We were so close to leaving and getting away without any problems. This was the main scenario that I was hoping to avoid. I quickly summoned my scythe and moved in front of Twilight and her friends. I then bared my fangs behind my helm and clenched my teeth. My ears scanned the area and I could hear heartbeats all around me, and they were not from whom I was protecting. This was not good by any accounts.

The voice spoke again, “Ah ah aaah, I doubt you'd be able to protect all of them. I’m sure my master wouldn't mind if there were a few…accidents.”

The slick and overconfident tone in that voice seemed to grate my nerves. However, they were, unfortunately right. There was no way I was going to be able protect all of them at the same time. There was also a good chance it would have been hopeless even if I did not have them to worry about. I did not have much choice. I had no other option other than to give into their demands.

I cleared my throat and tried speaking in the sternest voice I could muster, “It appears that I have no other option. However, they are not to be harmed. This is my only stipulation.”

“We promise nothing. You haven’t a say in this matter. Oooh it is going to great watching you get thrown before my master, begging for death. She has been greatly…angered…by you repeatedly killing her servants down the years,” the voice replied in the same oily and pompous tone as before.

After thinking for a few seconds, a low growl left my lips and I begrudging began to lower my scythe to the ground. However, before I finished, I noticed something strange at my hooves. After closer inspection it seemed to be a Wonderbolts pin. It was one of the types that they stopped making years ago. It had a few scratches on it and looked pretty worn. A small smiled crept up my face when I heard one of the heartbeats surrounding us abruptly stop.

I shook my head, lightly chuckled under my breath and stated in my mind, ‘How could I have been so foolish as to believe Luna would not have sent anypony to aid me. These fools are done for.’ When I did not look up for a few seconds, my tormentor decided to show themselves. He was an earth pony with green slitted eyes and a smug look in his face. It was amusing how overly confident and dreadfully oblivious he was. He did not have the foggiest clue on what was about to happen. A small part of my mind mentally rubbed its hooves together with malicious glee in response.

“What’s so funny? The part in where you’re, in all likelihood, going to be skinned alive? Or is it the fact that you’re completely helpless at the moment,” He stated in the very same blasted irritating voice.

I looked him square in the eyes shortly before a large smile spread across my face. ‘They are going to need a distraction. Also being as I can barely contain my amusement, this will have to do,’ I mentally noted before a small laugh escaped from my lips. My laughter slowly turned into roaring hysterics as tears began to pour down my face. I only needed to half fake it as it was so hilarious on how sure this buffoon was of himself.

One by one the heartbeats surrounding us were snuffed out like candle flames in a wind storm. I was even able to make out strange blurs in the area around us. This only seemed to fuel my laughter until I did not need to fake it any longer. It even became hard to breathe through it all. Additionally, the stress of day just seemed to melt away as I continued.

“What’s so funny, Blood Moon? We are in serious danger here!” Twilight spoke with a nervous tone.

“Yes, I would also like to know that as well,” the assassin added.

“He hahaha has hahahhaha no idea hahahahaha,” I tried to speak, but it caused me to laugh harder. Twilight looked at me puzzled until it seems she saw the two assassins right behind the leader get yanked into the shadows. She smiled and a knowing look overtake her eyes. Her friends on the other hoof, seemed to be completely unaware of what was happening. They were all still in various states of fear. It was probably for the best. I did not want the leader assassin to realize what was happening before it was too late.

Finally the leader assassin got irritated and stated “All right that’s it! Enough with this damn act! I say we kill them all and be done with it, right guys?” Nothing, but silence answered him. He turned his head to the side and added “Uh guys?” with a delicious hint of concern.

When I finally contained myself, I saw sweat forming on his face. His arrogant smiled was replaced by a look of worry. I picked up my scythe and stated “For somepony who boasted about not making the same mistakes, you certainly failed at that endeavor.”

