I glared at the burning city in the distance and in addition to the fire, small plumes of smoke emanated from it. The plumes rose up and condensed into a single shifting pillar before adding to the smoke screen covering the sky. I could feel my anger flare in my mind as I continued my gaze at the tragedy that continued to unfold.

However, the inclusion of my feeling of helplessness quickly turned my anger into a thoughtless rage as I clenched my teeth together until they bled. A red haze started to cover my eyes and I felt my blood magic begin to crackle in the air around me. As my rage began to intensify, I felt a hoof on my right shoulder.

“We cannot afford to lose control, Blood Moon. You need to contain your fury until when it is needed,” I heard a familiar voice next to me.

The short statement distracted me enough to collect my senses. The red haze faded back from my eyesight as I took several deep breaths to calm myself. I then wiped the blood off my mouth with my left forehoof and without even looking next to me I said, “With all due respect, but should you not be monitoring the evacuation, General?”

I could almost hear her smirk next to me. “They can spare a moment while I investigate why several guards abandoned their posts when this tower began to glow crimson red,” she replied.

My eyes remained staring forward, not looking at her. “Canterlot is burning and here I am helplessly watching it blaze as our enemies have their way with the city. But regardless, your concerns are noted and I am in control once more. You are free to return your attention to matters more worthy of your time, General,” I responded putting a slight emphasis on the last word. Not even bothering to hide the bitterness that had become well apparent in my tone.

“I did not come here to search for a fight, Blood Moon. I came here to check and ensure that you and everypony with you were unharmed. Now, how are they?” she said with mild annoyance in her tone.

I narrowed my eyes and still did look at her. “I do not know. Is that an ‘order’, General?” I replied.

She stomped a forehoof on the floor and I could feel her gaze on the side of my face. “Oh by the moon, drink this damn it! You are always so defiant and uncooperative when you have not fed recently!” she said and slapped a full blood cylinder next to my face. I was about to state something else, but she quickly snapped, “If you do not drink that this second, then I am going to hold you down and force feed you before we continue this conversation!”

At that I sat down, lowered my helm, and lifted the cylinder with my magic. I then popped the lid, sniffed it, and drained it in a few long draughts. Afterwards I placed the cylinder next to me and continued to look forward. “At your…'order'…I have fed. What do you wish to know…General?” I said with a scowl and narrowed eyes

I could feel her angry glare had not let up on me. Then after only a moment she grabbed my head with her forehooves and forced me to look at her. “Now see here you stubborn fool! If I had not done what I did, you and everypony with you would have had your pelts on display over some rogue officer’s mantelpiece for all to see! There was nothing you or I could have…could have done…” she replied yelling at first, but her voice cracked near the end. The burning anger in her eyes soon drained out into a deep sorrow.

Her shaky forehooves slipped off the sides of my face as I saw a single red tear fall from her right golden eye. “Our home…burns” she said as if the fact had just been fully realized in her mind. She then faced the direction of the burning city and sat down as she added “There…there was nothing I could do. I had…failed everypony.”

It was then I realized just how foalish I had been acting towards her. As much anger and sorrow that I had felt, it was minute compared to the feeling of utter defeat she must have been experiencing. The great general of the lunar forces, and for all her power, she could not prevent this disaster. I placed a hoof on her shoulder and said “I apologize, Black Wing. You were merely doing what you thought best at the time. And truth be told, you were correct in your judgement. Nothing short of you ordering me would have forced me and the others to flee the city,” I said with a small smile.

She wiped a tear from her eye and said “It was certainly not easy for me to command you in such a manner. However, I do hope it was worth the effort to get everypony here unharmed.”

I frowned before she looked at me and slightly narrowed her eyes. “Everypony did make did make the journey unharmed, correct, Blood Moon?” she inquired.

After I let out a sigh I stated “Not as well as we would have hoped. We were ambushed shortly after leaving the emergency portal gate. While the others had minor injuries, Applejack...got bitten by a Lycan.”

“What?! How?!” Black Wing blurted out.

I shook my head and took a deep breath. “One of her hind leg panels fell off and they appeared to have gotten in a lucky strike. I do not know where they came from. They only stated they were waiting by order there for anypony coming through portal before encountering us. The leader of their group would have stated more, but I buried my scythe in her smug little forehead before she could do so,” I replied, glancing at her.

