VILLAINS OF A SORT

KAGOME DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO MAKE OF THESE CREATURES. THEY RESEMBLED horses, but she had never seen horses quite this colorful. And the only horses she had ever heard talk were demon horses. But there was no demonic aura coming off of these little horses. And unlike most of the demon horses that she had seen, these little horses, these ponies, they were so friendly.

They had been introduced to them after their encounter with that creature, that hydra, in the swamp. The lavender one was named Twilight Sparkle, and she called herself an "alicorn". Kagome had never heard of an alicorn before; unicorns, Pegasi, and kirins, yes, but not alicorns. She looked like a cross between a Pegasus and a unicorn – a unicorn's horn and a Pegasus's wings. And she also referred to herself as a princess, one of four ruling this land they called "Equestria". She seemed pretty intelligent – she even said that she used to live in a library, before it was destroyed by an evil centaur named Tirek. And there was a marking on her flank, a light purple star surrounded by several smaller, white stars.

One of the Pegasi, the light blue one, was named Rainbow Dash. Kagome could tell how she got the name, what with her rainbow-patterned mane and tail. And judging by the storm cloud with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt mark on her flank, she liked to go fast. Another thing that gave away her speed was that race; sure, she may have been galloping like all the other ponies, but she was so much faster than them. That, and the way she was flying around that hydra earlier, zipping around it so fast she could barely keep up. Even though she'd only known the blue Pegasus for just a few hours, Kagome could tell that even though Rainbow Dash was arrogant and a bit of a braggart, she was also steadfastly loyal to her friends.

The other Pegasus, whose name was Fluttershy, was the total opposite of Rainbow Dash. Like her name suggested, she was timid and shy, and hardly spoke. When she did speak, her voice was no more than a tiny squeak. Kagome had to admit, she thought that was kind of adorable. Her marking was three light pink butterflies, the same shade of light pink as her mane and tail. Her fur was a creamy yellow, sort of like vanilla pudding. She mostly kept her head down and walked on the ground, unlike her fellow Pegasus, who was flying high in the air, doing all sorts of flips and tricks.

The orange pony, Applejack, resembled a regular horse, barring the tattered brown Stetson she wore on her head. Her marking was three bright red apples. Her accent was…odd. The only place she had ever heard an accent like that was while watching those movies that poked fun at the stereotypical southern American. Applejack's voice wasn't quite that exaggerated, but it still caught Kagome off guard. She was the only one in this small group of six ponies who was wearing anything resembling clothing – her hat – and when she spoke, Kagome could tell that she was speaking her mind and being honest about whatever she was talking about.

And then there was Rarity the unicorn. Even Kagome had to admit that Rarity was beautiful – pearl-white fur coat; stylish, elegantly curled royal purple mane and tail; a marking of three bright blue diamonds; sapphire blue eyes. There was something about her eyes that instantly caught Kagome's attention – they looked like they had once been bright and cheery, but now were dark and saddened, as though Rarity had recently suffered through a horrible, life-changing experience. Kagome had been exposed to enough sadness and despair to see through Rarity's smile, no matter how sweet and friendly it was.

The same could not be said for Pinkie Pie, the other normal horse – normal, that is, except for her pink fur and poofy pink mane and tail. And the marking of three party balloons on her flank. She was smiling, giggling, and bouncing like she had just drank an entire gallon of caffeinated coffee. Shippo seemed to enjoy it – he was happily riding on her back, laughing and enjoying himself. In fact, just looking at Pinkie Pie brought a smile to Kagome's face.

"Okay, so what was all this stuff about demons and monsters?" Rainbow Dash asked. "All I got out of it was that they're bad. Not that you needed to tell us that, but hey, enlighten us."

"We're looking for a guy named Jurorenmaru," Inuyasha said.

"Jurorenmaru? That's a mouthful," Applejack said. "Can't y'all just call him 'J' for short?"

"But then there's also Kagura and Kanna," Sango put in. "They're helping him."

I wonder why she didn't mention Kohaku? Kagome thought. Then again, I'm sure she has her reasons.

"They've got something we've been looking for," she said. She reached under the collar of her sweater and pulled out a small glass bottle attached to a string. Inside the bottle were three magenta crystals.

Rarity's eyes were drawn to the crystals. "Ooh, pretty. Can I get a closer look? Please please please please please?"

"Sorry, Rarity. The Shikon Jewel is too dangerous."

"The what jewel now?" Twilight asked. "I've heard of several types of jewels and medallions – the Elements of Harmony, the Alicorn Amulet, the Crystal Heart, the wish-granting Dragon Balls. But what's this jewel all about?"