“W-what are you talking about? T-they’re there. They j-just don’t like to say much,” he stated to which I guessed he was talking about the now slain group of his. “Come on guys! I know it’s really fun to scare each other, but we need to finish the job! I know you’re out there!” he pleaded to the darkness. Again, nothing seemed to respond. He was about to speak again when a familiar looking throwing knife spun through the air and drove itself into the ground a few centimeters from his front hooves. He made an amusing squeak noise as he jumped back a few paces.

“Awww what is the matter? Has all your bravado been stripped from you?” I said while I tapped the pole of my scythe on my back a few times.

“S-shut up! They’re there! They have to be! HA HA very funny guys. You can get off your lazy flanks and help me!” he again plead to the darkness around the train station. Also again he was just answered by another throwing knife driving itself into the ground close to him. His squeaks of surprise were really something to behold. I almost felt sorry for him…almost.

I cracked my neck and said “I will state this only once. Remove your weapons, surrender and you will be spared.” It pained me to make the offer to this dimwit. As I have mentioned before, I have a great disdain for those that threaten to kill me or others that I care for. However, I figured Luna and Celestia would prefer to have at least one of them alive for questioning.

“Hey y-you don’t make the d-demands here! I do!” He yelled at me, but his voice wavered and the intended effect failed. I could not help, but smirk when he turned tail and ran away from me. He made it only about five meters before an armored unicorn with throwing knifes in her front hooves stopped him.

Her voice was calm and even as always as she spoke, “Did you not hear the Captain? He clearly stated to surrender and you will be spared…”

“Fuck you!” the assassin cursed and ran in a different direction only to be only stopped by an armored earth pony with katars on his front hooves.

“Where do ya think yer goin’ ya little dumbass?” the figure spoke with a tone of annoyance. The assassin just snarled and turned to run a different direction only to be stopped yet again. This time it was by a small armored pegasus with blades on her wings.

“You’re really stupid aren't you? You've got nowhere to go,’ she stated with slight bemusement. She giggled when the now overly panicked assassin turned to run away from her. He then barreled right in front of an armored unicorn wielding two dirks.

“Do you not learn from your mistakes? You have taken this path of action multiple times to no useful ends. It is highly advised that you cease and desist or you will not meet a pleasant end,” the unicorn stated in his usual cold and calculating tone. However, the assassin remained undeterred while he turned and ran again.

A booming voice echoed in the darkness “I don’t have time for this SHIT!” as a towering armored earth pony wielding a two hooved battleaxe walked forward. He swung the axe with a grunt of effort and cleaved the assassin’s head clean off his shoulders. He then grabbed the now decapitated body and threw it into the train station building with an audible crunch.

“What in Luna’s name do ya think yer doin’, Gray Mane?! Do ya got rocks fer brains or did yer mama drop ya on yer head too many times?! We’re supposed to capture that snivelin’ bastard! Not repaint a buildin’ with his entrails!” the katar wielding earth pony yelled out.

“Oh come off it, Shadow Dancer! You know full well that little dirtbag didn't have shit to spill,” Gray Mane retorted.

“We’ll that ain't fer ya to decide, mister kill anythin’ that moves!” Shadow Dancer snapped back.

I laughed and walked forward leaving Twilight and her friends in various states of shock. “Now now children, play nice. For the record Gray Mane, Princess Luna will be slightly displeased with your actions. We could have used him for information gathering. Off the record, I am glad somepony slew that arrogant little whelp. He was most definitely begging me to end him,” I stated with a satisfied smile.

Gray Mane just chuckled while Shadow Dancer rolled his eyes at my reply. “Now that we have that unpleasantness out of the way. Everypony, I would like you to meet my lieutenants. You have already met Gray Mane and Shadow Dancer,” I said and pointed my left forehoof at the two previously arguing ponies. “The one with the throwing knives is ‘Night Star’,” I stated pointing my hoof at her.

“I am pleased to make you and your friends’ acquaintance, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Night Star replied with a small bow. She then proceeded to pull her knives out of the ground with her hooves.

“The one with the dirks is ‘Tactics’” I said as I pointed my left forehoof at him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” he responded in his usual cold and flat voice.