Black Wing snarled, swung, and smashed the rest of the railing in front of us off the tower with her right forehoof. “Blast and damnation! Did those insidious bastards know of everything?!” she growled out.

I clicked my teeth together a few times and replied “While it may just be my overactive paranoia again, but this attack did not appear to have been thrown together at the last minute. It looked to be intricately planned and executed if the smoke screen covering the sky and the ambush were any evidence. However, what is more worrying is that for such an attack to happen as it did, it pushes the fact that we very well may have a traitor among us.”

She took a few breaths and stated, “Normally I would not jump so easily to such rash conclusions, but your paranoia seems to match my own suspicions. We can only hope for everyponies’ sake that we are mistaken."

Nothing else was said as we both walked out of the observation tower. After which we located the frightened guards that had fled and told them that the problem of the “crimson light” had been taken care of. The fact that they were so terrified wounded me slightly. With only a mere a slip in my control, I had ponies running for the proverbial hills.

I thought about this fact until I rejoined Twilight and the others. Twilight was concerned at first of my disappearance, but she seemed to know that I was not in the mood for inquires and did not state anything more. She just kissed me on the cheek and went back to reading my tome. Perhaps I would have to talk to her later regarding the incident, but now was neither the time nor the place.

So the day continued as more and more soldiers arrived from the city. Reports explained the city had indeed fallen to the rogue units but for some reason they just surrounded themselves around the royal palace and remained there. Why they had done so was unknown. Only pure guesses and hunches dominated in that regard.

However, what did surprise me is that after half the day had passed, soldiers from the crystal empire started to show up in our time of need. I had supposed that the news of the fallen royal city had spread faster than I had imagined. Regardless, it was pleasing to see that we had some reinforcements. As I looked on I spotted Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor among the group.

“Cadence! Shining!” I heard Twilight squeal with joy, galloped up to them, and then hugged both of them in turn.

Shining’s eyes seemed to light up when he saw his sister. “Twilly! How’s my little sister doing?” he stated.

Cadence seemed shake her head at the comment. “Shining, she’s a princess now. Not much of a little filly anymore,” she said in a joking tone.

“Aww she’ll always be my little sis,” he replied before he stated, “Where’s your bodyguard? 'Blood Moon' I think his name was.”

I took a deep breath and walked toward them. “I am here, your grace. I ensure your sister is in good hooves,” I stated and gave a respectful bow.

“Ahh there you are,” he replied. Everything appeared to be normal until I noticed that he leered at me for a second when Twilight and Cadence looked in a different direction. At first I thought it was my imagination, but for some reason I felt in the pit of my stomach that the future did not bode well for me. However, I did not let it show on my face. The last thing I would need to tip him off to my nervousness.

So the day continued until I supposed it was nighttime. Although it was difficult to tell as my state of time was thrown off due to the smoke screen above us. However it was something that would need to be sorted out later. To my luck though everypony was given a few hours rest before the counter attack meeting began and I was going to utilize it. But lately my plans rarely seem to work out for me. As I was walking to my camp to meet Twilight and the rest, I heard some rustling in the trees next to me.

I summoned my scythe and fully armored myself. I then scanned the forest and stated in a stern voice, “Who is out there?!”

Now I was expecting either silence or a rogue soldier to assault me. What happened in reality was not something I anticipated. Shining Armor jumped out of the tree line wearing his full crystal armor. He spun on his hind legs and slapped my scythe out of my forehooves before he pinned me to a tree with his right foreleg. I blinked a few times and realized that the point of his crystal sword was only a few centimeters from my face.

He stared at me though his helm and said in a mocking tone, “You know. News gets around reeeal fast. And rumor has it that you’re doing more than just ‘protecting’ my little sister.”

My mind went blank at his accusation. He was not incorrect in his judgment as me and Twilight were indeed doing other…things. However I find it rather difficult to make proper responses when I have a sword pointed directly at my face. Then as I was about to respond, I heard Twilight gasp.

“What are you doing, Shining?!” she yelled in shock.

He looked Twilight and said, “Oh I’m just having a little talk with Blood Moon here.”

