ways of dark magics. They are our only hope of stopping this demon."

The Equstrian pony looked them in a serious manner and asked:

"Then we have to bring them FAST! Where are they?"

"They should arrive at the plaza now, unless they've been told where exactly the battle is held."

"Then let's go to the square and from there we'll search for them. Foxy can't forever resist the corruption!"

The two ninjas looked each other, wondering if they could trust him. They nodded, then they called the survivors and together flew back to the square, leaving Tail all alone against the monster. The air was filled with the sounds of bells and screams. Soon more and more ninjas found the two. They got the warning not to get close by seeing what happened to the eight unfortunate pegasi, who were forever stripped from their right to live.

Back at the temple...

The shamans entered in the square in a hurry. Wearing black masks and their purple painted robes, which had black symbol all over them, and carrying special potions on their belts, they were here to rid the world from the black force that was possessing the body of their beloved leader.

A group of medics were hopelessly trying to revive the unfortunate souls. They distinguished themselves by wearing only white cloths and a red painted hoof on the sideways. It was good and bad at the same time 'cause usually warriors respected the healers and ignored them in the battlefield but there were some, who didn't give a flying buck and treated them as easy preys.

Groups of four or more warriors crossed the empty space and headed in the general direction of the ongoing fight. The pegasus, who was instructing them where to go, went with the last group. The ten magical ponies approached the doctors cautiously, as they felt that something did not felt right. The head of the shamans stepped forward from the group. Like the rest, only his green horn and violet eyes were visible.

"Where is the demon?"

"We have no idea, sire. You should probably ask the warriors." the healer answered.

"Hey, you there!" the master shouted to one lonely unicorn, who just came to the plaza. "Where is the threat?"

The ninja pointed and said:

"Somewhere there." he answered with a strange voice.

"The four reds must be buying us time. Come on, we have no time to waste!"

They were about to leave, when out of a sudden, the master shaman sensed a dark presence near him. He lifted his right hoof and ordered:

"Spread out in a circle formation!"

His horn flashed and he began searching for the source of the dark energy. He need not much time to find out that it was coming from the lonely warrior. It's pattern was well-known to him. The very same energy, that the shadow ninjas used in their techniques.

"Capture that pony!"

The shamans' horns began glowing in red lights. Jester understood that he was going to be toast, so the demon made a quick escape from the unicorn's cold core, taking both the gun and the medallion with him. A crimson cage appeared around the unicorn. The magical walls missed him. Because he was 'naked', the sunbeams were quickly burning him. Jester had to hide behind a shade and find another host or face death by sunburn. He turned into a shadow on the paved square and quickly headed to the closest cover.

The shamans saw the shade running for its life and attempted to capture it with their magic. The demon needed only a few good meters, when a red prism put an end to his escape. Breaking through the energy walls was nigh impossible. Time was ticking, the yellow ball of doom was killing him by the second.

"Free this fiend of its existence!" the holy ponies made a different formation and were preparing for the massive finishing magic blow.

"No! No! No! Die by my claws!" Jester used the cage as a connection to the shamans and send concentrated black energy back to them. Each of their horns began to shine darkly. They resisted his magic for a good three seconds, until they all fell unconscious on the ground. Together they managed to block most of it, but even the small amount was enough to knock'em all out.

The cell disappeared and Jester immediately crept behind a building. All this happened under the surprised sights of the medics, who quickly went to help their comrades. The shamans' condition was dire but they were going to live.

A bit late for the show, eight pegasus arrived. You could tell that things were bad from their eyes. They were not expecting an attack on the shamans, so that's why none protected them.

"Are they?" Metal asked.

"Those are the shamans." cold shivers crept the cyan pegasus's back. "Medic, what's their condition?"

The lead doctor shook head.

"They will survive the powerful attack. It will be a miracle, if they wake up after a week."

"Well, in that time, there won't be anypony left in this city!" Metal exclaimed and then turned to the warrior: "Aren't there other shamans, who can help us?"

"They are the only ones, who are experienced enough with black magic to fight that monster."

"Who did that to them?" the armored pegasus asked.

"It was another demon." the doctor pointed at the dead ninja, who was examined by one of the medics. "The master noticed its presence inside that pony. The thing jumped out of it's body but was caught. It fought back and managed to runaway."

The medic removed the mask of the fallen ninja. One of the winged ponies recognized her friend, which hurled her in a shock. She slowly went to the dead body and kneed for all ninjas to see. It was a sad picture, one of many that were produced on this island. The medic whispered something to her ear and then walked away. The warrior stood up. She wasn't looking down. The pegasus silently returned to the group. There was no grief in her eyes, just emptiness. This was bucked up!

"If Foxy fails, it's game over! Couldn't you call the other clans for help?"

"From where do you have information about the other clans, stranger?" the ninja looked angrily at him. "Dragon Born must have told you about us, hasn't she?"

"Yeah, and what are you going to do about it?"

The ninja clenched teeth.

"That's right, there's a bigger problem in your hooves. Also I represent the mightiest empire on the planet and if something would to happen to me or Phoenix's Just, things won't turn very colourful for your ponies."

"Are you suggesting an alien invasion?"

"Worse! The Sun and the Moon will fall down on your heads." Metal smirked like a devil and that made the rest of the fliers a bit nervous. Was he telling the truth? His gold armor kind of supported his claim, so they were going to think twice before messing with him.

"What are we going to do now?" an young ninja asked.

They all looked down. Because of the helmets they were wearing, their eyes were hidden but Metal knew that hopelessness was corroding them from the inside.

"We are going to defeat it. We have superior numbers and the spirits, who will watch over us!" the chief stepped in the spot light. "We are the descendants of the mighty first dragon slayer! And we will not bow to anything!"

They were about to shout, when a heavy projectile hit the red ceramic roof of the temple. As if an explosive shell exploded. Dust cloud flew upwards. A wide hole appeared, marking the entry point of the flying pony. The ninjas in the square were caught off guard. Falling wood and tiles were the only sounds that came from the inside.

"What the..."

"The holy temple!"

"The spirits will be angry..."

"Bad sign..."

The chief spread his wings and hovered above the ground in front of their demoralized eyes. He had to hold them under his control and make sure they don't panic.

"Listen up, everypony! We have to protect the temple. I need four of you to see what caused that attack! You two.." he pointed at the the remaining warriors. "Watch over the stranger!"

"Hey! I'm here to help!" the guardian protested. "I'll come with you inside the temple! There's no telling what crashed inside it!"

"That's a blasphemy! No pony outside our clan is allowed in the holy temple. I'm afraid you'll have to watch from afar."

The chief ninja turned his back to them and headed towards the temple. Metal ground his teeth, when his freedom was taken away from him by two very sharp kunais pointed at the unprotected part of his throat. This was going to be quite tricky to escape from.

The chief pegasi landed in front of the massive green doors, which had wooden figures carved in them. They made elegant shapes that formed a big face of a mare. There were steel round handles on each. He pulled the right one. Some force was needed. It slowly set ajar. Then he heard something. He cautiously peeked inside. It was too dark for his eyes. His gut feeling told him that something wasn't right and he stepped back from the doors, just when a black spear tried to pierce his face.

Because of sudden fright, the ninja jumped in the air and backed off more by using his wing power. He saw a chance to get his guards off his back.

"Guys, we all saw the tentacle! We have to help him or he's toast!" the two were unsure what to do. "Standing with me here does not contribute the efforts of defeating Shadow Sun! You have to warn the rest that She is HERE!"

They slowly removed the knifes from his throat. Success. Metal was finally free and he jumped high in the sky. He was so quick that they didn't have time to react. The two watched him flying to the roof with some regret in their decision. They then split up. One went to the chief, the other to tell the new location of the demon.

Metal silently peeked inside the hole and for his surprise, he saw Foxy lying unconscious in a pile of debris and dust. Her head, legs and tail were sticking out from the mess. Her landing spot was the space between the huge columns. A dark figure was next to her. The leader stared at the mare, sending waves of darkness at her. It seemed to be not aware of the spy.

"What should I do?" he asked himself.

Then the front doors were quickly opened by the two pegasi. Bright light entered inside. The leader continued pumping her with death energy. From his back appeared tentacles, which defended him from the pesky creatures. They threw a few kunais at the demon and then retreated to a safe ground. Their weapons did not harm him at all.

The corruption was spreading through her body like a virus. She tried to fight it. In her mind the battle was repeated in a loop, trying to stop her from waking up...

She swung her sword fast and precisely. Tail gave Shadow Sun a very hard time. The demon couldn't stop and concentrate the dark magic in its eyes. He constantly defended himself from her attacks. The dragon mare was agile like a snake, hit hard like a tiger and fully determined to defeat Her once and for all.

The puppet parried and counter attacked. This synchronized dance was a spectacle for the ninjas, who were watching the duel from a safe distance. The four hats ordered no pony to interfere. They didn't want to feed the monster with more lives or harm Foxy. They were waiting for the shamans to arrive. For some reason they were late.

Every foal and mother were evacuated from the nearby buildings. Only warriors were here. Warriors who were too afraid to go to battle against the spirit, who was equal to their war heroine. It wasn't clear who was going to win.

Two swords met each other again and again. Ringing sound and the sparks were coming out their clashes. These epic titans fought for supremacy. Stakes were as high as they could get. No error would be forgiven.

Parry. Dodge. Strike and repeat. It was almost like a mechanical play for both. They were dancing from one place to another, not caring for their surroundings. The air was hot around them. The sun was looking down in anticipation of the end.

Foxy changed her strategy and caught him in a delicate position. A precise blows was all it needed for this to finally conclude. Concentrating her entire being at this chance, she went in for the kill. They were moving like two tears in an endless circle. Shadow Sun saw this coming, quickly dematerialized and dived under the street. Foxy ended up slicing only the air. She was angry.

The mare turned around to see her opponent staring at her. She immediately charged at its position. She wouldn't give Shadow even a second to focus his green yes on her. The hate stream was sent at her again, only to be met by the magical sword. Her gallop was unstoppable, her fury was beyond measure.

Shadow Sun concluded that the only way to make this work was to stop being so nice to her. Lupi's body stood on two rear legs and then slammed the ground beneath him with such a magical force, that it split open the street beneath her legs. She almost lost balance but her attack was not hindered. This was no enough. The medallion flashed brightly and when Foxy was at sword's reach, a powerful red beam was fired right in her face. Foxy flew high in the air, spinning like a bullet. She held the sword tight in her mouth, not letting go, no matter what. It was her first and last means of defense against Shadow Sun.

She was barely conscious. She wasn't afraid. Her eyes saw the face of her lost love somewhere in the clouds. Sky and earth were rotating. It made her a bit motion sick. The pain in her forehead was marked by a red spot, from which blood was falling. Tail couldn't say what happened. Foxy couldn't focus even for a moment. Her flight seemed so dreamy. Her breath was steady. Her mind was peaceful. There was no wrong and right in that state. Only the failure on her part.

Then she landed hard on the roof, which put the end of the memory. It all started again and again, while Shadow Sun was finishing the final touches. The Princess of Doom wanted her to be alive, so that the question could be asked and answered by Foxy.

"What to do? What to do?" Metal was frantically thinking of ways to distract this powerful adversary. Suddenly, something caught his attention. It was shinning near the debris. "Her sword! Now, how do I sneak in there? Distraction!"

He moved away from the hole, quickly went to the ninjas in the square. More and more were coming. The four red hats arrived just in time.

"Surround the temple! We are going to attack from the front! We have to do this without the help of the shamans." said the third on the right.

"It will be wise to wait for more warriors to arrive."

"No! Foxy is in trouble!" Metal said loudly. "Shadow Sun is corrupting her and she can't fight back! We have to immediately storm the building!"

"I think the pegasus has a point." said the first from the right. "The longer we wait, lesser the chances are of defeating the demon."

"Then we attack." the four nodded and together ordered: "Storm the building! Protect Dragon Born! Get her to safety!"

The ninjas formed into squads and silently went to the walls of the temple. Armed with mere swords, knifes and shurikens, they were no match for the power of Darkness. Metal quickly flew back to the hole. Pegasi were already camping the entrance from the roof. The four waved their left hooves in the air. The warriors began the rescue operation with an excellent synchronization. The earth ponies went inside first, then backed by unicorns, who were using defensive spells. The pegasi dropped from above.

The ranged ninjas sent everything they had at the demon. Some of the magical ponies fired beams at the demon. Shadow Sun was not impressed. Twenty tentacles emerged from the leader's back. Quickly the wooden columns and floor were stained with pony blood. After the first meeting with the deadly black snakes, the ninjas tried a more safe approach. Using the columns as cover, the ranged warriors were able to sustain a steady fire on the demon. The unicorns' spells were quite effective. They caused most of the tentacles to be used in protecting Lupi. However, this was not enough. The melee ninjas, who were brave or stupid, died without even being close to landing a single hit.

Metal used the chaos to sneak inside and land behind a column near the sword. The symphony was made up by the cries of dying and spells that were fired at the black pony. He crouched and carefully stepped outside his cover. The leader and Foxy were in front of him. The weapon was lying right from them. Unfortunately for the pegasus, Shadow Sun noticed him and a tentacle was sent at him. He jumped quickly forward and began flapping his wings. The sword was in hooves reach, when a second spear came about from the nine o'clock. He managed to grab it and swung the blade to cut the shadow. Lupi looked at the pegasus. He was now number one threat.

The clawed blade shined brightly in pink. It illuminated the vast hallway. The light gave hope to the fighters and they jumped out of their covers and charged together. Many fell, others continued the charge, distracting the demon. Metal made a 180 degree turn. The sword was now in his mouth. His pink eyes were full of determination. Aimed directly at the leader, the Equestrian Royal Guard was flying like a flash.

BAAM!

A shot was produced from across the big room, where the two legendary mares rested. A bright thin line pierced him. Metal felt pain near his heart. Life seemed to drift away from his body. His inertia and will was what kept him flying forward. He couldn't maneuver well and the first shadow pierced his chest, then right front leg and wings. He drop the sword.

It landed next to Foxy. The demon attempted to take it, when time froze for Foxy. The blade called for her. In her looping memory, she could definitely sense it.

"Foxy. Foxy. Foxy."

The whisper began to get louder and louder, until it turned into shouting. Her ears hurt from it. The memory became murky, then slowly faded away in the mist of her subconsciousness. The darkness was more sinister than before. She felt, as if a big part of her was forever lost.