“And lastly, this little one is ‘Cloud Streak’,” I said with a small grin and tossed Cloud Streak back her Wonderbolts pin.

“Ooooh thank you thank you thank you. I missed this sooooo much. I didn't want to use it, but we just didn't have any other way to tell you we were here. It’s good to finally meet you all. Also Blood Moon, I see you aren't still burnt like a bad batch of muffins. The reports from Princess Luna were pretty gruesome,” she said while fighting to reattach her pin to her armor. After she finished she spoke again, “Why didn't you have us go with you to ponyville. Those rogue solar channelers would have been a snap for us. You didn't even say ‘Hi’ to us when you went to the palace.”

“I apologize, I did not mean to leave you all waiting for me. I just figured it was easier for one pony to not be noticed by rogue forces than a whole unit. However, it appears I was gravely mistaken. As for not saying ‘Hi’, I unfortunately was in a tad bit of a rush, again, I apologize,” I said rubbing my eyes with my left forehoof.

“It’s all good,” Cloud Streak replied. She walked over to me gave me a small hug. She quietly whispered to me, “I thought I would never see you again. Those spells of yours are so dangerous. Also she better be taking good care of you, Princess or otherwise.”

I whispered back “Do not worry, I am fine. I have made it out of worse situations. Also Twilight has been good to me. She somehow seemed to play a part in removing that lovely nightmare I had for so many years. I just wish I did not have to turn her. We will talk more later.” I patted her on the right shoulder with my left forehoof and she walked back to where she was. I then cleared my throat and stated “I would love to make better introductions, however these depraved monsters are probably sending in back-up.”

“Ya bet yer flank they are. We had to kill a whole bunch of 'em fer ya. They’re like ants, they just keep comin’. We best be gettin’ outta here before more of those scum suckers get here,” Shadow Dancer commented.

“Agreed,” I stated and we all rushed into the train station to purchase tickets. We then jumped into the nearest train car and barred the doors. “Cover up the windows. I do not wish to have anypony looking at us. Perhaps with some luck we may be able to get out of here before their blasted reinforcements arrive,” I stated scrambling to cover all the windows.

After several held breaths the train stated to move. Most of us sighed in relief at the feeling of movement. That was until about two minutes into our trip we heard a few loud thumps on the roof. Hoof steps were stomping all around just right above our heads. Shadow Dancer summed up most of our feelings in just two simple words, “Aww shit”.

Applejack looked straight up at the roof and blurted out “What in tarnation was that?”

“Unwanted company,” I replied in an aggravated tone. I just could not seem to get a break as of late. After thinking for a few seconds I put my annoyance aside and started issuing commands. “Shadow Dancer and Cloud Streak, protect the ponies pulling the train. This train does not stop for anything until Carterlot, understand?” I said pulling a plan together.

“You got it,” Cloud Streak stated before her and Shadow Dance started running to the front of the train.

“Gray Mane” I said looking at the roof.

“Yes?” he replied and I could almost see his growing mad smile in my mind.

I pointed at the roof with my left forehoof and said “Remove them.”

“Bwhahaha I knew you were going to say that. Time for some fun HAHAHAHA,” he stated with a madpony cackle right before he started running to the end of the train car. While running, he snarled and transformed under his armor into his lycan form. When he reached the train car door he let loose a crazed howl as he wrapped his claws around the door frame. Before I could say anything, he yanked the door right off its hinges and tossed it into the room. He then ran out the torn exit and jumped. I heard a rage filled wolf howl as he landed on top of the roof of our train car.

While trying to block out the sounds of screams and gurgling slams coming from above us, I turned to Tactics and Night Star. “Stay here with me and help protect the elements and Spike,” I stated.

“Yes Sir,” Night Star stated while pulling out her throwing knives.

“By your command,” Tactics replied, but something was off. Tactics rarely ever showed much emotion for as long as I have known him. I always assumed it was due to the strange obsessive compulsive disorder he had. He was often calculating our plans several steps ahead for trouble. As I looked closer into his eyes there was glint of worry and his tone was not its usual flat quality. It was an odd gauge I suppose, but I could usually tell how bad a situation was by how Tactics reacted. Again, something was wrong.