“With a sword to his face?!” she yelled in reply.

He merely just turned his glare back to me and said, “Yeah. A real…firm talk.”

I looked to my right as twilight walked closer to us. She then fully armorer herself and said “Let him go this instant!”

“No! Not until I have a talk with lover colt here!” he looked at her and snapped.

I was not certain what irritated me more. Was it the fact that he was treating me like I was an adolescent that needed to be disciplined? Or maybe it the fact that he was openly snapping at Twilight? Regardless of the reason, the result was the same in that my initial look of surprise was soon replaced with a doom glare at him. I could even feel my blood magic spark from my horn as a small amount of red haze covered my eyes.

Then as his angry gaze returned to me he looked surprised for a moment before his eyes took on a darker look. His voice soon developed this strange tone before he stated, “Beware beware the enraged glare. There’s blood and gore in that crimson stare.”

And I admit I was taken back for a moment as I remembered that little poem from many moons ago. It was an unfortunate insult that spread like wildfire after I joined the royal guard. I had completely forgotten about the distasteful thing until Shining stated it. I chuckled and said “Now there is something I have not heard in a long time.”

He narrowed his eyes even further on me in response. “So it’s fucking true! I had my suspicions when I helped you with your little ‘project’ at the Apple family orchard, but now this proves it. The princesses sent the ‘The Blood Demon from The Town Hall’ to protect my sister?!” he yelled in my face.

“That's enough, Shining Armor!” Twilight yelled at him before she drew her katana and placed the blade right under his throat. Small green flames sprouted up from the blade and I looked down to see the blade was starting to scorch his crystal neck armor.

He glanced at Twilight and then snarled at me “Release my sister you bastard!”

I struggled under his right foreleg on my throat and said “I…do not command…her actions.”

He glared at me and yelled “LIAR!” in my face.

Twilight pressed her blade closer to his throat and yelled “SHINING ARMOR! I’m in control of my own mind! However, it seems you’ve obviously lost yours! If you don’t release him this instant then I am going to cut your head right off your neck!”

I had to give credit to Twilight in the way she made her threat. I do not believe I have ever seen fear in somepony’s eyes as Shining Armor had. It was probably due to the fact they she very well may have not been lying. In turn, he just swallowed a few times and lowered me to the ground and stepped away.

Twilight kept the point of her katana directed at him as he stepped backwards several paces. She then slowly walked over to me and said “Are you alright?”

I stood up and shook my head, “Yes, I believe so. Thank you for your assistance. However, I believe me and Prince Shining Armor do need that ‘Talk’,” I said in a somber tone.

“There's nothing I want to say to you, Blood Demon,” he snapped and continued to glare at me.

I chuckled and said “'The Blood Demon from The Town Hall'. Now that is a name I thought everypony had moved passed by now. With all due respect do you know why they called me that name?”

“Because you killed dozens of royal guards in cold blood,” he replied narrowing his eyes.

“Correction, I slew dozens of solar channelers. There is a grand difference there. Regardless of that, do you know why I did it?” I inquired while I picked up my scythe, lowered my helm, and started walking towards him.

“It doesn’t fucking matter. You’re a fucking monster!” he snapped back.

My blood magic sparked on my horn a little bit from the word “monster”, but I still took a few slow steps closer to him and said “Oh, but it does matter as to why. Or did that less than pleasant part get removed from the royal history books?”

He just silently glared at me as I got closer. So I continued my slow pace forward and said “Ahh so you do not know the whole story. Well I shall enlighten you then. Now imagine you are an orphan when you were but a foal. However you soon had gotten adopted by a member of my kind who cared and nurtured you the best he could. Now imagine the only other pony you called a friend was a filly by the name of ‘Pure Blood’ who was also orphaned.”

I took a deep breath remembering the past before continuing, “Now imagine down the years you grew to be quite smitten with that same filly. Then one fateful day, only a few weeks after getting turned into a vampire for the purpose of protecting your village, did that very same village come under attack. Though we had done nothing wrong, the Solar Channelers attacked us none the less. In turn they started slaying everypony that they saw, vampire or otherwise.”