"FOXY!" the sword called her name again. Tail tried to break the spell. "FOXYYyy!"

The corruption was too much. Her will was not enough to take control over her body. Black fluid invaded her mind. In just an instant, the mare found herself drowning. She tried to get to the surface but was impossible. As if weights were pulling her to the deeps. She couldn't tell what was up and what was down. Out of air and out of energy, she was quickly sinking to her demise.

She was about to close her eyes for the last time, when white and cyan feathers began coming from the abyss. They were falling opposite of her direction. They were bringing the light in this dark place. How calmly the flew upwards. They were around her. It was beautiful. They were sent like a last gift, which brought her strength to oppose the evil. The mare looked down at the blackest thing she has ever seen, a black hole in her subconsciousness. Then up, where the feathers were headed. She kicked mightily and went after them. Swimming in the direction of the call.

The puppet was about to take the sword, when Foxy lightning fast grabbed it under its nose. The edge touched the red crystal surface and that triggered a very quick response. Lupi's eyes flashed and the entire world disappeared.

Foxy was no longer lying in debris. She was scared, when floating in space. Milliards of stars were all she could see. There was no sound, no life.

"Little Foxy Tail. You never cease to amaze me. One thousand nine hundred and ninety one times I've tried to conquer you world. Each time you found a way to fight bravely." a cold voice echoed in the empty space. The stars began to die one by one, soon leaving only nothing.

"Shadow Sun! Your tricks won't help you any longer!"

"I don't use tricks, little creature." two big white eyes appeared in front of Foxy. Pure evil was coming from them and at the same time, they were quite neutral. They were odd to look at because they had no characteristics of normal eyes. And when they took 40 percent of Foxy's view, they achieved the goal of making Her sound and look like a Queen of the Universe.

"Where are we?! Answer now!"

"In the mind of all."

"What is that you want from me? You have any last words before I kill you?"

"You can not kill a thing that's already dead."

"We'll see about that!" she looked angrily at the huge eyes.

"We have two goals that are crossing our paths. I want your world and you want your love back. Yes, you won but how is it a victory, when your heart feels so empty? Destroying the last pendant will make sure that I'll never be able to touch your world. But I..."

"You can bring him back for a price." Tail interrupted.

"I can restart the universe only with your help. The pendant demands a sacrifice and you are perfect for it. Your unique dragon and pony symbiosis has made you a creature of a lot of potential, which I can unlock for you. Then, you'll have to simply use the pendant."

"Then everything will start again... like in a circle..." Foxy whispered.

"You are an interesting life form. Every previous conversation with you have been unique. You've shown creative ways of fighting me. If you had let me inside your soul, you'd have been an excellent apprentice. The planet's life force is trying it's best to reincarnate you in better versions of you. I can only imagine how well it will satisfy my hunger."

"I can try again to save him but endanger the world in the process. Or live in pain for the rest of my life."

"Both choices are good. Would you care for another try?"

Tail looked down.

"If you are so powerful, why you want to destroy life? Shouldn't you help life flourish?"

"Once I was a bright star. I was living the lie, what every creature calls life. Life is an illusion, only one state of the energy that every life form holds inside. I collect this energy to preserve it for the end of this universe. Your essence will survive inside my belly, while everything else is destroyed. I'm your savior, I'm your God!"

"No higher force than me is my God!" Foxy looked up and with a ready-to-kick-flank gaze. "Now I understand what you said, Lucky."

Then she shouted: "Face your end!"

Foxy roared as fearsome as a bear. The edge went through the medallion like it was made out of paper and struck the heart of the puppet. Jester was too late. A bright white light immediately took over every other color, blinding everypony. It was everywhere. It was changing the time pattern and was realigning the universe to the state before Shadow Sun's conquest. Little did She know that her magic could backfire like that. It pulled her avatar back to her dead core, which continued it's endless journey across the cosmos.

The stars were brighter than ever before. Life was safe from her touch. It flourished, spread and evolved. All were safe, while the Ultimate Princess was sleeping inside her black palace. Dreaming of conquest.

Will She wake up one day? How will the future face her wrath? That I do not know. I leave it for the future generations to figure it out.

"I'll never forget you."

Epilogue

She bumped her head on her landing. A temporary blindness, pain and fatigue in the muscles prevented her from exploring her surroundings. It took her five minutes to recover her sight. It was dark. She seemed to be in a house. Quiet it was. The lights from the street were barely illuminating the room.

Tail heard a noise. Something fell on the upper floor. The mare waited a few moments, until she felt that her legs could support her. With steady steps, Foxy went to the staircase. It led her to a dark corridor. The doors were closed but yellow light was coming from underneath it. She silently approached it.

Something was moving inside it. Sounds of hooves. She held her breath and opened the door. The scratchy sound instantly warned the pony inside to turn his attention to this violator of his privacy.

"Foxy Tail?" The stallion was surprised. His voice was familiar to her.

"Who are you? Where am I?" she seemed confused.

"I'm Lucky Eight. Oh my Celestia! It's really you!"

"Wait. You are Lucky Eight? How?" she went inside. Her orange eyes quickly scanned the room and got all the details of the earth pony. He was grey like her. Had brown eyes and was wearing glasses. His head was almost bold, but the tail was intact, maybe a bit too short. It was green. The earth pony was standing next to a desk, on which pencils and piles of lists were lying all over in a very messy fashion. A single light bulb was the source of light in the room. Shelves with books were on the opposite side. A chair was lying on its side behind the pony, maybe he fell from it earlier.

"The right question is how do YOU exist? You are just a character from my story! You look and sound just like her!"

"What? I'm as real as the mountains and the rivers!"

The writer went to her, looked carefully at her and then touched her. She knew that he was excited only by the glows in his eyes.

"Oh my! You are real! You are really here. I'm talking with... wait... could this be a prank? No, it can't be! A few ponies know about my story and they'd never do such a thing."

"What story? What's going on in here?"

"Calm down. Let me show it to you." he went back to the desk and after a few moments digging in the pile, he pulled out a piece of paper, on which the cover of his story was illustrated. Lucky showed it to her. "I know, it's not the best picture ever drawn. This is my story, The Shadow Sun Prophecy. You are the main character in it."

Foxy took the drawing from him and looked closely. She saw her sword, the two evil looking eyes and a heart with wings. She was speechless.

"You are the legendary Dragon Born, half a pony and half a dragon. You are coming from the mysterious island of the ninja and..."

She placed a hoof in front of his mouth. her heart was beating fast. She seemed to be out of breath.

"I-I can not believe it..."

"Me too."

Foxy looked in his eyes, trying to comprehend everything that was revealed to her.

"I'm just a character in a story..."

"No, you are an ideal. You are thoughts. A heroine." he smiled. "You are as real as any pony."

"The whole thing... My love... The suffering... the battle... everything was just your imagination?" she was barely holding her feelings.

Lucky's smile disappeared.

"The worlds we create are real, as long as they are remembered. Maybe there is a possible explanation why you are here... Maybe what I'm writing actually took place in a parallel universe? And you are the lucky traveler, who broke the barriers that divide our worlds? Who knows. But you should cheer up. You are here! You are definitely alive and breathing right now."

"If what you say is true, then I should not exist in here. That mans... I'm not real in this world..."

"It's not what I said."

She looked at the cover art again. Tail didn't know what to think. This confused her to highest point.

"How does it end?"

"I-I... I was tired and fell asleep on that part. The list is still blank."

"Could you hold me?"

Lucky blushed. He never was close with girls, so this was kind of difficult for him.

"Please." tears formed and fell from her eyes. They landed on the drawing. She couldn't maintain the illusion of the strong mare anymore. The stallion slowly came close, uncertainly lifted his left hoof and then hugged her. Foxy placed her head on his shoulder. They felt their hearts beating. He sensed her troubled spirit and tried to provide the best hug possible, despite that he was not much into hugging. "Please, don't let go."

"I will never." he whispered.

They remained like that for few more moments, until she began to disappear. Lucky couldn't feel her warmth or her heart's rhythm. She didn't look. He tried but ultimately failed. Like a memory, she faded to nothingness. Foxy Tail was nothing more than a ghost, a character from his unpopular story, who was going to be lost in the sands of time.

Lucky stood still in the same position for some minutes, until finally he sat and looked at where she stood last. Under his thoughtful sight, the writer was trying to figure, whether he hallucinated or did this really happen.

"I'll never forget you, my little love."

Episode 1: Chapter 1: Pain In The Sunny Day

It was a lovely summer day, the one, on which ponies happily played in the parks or went for picnic. Many ponies relaxed under the sunlight of the warming sun, that was high in the blue sky. But only one was not feeling all cheerful and was in total contrast with his surroundings. His name was Lucky Eight and despite his name his luck went short on him, when he became a blind pony. Although Lucky was still in his prime, he never managed to coexist with others after his incident, which changed him for worse rather than better. Wherever he went, Lucky was looked with the eyes of pity but he did not want this and these actions of the others just made him more annoyed. He quickly became the neighborhood's most obnoxious pony because of his attitude to others, which didn't tried to understand his dilemma. Time went on and many actually forgot about him, as if Lucky ceased to exist but he was still there, waiting for his fate to change in his favor.

A beam of light went through the little window and shined on Lucky's face. He woke up and immediately felt uncomfortable. It didn't take him long to realize that he wasn't in his cozily bed and instead the pegasus was lying on the wooden floor. Lucky frowned.

"I've must have fallen off the bed, while I was having yet another nightmare. Wish they'd stop!" he thought, after which he slowly stood up and sat on his bed. The pony looked grim and in very bad shape. His green mane was unkempt and so ugly, that somepony would say he committed a crime against fashion. The last time he cleaned himself was a week ago and anypony approaching his apartment would sense it on the spot.

Lucky took some deep breaths. The bad feelings returned to make him miserable again like they always did. They reminded him about his inability to see and Lucky was getting really tired of their tortures.

"What have I become? A loser? A trash? I used to be more... I used to be a scout in the Royal Guards. I used to compete in the Pegasi races, I used to be happy, but now... I'm nopony."

Lucky lied down on his messy bed and tried to clear all his thoughts. He opened his lifeless brown eyes and stared in the ceiling. Although he couldn't see it, he imagined it to be colored in yellow with random red circles. The truth was, that the ceiling was painted in that way but the colors were starting to fade and it lost its previous beauty.

"Why it happened to me? I was supposed to be the luckiest pony around but it seems that luck has two sides. Ah... why am I having this stupid discussions?! I think, I'm going crazy."

Lucky rolled to the left and exposed his right flank. His cutie mark was an purple eight with a pair of white wings. His white fur was turning into something of a dirty rag, begging for some cleaning. Lucky curled into a ball. He looked so pathetic, that even the pegasus thought that this was ridiculous.

"An entire year has passed since the incident." he reminded himself with a sad voice. "And yet I'm still trapped inside my cage of eternal pain. No! I must brake free! I must go on with my life!"

The rise of his voice wasn't unnoticed. Immediately somepony from below annoyingly yelled:

"Shut it, sonny. The elders need their sleep, you know!"

For some unknown reason something cracked in Lucky's mind. He usually wouldn't replay to anything because of his total isolation from the rest of the world, but now the young pony had an urge to do so:

"I'm DONE sleeping!" the pegasus shouted as load as he could.

However, a response didn't come late:

"Then GET out!" the old pony below him yelled. "Waking me up like that... shish, ponies in my days had respect to one another."

"Get out?" Lucky froze still by his thought. "All those ponies, pitying me. If I go in the open, I'll feel like paltry compared to them. No! I must overcome this!"

The white pegasus got up and went by the small window, which he opened. The sun stroked his face with its warm beams. A wonderful aroma of freshness took over the old scent of filth. Lucky could hear the happy ponies, going around, talking with their friends and playing in the open. Lucky immediately felt so distanced from the perfect world, that lied before him and more dark feelings emerged deep in his soul.

"How am I going to return to them? How do I start anew?" he sighed. "Wish my friend, Metal Eye, was here." Lucky made a grim face by his thoughts and feelings. Suddenly an idea came to his little head, which for the first time in many months made him feel a bit better. "I should check him in the Royal Guard's office. Maybe, he will know how to get me started again! Then it's decided!"

Lucky turned around. He looked like something just gave him new strength to fight. The pony took his pink silk towel from the wooden chair and put it on around his eyes. Lucky despised wearing dark glasses like other blind ponies usually do, so to cover his motionless big brown eyes, he used a piece of silk, given to him as a gift by a nurse. Then he went to the living room, which was a kitchen at the same time. It was small but compact. On the one side there were a table with an ellipse shape and some lovely wooden chairs. They all were carefully engraved with hearts and little birds but a thick layer of dust covered these beautiful objects. The kitchen was on the opposite side and it was full with uncleaned dishes.

Lucky passed by them without even stopping to clean a bit because he had a new mission. The pegasus was about to do something he hadn't done in a while and for some untold reason Lucky got excited by it.

"I'm going for a walk!" the pony shouted, when he was at the front door but before he could open it, something took over his hoof and then the entire body. Lucky stood like a stone for a few moments, after which he slowly turned to the wall mirror. The pegasus remembered that he didn't wash himself for quite some time. "Maybe I should clean myself first, then go to Metal Eye!"

The mirror was broken by him in one of Lucky's raging moments and now the pieces, that were still on the frame, showed a grotesque vision of the pony. Lucky remembered how he hit it with his full anger. It happened, when some of his friends were trying to calm him after hearing the bed news, that Lucky would never see again. The blow was meant for one of his friends but instead he hit the mirror. After this incident, the blind pegasus never heard of them again.

Lucky felt sad and angry at the same time, although not at his lost close ones but at how stupid he acted then. It was something he would never forgive himself to the rest of his life. He then slowly opened the door and got in the pink hallway, which led to the stairs. There were three more apartments on this floor. No sound was coming from them maybe because the residents were enjoying the weather outside.

Lucky walked almost silently, as if he didn't want anypony to hear him leaving. When he got to the stairs, Lucky stop because he felt uneasy.

"I hate the stairs!" the pegasus thought. The last time Lucky almost hurt himself badly, while trying to get to the ground floor.

Lucky made uncertain steps. "Easy, easy!" he thought, while going down the stairs. After some few moments he successfully got to the second floor and Lucky proceeded with more confidence.