"The Shikon Jewel – also known as the Jewel of the Four Souls," Kagome said as she put the bottle away. "A long time ago – "

"You mean a few months ago," Inuyasha said, crossing his arms.

"The jewel was a complete sphere guarded by a priestess named Kikyo," Kagome continued, ignoring Inuyasha. "She died protecting it, and it was lost until I brought it back – long story short, I'm Kikyo's reincarnation. I know, odd. Well, let's just say that there was a centipede demon, and then a crow demon, and then an accident, and – "

"Dipshit here broke the damn thing," Inuyasha growled. "Shot it with an arrow."

"Excuse me, it's not like I WANTED to shatter the jewel!" Kagome yelled. "It was an accident! They happen sometimes!"

"Yeah, well, most accidents don't make demons more powerful than they already are, you moron!"

"You two seem to be getting along just fine," Applejack snarked.

"I know, right?" Pinkie Pie said, oblivious to Applejack's sarcasm. "They're the best of friends!"

They kept walking, heading towards a tall crystalline structure on the east end of the small village called Ponyville.

"Okay, so Kagome accidentally shattered this jewel," Rarity said. "Bummer. I'm sure it had quite the luster." She quickly cleared her throat. "Anyway, jewels break all the time. I know I've broken my fair share more times than I wish to admit. But what's the harm in it?"

"Did you not catch the 'makes demons stronger' part?" Inuyasha growled.

"That's usually bad," Miroku added.

"Oh. That does sound bad."

"Demons and monsters are already scary," Fluttershy said. "I don't think they need to be any scarier."

"I'll agree with you on that," Sango said. "I'm a Demon Slayer, and I've seen a few demons that have managed to send chills down my spine."

"So who are they, exactly?" Twilight asked.

"Jurorenmaru said he was a bounty hunter," Kagome replied. "You know, someone hired by someone else to find somebody and they get paid a lot for it – in his case, the rest of the jewel."

"But I thought – " Applejack started to say.

"A demon named Naraku's been gathering up the shards, and he's already got most of them," Inuyasha said, interrupting her. "There's only a few shards left, including the ones Kagome has around her neck."

"And Kagura and Kanna are two of his incarnations," Shippo said. "And I really don't like them."

"Kagura controls the wind with her fan," Miroku said. "And Kanna has a mirror that can suck the soul right out of your body."

"Harsh," Rainbow Dash said. "Remind me never to cross paths with them. Actually, on second thought, that sounds like fun. I'll show them who's the boss."

"Good luck with that," Sango said. "If Kagura's Dance of Blades attack doesn't cut you up, Kanna will suck out your soul before you get a chance to even get off the ground."

They finally arrived at the crystalline structure. It resembled a tree, with a large, thick trunk, and multiple branches going every which way. The crystal trunk was adorned with several windows, and there was what looked like some sort of observatory on the top.

"Well, welcome to the Palace of the Princess of Friendship," Rarity said.

"Rarity, please," Twilight said. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Come now, darling, it's a very big deal," Rarity said. "You've finally got your own palace and your own royal title. What more could you ask for?"

"How about my old home," Twilight quietly said. She turned away from Rarity, her eyes lowered in sadness. She shook her head. "Anyway, come on in. You must be hungry. I'll see if I can't get Spike to put something together. And what do you want to drink?" She pushed the doors open. "Spike! We're back!"

They were met by three small fillies – one normal horse, one unicorn, and one Pegasus. The normal-looking filly had bright red hair with a bright pink bow tied into it, and her fur was bright yellow. The unicorn filly had her mane and tail styled in a similar fashion to Rarity, albeit with a different color scheme – light purple mixed with magenta – and her fur was bright white. The little Pegasus had dark orange fur, almost brown, with a dark purple mane and tail and tiny wings.

"Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? What are you three doing here?" Twilight asked.

"I thought I told you to wait at home, Apple Bloom," Applejack said.

"Well, we got bored," Apple Bloom – the normal-looking filly – said. "So we decided to pay Spike a visit."

Just then, a small purple lizard appeared in the hallway. Most of his scales were a light shade of purple – slightly lighter than Twilight's fur – but the scales on his belly and the spines running down his back were a light shade of green.

"Where'd they come from?" he asked, pointing to Inuyasha and the other humans.

"The Everfree Forest," Twilight said.

"That one looks weird," Sweetie Belle said, pointing a hoof at Inuyasha.

"Oh, I look weird?" Inuyasha growled. "Who the hell are you to talk, you little brat?"

"Inuyasha, watch your language," Rarity scolded. "Especially around my sister."