As I continued my slow pace toward Shining Armor, his face seemed to grow uneasy. “Now imagine you are running through town before having to hear your adopted father’s grisly death. Then after that you attempt take refuge with a mare who was that very same filly from moons past. Then imagine that mare, your heart’s desire, your lover, the one you cannot truly live without get torn from your hooves and slain before your very eyes,” I said as Shining Armor started to take a few steps backwards as I walked towards him.

“So you go berserk and slay those that killed your lover, your father, and everypony you ever grew up with. Then only to have a town hall dropped on you in retaliation. Ooooh, but your miserable existence did not end there oh no. You later get mercifully revived by Princess Celestria and now have to spend the next one hundred and eighty years dreaming that same nightmare every time you sleep…over…and over…and over. Watching everypony you ever knew and loved from that day die…over…and over…and over again,” I said in a dark voice as Shining Armor bumped into a tree behind him, preventing him from going any farther backwards.

As I walked up to him he accidentally dropped his sword, but he did not seem to notice. He just stood there shaking and staring wide eyed at me. So I walked up to where I was looking right in his eyes and said “Lastly imagine you are charged with the protection of a princess. Then you are forced to watch on helplessly as she gets impaled the very same way your true heart’s desire did all those moons ago by the very…same…pony. Know this, I did not turn Twilight because I wanted to. I did so, so she would not perish and in doing so, she somehow helped repair my mind.”

A red tear dripped down the left side of my face as I remembered how I almost lost Twilight. However I continued to look into Shining Armor’s eyes and said “Your sister has given more to me than you will ever know. Just when I thought I could never fall in love again, I did. I would gladly defend her to my dying breath and beyond if I had to.”

Shining Armor slid down the tree into a sitting position. He took off his helmet and wiped a tear from his eye. “I’m…sorry…I...I didn’t know,” he said in a voice just barely above a whisper.

I frowned as he looked at the ground. "And here we are conversing about your sister's love life and my past while Canterlot burns. The very same city I, and I guarantee you in the past, had taken an oath to protect," I said as I felt Twilight's hoof on my shoulder.

"I think he's had enough, Blood Moon," Twilight said in a sorrowful tone.

After a few moments I took a deep breath and helped Shining back on his hooves. He then picked up his sword and sheathed it. I then sighed and said “You are right Twilight, we had better get back to camp our respective camps" before looking at Shining and adding "I would imagine Princess Cadence is wondering you are, your grace.”

He just chuckled and replied “Please call me Shining. That ‘your grace’ stuff really bugs me. But yeah, running off in the middle of the night is not usually my thing. I’m probably gonna get an ear full.”

“The things we do for the ones we love hmm?” I said and grinned.

“That’s the truth,” he said with a chuckle before we began our journey back his camp site while continuing to converse along the way.

After a short amount of time we had arrived at our destination and he started to walk away from us. However before he got too far I called after him. He turned around and said “Yeah?”

“Do not take your significant other for granted. You never know when you can lose them,” I said.

He just smiled and said “Thanks for the advice.”

I then bit my lip for a second in thought and said “Also one more thing.”

He raised an eyebrow and said “Yeah? What’s that?”

I narrowed my eyes and wore a mischievous grin as I said “For the recond...I am sleeping with your sister.”

His face scrunched up in response right before Twilight promptly hoofed me on the back of the head.

“Was that really necessary?” Twilight said right after Shining Armor turned and walked to his camp.

“When you get a sword pointed at your eyes from an angry sibling, you try to take your victories where you can,” I retorted. “However regardless of that, how did you find me with such haste?"

She just giggled to herself and said, "He was giving you the evil eye when they got here. I figured he'd try something stupid so I secretly followed him around. I was right."

I embraced her to show my gratitude and as I pulled away I saw her face was flushed. I then smiled and stated, "We need to make our way back to our own camp. I have no doubt in my mind that the counter-attack meeting is going to be nothing less than grim. We need to get as much rest as we can obtain in only a few hours."

Just then a thought soon nagged my mind until it was brought forth. My eyes quickly widened in shock as I yelped, "By the moon! We need to check on Applejack!"

I would imagined a sword point to the face by an angry sibling would be rather unpleasant. It reminds me a little about my past minus the sword point hahaha. ;-)