"Well, that wasn't so hard. Only a few more steps! Woaa..." Lucky slipped and fell from the stairs like a rolling barrel. The pegasus landed hard on his face just in front of a pony.

"Ha-ha" he laughed his ears off. "Nice stunt, lad. Never seen such a perfect barrel roll. Let me help you..."

"Don't get near me! I do not need your help!" Lucky said with annoyance in his voice. The pegasus painfully stood up and tried to look tough but failed miserably. Lucky could feel every part of his body hurt but noting was broken.

"Ah, a strong one. Just the kind I'm looking for. I'm Fancy Pants and you, sir, are?" his voice was of an aristocrat but there was something more that met the eye.

Lucky didn't know what to do. The pegasus didn't even leave the building, when somepony greeted him and wanted to make an introduction.

"Lucky Eight." the pegasus answered with a low voice.

"Can I call you Mr Lucky?" Fancy Pants asked, while looking at the pony with his charming eyes. He was a white unicorn, dressed by the latest fashion. His blue mane was carefully brushed to the sides, giving him a royal look.

Suddenly Fancy Pants made a strange face and covered his nose with a hoof.

"Dear pony, what is this horrible stench. As if somepony didn't wash for a full week."

"It's coming from me." Lucky sorely admitted. He was feeling so uncomfortable. His coat was as dirty as an old city cat. "I'm sorry about this. I was just on my way to the spa..."

"Oh, I'm sorry for delaying you, my dear sir. Actually I'll help you get there, as I see you are not in a perfect condition."

"Are you pitting me?" Lucky asked with a note of annoyance and anger in his voice.

Fancy Pants raised an eyebrow from surprise but answered with his calm gentlepony voice:

"Of course not, dear sir. I'm just helping a pony in need. Come now, I'll lead you there and I'm going to ask you some questions on the way there. A friend of mine has a job for somepony like you."

"A job? What possibly he expects from a blind pony? I don't like the sound of this but working on a job may prove to be a great start to a new life, I think. Let's see how it goes." Lucky thought.

"Are we going, Mr Lucky? Did you forget something important?" Fancy Pants asked.

"No... lead the way Mr Fancy." Lucky tried to sound as confident as he could.

"Excellent. Wait for me outside. I just need to tell a friend of mine that I'll be late for our meeting. I'll be back soon." Then Fancy Pants went to the front door and exited the building. Lucky slowly moved to the exit, trying not to bump into the walls. Despite his meeting with the gentlepony, the pegasus was looking grim again.

"What if it's some sort of prank? If it is, they'll regret messing with me!" the angry thoughts made him even more insecure to go out but his curiosity finally prevailed and Lucky left the building without a sound.

At first, the pegasus was surprised to hear how much the streets were full with life. Ponies of all sorts were peacefully walking by him, other were enjoying some ice-cream and donuts in the nearest confectionery. Everypony was smiling at each other. Fillies were playing their little games, while running and cheering. This day provided only joy to the ponies in Canterlot and they were going to enjoy the moment to the fullest.

Lucky was feeling really out of place right now but soon he was going to become a new stallion and join the happy herd.

"Come on. where is this pony?" Lucky started to panic a bit. He didn't want to be seen like this and by some chance no pony noticed the dirty one standing at the front door of the beautiful white building. Everypony were so enjoying themselves that they failed to notice a lot of things in this sunny morning. Some clouds were forming in the east that may threaten the wonderful weather, the ponies so enjoyed at the moment.

Lucky waited for five minutes, in which he almost bite his hooves off, when the elegant white unicorn came to him with a fast paced.

"Ah, I have to apologies for being so late. My friend was very unhappy about delaying our meeting in the gardens but I feel she will understand the situation."

"Right."

"Alright-y then, let us proceed to the spa center, shall we?" Fancy Pants started walking in the direction of the City center, when he noticed that his companion was going the wrong way. "Excuse me, but I think, the spa was that way, if I'm not mistaken."

Lucky immediately stop, turned around and went to Fancy Pants. He looked quite embarrassed.

"Now, lets have a nice walk. I'll have to ask you some questions. Are you okay with that?"

"Shoot!" Lucky answered with a bit more confidence in his voice. The two ponies were heading in the direction of the Princess Celestia's castle.

"What was your last profession, dear Lucky?"

"Scout in the Royal Guards. Why do you need this information?" Lucky was walking right beside Fancy Pants, when they passed by some other pairs of gentleponies, who looked surprised to see the famous unicorn with the filthy pegasus. However, Fancy fully ignored them.

"My friend wants a pony with a talent in finding stuff. A private detective, If you think about it."

"Detective? I thought this profession died a while ago, since there are no major crimes in Equestria. The small ones are handled by the authorities. And this leads to my question, what do you need from a blind pony?" Lucky didn't like, where it was going but he was curious enough to hear the whole thing.

"I don't have the exact details. You'll have to get them from my friend." the unicorn was honest in his answer.

"And who exactly is this pony?" Lucky impatiently asked.

Fancy Pants looked around and when he was sure, that no pony could hear him, the unicorn answered quietly:

"Ms. Blooming Rose. One of the most talented artist I've ever had pleasure to meet."

"I've never heard of her. Are you some sort of famous pony? You sound like one." Lucky asked.

The two ponies were passing by some amazing houses with unique architecture. The facade was brilliantly thought and made by very talented ponies. They had become a symbol of wealth and a roll model for many other buildings in other cities.

"Yes, I am a bit famous, though I do not like to brag about it. You are not from here, don't you?"

"I was born and raised in Canterlot. Maybe I just didn't pay attention to who is the next Big Deal." Lucky didn't bother to stay civil even with this gentlepony. However, the unicorn was not offended by his statement and carried on.

"Quite the tongue, you have there, dear sir. he coughed. "So, would you help my friend or should I look for another pony?" Fancy Pants was straight to the point, which Lucky found it to his liking. Others usually tend to go around the main point, when they talked with him and he found that to be very irritating.

"Lets see how we got here: I incidentally bump into this stallion, then he wants me to help his friend with finding something. A blind pony to find something... yeah sure. If I had Celestia-like powers, maybe I would. This smells like a bad thought out joke." Lucky thought. "Let's see how he holds to this question."

"Why were you waiting at the ground floor? You know most ponies are either out in the city or are still sleeping in their beds." Lucky sounded serious but that couldn't scare the mighty cool face expression Fancy Pants had.

"Ah, you've got me here, Mr Lucky. The truth is I was looking for you. My friend, Blooming Rose, explicitly wanted you to meet her. However, I do not know the reasons why." the unicorn calmly answered.

"Is this a some kind of a bad joke?" Lucky sounded a bit angry. He stopped right in the middle of the paved road. Some ponies, that were walking by, glimpsed at the two white ponies, trying to learn what is going. Fancy Pants came closer to Lucky with a smile.

"I do not take part in awful jokes, that are meant to hurt other ponies' feelings. I assure you, dear sir." his words were honest and for the first time Lucky felt awful for being such a jerk to others. He lowered his head to the ground.

"I'm sorry for offending you." Lucky apologized sincerely for the first time in months.

"No matter, dear Mr Lucky. I don't get offended so easily and besides I understand you completely." the unicorn kept smiling at the blind pony.

"How? Do you know me?" Lucky asked insecurely.

"I do not know you, but I have heard from someponies about your incident. However, the said ponies were more interested in what happened and not in the victim."

"Thanks, that means a lot." Lucky slowly smiled. He felt like a big piece from the rock on his heart fell over.

"Now, let's get going. We do not want to delay your bath any further."

Lucky nodded and followed the gentlepony to the spa center. It was a big, stylish and beautiful building. It was visited by everypony in Canterlot, who were seeking to beatify themselves or just relax after a long day. At the entrance two mares cheerfully welcomed the newcomers. Lucky and Fancy Pants found themselves last in queue that stretched from the entrance to the end of the gardens, that were in front of the spa center.

"It seems many ponies want to celebrate this good day in here. Not that its wrong, of course." the unicorn noted.

He took off his monocle to furbish it in his suit and then put it again on his left eye. There was something in his simple action that made him look more like a prince than just a wealthy gentlepony. Maybe it was how he did things or the way he talked. For Lucky, he seemed really odd but in a good way. It felt good to be in the company of this stallion, who showed how different he was from the other ponies. However, the pegasus was still cautious about the job this Blooming Rose wanted him to do. He still couldn't understand why she chose him and not somepony who can actually see and do things on his own. If it had not been for Fancy Pants, it would have taken him more than just few minutes walk to the spa.

After some moments and no real progress on moving forward in the queue, Lucky's curiosity was so high, he couldn't hold it any longer:

"So this pony needs something to be found? I may have to speak with her in person to get all the details, right?"

"Yes, of course. What do you have in mind?"

"Then I should make an appointment with her, right?"

"Well, yes. When and where would you like to meet her, Mr Lucky?"

"I'd like her to come at the Royal Guard's Office today, after I'm done here. Could you tell that to her, Mr Fancy Pants?"

"Hm, I think she would gladly come and visit you in the Office. Consider it done."

Suddenly an purple unicorn, who was the first in the line, overheard their conversation. She turned around and gently waved her hoofs at Fancy Pants.

"Hello, darling. Long time no see." she greeted over the queue.

Fancy Pants at first didn't see her and was a bit confused but when he saw her, the unicorn answered her greetings:

"Well, what do you know. Ms Cricket, pleasure to see you again. How are the things going?"

"Rather well, thank you for asking. And who is your companion?"

"A good young pony that is in a need of some good old fashion relaxation at the spa." he answered.

"Uh... I don't know who's more embarrassing: me or these two." Lucky thought. "I think I'm going to be sick of this royal talk."

The purple pony told the two mares at the door to wait for her turn and then went to Fancy Pants and Lucky. The ponies in the queue were unhappy because of her but she didn't give a damn. When Ms Cricket saw the dirty pegasus, her mane almost turned from red to white.

"Oh, dear Celestia." she exclaimed in horror. "What happened to your friend here, Mr Fancy? Who did this monstrosity to him?"

Fancy Pants as usual stayed calm and tried to explain:

"Well, you see, he had a rough time but he came here to wash away the past and set a new beginning."

"Oh that is so sad. In this case, why not give him a little push?" she smiled. "Here take my place, I was first but I can wait."

"That is very generous coming from you, Ms Cricket." Fancy Pants admitted.

"Why is this pony helping me?" Lucky thought. "This day feels really strange... is my luck back or something?"

The pegasus barely bowed in gratitude and thanked with uncertain voice.

"Now let's move in front. Follow me." the unicorn said.

Fancy Pants went to the entrance, followed by Lucky. Many ponies looked a bit annoyed but when they saw him, or more accurately smelled his unpleasant scent, many tried to move away from him in disgust. The stylish white unicorn faced the two mares from the spa center.

"Good-morning, ladies. This young stallion desperately needs your help. I'll pay for his stay here." Fancy Pants smiled charmingly. However, this came as shock to Lucky cause he was not expecting such a generosity from a stranger.

"Wait? What? You can't pay for..." Lucky sounded very embarrassed.

"That is the least I can do for you, dear Lucky. Now off you go. Please take him first to the bathroom." the unicorn ordered with a smile.

"Wait!" Lucky shouted but his words fell on deaf ears.

"This way, sir." the two mares grabbed him and moved him inside the spa center. The doors closed behind them and Fancy Pants's job was done here.

Chapter 9: Trains, Everypony Likes Trains

"I hate trains. I prefer flying by myself instead of waiting for a machine to drive me to a wanted destination. But considering our situation, its the fastest and best way to get to Manehatten. Does that cover your question?" Lucky had a lot going in his head and wasn't in a mood for casual talk with anypony, especially with the ninja.

They were heading to the only train station in Canterlot, which was quite the piece of beautiful architecture. It was quite long with big blue windows, which had arc like shapes. The station was painted in bright and dark violet, giving it a exquisite look.

The ninja walked next to the pegasus with another bag over her back, full with juicy apples. Lucky wondered why she needed so many apples. Was it because her body needed a lot of energy to maintain its super strength? Or was it just because his partner was addicted to the fruits? He didn't really know and this wasn't one of his prime things to think about at the moment.

"Let's get back to work! So the runner slammed you with a black magical wall and escaped... that must mean he is very powerful. Attacking him directly would be inadvisable." Lucky thought out loud, then he partially turned his head to her and asked: "Could you remember more about the runaway?"

"The escapee was mostly covered by the shadows. I managed to see only a white mane and tail, noting else." she calmly said, though her shame still roamed in her body like a disease. Her eyes looked at one distant invisible spot but even then she noticed everything around her. She was ready to react fast, if she had to.

"Only a matter of time, the predator always returns!" the ninja remembered an old saying from her youth.

"Why weren't you able to continue the chase?" Lucky's voice sounded so far away in her extra concentrated ear.

"I was wounded. He could kill me, but for some reason the runner decided to make his escape." her cold voice pierced his soul like a sword. The dark feeling, coming from her, was deep and the pegasus understood her.

"Is it serious? The wound I mean." he tried not to sound sympathetic cause the ex-Guardian still had a grudge against her but he needed to know her current state.

"I'll be fine." she said without slowing her pace.

Silence took over for the duration of their travel to the station. There weren't many ponies waiting for the train's arrival. The big clock in the middle of the station showed exactly ten in the morning, when the steel machine stopped next to the platform. The driver completely pulled up the breaks, making sure it wont move from its place.

The two stepped on the platform, when the doors opened and passengers came out from the train wagons. Soon it became a little crowded but there was still room for a blind pegasus to move without bumping into anypony.

The conductor looked at the clock on the violet wall of the station and then his eyes turned to his round watch on a small chain.

"The train leaves in fifteen minutes! Next stop is Ponyville!" he shouted, after that the grey pony put his watch under his blue jacket and went to the locomotive's window to talk with the driver.

The ninja and the pegasus moved in his direction but were stopped by a group of ponies that appeared in front of them and blocked their way.

"We need to find AJ." the purple unicorn said, when looking at her companions."Rainbow Dash quickly fly over the market place and check for her there. The rest are coming with me to the Castle."

"I'm on it!" the cyan pegasus sounded spirited. She spread her wings and with one swoop her body was up in the air. From there the pegasus aimed at the center of the Capital and flew over the train station, leaving a colorful trail from her mane and tail.

"I still don't understand why we have to hurry so much. I'm sure that what ever Princess Celestia has to say can wait a little longer." the gorgeous white unicorn complained, which irritated a little the purple pony.