"And besides," Kagome said. "They're adorable." She started moving towards the fillies, her arms open. "Come here, you three."

"Oh no. Cuddle alert!" Apple Bloom yelled.

The three fillies tried to run away, but they weren't fast enough – Kagome scooped them up, holding them against her chest, rubbing her face against them, cooing and repeating the phrase "So cute".

Scootaloo struggled to free herself from Kagome's grip. "What is it with human girls and wanting to cuddle us?"

"Um, Kagome?" Rainbow Dash said. "Can you put the kids down? I don't think they can breathe."

"Oh. Sorry." Kagome set the fillies back on the floor. "Guess I got a little carried away."

"So, are you done making over the brats?" Inuyasha asked.

The three fillies leaped at him, tackling him to the floor.

"I got him!"

"Hey, he's got a sword! Cool!"

"Why does he have dog ears? Are you part dog?"

Inuyasha uttered a guttural growl and bared his teeth. "Get off of me you little brats!"

"Hold on, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "This could be the perfect opportunity to study these creatures' battle strategies."

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you, you crooked monk?" Inuyasha hissed. "You want to study battle strategies so badly? Well, how about this!" He leaped to his feet, throwing the fillies off of him, and bared his claws.

"Oh no," Kagome breathed. "Inuyasha, don't do it!"

"Stop it, Inuyasha!" Fluttershy yelled, for once raising her voice above a whisper. "They're just kids!"

Inuyasha lunged for the fillies. "Iron-Reaver – "

"Inuyasha, SIT!" Kagome yelled.

The beaded necklace around Inuyasha's neck glowed for a split second, before it dragged him face-first into the ground. Everyone just stared at him, the ponies looking on, dumbfounded –

Except for Rainbow Dash, who was rolling on the ground with laughter. "That – that's hilarious! That's the funniest thing I've ever seen!"

Inuyasha glared at Kagome. "You….You…."

"How could you even THINK about doing that to such adorable creatures?"

"He really needs to control his anger," Pinkie Pie chirped.

"You have no idea," Shippo said.

#####################

Even demons had to eat – even if that hadn't been the case, there was that boy, and he was still human, albeit technically an undead human – and as he had expected, Jurorenmaru had been tasked with hunting SOMETHING in this strange forest to eat. He had already finished off the last of that boar the other day, just after Naraku had tasked him with hunting and killing Inuyasha and his merry band.

He had suggested sending the boy out to hunt – after all, wasn't he a former Demon Slayer? Surely he knew a thing or two about hunting wild beasts. But no, the task fell to Jurorenmaru. He could hear the buzzing Saimyosho above him, no doubt making sure that he didn't run off with the jewel shard. Not that he had planned on it; whenever he made a deal, he stuck with it until the very end. He had never considered running off with his payment, and even if he had, this one jewel shard was just a down payment; there would be no point of running away until he got the rest of the sacred jewel.

Something moved in the bushes. Jurorenmaru drew his swords and watched the brush, waiting for whatever it was to make another move, to reveal itself to him. He stood where he was on the worn trail, poised, ready to strike yet patiently waiting.

A tiger's paw emerged from the brush. Jurorenmaru had faced these creatures before; they put up quite a challenge, but in the end, he always emerged victorious.

The tiger's head followed, along with something so strange that for a moment, Jurorenmaru thought that he might be hallucinating.

The front paws and the head were that of a tiger, but attached to the tiger's shoulder was a goat's head; the back legs were also that of a goat. And then there was the tail, that long, dark green, serpentine form of a snake. All three individual heads stared at him, unblinking, saliva dripping from the tiger head's jaws.

"What…the…fu –"

RRRROOOAAAWWWRRR!

The creature leaped at him, claws extended, tiger mouth open, fangs ready to tear into his flesh. Jurorenmaru leaped out of the way, rolling as he landed. He climbed back to his feet and tightened his grip on his swords.

"Okay, just what the hell is this? I've seen all sorts of demons, monsters, and other hideous creatures throughout the years, but you – you are by far the weirdest." The creature growled at him; the goat head bleated; the snake tail hissed. "Oh. One of those kinds. Tell you what, I'll make it easy on you and just decapitate you right now. Sound fair?" The creature leaped at him again. Jurorenmaru wasn't able to dodge in time; the creature pinned him to the ground, causing him to lose his grip on his swords. He held the creature back. "You…bastard…get…OFF OF ME!" He kicked the creature off of him and leaped to his feet.

The creature leaped at him. He jumped to the side, grabbed the horns of the goat head, and twisted as hard as he could, listening for the sharp crack of bone. Once he felt the goat head go limp, he planted his foot on the head and ripped a horn off, before plunging the point of it down into the goat head's cranium, spewing blood and brain juices everywhere.