After finishing my analysis I said “What is wrong, Tactics?” in a tone of concern.

He looked me in the eyes as he stated, “We are exposed. The one door is torn open and the other will not hold anything significant back. The windows are the same in my assessment. While Princess Twilight Sparkle has armor, the others do not. None of them have weapons.” He then squinted at me and added, “You also do not have your usual feeling of power emanating from you. I would advise draining the bodies that Gray Mane has slain.”

I closed my eyes and absorbed the information. It appeared I was a fool. In our apparent haste I did not regain any stored life force recently. My life force magic felt drained, but I did not seem to notice it until now. Without delay I grabbed my scythe in my front hooves and raised my power. Light blue streams of energy flowed through the roof of the train car as I focused on recharging.

I only got a few second of energy before what Tactics was worried about, happened. The remaining door was kicked in. I saw four rogue vampires rush in at full gallop. I spun my scythe and clipped two of them. One was sliced from head to tail while the other got my blade cramped into the side of their head. Tactics joined the fight shortly afterwards and was dancing back and forth parrying attacks. Night Star also began to openly meet the forces with precise aim.

Twilight reacted without me saying anything. She used her magic to pull her friends close to her. Light purple energy flowed out from her horn and swirled into a bubble shield around them. When she completed her spell the windows blasted in. More of those fiends started pouring in from everywhere.

I slashed and sliced anything that I could. Luckily for me their daggers bounced off my armor like toys, but their impacts were taking their toll. My flesh was becoming more and more bruised as I continued to cut them down. The situation was becoming increasingly problematic. The sheer mass of them attacking us started to wear us out. If I did not do something quick we were as good as dead.

In an in effort to get some breathing room I pulled any life force that I was not using for healing to my scythe. I yelled and released the energy into kinetic blast wave. The rogue vampires around me were thrown around the room and many of them were tossed out the broken windows. In the confusion I managed to receive a few seconds to bellow at the roof “GRAY MANE! GET YOUR FLANK DOWN HERE!”

A deep laughter boomed above me as a good section of the roof crashed in. I quickly realized the folly I had done and dove under one of the train tables to get out of the way. In my dazed vision I saw Gray Mane appear from the wreckage covered in blood. He began swinging his battleaxe at anything that was not us. Body parts were thrown everywhere in a shower of gore.

While Gray Mane had the remaining enemy forces running out of the ruined car, I tried make my way to Twilight. I proceeded to immediately trip and fumble. The pain made me well aware that I had a dagger stabbed through my armor into my right hind leg. I cursed and continued my limp over to where Twilight and her friends were.

Everypony in the shield bubble looked to have a mixture of terror and horror on their faces. I believe Spike may have even thrown up after I noticed the mess on the floor and him looking ill. Although, it appeared that none of them were harmed, at least physically. Twilight was the only one who was starting to look strained. Her laboring efforts were taking their toll. Unfortunately, she would have to endure a bit longer until the area was clear.

I wiped blood and debris off of my helm and stated “Is everypony alright?” Twilight was about to respond when her eyes widened as she looked past me. A rogue vampire managed to slip from Gray Mane’s warpath and proceeded to jump at me. I did not have time to dodge, but I managed to spin and block both of the daggers with my scythe. However, the impact caused my hind legs to collapse. I was slammed into my back with the attacker’s daggers only a few centimeters from my eyes. After a moment of struggling the assassin just yelped and fell on top of me. Two dirks were stabbed into the back of their head.

I tossed the body aside and found Tactics on the ground next to me covered in dents and debris. A dagger seemed to be pierced through one of his side plates and was suck hilt deep in the armor. While his lycan powers were keeping him alive, he was badly wounded. He attempted to get up, but collapsed again to the ground.

“Tactics!” I yelled and crawled over to him.

“I am…sorry. My calculations…were unfortunately…correct,” he managed to cough out.