"Princess Celestia has a very good reason for asking us all to come here. So I don't want to disappoint her by being late." the purple one exclaimed.

"U-u, will She tell us where the next Galloping Gala is going to be or will She reveal us a secret. Oh, I like secrets. They are fun! You can ..." the pink earth pony's mouth was shut by a white hoof, silencing it for good.

"He-he, you do remember, we were supposed to be discrete about it, when on the street. You may never know how many ears are pointed at us any given moment." the unicorn glimpsed at the nearby pegasus, who was trying to go around them.

The pink pony removed the hoof from her mouth and said smilingly:

"My lips are sealed."

The purple unicorn looked at the time again and got a little more nervous.

"Come on, girls. The Princess awaits us."

Then she began walking fast to the stairs of the platform, followed by the white unicorn, the energetic pink pony and the silent yellow pegasus.

"Who were these ponies? Friends to Her Majesty? They sounded like ones. I wonder what the Princess is going to show them. Could it be somehow connected with the awful weather?" Lucky thought.

The two ponies went to the conductor, who was in a middle of a conversation with the driver.

"... no clouds in Manehatten yet. However, some ponies speculate that it's just a matter of time, when the pegasus lose control over the weather there." the yellow pony said from the window of the locomotive. He had taken off his white hat with vertical blue strips, showing a short brown mane.

"Very interesting." the conductor nodded.

The ninja stopped right behind him and knocked on his back.

"We want tickets to Manehatten." she said.

The conductor slowly turned around to face them. He looked them carefully.

"I suppose, two tickets?"

"Yes." Lucky replied.

"That would be ten bits each." grey pony calmly said.

The pegasus raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me. Isn't that too high for just a ticket?"

"Nope." he shook his head in a negative manner. "So, what it would be?"

Lucky had no choice but to get the bits from his wallet and give them to the conductor. Suddenly the ninja took the wallet from his hoof and quickly pulled out a bigger sum.

"Here. Also take this bonus. You've never seen us here, got it?" she sounded threatening.

The conductor and the driver looked at each other. The grey pony uncertainly took the bits from her hoof and gave her the two tickets.

"I do not promise anything, mam. But thank you for the bonus." he said, when putting the money in a safe place.

The ninja didn't like his answer, so she stared at his eyes. The conductor did the same. He was not about to turn his back on somepony, who showed grudge against him. However, her deep gaze changed his mind, when the conductor felt fear to his deepest corners of his soul. He looked away from the big orange eyes, a little shaking.

"Oh sorry, pal. It was just the wind..." he said with insecure voice and turned to his friend on the window.

The ninja secretly smiled under her mask, when she saw her magic working as intended. She turned to the white pegasus, who was not looking happy.

"Did you have to this?"

Though he was blind, he knew exactly what happened in front of him.

"It's for our own safety." she said with unusual happy voice. Then the ninja gave him his wallet and went to the third wagon. Lucky was slightly behind, when she entered inside it. He was about to pass through the door, when the pegasus heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Lucky Eight, stop!" an white unicorn shouted, while galloping in full armor. The blind pony patiently waited for the Guardian to come. The unicorn quickly arrived in front of him, almost without a breath.

"You forgot that you couldn't leave, didn't you? I've been looking for you for the past half an hour to deliver you a message from Quarter Key. Good thing I saw Ms Rose and she helped me in locating you." Diamond Rod said with tired voice. He clearly wasn't used to run in full armor, despite his strong body.

"Something happened?" Lucky asked concernedly.

"Kind of. Key wont be able to make it for your meeting, so do you, it seems. He explicitly asked me to find you and give you this." Rod handed over a closed letter. "One more thing, I need to know where you are going. In a few days, we may need your presence in the Castle to tell us more about what happened last night with the recruits."

"I'm going to Manehatten for a day or two. Then I'll come back." Lucky said kind of uncertain cause his almost entire attention was on the piece of paper, he held in his hoof.

"Alright, then. See you later in the Castle." the unicorn then began galloping again in the direction of the Palace. It seemed, there were a lot of things going on in there cause he hurried like there was no tomorrow.

The pegasus hid the letter in his pocket and slowly got passed the door and wondered which direction should he take.

"Over here!" the ninja said and Lucky turned to the left. She chose the rear seats, where they wouldn't get any attention from the other passengers. Lucky with careful steps went to the back of the empty wagon and sat next to her. She was looking outside the window, as if the ninja was expecting something to happen.

"You need to know something." she whispered. He listen carefully to what she was about to say. "Shadow Sun is the name of the magical art, the pony, I chased, was using. Its very powerful and alone I can't defeat its user."

Lucky sat still with a thoughtful look.

"What are you suggesting?" Lucky asked.

The ninja slowly turned her eyes at him and smiled.

"I'm not gonna eat apples."

Lucky got confused but he guessed it had a coded meaning to it.

"A plan?" he asked.

"Kind of."

"Will you share it with me?"

"In due time." she then turned her orange eyes back to the outside world. The sky was grey and the structures below had their shining look forcefully taken by something out of this world. She didn't give two bits about them but old duty of hers finally caught up with her. There was no denying it now, she had to finish the job once and for all.

After some time ponies entered the train wagon and took the front and middle seats of the two sides. It became a bit noisy and soon they heard the conductor's yell, telling everypony that the train was about to leave. Then the siren sounded very loud and the pinky locomotive started turning its steel wheels. The colorful train slowly moved forward, gaining more speed with each passing moment and leaving only a trail of smoke.

Somewhere in a cave...

The shadowy pony took deep breaths. The fugitive was suffocating and painful seizures passed its body like sea waves. Darkness surrounded the runners entire world, quite dangerous not to bring some lights in this wet and slippery place. However, the pony didn't need the warming beams of the sun or the light bulb in that matter. The runaway actually was hiding from the bright day because it burned him and destroyed his body.

The blackness was good. It regenerated the shadows and his power grew really fast. Soon the pony felt like a God again, though not fully recovered. The sable tentacles were covering the body completely and they started shaking independently from one another. Then they settled down in a synchronized fluid movement. The shadows sensed something. The two little ponies were traveling fast to a city, they shouldn't be yet.

They had to be stopped.

Suddenly every shadow, coming from the pony's body, got out in a very violent way. Great pain went through him and the fugitive fell hard on the ground. He didn't produce any sound. The shadows combined into one and quickly disappeared in a small crack on the wall, leaving a lifeless body of a pegasus, the last victim of the hungry demon. Too bad his love may never know what happened to him.

On the railway...

The train was traveling with a moderate speed. It was the only thing moving in the open green fields. The skies were blue and the sun was happily shining, giving free energy to the flora and warming light to the animals. Hills, forests and tall mountains composed the beautiful scenery. The nature was full with colors and life but not everypony looked outside the windows to admire this wonderful place.

The black pony meditated and Lucky was counting the time. At one moment, he gave up and sighed. The pegasus leaned back on his seat and started thinking of what happened today.

"Rose's letter must contain quite the powerful information, if it's worth killing for it. At least, I have the ninja but to what limit can I trust her to save my life in future troubles? I get the feeling she is holding something from me. She sounds, as if her past was tied with the runaway. But then, why hiding it from me? So many question and no visible answers."

He sighed again. Then Lucky gently put his hoof in his pocket and slowly pulled out the small letter.

"Should I ask her to read it for me? Hope she doesn't throw it out of the window."

"Hey, can you read this out loud. It's something important." he said, when hanging over the letter.

The ninja slowly opened her eyes and grudgingly took it from him. She opened it and glimpsed at the written content.

"Hm, a love poem, by somepony called Quarter Key. Oh, the words are strong and passionate but I've seen better." then the ninja crumpled the paper and tossed it at an unicorn's head, who then picked it up from the wooden floor.

"I hate you!" Lucky said quietly.

The ninja smiled.

"I'm bored, so let's play a little game. You go fetch it and bring the letter to me. Then I'll read it for you. I'll give you a hint: third."

"Sure..." Lucky reluctantly got off his seat and steadily went forward. He got to the third roll, where the violet unicorn was reading the little piece of paper.

"Excuse me, have you seen a crumpled letter around here?"

"Oh, yes. It's very interesting." the horny pony said delightfully.

The pegasus was little annoyed but tried to sound polite:

"Would you give it to me? It's from a friend of mine."

"Of cour... wait a second. You'll need to apologize first."

"I'm sorry!" Lucky sounded impatient and barely held himself to not hit something.

"Here you go." the unicorn smilingly gave him the letter and the pegasus quickly grabbed it from his hoof.

He got back on his seat and again handed over the paper.

"Please, read it!" he sounded earnest.

The ninja crumpled it again and before she could hurl it in a general direction, Lucky jumped on her, preventing the letter to become another fail plane. The pegasus had a pissed face and with all his strength tried to stop her from moving. The ninja just smiled and easily pushed him to his seat.

"You get pleasure from this, don't you?" Lucky angrily asked, while trying to keep low voice. He didn't want to bring unwanted attention to them because of her.

"How many times are you gonna ask me this. It's so obvious!" she giggled in her dark manner. The ninja opened the crumpled letter and whispered: "As I promised, I'll read it now:

Lucky, news from Metal Eye arrived. He is caught

in a bigger thing than he expected. Eye wont be able to

see you in the incoming months. However, you can see

each other, if you are willing to travel to Manehatten. When

I'm done here, we can both go and check on him. It would

be a pleasure to help you get to him.

I know these times are hard for you, so this is the least I can do for you.

Hope to see you soon

Quarter Key"

Then the ninja gave the letter to Lucky. The later put it in his pocket.

"Is this Metal Eye your lover?" she provoked him with her dark voice and looked at him in an ironical fashion.

Lucky was on a bring to place his hoof into her face but he knew that the ninja'd probably dodge his attack. He calmed a little and said:

"No, he is the pony, who knocked you out on the ground." the pegasus looked serious. The lines on the pink towel disappeared and soon his appearance turned to its normal form.

Her smile still stayed on.

"Good, toughen up slightly more and I'll leave you be." she said to herself. The ninja returned to her previous meditating pose and closed her eyes. Lucky made himself comfortable on the seat and tried to sleep at least for an hour.

The driver checked some pressure indicators and the speed of the machine. For just a moment he looked outside the front window and for his horror, the engineer saw a large hole, where the railway used to be. Suddenly the machinist pulled the breaks and the train immediately began slowing down with loud creak from the wheels.

Lucky almost fell from his seat and barely could hold on his place. Briefcases and baskets were rolling on the floor in a total chaos. The other passengers looked freaked out from the unexpected fast change in speed. Only the ninja maintained her calm pose and she seemed unaware of what was happening.

The machinist was holding the handle for the breaks with his entire strength. The distance between the gap and the pink train was getting shorter with each passing second. The machine gradually went into a full stop just a few meters from the railway's end.

The driver quickly jumped from his place and went to see the situation from outside. Everypony was on edge and barely moved from their seats, though there were a few exceptions. Three passengers opened a window and leaned out to see why the train stopped.

"The railway is gone!" one of them exclaimed.

"How could this happen?" a blue earth pony asked.

So everypony burst into nervous talks about the situation, they all were stuck in.

The ninja got up from her seat and silently went for the exit. Lucky noticed her leaving but he decided to stay in the wagon and wait for her there. She swiftly opened the door and jumped on the green ground and from there the black pony galloped in the direction of the locomotive. A lot of ponies saw her and carefully watched how she went to the edge of the big gap.

The ninja was astonished by the size of it. Only extremely powerful forces could make such an hole on the ground for very short time. She looked down but couldn't see its bottom, then she looked up and saw a little cloud high in the sky. It was the only one in the blue dome and the ninja suspected, who had done it.

She returned to the wagon, making her way through the crowd of ponies, who were trying to leave and see from up close the deep pit. The ninja went to Lucky and swiftly pulled him from his seat.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he looked surprised by her action and tried to escape her grab.

"We are going air-born!" she answered, while taking her bag with apples with her and pushing the pegasus to the direction of the exit.

"What? Oh, no! You are not thinking about using me as a means of transport, right?" the pegasus sounded a little scared from the idea.

"Trust me, I'm a ninja." then she pushed him off the wagon and Lucky almost landed on his face. He smelled the fresh scent of grass and flowers, which made him feel good for a moment until a hoof grabbed his coat and forced him to move fast after the ninja.

"Where are we going?" Lucky didn't like to be pushed like a puppet, at least he wanted a clear answer.

"Somewhere far from their eyes." she said, when glimpsing back at the colorful crowd near the edge. The two were running away from the train composition and moments later they made quite the distance from it. The ninja stopped behind a bush and hurled the pegasus in front of her, as if he was luggage.

"Will ya stop tossing me like that!" he said angrily. He barely stood up, when she precisely touched a point on his back and his wings almost instantly spread. His coat now covered only his back and the green medallion hanged down vertically from his neck. Lucky groaned because of the pain, he got from her action but the ninja wasn't finished yet. She did another combination of air-figures with her front legs. Her eyes flashed and then she jumped over Lucky's back. For a moment, he thought, that he would fall on the ground because of her weight but noting like that happened.

Actually she didn't weigh at all and barely noticed her on his back.

"What magic is this?" he was astonished.

"Ninja magic! Now, hear me carefully. You are going to flap your wings and I'll guide you. Got it?" she sounded impatient, which worried the pegasus.

"Are you crazy? I'm not gonna fly with a pony on my back. And I haven't used my wings for an year. So get off me!" he was not amused.

Lucky tried to get rid of her by kicking in the air with his two rear legs but she stuck on him like glue. The ninja touched another spot on his neck and suddenly the rampaging pony calmed and stopped in one place. The ninja closed her mouth to his right ear and said to him with very dark voice:

"Quiet now my little detective. The hole in front of the train was made by Shadow magic. Guess who, utilized the same art to kill you today. My senses tell me we are in danger, while standing here like dump ducks and we are losing time. The fugitive tried to kill you again but not only that. Innocents could have died too, so we know how far his murderous intentions can go. I bet, he is somewhere near, so don't be stupid."

Lucky lowered his head to the grass. The ninja had a point and he understood it now. The pegasus shook his head and then lifted it up.

"You know the direction, right?"

"Yes."

Lucky frowned but there was no other way. He took a deep breath and prepared for take off.