The two remaining heads, the tiger and the snake, roared and hissed in agony. The creature swiped a paw, knocking Jurorenmaru away. He quickly rolled to his feet and took a dagger off of his belt.

"Here. Try this." He threw the dagger. The creature leaped out of the way and charged at him. "Son of a bitch." He jumped over the creature and grabbed the snake-tail. One of his swords was nearby; he grabbed it and cut the snake off. The tiger roared in pain. He climbed onto the creature's back and drove his sword into the tiger's neck, severing its spine. The creature flopped to the ground, its limbs twitching as the life left its body.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Jurorenmaru said as he gathered up his dagger and his other sword. "Guess you'll feed us for a little while."

There was the sound of flesh being torn, a sound he was all too familiar with; after all, he had seen and heard humans being torn apart by demons and monsters countless times.

That better not be something stealing my kill, he thought as he turned around. Oh shit it is. And just what the hell are those things?

There were several of them. Each creature was about the size of a pony, with a similar body shape, but that was where the similarities ended. There was no fur; its skin was jet black in color. The legs were full of holes, revealing slick sinew underneath, the muscles flexing with every step the creature took. Its wings were translucent, like an insect's. A pair of fangs hung out from the corner of the creatures' mouths, and their pupiless eyes were colored a sick green.

"Hey!" he yelled, getting the creatures' attention. "That's my kill! Back off!"

The creatures turned to him, their sick green eyes staring at him, unblinking. Flesh dropped from their mouths, the fallen creature's blood soaking their lips.

One of the horse-like creatures stepped forward, its fangs bared. It let out a snake-like hiss.

"You're really going to try this, aren't you?"

The creature leaped at him, and in one swift move, Jurorenmaru lopped the creature's head off. He caught the head as it fell, the body collapsing to the ground a second later.

"I wonder if this is edible? Eh, probably not." He casually tossed the head over his shoulder and turned back to the other creatures. "Anyone else care for a turn?"

One of the creatures rammed its head into his stomach, tackling him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him. The creature stood above him, its mouth open. Saliva dripped down onto Jurorenmaru's face as the creature prepared to dig its fangs into his throat.

Jurorenmaru stabbed the creature in the mouth with one of his swords. The creature let out a sick gurgling sound as its blood poured down onto Jurorenmaru's face.

"Yup. That settles it. Unedible." He pushed the creature off of him and stood up, just as another one leaped at him. A quick slash of his sword took off its legs. He leaped out of the way of another one, kicked it to the ground, and slit its stomach open, spilling its intestines on the ground.

Something slammed into his back, causing him to stumble. He turned around, saw three more creatures standing before him, their mouths open, dripping with drool.

"Suit yourself, you…whatever the hell you are." He put his swords in front of him, forming an "X" shape. "Try this, then. Cross Blade!" He thrust his swords forward, sending out a red "X" made up of his own demonic aura. The "X" hit the creatures, cutting them to pieces.

He was about to lunge towards another nearby creature when a loud roar filled the air. The creatures backed off, their heads lowered. Jurorenmaru stood where he was, confused.

"What's going on?"

"Who are you, and how dare you attack my troopsss?"

Another black, horse-like creature stepped out of the brush. This one was slightly taller than the others, and it had a twisted horn jutting out of its forehead.

"I'm guessing that you're the alpha, then."

"Anssswer the quessstion," the creature said.

Jurorenmaru tightened the grip on his swords. "My name is Jurorenmaru. I'm a bounty hunter. And your 'troops' tried to steal my kill. That thing over there was going to be my dinner, you know."

The creature turned to the others and let out a series of growls and clicks. It then turned to another creature, which resembled the others, if only slightly taller.

Jurorenmaru sheathed his swords. "Excuse me, but do you mind telling me exactly what you are? Because to be honest, I don't think I've ever seen creatures like you before. And something tells me that you're not demons."

"To sssome, we may be," the creature said. "My name isss Carapaccce. I am the Princcce of the Changelingsss. Do you know what that isss?"

Jurorenmaru thought about it for a second, before shaking his head. "Nope. Can't say that I do."

One of the taller creatures stepped forward. "Thisss isss the Princcce of the Changelingsss you are ssspeaking to, ssso show sssome ressspect, you peasssant."

"He's not my prince," Jurorenmaru said.