“Do not worry, you are going to be fine. We have made it out of worse. Grit your teeth for a second. I will make this quick,” I said and grabbed the dagger hilt with my magic. With a grunt of effort I pulled the blade out. He barely made a sound as I did it. He just proceeded to tip his head to the side and retract a few of his neck armor plates.

“I am unable…to heal this quickly…on my own. Body is…damaged. Pain...is making my consciousness...fail” he stated in his flat yet now slightly pained voice.

“Are you certain of this? With this much damage it is going to hurt greatly. You should be able to heal on your own with a few hours rest,” I questioned.

“There may still be…more of them…and…you need my help. This is…the most logical decision,” He struggled to reply while glancing at me.

He was right as usual. I wanted nothing more out of him than to let him rest. He had done his job as well as he usually did and even perhaps saved my life. However, while Gray Mane most likely dispatched the rest of the invaders, I needed the extra help regardless. My choice was made for me.

I pulled up my power and absorbed the ambient life force all around me. After I gathered enough I stated “This will only hurt for a second,” and lowered my head to his neck. I then held my scythe with my left forehoof, bared my fangs and bit down. Blood spilled into my mouth as I channeled life force energy into his body. His eyes slammed shut in agony and he shook a little bit as I reconstructed his damaged side.

After a few moments, I finished and I had to force myself away from his neck. The strain of the battle had awoken my hunger with a vengeance. My stomach started tying itself into knots as it protested for more. I had to smile when I heard his stomach growl too.

“Thank you. That was becoming problematic,” he stated after regaining his normal composure and got up. “We need sustenance in the near future. Night Star brought provisions with her. However, probability of their destruction after roof collapse is twenty percent,” he added.

I shook my head and grinned. ‘Yes, it appears he is back to normal’ I thought to myself. I also heard Twilight and her friends make sighs of relief after seeing Tactics get back up again. As I was helping Tactics get back up again, something kept nagging at my mind. It took a few moments before it finally dawned on me. “Where is Night Star?!” I stated in tone of growing worry.

I heard the muffled words “I am…over here” and some coughing coming from the middle of train car. Some of the rubble shifted and Night Star drug herself out of the thick of it. She wobbled a little before bracing herself on one of the still intact tables.

“Oh, by the moon. You are alright,” I stated and gave a sigh of relief.

“Relatively speaking. With all due respect, Captain. Did you truly believe that was wise commanding Gray Mane like that? You know how he gets,” She replied. My eye twitched when she stated “Captain”. Again, I have a great loathing for being called by fanciful titles. She is the only pony that refused to call me by my name. I was never able to break her of that annoying habit. At least she looked to be in decent shape.

I sighed recounting my actions and stated, “I…umm…no. However, he did clear out the rest of them.” I tried putting a positive spin on it, but she was not buying it. In all our years together I have never been able to see her eyes. She always kept her face and eyes hidden from everypony for some reason, but I could tell what her expression was.

“Yes…cleared them out. Along with most of the train car,” she mumbled under her breath.

I had Night Star and Tactics search our train car and neighboring ones to make sure there were no enemies left. The only thing strange that they noticed was that we were the only ponies on the train. There were no other passengers on this trip for some reason. It was a worrying thought, but I pushed it to the back of my mind when Gray Mane returned.

He was covered from head to hoof in blood and gore. His helm was retracted and he had an ear to ear smile on his face. I had wondered down the years how somepony could take that much pleasure in carnage, but I decided it was best not to ask. He yawned and stated “All clear.”

‘That and then some,’ I added in my mind while looking at our ruined train car. I took a deep breath and stated “Okay Twilight you can lower your shield. Most of the forces, if not all, are destroyed. Tactics, gather a damage report. Night Star, please try and find those supplies you brought. I do hope Gray Mane did not ruin them.” I sat down and rubbed my temples with my fore hooves. ‘This is going to be a long train ride’ I thought to myself as I pulled the dagger out of my hind leg with my magic.

Finally chapter 12 has been finished. That took longer to write than what I was imagining. I hope everyone enjoys it.