"Be cool. You are a pegasus, you were born to fly!" she encouraged him with a friendlier voice. The last thing the ninja wanted was Lucky to feel fear of flight and of not knowing his surroundings.

He stood silently for the moment of truth. Suddenly Lucky began walking forward and gradually increased his speed. Seconds later he was galloping in the green sea, while flapping his wings. Then the leap of fate came and after that there was only the flight. Lucky used his instincts and very quickly gained altitude. Although his movement looked uncertain, the ninja knew they wouldn't fall to their deaths.

"See, it wasn't so hard." she smiled. The ninja looked down below, searching for the pony, who caused the crater on the ground. However, she was unsuccessful. The evildoer was good in hiding himself from her bird eye view.

"I barely keep my balance and the last thing I want to hear is you complimenting me."

The pegasus leaned a little to the sides but it wasn't something to be afraid of. The ninja understood him, so she didn't continue her tease.

"Slightly to the left. Perfect. Now keep a straight course and will be there in no time."

When the pegasus changed his flight direction, the ninja fully touched her body to his, so that she wouldn't make it difficult for him to fly. She leaned her head to his neck and looked with a relief at the blue sky. Some hair from his green mane was getting into the view but she didn't mind it at all.

The pegasus was doing his best to stay on course, which proved to be almost impossible. He was zigzagging in the air, at least it felt good to be far from the ground, where he was meant to be. Again Lucky could feel the winds passing through his fur and feathers. It cleaned him from all thoughts and left him to soar in absolute peace. He smiled and with new strength he began flapping his white wings, aiming at the distant horizon.

Episode 3: Chapter 25: Past And Present

High in the mountain ridge in Badlands, two ponies fought against the awful weather. The storm came out of the blue and caught them by surprise. The strong wind and the heavy rain made the climbing even more difficult and dangerous. Some places were impossible to be crossed, so that they had to take the longer path, which was not less risky and easy.

"We have the worst luck of all time!" the earth pony yelled. He was wearing a blue ninja outfit. It had gold stripes on the sleeves, indicating that the wearer was from a noble family. On his back, the compact backpack was completely soaked. Everything inside it, including the food, was wasted because of this bloody gale.

"Triple Spirit warned us not to challenge the mountain but who listened." the black mare turned to her partner. A long handle stuck out from behind. She would not go on an adventure without the legendary Claw Sword. Heavy drops of water were falling from her chin. Her orange eyes looked at him and then at the long dark rocky path, from which they came. It took them an entire day to get to here. Exhaustion plagued their bodies but they had to keep going.

Lightnings shined in the gloomy sky. The silhouettes of the peaks emerged from the blackness like ghosts. Some of them disappeared above the sad clouds, others formed sharp toothed line. If the weather had been better, this place would have been great for exploring.

"Maybe we should turn back? I can barely see, where I'm stepping and this storm might rage for days."

"Has the little prince become a coward out of a sudden?"

"No, I just do not want to die in this place! I highly advise that we find a good cover and wait until the the weather soothes."

She impaled his green eyes. There was no fright in them. That was good because she planned to get to their final destination without resting. Time wasn't on their side. She desperately fought it and would not give a second because her death was imminent.

"When you asked me whether you could join me on my journey to here, I said that it's going to be my speed or remain at home. You agreed on my terms, so be a good little pony and get your flank moving!"

He sighed.

"As you wish, Snake Tail." the stallion began climbing again and when he got to her, she said:

"Wasn't so hard, eh? No wonder everypony calls you Young Hair and not Heir."

"I'm not here to listen to your mockeries but to help you get safely to the secret temple. Although I myself start to think that it is just a myth. Who would want a temple on top of the deadliest mountain?"

"Ponies, who had a lot of courage and intellect to hid its secrets here, so that no other creatures would dare to look for it, except us!" Tail smiled.

"Huh, I can see the horrible cold I'm going to get because of this. Hope it's worth it."

After the short brake, together they began climbing the slippery rocks. The temperature was near zero. Their bodies generated enough internal heat to keep them from completely freezing to death. The windstorm didn't reduce its power, but only got more fearsome and brutal. It started raining hail, which only Snake Tail could withstand but for the earth pony this was utter hell.

Young Hair tried to follow her tightly. The constant bombardment hurt every part of his body. To make matters even worse, this mountain chain was the favorite home of many dragons. It would be very unfortunate, if they stumbled across one of these good hosts. The beasts had zero tolerance for other species and sometimes other dragons. They'd attack immediately and pursue their preys until the little beings become one with their big hungry stomachs.

The stallion began to considerably fall behind. Snake climbed rock after rock and didn't showed signs, that she noticed her partner's problems. His head hurt like hell. Bloody drops were falling from his forehead. Suddenly he felt dizzy, after a heavy hit. Young Hair couldn't hold on his hooves and collapsed on the ground.

She turned around and for her horror, Tail saw how his body began to slide to the edge of the narrow path. The wind was steadily pushing him to his doom. When his right legs hanged down above the abyss, she grabbed him tightly and pulled him to her. He couldn't speak and was barely breathing.

"Now I have to carry you to the top. Great!" Snake shouldered him and began to climb the titan again. She was very careful because one slip, meant certain death. The wind ferociously blew in her face. The visibility was almost nonexistent. The hail slowed and soon dropped only fewer icy balls of pain. However, the terrain was becoming steeper and harder to move on. She pulled her claws out from the hooves to have a better grip on her ascent.

With each step, the razor sharp nails struck deep in the soul. She was like a tireless puma, that knew no fear. Her entire being was concentrated only on the task. Her mind pictured them at the temple. Snake Tail could feel that they were close. A few more meters and finally they got to top, which wasn't the highest one in no means. Her eyes grew bigger, when she noticed a round rock in the middle of the barren peak.

She put him down on a safe spot and then approached the stone sphere. There was only one sign on it, a 'V' with a circle around it. This was the place they were looking for. Snake checked it from all sides but found nothing else.

"Only the one with immense strength can touch the stars." she quoted.

Her front hooves touched its smooth surface and pushed. It didn't move at all. She pushed again with all her strength but again without result. Snake stood there silently for a moment. Then suddenly she straight punched it. Her hoof went deep inside its rocky structure, though it didn't felt like Tail just hit a solid scale. More like rubber.

A bright blue light came from the hole, that illuminated the entire peak. She quickly stepped away and stood between him and the magical object. White lines appeared on its round surface, then it broke up into six pieces, which elevated high in the air. On the place, where it used to stand, there was a round hole and a staircase, which led down to the center of the mountain.

This was their way in the temple, so without wasting any second more, Snake toss him on her back and carefully went inside. The entrance behind them closed with a loud bang. It was darker than outside but at least it was not raining. The hollowed out staircase was moist like the walls and the short ceiling. There was a dead silence, unlike the world outside. Snake felt uncomfortable. She was used to hear constantly many sounds around her.

"It's warmer in here, I wonder why. Let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes." she looked at him. He hadn't waken yet and probably needed some medical care, judging by the blood that stained his blue outfit. "Hang in there Lupi Do. You will see the light after this."

With careful steps, she began going down through the tight stairway. It spiraled downwards without an end. Drops of water fell down from the ceiling. They descended deeper into the heart of the petrous titan. It was a good half an hour, when Young Hair opened his eyes. He saw nothing but total blackness.

"Am I dead?" his voice echoed from the walls.

"Of course not. It's not that easy to escape me!" the familiar voice came next to him. "You are stuck with me in this sacred place."

"So, the temple exists?" he sounded very weak.

"I hope so, as you can see we are not there yet. How is your head?"

"It's like after drinking too much cider and my body hurts like after a battle against ten ninjas."

"Good, you feel pain, which is promising. I would be worried, if you felt nothing."

"Snake, thanks for carrying me."

"Not a problem. How could I leave the son of the leader in that storm?" she smiled under her mask.

The two continued down the tunnel. The claustrophobic feel was very annoying for both of them, though that didn't slow their pace. Soon the staircase ended in front of a small entrance that led to a vast chamber. When they got there, Snake let him go. At first he swayed in one place but quickly found balance.

"Can you walk on flat ground?"

"I think so. However, I can't see anything from this utter darkness. I do not have your eyes, you know."

"Then use one of the torches in your backpack."

"They are probably all wet and... Hey what are you...!"

Snake opened the knapsack and took out a moist stick with a flammable material on its end. After one fire breath, it shinned with a bright light that blinded him for a few seconds. She then put the torch in his mouth and smiled on how silly he looked with it.

"You could have just put it on my scabbard." he said with clench teeth.

"Where would be the fun in that, eh?" she then turned to the entrance. "This way you won't be able to talk much. We'd not want to wake the creatures that might live in here with your horrible singing."

"Yeah, as if the light won't point them at our direction. Actually, what could live in here?" he put the torch in his scabbard. The fire was burning mere centimeters from his face.

"I was just joking. Probably this place is completely empty. Let's not waste more time and continue to the temple."

Snake then cautiously passed through the gate, shortly followed by the stallion. They found themselves on a small platform that stood above a huge chasm. The walls in front of them were not visible with the dim light of the little fire. Snake could not see them with her superb night vision. They looked around and noticed a narrow path next to the wall on their left. It was the only way to go and Snake went first.

They moved very carefully. Snake constantly checked what was in front of them and occasionally looked down at her hooves. The adrenaline had kicked in. There wasn't a single thing, on which they could grab, if the unthinkable happened. Some parts of the path had collapsed and they had to make dangerous jumps on the other sides. Good thing they were trained in agility.

They leaped high above the precipices like two little locusts and landed softly every time. Their steps sounded through the entire cave as they were the only sounds. However, one thing bothered her nose. It was the smell of fire, though weak. Maybe it was the old air or something else?

Snake suddenly stopped in one place and tried to locate from where the odor was coming. Lupi quizzed at her.

"Should I extinguish the light?" he asked her very quietly.

"Why would you do that?" she looked below. "Throw it there."

"Uhm, okay..." he pulled it out and soon the torch went flying straight into the black. They followed its fall. Exactly twelve seconds later, the cresset landed on an armored skin. The dragon peel was red with some purple nuances. The beast seemed asleep.

Snake made a disturbing grimace. She really didn't expect that this ancient home would be still occupied.

"I see something there. Is it an Ursa Major?"

"You should have payed much more attention in class and know that Ursa is blue. That thing below us is a full fledged dragon."

"But didn't they sleep near the cave's entrance?"

"Yes and as far as I know, the only way in is from the top of of the mountain. Maybe this fellow was trapped in here in the ancient past or could he be a guardian of the temple?"

"Either way, we have to be extremely silent not to wake him up or we are toast!"

She turned to to the path ahead and said:

"Grab my tail. I'll lead you through the dark."

He waved his hoof in front of him. Accidentally he touched her perfectly formed flank and thus received a kick in the head.

"Quit your fantasy and let's move on!" she urged seriously.

He could swear that his eyes saw stars around him. He felt very embarrassed. Luckily for him, the second try was a success. Back at school, when they were younger, It used to be a well known fact that he had some feelings towards her, which Lopi never managed to share with his friend, the dragon pony. Snake was too busy with her research to find a way to undo her curse, that she never gave him an opportunity to show what was in his hearth.

The two silently continued on the path, which steadily widened. Soon they found another entrance and when they got inside it, Lupi lighted another torch. The chamber was a lot smaller. Six stone columns supported the flat ceiling. Figures and hieroglyphs were engraved on each. There were some, in which were shown ancient rituals. A lot of them ended with a sacrifice to the demon god.

Snake approached one of them and stared in the image of this super being. It looked like nothing she had ever seen. It was biped, just like a monkey. It seemed to wear some kind of armor or it could be just his skin. He was holding in his left arm a long stick and on other a shorter one.

Far back in the middle of the temple, there was a shrine. Behind it, a big golden dragon statue stared at them. It looked like a snake with giant wings. It's evil-looking eyes were made out of red crystals. In its right clawed hand, the creature held a glass sphere. The place seemed surprisingly clean for its thousands year history. No dust or webs covered the surfaces of the artifacts.

"Woaw." Lupi admired on the sight. "Wait to see the faces of the naysayers."

Snake silently went forward. She approached the shrine and immediately felt the magical energy, that surrounded it. A lot of power was concentrated in this small place, which scared her a little. If things went wrong, she might fry herself and die on the spot.

"Dream all you want but do not interrupt my meditation. If you see me struggle, do not attempt to help me or you'll die. Got it?"

He gulped.

"Yes, as you say." Lupi nodded.

Snake then pulled out her sword and thrust it at the ground. She didn't want to wait more to try this possible cure for her terrible illness. The mare jumped on the altar and sat in a meditating pose. Her orange eyes stared at the statue's before closing them.

The stallion in the blue outfit sat next to the left column on the second row and waited. Time passed, the fire from the torch weakened. He was starting to get bored. His green eyes looked at her still figure. She was in a deep meditation and was beyond this world now.

"Only if I could tell you..." he looked flagging. Suddenly something shining caught his eye. Lupi went to the spot and started delving. Soon in his hoof was a small red medallion on a golden chain. Its slick surface glanced from the light of the torch. It fascinated him and inveigle his curiosity.

"Greetings, son of the first dragon slayer!"

The voice caught him off guard. He immediately jumped on his hooves and frantically glanced around. There was no pony else in the temple. Only darkness surrounded him and Snake. The flame of the torch flinched.

"Do not fear my help, young warrior."

He looked at his right and froze. A dark unicorn with white eyes stared straight into his soul. Black flames came from her feathers. She was wearing a red locket with a green orb in the center.

"Who are you, demon?!" he stood in a defensive stance.

"I'm no demon but a friend. I'm here to give you warnings for the future." she answered calmly.

"Why should I listen to your lies?" Lupi prepared for the inevitable battle. He'd protect her on all costs, even if he had to sacrifice his own life.

"In five months your father will die and you'll take his place. From that moment you'll be left with the legacy of the two previous leaders, who made mistakes that could be corrected only by war. You'll ignite the greatest forest fire in your short clan history. Because of your duties, you'll never be able to help her." the alicorn looked at the unsuspecting mare. "She will die trying to desperately find the cure."

"Those are all lies!" he shouted angrily. "My father is in perfect health and Snake will find a way to get the curse off her!"

"Your love for her will blind you, my little prince. What I say is the ultimate truth. I'm willing to help you in good faith and show you that I'm not here to harm you by removing the dragon from the cave."