"Arrogant little – "

"General Thorax, that isss enough," Carapace hissed. "I apologize for my general, and for my troopsss ssstealing your kill. You sssee, we have gone for ssso long without a decccent meal. And I had sssent thisss sssmall sssquad out to fine sssomething for usss all to eat. Again, I apologize. We are desssperate, but even I would not ssstoop to taking sssomeone elssse'sss kill. Though, if you like, we can share it."

There was a huge gust of wind, followed by a small whirlwind, and Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku appeared.

"Jurorenmaru, you were told to find something to eat, not to converse with…whatever these things are," Kagura said.

"Take it easy, Kagura," Jurorenmaru said. "We've got our kill right over there." He jerked a thumb towards the creature he had killed earlier.

"You mean that chimera?" Thorax asked.

"Is that what it's called?

"And these creatures were trying to take it from you?" Kohaku asked. He took his kunai off of his belt and started spinning it around. "Do you want me to slay them for you, Jurorenmaru?"

Jurorenmaru held a hand out. "No, no, it's fine, Kohaku. We were just coming to an agreement. Isn't that right, um…Prince?"

Carapace nodded his head. "Even half of that chimera would be enough to feed my troopsss until our tasssk isss complete. Onccce the princccesss hasss died, then my vengeanccce will be complete."

"Wait, princess?" Jurorenmaru repeated. "Think I can meet her?"

"That dependsss," Carapace replied. "Do you like poniesss?"

And it just got weird, Jurorenmaru thought. Hold on, I've just got an idea. "Can you excuse me, Prince Carapace? I have to consult with my cohorts." He walked over to Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" Kagura asked. She sounded irritated.

"Listen to me," he whispered as he put his arm around the female demon's shoulders. "These creatures, they call themselves Changelings. They said they were looking for someone, some pony princess. Yeah, I don't quite get it either, but if it means that they know this land, then we can use their services. They can be our guides in this place while we look for Inuyasha and his crew."

"And just how do you expect to get them to agree?" Kagura asked. "You already promised them half of your kill. What else can you – "

"I'll give him the jewel shard."

"You'll WHAT?!"

"Hear me out," Jurorenmaru said. "Naraku gave me that jewel shard as a down payment, which means that I can do what I want with it. If I want to use it to make myself more powerful, I will. If I want to give it away to whoever I want, I will. If I want to pay these creatures to show us around, I will."

###############

Carapace was starting to grow impatient. He had waited for Jurorenmaru to finish talking to his cohorts – a woman and two young children, a little girl and a little boy – for nearly five minutes. What could they possibly be talking about?

He turned to Arachnae. "Can you hear what they are sssaying?" Unlike many Changelings, Arachnae had incredibly acute ears; they allowed him to hear the high-pitched whine of a dog whistle, the chugging sound of a train engine from three hundred leagues away, and the tiny sound of an insect flying through the air.

"That human stallion, Jurorenmaru, he wishesss for usss to guide him and hisss companionsss through Equessstria," he reported. "And I believe they wish to pay usss with jewelsss."

"What ussse do we have for richesss?" Thorax asked.

"We will find out when he offersss usss hisss proposssition," Carapace said.

A few minutes later, Jurorenmaru came back over to them. "If I may, my Prince, I have an offer I'd like to make to you."

"And what offer would that be?" Carapace asked.

Jurorenmaru reached into his robe and pulled out a small, magenta crystal. "I would like you all to be our guides, and I will pay you with this jewel shard."

"And why would we agree to aid you for a sssimple pieccce of jewelry?" Thorax asked.

"This is no mere jewel shard," Jurorenmaru said. "This jewel shard is part of a much larger relic known as the Shikon no Tama – the Jewel of Four Souls. The sacred jewel has the ability to amplify the powers of any human or demon who comes to possess it. It was recently shattered into several small pieces. Even one shard is enough to grant its user unimaginable powers. If you agree to be our guides through this land, I can pay you with this one shard."

"And why do you need guidesss?" Arachnae wondered.

"Because, my good, um…Changeling…like you, I too am searching for someone. That's what I meant when I said I was a bounty hunter." He gestured towards Kagura, Kanna, and Kohaku. "I've been tasked by their master in finding a bothersome half-demon and bringing their master his head. But we don't know where we can find him. But you know this land, I presume."

"Like the backsss of our hoovesss," Carapace said.

"Then if you help us find who we're looking for, then we can help you find who you're looking for," Jurorenmaru said. "What do you say? Do we have a deal?"

Carapace tapped a hoof to his chin as he thought. "Well….Jurorenmaru, we have a deal. But be warned – if you or your cohortsss try to doublecrosss usss, I will not hesssitate to evissscerate you where you ssstand. Do you underssstand?"

Jurorenmaru smiled. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you."