"Yeah, as if..."

"Follow me."

The alicorn then turned to the entrance and disappeared into the darkness. He followed her every step with sight. Lupi didn't believe a word from the prophecies but his curiosity was large enough to start walking towards the gate. He put the medallion on his neck, took the torch and went outside. The stallion scanned for danger. The alicorn was standing on the small platform, gazing at the abyss.

He approached Her from behind and was ready to strike first, when a bright light illuminated the entire cave. His eyes hurt and Lupi thought that that he fell for her trick. However, no attack came. The demonic mare pointed at where the beast used to sleep.

"He is no more, there is no danger to you and your love."

He blinked a few times until his eyes adapted. The ninja was shocked to see the dragon gone.

"That's, that's..."

"Possible." the alicorn turned to him. Those white eyes could scare even the bravest pony. "Do you see that I'm only trying to help you?"

"I-I..." he shook head. "How are you going to help me?"

"Snake will die but I do know a way to revive her."

Lupi looked her in the eye and asked with a serious voice:

"What's the prize for your aid?"

"Your trust." she touched the red medallion on his chests. "I'll guide you through pain and death. When you need my help, I'll be there to lend you a hoof. I only ask you to trust me and your future, the well being of your clan and the life of your love will be taken care of. Just trust in me."

Then the black entity faded away, only her white eyes remained for a little longer and then they too disappeared. The cave returned to the darkness once more. He stood there, wondering what to do. His eyes stopped at the beautiful pendant. It whispered his name. If the future was so grim, he'd need every help to make it better. His heart would not handle her permanent loss. If this was the only way, then he had to do what the spirit wanted.

The sound of the approaching hooves made him to hide the locket inside his cloth. He turned to Snake, who looked a little pissed.

"Did it worked?"

She shook head.

"I tried to contact the spirit of the dragon, who put this horrible curse on me but I just couldn't. I could sense other serpents' souls but not his. What a waste of time this trip is. Now I'm back to square one."

He placed his hoof on her shoulder and comfortingly said:

"Don't let your spirit to fall down, Snake. I believe in you. The day will come, when you be free from your burden."

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Never give up." then Snake smiled at him. "Thanks, Lupi. Let's get out of this forsaken place."

Then the two ponies headed back from where they came. The stallion carefully hid the secret of his unexpected meeting and the medallion from her. A big white grin appeared in the darkness. Death and destruction was coming and the Dead Sun Princess was going to enjoy the entire show.

Foxy rapidly woke up. She was breathing chaotically. Fear was readable in her orange eyes. Tail needed an entire minute before she calmed down. The mare sat on the white bed and looked down at her hooves. The peaks of the claws protruded.

She concentrated on her self-control and soon they pulled back inside her legs. Foxy turned her sight on Lucky, who was was still sleeping. He was lying with his back turned to her. Tail felt a relief, when she learned that the pegasus was unharmed. The last thing she'd want was to stab him in the back.

Foxy slowly lied down again, while looking at the wooden ceiling. Her dream was a message from the past, left by her parent. Did they completely rid the danger from Shadow Sun or were their adventures just small pieces of bigger picture? This questioned boggled her mind until the morning, not letting her to have her night rest.

Across the ocean, in the leader's chamber and tan pony with a white hair sipped mint tea from the porcelain cup. He felt the vibes of the energies that connected every living thing. His green old eyes stared at the yellow flames in the fireplace. This was the night, when he was going to fulfill the last part of his destiny. Tonight Blue Circle was going to meet his doom and with his down fall, Lupi was going to finally get the deserving happiness, which was taken from him all those years of his painful rule.

Chapter 40: Craze Is In The Air... The King

Picture a dark room. There are no sounds, no windows and no furniture. The temperature is warm. You are in it. Blackness is all around you. You can not feel or touch its walls. You have no idea where you are just that I teleported you in this little vision. Hoofsteps sound near you. You're turning in every direction but you can't pinpoint from where they are coming form. You try to say something but there is no air. No one hears you. You hear them. A mare, a stallion and an young pony.

"What is it, Silver?" he was a bit surprised.

"I want to talk to you." something in her voice told him that she was bothered by a painful thought.

"About what?" indicated a lot of concern.

"I don't think it's right to seal the Portal. Who are we to condemn thousands of ponies to this hell? Don't they deserve to choose freedom too? What about Dragon Born and her friends? Closing it will make us into the same monsters, from which we managed to escape!"

"I understand, but what if she fails? There will probably be another war and when the Dragon leader conquers everypony on the isle, his sight will turn to the lands beyond the seas. He'll come here and bring death to every living thing!"

"She is right, Feather."

"Razor?"

"Maybe you should have told her of your intentions. Now it's too late..."

"What are you suggesting then? We are going to leave for the Northern Kingdom tomorrow morning, after we have packed the necessities and the tents. No pony will be here to guard the portal..."

"I shall remain here. I'll guard it and seal it, if evil tries to spread it's tentacles to this land. This will be my punishment for ever lifting a sword against a friend." readiness to sacrifice his being for something far bigger than him.

"Razor, no, you don't have to!"

"No pony can stop me. We are free and I'll choose what to do with my freedom."

"Are you sure that you'll managed to hold on your own?" her voice brought the notion of understanding his mission, his last one.

"Eye."

"There is no turning you around, right?"

"Yes."

"In this case, may the spirits of the old warriors watch over you!"

Light, small but growing bigger. Wind, speeding up, blowing at your face. You want to hold to something but there isn't a single object. The invisible force pushes you away from the light. It blinds your eyes. It consumes the darkness. Noises from the entire universe mix with your thoughts of death.

Blue opened his blue crazy eyes. The very important pony just arrived as planned.

He had a job to do. Only one take at it was permitted. Failure would mean destruction to everything.

The deathly white unicorn stood up from his improvised bed, made out of leaves. He was completely naked, every scar was visible. His white, extra long mane and tail hadn't seen much the edges of the scissors throughout his lifetime. Nasty black spots on his back showed the age of his illness. It was coming for him too fast. Circle needed more time. The gold ring on his flank was barely visible. If it entirely disappeared, that would mean his end.

Surrounded by trees and shadows, he felt like home. The only thing missing was a hot mare beside him. Childless, Circle's biological clock was alarming. The line of the first shadow ninja ended with him. Death so near, he knew what had to be done. Call it a mechanism, created by nature, but every living thing fights for the survival of its genes. Though, some more complex creatures would fight just for the sheer pleasure of seeing others burn in pain.

The outfit was lying next to him. Red and brown stained its white clothing. It screamed for some cleaning. He took the white mask and stared in it's two holes. One more time he had to become the legendary ninja outcast and then the final prize: the so desirable peace. The madness was unstoppable. A week ago, Circle thought that he had at least an year... now he'd be lucky, if the little piece of his past self managed to survive two months.

Those eyes that had no meaning in them. Almost soulless and demonic. They had witnessed the universe, when he went on his spiritual journey. The Fountain of Fates revealed to him the big picture, in which the young unicorn saw his demise and the passing of this reality because all of this was not real. Corrupted by the Princess of Darkness, this timeline was false like the ones before it.

Circle silently put on the mask. The nature around him was honoring him by not revealing his location to his enemies. A sunbeam was falling on his back, gently massaging him. It was time to meet his destiny!

Somewhere near the big capital, under the cover of the trees, ponies were dedicating a lot of their time and energy to prepare a bomb of unknown proportions. Like evil demons, they carefully placed the explosive compounds inside a black caldron. General Zap was watching the operation from an 'unsafe' position. His planning was coming together quite well, the only problem was the variable Blue Circle. He was simply unpredictable. Zap didn't like that at all. Things could get really nasty, when that dangerous pony was around. Somehow he had to outsmart Circle and place him in a position, from which there was no escaping the end.

One of his spies came to him with a steady gait. Colored in yellow and blue, she didn't have the best disguise for this place. What would seem like a stupid clothing, was actually magically enhanced. Its ability was to change its colors depending on the surroundings and was absolutely under the wearer's control. Her cyan eyes were constantly looking at the hazardous payload. When the ninja was at a hoof distance from the general, she saluted:

"Fires of tomorrow!"

"The change is unstoppable." the brown unicorn turned his head to her and asked. "What news you bring?"

"No pony suspects a thing! Every clanner thinks that we are just burning villages and murder innocents." her subordinate contentedly answered.

"Perfect." a sinister smirk appeared on Zap's face. For a moment, his only grey eye was seeing the terror of his brutal plan. The pain, the screams, the suffering! "The flames did a great job concealing the thefts of the necessary materials for the bomb and the grenades. Even if they somehow managed to learn about them, they would not know for what purpose they are going to be used because each of them are harmless. Mix them together and you get one big firework."

"Soon, everypony shall know this day!"

"Yes, they shall pay for what they did to us!"

The spy got closer to him and whispered with a bit troubled tone:

"What about White Shadow?"

"He's a thorn in the eye, isn't he? I'll have to deal with him, during our operation. It's still the same goal but with a little twist."

Both looked at each others eyes. A lot more information was being transferred than said. The yellow ninja nodded.

"I understand."

"Good. The guards are paid, right?"

"Even better, I managed to disguise myself like on of the chiefs and re-arranged their positions. They won't notice a thing, until it's too late."

"I like your thinking." Zap was very pleased. He turned his sight at the horrible weapon, which was going to be unleashed very soon.

It was almost two o'clock in the afternoon. A few clouds were visible on the horizon. The forest seemed calm for what was about to happen. The black guards watched over the city from the tall wall. Not a single bird or squirrel could come near the white walls, without being noticed by the ninjas. For some time now, rumors came and went, most were just imaginations of some madponies, others of the casual citizen but they all had one in common: something bad was going to happen in the not so distant future.

Something in the air was not right. All felt it. As if a higher being was trying to warn everypony of the grave danger on their way. It was heavy, but tolerable. A wind was needed to bring the so needed freshness.

The life in here, as usual, was a bit repetitive. The simple blood ponies lived to serve the clan and many of the joys of which their distant cousins took for granted, here they were almost absent, there was only work. The fillies and colts went to pre-ninja schools to begin learning the arts of fighting. From young age they started training how to take life. The clan needed warriors and warriors were what it was going to get. Sad but true...

The leader, who was above all in his palace, was sitting in front of a short wooden table. It was well-made piece of furniture, just for the likes of him. Its shape was of a square, which had a lovely masterfully engraved figures. Lupi was in his cabinet, which was a small room with shelves on every wall. The occasional book and documents were lying on the floor next to him. There was only one big window, which pointed at the only gate to the city. It was a bit dark. On the table was an expensive china cup with hot mint tea. On the white walls were illustrated blue clouds and a red dragon, who was soaring in the sky.

The tan earth pony took a sip from the healing liquid and then put it back on the wooden surface. He then grabbed one of the documents from the shelf behind him and began reading. A report from his officers, who were assuring that the capital was safe from every threat. He didn't believe it. Lupi knew that no pony was safe, as long as they were on this island. The last attempt to take his life proved that and since then, he doubled the guards around the palace.

The leader was prepared for the next one, it was just a matter of time. In his green eyes was only the cold reality of his current situation. Many enemies, he had and all of them wanted him cold under ten feet of soil. How Lupi dreamed of the day, when this was going to be over. His heart wanted only to see her live again. To stroke her mane and gaze into those magnificent orange eyes. For a brief moment he remember the innocent youth, far from the pain of this reality. When her heart was still beating. Snake Tail used to be treated with respect by all leaders but like her daughter, she was a bit of an outcast compared to the other kids. Many fillies and colts were afraid of her, only he saw the good side of her amazing personality. A bookworm, Lupi admired on her interest to learn as much as possible. She noticed him after months of innocently spying on her and later they became close friends. Together they ventured in the worlds of the letters and the more they did this, the more his feelings for her grew. Although can not be said the same for Snake, who was too abscessed with finding the answer for her curse. Years passed and she died, without him being able to express the fires in his stallion heart. Her last words were: "Curse him!" Lupi learned of them from one of the midwives. He guessed that it was the dragon, who put this terrible magic on the Tails.

How he wanted her back.

One problem though... her daughter was coming to kill him. A daughter, he perceived as his own child. Yes, because of his duties Lupi wasn't a good father to her. Their relation was more like a boss to a subordinate. He regretted putting Foxy in her mother shoes and using her as a tool of war, instead of showing Tail the appropriate care and attention she deserved. The past was the past and nothing could be done to change the mistakes, or that's what the linear time creatures thought.

The question was, what to do now? The leader didn't want to harm her. He was going to try talking to her, first, before facing her like an opponent. He was going to find the cause of her pain and find a way out of this misunderstanding.

Somewhat this whole thing seemed forced on him, as if Lupi was being tested. Did his ghost adviser have something to do with this? She would not tell him, even if her hoof was dirty...

There was a knock on the door, which pulled him out of his thoughts. An old pony in pink cloths entered without being invited. He had wise yellow eyes and a bald head. The color of his fur was cyan.

At first, they were silently looking at each other, then the adviser asked:

"Do you have a minute to talk, sire?"

"For my trusted advisers, always. What's seems to be the problem?"

"Well, don't take this personally... but you are the problem." there was some fright in his voice.

"Oh? This is not about the old debate we had a week ago?" the leader figured, where this was going. He took another sip from his warm tea, while looking directly in the adviser's eyes.

"Sadly, it is. There are rumors flying around in the palace and among the general population. They think that you can not have heirs due to a disease." the old one approached him and stop in front of the small table. There was a lot concern coming from him. "We both know that's not right, or have I been put in the dark too?"

Lupi smiled.

"No, I'm more than capable of doing it. Just, the time is not right. Too many things come first and I don't have time to think about finding a mare, who will love me for the pony I am."

"I understand, sire. However, when your father was younger than you, he was already married with a son. Your grandfather too."

"I know but what can I do..." he looked away, trying to cover his lie.

"No you don't!" the old pony slammed his his hooves on the table. He seemed a bit angry now. The cup shook and the liquid almost got out. Lupi turned his sight from it to the adviser. "One of the most important duties of the leader is to produce an offspring, which will succeed him after his retirement or death. The bloodline of the first dragon slayer runs inside your veins. Never forget that!"

"Are you threatening me?" Lupi asked coldly. "Watch your place, old friend. You may have been my grandfather's right side but this doesn't give you any right to act like this in front of me. Such behavior won't be tolerated."

The cyan pony was numb at first, then he humbly bowed.

"I apologize for my outburst, my leader. I promise, it will not happen again."

"If this was it, I'd ask you to leave me."

The coldness struck the old one right in the heart. He understood and quietly left the room. The door was shut behind him and finally Lupi could get some piece of mind. Or so he thought...

At the Blood Portal, the dragon skull was standing on the gates, warning everypony of the mighty inhabitants of this city. The only road, Golden Tail went in a straight line for a mile or so. Whoever traveled on it could be seen from a far. It was empty, no pony was coming to the capital. The main problem was the forest around it, which could hide a strike group but the blood ponies had that sorted out by having patrols, which circled around the city clockwise.

They thought that they were safe in their little shell, how wrong they were...

Out of a sudden, two unicorns in dark outfits came out of a flash, holding a big black caldron. They teleported just in front of the magnificent gate and immediately placed the deadly payload on the ground. The guards needed two seconds to realize what was happening, a crucial time, in which the two terrorists turned their pony tails around and began galloping away from the explosives. Arrows and kunais were sent at them, one of the unicorns got hit in the leg but he didn't stop.

One of the guards teleported next to the caldron and touched it. He wanted to flash away from the gates but it was too late. The packed explosives blew up right in his face. It was such a blast that it shattered the strong gate, sending thousands of bone pieces, parts of the wooden massive doors and rock in the direction of city. The bang was so loud, that it awakened the sky spirits from their slumber. Sharp projectiles were falling from the sky like hail. The nearby sections of the wall were blown away too. Every guard in the vicinity was dead.

The powerful boom, made the leader to immediately look outside the window. A giant yellow smoke was covering the place, where the portal used to be. He was frozen. The sounds from the bells began to invade the airspace after the blast. Screams of civilians gave the sign for the terrors to come.

Ninjas from all over the capital headed in the direction of the gates. On the opposite side of the wall, the few guards saw the sudden fast strike from the unknown enemy. They were wondering if they had to go and help their comrades or stay on their posts. While the dragon ninjas were hesitating, hooks with ropes landed on the wall. Some of them saw that and quickly went to see who was climbing. The five guards looked in confusion, when they saw no pony on the ropes. Then there were flashes behind them. When the black ninjas turned around, they were met with cold steel. Without putting much resistance, these few defenders few down without a chance. Their comrades on the other sections didn't see them perish because their attention was taken by the smoke, which was engulfing more and more of the houses in front of the entrance. The explosion still echoed in their minds and paralyzed them.

One of the three unicorns gave a signal and eighteen ninjas, wearing brown robes, came out of the near forest and began climbing on the white wall, using the ropes. The pegasi gave some of them a free lift. They were operating like one very well oiled machine for destruction. No errors or delays in their movement, they were the perfect strike team. To get off the wall, they jumped on the roofs of the near buildings and then disappeared in this 'civilized' jungle. By the time any of the guards noticed what happened, these ghosts were already invading the city streets under the cover of panic and chaos.

Dressed with dirty brown robes, they looked like ninjas for higher or poor travelers. They moved in three groups of seven. The streets were filled with all kinds of ponies, who were scared for their lives. Running in all direction, screaming or just starring at the dust cloud in disbelief. This was way easier then the arsonists thought. Like shadow feints, they were creeping closer to their goal. Even the warriors, who passed near them, didn't notice a thing. Without a problem they approached the ninja barracks and the palace. Before they would start the second part of the plan, they all met in a small, tight street.

Hidden by two big wooden buildings, they could stay in those shadows as long as they you'd like.

"Do you smell this boys?" general Zap turned to his evil brothers. "The smell of fear and chaos! Do you like it?"

They all nodded. Death was only seen in their eyes. What a smug smile appeared on him.

"Good. I absolutely love to see how my chaos theory works in practice. They won't know what hit them. Let's make a little rehearsal of the plan. Seven of you will go immediately to the barracks, other seven to the palace. Remember the pattern! Following it will make the enemy confused and let you have all the time to sow pure destruction. Stay near the unicorns, they'll light up the 'nades for you. After you are done with your targets, use the rest of the ammo at the civilian houses, after that you have permission to retreat to the forest. Got it?"

They all nodded again.

"Excellent. One more thing: watch out for Circle. He is up to something and it ain't any good for us. Don't drop the amulets I gave you." his hoof pointed the closest one's neck. "Be quick and deadly! Now go!" he ordered with a glorious tone, as if their mission was a holy one...

Fourteen of them split up and quickly headed to their goals. Full of dedication for this demonic deed, they were.

Why were they so evil? Couldn't they give peace a chance? How crazy they had to be to willingly bring the flames of war in times, when the light was so much needed? Doomed to their own hatred, these cowards, who knew how to fight dirty and without honor, were going to meet their fates, just like they lived in their short lives.

Six remained with the general. They awaited his command.

"What about the third place we need to burn to the ground? He did tell you where and what it is, right?" the spy asked.

"Nope. He remained silent about it." Zap smirked at her. "Do not worry, I don't have plans to serve him that much." then an yellow aura came from his horn that created seven illusions in his hoof. They were badges of the mercenary guild, which had to be worn all the time by its members. They were simple blue circles, very easy to distinguish from afar. "Take these. Now come on, let's enjoy the anarchy from a good spot."

The seven terrorist stealthily went in the opposite direction and then mixed with the multicolored crowds.

The unprepared ponies in the barracks and in the ninja schools were looking in shock at the huge hole, where their great gate used to be. Everything near the entrance was covered in thick layers of dust. The wounded were crying for help, the dead were lying still in different poses. Some were killed by the explosion, others by the falling sharp debris. Many came to help the injured. Many warriors went in the front of the wall and into the forest to counter attack this hidden enemy. How foolish of them to let the foe inside.

Most of the ponies at the schools were novices and not ready for the real thing, not ready for the life of the ninja. Suddenly round glass objects with strange substances inside were thrown at the windows of the military buildings. They exploded with bright red flames inside the barracks. Thankfully they were almost empty. The few ninjas in them survived the hell fires, which rapidly began to consume the entire buildings, which were made out of wood.

The students were standing numbly in the schools' yards, when the 'nades flew in their direction. They only watched in fear how those balls of doom were coming their way. Before these evil tools of destruction could harm any of them, the masters and teachers created purple shields around the novices. The rookies were saved, now they watched how the flames tried to burn through the magic spell but without success. While the inferno was raging above their heads, the terrorists went to the next targets.

They tried to spread as many flames of hate as it was possible to their surroundings.

Fortunately, some of the experienced ninjas noticed the arsonists on their way to the Big Hole. Very quickly these bad ponies found themselves surrounded on the two sides by twenty black defenders. There was no other way, except to fight their way out of that street.

Wait, something must be wrong here... Circle was supposed to be here to take all the attention, while they were doing their dirty deeds. Where was this ninja? Dark smokes came from the building around them. The red and orange tongues were quickly taking over. It was getting hot in there. The air was fueling the flames and leaving less for them to breath. The smell of burn was so intoxicating.

The seven arsonist prepared to throw a barrage of 'nades at their opponents, when a deep shadow appeared between the dragon ninjas. Ten tentacles hit the nearest ones with the force of a hammer and sent them flying in the air, until they either fell down on the paved street or smashed into the walls of the buildings. Both ways ended with the same result: they were knocked out and were unconscious. The attack came as a surprise to them and the rest were not able to put a meaningful resistance. A few tried to escape him but were not quick enough for his shadow techniques.

The arsonist only looked amazed by the skillfulness of this master ninja. They were evilly smiling, knowing that White Shadow was going to make their job easier, or so they thought. After he was done with the defenders, Circle slowly turned around, staring with his crazy blue eyes at those cowards. They could sense that something was not right. Why was Circle showing them the unending abyss of blue madness.

"We are happy to see you too!" one of them spoke out.

The ex-leader was silent. Their coats bristled and before they knew it, black tentacles were sent at them. He didn't killed them, Blue just made sure that they'd have a good nap before they had to answer for their crimes. The white ninja looked around, everypony was in the cold zone and then said:

"Well, aren't you all on equal ground? Muahaha..." his laugh was highly disturbing. "Now the pony who wakes up will decide your fates. Isn't that exciting?" he used one of his tentacles to turn the head of one of the lying warriors, he was not awake to answer. "You think so? Great, then I'm off to another place, where my skills are needed! See ya!"

Then his shape melted to the ground and turned into a shade, which quickly headed to the ruler's palace...

Almost everything was visible from their view . The general and the other six of his trusted warriors were sitting on a green tegular roof of a two story house on a hill. Somehow they managed to stay hidden from many citizens and ninjas, who were seemingly running in panic.

"Ah, such views are priceless! It fills my heart with so much joy! Don't you feel the same?" Zap was smirking at the horrible sight of pain and suffering. The barracks were turning into giant torches, burning bright and strong. Every bell tolled in the city. Confused ponies were trying to bring order. One group of ninjas, who were going to the barracks, just passed near them. The last one, the captain stopped and turned to the sitting strangers on the roof. They were all wearing brown robes, that hid their faces and bodies. The blue badges told him of their profession.

"Hey, you!" he shouted from the street. "Come down and help us!"

"We are ninjas for hire, pay us and we will." Zap said.

"We'll pay you later, now go and help the others!" the ninja pointed in the general direction of two tragedies.

"Gold first, help later." Zap provokingly said and smiled.

"Mercenaries..." the commander rebuked. He wanted to get on that roof and teach them a lesson of respect but his skills were badly needed somewhere else... "Stay there! I'll have a word with you after I'm finished with my duties!"

"Oh, we will. I'll await your return." Zap's voice was getting on the pony's nerves. The ninja turned away and continued on his path. The general turned his sight at the direction of the palace, which should be bursting into flames any moment now.

Suddenly, the unicorn looked back at the burning barracks. Something in his gaze told the spy that things were not going as planned.

"What's the matter general?"

"The amulet's energy... the captain is unconscious! Circle betrayed us so early. That means one thing..." Zap sighed, turned to his subordinates and said with a cold voice. "I don't like retreating."

The rest looked at each other in a bit of a confused way.

"We are leaving?" she asked.

"Of course! Do you want to stay here and get captured or killed? Our cause must survive this day!" then his brown horn flashed in an yellow light. Grenades in magical auras were taken from the vests under their robes. His subordinates silently made a circle around Zap to protect him from unwanted eyes. Floating in the air like ghosts, the round objects with eery liquid inside, were gathered in one place. Then Zap light the wicks and telekinetically threw them in random directions. "Boys and a gal, it's time to flash away!"

They quickly got closer to him.

"The cause must live on!" they simultaneously said.

Suddenly, the seven ponies disappeared in a bright white light, teleporting a few streets in the direction from which they came. They left behind a rising inferno, which caught everypony by surprise. It's flames were not easy to extinguish, even when trying to fight the fires with water, they seem to grow bigger. Were the hellfires brought from Tartarus?

Shadows were falling. Quiet, it was in that narrow space. Seven arsonist were about to commence their part of the failed plan, when suddenly a noise above their heads took their attention. Arrows were fired at them, six of the terrorists were pierced by the sharp edges and fell on the ground in agony. The last remaining somehow managed to dodge the projectiles and then threw some kunais at the ambushers, who quickly went behind cover. The small street didn't give him much room to maneuver. He was in a trap, the two exits were blocked by black ponies with swords. There was one thing to do. The arsonist jumped through one of the windows on the first floor of the house on his right. He was not quick enough, though... His flank got hit by an arrow. Because of the pain, the ninja couldn't move his rear leg.

He could give up. He could just lie there and wait for them to capture him. The sad pony chose death, instead of prison. He took out one of the 'nades and attempted to light it, when a keen object hit it from his hoof, sending it to the other side of the room. The arsonist looked up and saw the sword of the warrior aimed at his throat. The faulty ninja had one chance and he blew it. Absolute surrender was given.

The mission was a fail!

The well furnished room was quiet and its environment calm. Lupi was putting on his ninja outfit in his quarters, when the captain of the palace guards burst in, without being invited. The ninja saw a fine sword, a pair of extremely acute of hoofclaws and a mask, all lying next to the leader, who was preparing. His cloths were black with red lines on the back and his chest. He was with his back at the captain, so the latter was not able to see the troubled look on his face.

"My leader, I apologize for my intrusion! I bring news!"

"Let me hear them." Lupi calmly said.

"We've captured the arsonist. One tried to take his own life but failed to do so. Their targets were the barracks, the schools and the palace. Unfortunately, the barracks couldn't be saved. What should we do with them?"

"Take them to the prison and interrogate them. Find out who is their leader and what their ultimate goal is! I want to know how many still remain in the shadows." he said, without ceasing his preparation.

"Yes, my leader!" the red and purple ninja bowed down. Suddenly, the sounds of a running pony echoed in the hallway. Then a black warrior appeared at the opened door. He was out of breath and frightened from the thing, his eyes had the misfortune to see. The ninja didn't have time to give respect to Lupi, that was to show that the situation was extremely dire.

"Sire! White Shadow has appeared in front of the palace's gate! The guards have engaged him but we are not match for his skill!"

The leader quickly turned his head to them. He was surprised to hear that his foe had returned to finish the job so early. Was this all his doing or did Circle just took advantage of the situation?

Things were getting hotter...

"Tell everypony to stay back! He'll exterminate you all!"

"But who will stop him, sire?"

"I'll take care of him!" Lupi put the beautiful sword in the scabbard on the back, put the mask on and then placed his hooves in the claws, that were made out of young dragon nails. The mask was masterfully crafted out of bones of the first killed serpent. Black like the outfit, it made the wearer look like some sort of a grinning demon. Spikes were coming from the top, which serve the purpose of protecting the head and also bring fear in the hearts of ponies, who'd go against the wearer. In some places it was dyed with red, blue and yellow to make it more intimidating. Especially the place around the two eye holes was made to look like it was crying fires.

He completely turned to his warriors, who were amazed by the might and glory, brought by the perfect symbiosis of the pony and the outfit. Lupi resembled a god, whose powers were unlimited. His green eyes seemed to look beyond this world, as if they were seeing the whole universe. His figure was of an ancient spirit of war. He looked so surreal, the two were speechless. This was the holiest sight their unworthy eyes were ever going to see.

From the macabre mask, to the old black cloths and to the silver plated claws, Lupi looked and felt like a being of absolute awesomeness!

"What are you waiting for? You have your orders!" he almost roared.

The two instinctively bowed and then off they went to their jobs, leaving him alone in his greatness. Dealing with Circle was going to be very difficult and there was a very big possibility of defeat. His opponent was known to be the master of deception, when it came to combat. Lupi, as an earth pony, didn't have any magical tricks under his sleeve. Only the red medallion provided him with some powers but would they be enough?

Concentration. That was all he needed.

Circle was jumping around like a jester of some sort, not doing acrobatics for entertainment but to dodge the incoming arrows and knifes. Somehow, without breaking his pace, he managed to send a few tentacles at the guards and kill them, right where they were standing. No pony dared to get close and personal with this monster. Ten bodies were lying in blood on the dirty street, a few others were in the eternal sleep on the walls or on the roofs of the nearby buildings. This was not a battle, but a massacre. They didn't seem to have a chance, the guards' moral was very low after seeing him in action.

Steadily they gave up ground, retreating behind cover. Where was their salvation? Where was their protector? Circle's mad look in his blue eyes was killing their spirit more than an Ursa minor would do, if they happen to be in front of one. This wasn't a good day to die. There was no honor and glory to be won, when they outnumbered him so much and still died like flies.

Then, on the balcony appeared the ruler of this city. The guards ceased their attacks and silently watched their star rising to face the black demon. Light was falling on him, making him look like an angel from the skies. He was their light, their last hope. White smile appeared on Circle's dark face. The king finally came out of his lair. Just like he wanted.

"Blue Circle!" Lupi shouted. "Leave my ponies alone, 'cause I'm going to be your opponent!"

"Oh, I see that you've changed your pajamas!"

"You've brought too much pain by those cowardly acts of terrorism! You've disgraced the word ninja! Do you know no shame?"

Circle began to snicker. Lupi calmly looked down at the master assassin and tried to predict his next move. This crazy pony was capable of doing the imponderable and attack him from the weakest spot.

"Haha-haha-Buaha-haha!" the maniacal laugh made every warrior to shiver from fear. It was loud, it couldn't be escaped.

"Is your disease gotten the best of you?" Lupi asked.

Blue fell down, began rolling on the street and laughed as hard as he could. Did he remembered a funny joke?

"I'll end your misery!"

Suddenly, Lupi jumped from the balcony on the lower roof and then on the wall. He did it with absolute precision and with utter confidence. Circle seemed to not pay attention. He kept on laughing. The dragon leader jumped again with his claws aimed at Blue.

Out of a sudden, he turned into a shadow on the ground. Lupi hit the pavement. Then from the ground appeared black snakes, which attempted to capture him. He used the locket and became like a ghost. They were waving in a chaotic manner, hoping to somehow get him. He just looked down at the black spot on the street. Lupi had noticed that Foxy's sword was not on Circle's scabbard. So, that meant that he couldn't be harm by him, while the ghost form lasted.

"You've lost your sword, haven't you?" he sounded absolutely serious.

"Nah, why would I do that?" the shade spoke with a changed voice. "I made sure that the rightful owner gets it. By the way, she is probably on her way as we speak."

"How long can you keep that form? I doubt that you can afford to stay like this indefinitely. You are too weak and old to do that!"

"We'll see."

"Come out and play! Or are you scared of me?"

"Are you?" an provoking laugh came out of the dark spot.

"I am not." Lupi quickly stood on his two front legs, so that his sword was beginning to slide down from the scabbard, then he took the handle in his mouth and pulled it out. Then leader pushed himself from the ground, barely escaping the tentacles. He swung with the sword, doing a wide arc with the edge. His target was the shadow below him. The metal began to scrape the pavement, producing sparks. Blue was not stupid to stay there and quickly moved out of the blade's way. It almost touched him.

The sound was irritating for the ears. When Lupi landed back on his legs, he was no longer in the ghost form. He was open for attacks. A very defined line was on the street, where he tried to cut Circle. The latter materialized a dozen of feet away from him. They stared at each others eyes.

"You should have brought a sword." the great looking ninja said though clenched teeth.

"Don't you remember that I mostly don't use weapons? I don't need toys, when I got these!"

Immediately four tentacles were sent at him. In a split second the dragon pony managed to cut them with his sword. The black snakes fell down behind him and shook in agony. Then they puffed in smoke, which quickly dissipated. The cut stems got back to the source. The blade shined under the warm light of the sun. What a beauty it was. Elegant but practical. Forged by legendary crafstponies a few centuries ago. Despite it's age, it was still one deadly weapon, which was enchanted to hurt magic beings. The shadow ninja had an embarrassed look on his dark face.

"Okay, maybe I should have brought a sword. It wouldn't be too much of a problem, if you lend me a good one?"

"Do I look like your pal?" Lupi was a bit annoyed by his behavior.

"Well, we could be but not in this reality!" Circle seemed to be having a lot of fun. Was his mind realizing the position he was in?

Without a warning, Blue sent five more spears at him, two of which moved on the surface of the street. The three were to block his view. They stopped just outside of the sword's reach and waved in a chaotic manner, while the two on the ground approached their target. Lupi immediately dodged to the side. He spotted the real threats with his peripheral vision. They split up and were going to attack him from the sides.

When they got very near him, he jumped to the left, performing a barrel roll and cutting the one below him. Then out of a sudden, all four of them went after him. There was noway that he could defend against them. He had to use his medallion again. The four spears went through him and nothing happened.

"Look guys! I've captured the mouse! You know, I can keep those inside you as long as that annoying spell lasts. I wonder what will happen then." Circle began to walk slowly towards him. The leader started to back off a bit. He wasn't able to run, while in this form because it took a lot of concentration and a calmer heart to maintain it.

Lupi was feeling a bit outplayed but there was a way out. This was the perfect moment for his loyal ninjas to intervene and help him to get out of this tricky situation. They understood that their leader was in trouble. Their love for him was greater than the fear of one pony. They suddenly attacked him with everything they got.

No, Circle was not going to waste the trap, so he kept the tentacles inside Lupi, while dodging every arrow and kunai sent at him. They made the sky rain metal. The earth ponies went on the street with a mighty roar and charged with weapons held high in the air, or if they're wearing claws, then made sounds of viscous predators.

"Oh, come on lads! That ain't a fair fight!" he smiled like a madpony. "I dare you to get a piece of me! He-he!"

The first wave surrounded him, blocking his view on Lupi. The space, in which he could maneuver was getting smaller. He had to use three more tentacles to fight them off, while trying to maintain the ones inside the leader. They encircled him like hyenas around a lion. Pieces fell from the dark wall, but more and more bricks came to fill the holes. Lupi was slowly getting out of the tentacles' reach, just a little more and he'd be able to end the spell.

It was getting harder. Circle was getting tired very quickly. His world was only hurt. Forest of sharp tools were all that his eyes could see. Some of his mistakes got him scratches on his body, at best. Everypony who dared to wound him paid with his life. Sons and daughters were not going to return home for dinner...

Circle had to break free. This distraction was working kind of... Lupi began to slowly get away. He needed just a tiny bit more, when the pony wall between him and Blue was torn down like it was made out of cards. Ninjas were sent flying like potatoes. Circle jumped out of the deadly grip. Like a beast out of its cage, he aimed his fury at the first thing he saw. Lupi managed to escape the tentacles and now prepared to defend himself with his magical sword.

White Shadow threw another dose of blackness at him. The leader stood ready for the incoming projectiles. Then he moved to the right and with one clean swoop cut through all of them. The defender was as fast as a lightening.

Unicorns from the sides were firing their hate beams at the assassin but they couldn't exactly get a hit. He was making all crazy zigzag maneuvers. How could they hit a shadow? Circle tantivy was melting the distance between him and his target.

Lupi prepared for the clash. His calm green eyes under that demon-like mask were looking directly at the incoming menace. Unlike his opponent, Circle looked so full of crazy impulses. The maniac versus the slave.

Two shadows came from the right, one from the top and three from the front. Lupi had less than a second to make a counter-attack plan. This was not going to end well...

The rest ceased their attacks in case that they might hurt their master.

He dodged the first ones from the side, rolled forward, the front ones missed him by an inch. The tentacle from the top made a ninety degree turn and pointed directly at his back. The moment of fates. The blade was aimed at Circles heart, the dark spear at Do's spine. Who was going to be first to kill the other?

Their eyes were staring at each other. Both had determination. Both fought for their place in history and destiny. Their fire were burning brightly, both with black flames.

Lupi rolled to the left, the shade hit the pavement with a great force. The strike was so powerful that rocks and dust were sent in the air. The leader swung to behead Circle, the latter almost instantaneous vanished in smoke, when the shining edge was about to cut him. He hit only air.

Then a gut feeling told him that his adversary was going to come from behind. Lupi quickly pointed the sword backwards and stab just when a murky figure appeared right where he wanted. Finally. Successful hit. The blade pierced White, right next to the heart. It went deep.

Everypony froze. It turned out very quite out of a sudden. They couldn't believe it. Was this monstrosity finally stopped in its tireless hooves? Lupi moved the edge deeper to seal the deal.

Then, the leader realized that he pierced the wrong pony. Instead of White Shadow, one of the fallen guards was now at his place. When did Circle have time to switch? He felt scared for the first time in this uneven fight.

The wild laugh sounded near him. When he got the sword out of the body, a black tentacle impaled his center, just where the red locket was. Because the pendant felt threatened, it lent him some of its dark powers, making his reflexes super fast. He threw the sword at the pony, without even seeing him. It hit the mark, this time it was for real.

Call it luck or very precise calculation on his part, the blade impaled Circle's left side, damaging his important internal organs. Blue stood still for a few seconds before falling on his right sight. He painfully hit the dirt. The tentacle disappeared, his shadow form ended, revealing a pony in white ninja cloths. The place, where the sword penetrated his body, was beginning to turn red. The warm spot grew bigger with every breathing. This was a critical wound, from which many do not survive.

Suddenly, Lupi felt weak, as if the life was being drained out of him. He opened his clothing and looked at his chest. He wasn't harmed. But the medallion was damaged and black smoke was coming out of it. Do felt dizzy, he was not understanding what was happening to him. His green eyes turned to the lying unicorn, who was barely starring at him with his dying sight.

"I got you in the heart of your power!" his words were a bit incomprehensible because of the blood that was trying to get out through his mouth.

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Lupi asked with anger in his voice.

"Not quite, silly! I have one more task to do before I perish from this unreal world!"

The other ninjas surrounded them, the ones at the leader we trying to help him and the ones at Circle were about to chop him into pieces. Blue smiled at his audience, who so much hated him. He felt like a rock star in a concert. His evil titter was very sick and turned into a loud maniacal laugh.

They looked down like judges, like black serious statues, not amused by his innocent child laugh. In his last moment, his mind remembered his beautiful youth years, before the burden was given to him. There was a filly in his life, who got lost in the chaotic fires of this brutal reality. How nice things were back then. No suffering, no pain, no madness. A tear came out of his eye and splatted on the hot pavement. In the reflection of the small water drop, he saw his no longer alive friends and family. They were waiting for him, happily waving their hooves at this passer. They smiled... they welcomed him home.

The blades struck him. What a silent moment. The passing of the last of his family. Their bloodline was cut forever... Everything drifted away and gave path to eternal nothingness.

Lupi watched the execution, while he was struggling to stand on his hooves. What did this damn pony do to him? What was the sorcery he used to make him weak?

The answers, he was never going to get from this silent corpse.

In the forest...

The seven arsonist managed to escape the great walls of the city and were now heading away from it. After the mission that couldn't be called a success, despite the damage they did, their moral was not on top. It was quite the opposite. However, the determined general was not going to give up because of one failure. His goal to bring every clan to a collapse was not going to be left in dust. He had to make them pay for every crime they did.

Like mouses they ran deeper and deeper into the wild, when suddenly inside Zap's mind something flashed. It was visible in his grey eye. He stopped, making the rest to do same. They turned to him, confused.

"What's the matter, general?" the spy asked.

"A vision, my darling. From a dead pony..." he quietly answered.

She came closer and looked at his eye.

"What did you see?"

"I know where the Fountain of Fates is and how to get to it from the safe side. The second entrance is near to us." he spoke, as if something big was revealed to him.

"How does that get in our plans?"

"There are no plans anymore!" the other six worryingly looked at him. The general still had his serious face on, which completely confused them. "Every plan, every deed, every action to this point was,is and will be meaningless."

"What are you saying?" she was now standing right in front of him and placed her hoof on his shoulder. And asked with a kind voice: "Are you feeling alright, general?"

"How can I be alright, after learning the truth?" they were starting to think that he was going crazy, except the mare. "I saw everything, which Circle endured in his life in just a flash. He performed memory sharing with me. It's a ritual of the shadow ponies, which is done before a said unicorn warrior is about to face certain death. It can only be performed, when the said unicorn is revisiting his memories. That way their small numbers keep the memories alive of their dead as long as they can. It's something close friends would do... I ain't a relative of his, but I understand why he did it..." he pointed his hoof at the five ninjas behind her. "Our mission is done. Burn your cloths and return to your mothers and fathers. The next days will be your last in this world, so better make sure to use every second of the short time."

They were very uneasy about this.

"But we joined you..."

"You joined me for the wrong cause!" Zap interrupted. "I repeat myself again and I do not like repeating! Go home! Everything this world stands for, every pain and joy are illusions! Plot of a sick mind, who has been controlling our lives for as long as we have existed. It's over, lads. Go home or I'll cut you, where you stand."

The arsonist looked down at the ground. They had no words. Nothing could describe their disappointment. They wouldn't disobey his last order. They quickly left the two, headed now to their parents' homes, where they had to face judgment or lie about ever having their hooves stained with innocent blood in this post-war time.

When they got all alone, Zap turned to her and said.

"We have to go inside the Leader's cave and fulfill Circle's last wish." the stallion sounded very determined to this change of plans.

"How can you be sure that he didn't trick you with false memories?"

There was a short pause. He looked her directly in the eye.

"I felt pain, love and more pain. I just know." Zap gently stroke her cheek and said. "If time had been different, I'd never have chosen to be a general. What a better times they'd have been. I ask you to come with me on this final mission, from which there is no return. It may sound strange but this is the only way to make a difference in this controlled world."

"I'll gladly accept it." her cyan eyes sparked. "I'll follow you to the bitter end, general!"

The brown unicorn smiled.