Getting into the underground compound where they stored the remnants of the beasts they used to headline a weekly show was vastly easier than trying to get out of it, especially when it's ringleader takes a tour through the halls discussing what kind of conversations he would like to have with you. It's the psychological hurdles that came with the events of the past two days that make it even more taxing. But instead of going the same way we came, we filed out from the direction they came from instead. And with the way the tunnels were networked, I had some comfort in knowing that we never ran into that bastard in the condition we were in right then.

It wasn't that we were injured, it's just that we were very unprepared for that engagement.

Upon getting back to the group, we noticed that they had already started rounding up the wagons to ship over to the castle dungeons. When we concluded our evaluations, our eyes turned only to the castle. Upon entering, both Solemn and I agreed to take a much-needed shower before paying the princess any visit for a debriefing.

But to our surprise, she was already waiting for me in my room. I glanced down to Solemn, who appeared a bit perplexed in seeing her here in the room. And upon walking in, Celestia noticed the smell that came from the both of us. I immediately hopped in the shower and quickly cleaned myself off before coming out in nothing but a bathrobe. Solemn took her turn and came out as her unarmored self. From there, we ended up going through our debrief.

"So you're telling me that the arimaspi you sought was already dead when you arrived?"

Solemn bowed before her as she answered. "Yes, your highness."

I then added as I kept myself separated for a while until I could rummage through my closet to grab a pair of pants. "As much as I would like to say that this makes things easier, I can tell you that this only complicates matters."

"How so, captain?" Celestia asked.

"Well we know that where we found the damn thing, there were other dead creatures that seemed to be used for some sort of harvesting operation. I know it's a little weird to think about, but they could be using the place as a cover for possibly far more sinister implementations."

"You mean more possible developments that align with your previous findings?" She questioned me, quirking a brow.

I glanced over to the mare, who was looking between the two of us with some confusion. I temporarily placed our conversation on halt. "Before I go on, I would like to know exactly how far into briefing Solemn Oath have you gotten."

Solemn turned to me, angrily defending herself. "Are we seriously on this right now!? I've gotten briefed on this assignment!"

Celestia then corrected her. "Solemn Oath, to your defense I did assign you to be an addendum to the captain's operation on today. I did tell you that there was a pending investigation regarding to missing bodies. But I cannot in good faith place charge in you with the more sensitive nuances of this assignment."

The mare appeared deeply disappointed with the words that were said, Solemn's ears fell back. "Has my service to you been so unsatisfactory, your highness?"

I further drove my point. "Now in her defense, she knows what I said when I inspected the arimaspi's remains. But I want to know if there will be certain limitations to our current discussion for reasons of sensitive intel."

Solemn quickly jumped in. "Your highness, my loyalty is to you. I would loathe such a world where your trust in me is so limited."

Celestia didn't spare a moment as she came to her decision. "Solemn, I wish you to wait outside in the hall for a moment. I will summon you when our more sensitive matters have been discussed."

The guardsmare glanced back to me and sighed in defeat. "...Your highness, your word is law."

She walked out the room and closed the door behind her, appearing sullen over the fact that she was still being left out on the more exclusive details. I shook my head as soon as the door clicked closed. "Bless her heart, she's trying."

"Nondis." Celestia sternly called to me.

"I didn't mean it that way. I'm merely pointing out that she's doing her best to get her rank back." I stated with a shrug.

Celestia sat herself on the bed, holding the bag filled with my soiled clothes. "I know she longs to serve, and she has been a truly great guard. If it wasn't for Shining's sudden promotion of you and your previous engagement to Twilight, she would hold the position you currently have."

I hummed to myself for a moment in thought. I then vocalized my opinion. "That's concerning."

"And why is that?" She asked.

I expounded further. "In short, she quick to engage, blunt to matters on sensitivity, and very headstrong. I fanned out our forces into squads instead of running a sizeable company into a narrow hallway, she wondered why I did that instead of seeing the consequence of packing so many guys into one entrance as opposed to assigning them to different possible escape routes. In terms of playing a set role to stealthily defuse a situation, she's hard-stuck to her own personal principles. Granted, a role I asked her to play was indeed demeaning, but I had no intention to see her harmed in any way. She shows no trust to me, she's sometimes impatient, and she's only doing this to get her rank back. So I question her overall loyalty should things come out in any way that doesn't suit her viewpoint."

Celestia thought of a retort, but then paused to consider my logic. "That's a damning observation."

"It's the truth."

The high princess tossed the bag over to the side of the door, standing from the mattress that was once hers. "Then our use for her can only be limited to surface operations. That's not what I want."

I then informed her of my alternative. "I do already have an existing accomplice for my underground work. She's currently stationed in Ponyville because her place of living here was unsuitable for good health and hygiene."

Celestia nodded. "Does she have a name?"

"Kalimba Mavemnbe, currently under Zecora's instruction, along with learning a few things from Twilight on the side."

She walked beside me, coming to the conclusion of whom exactly I was referring to. "...The zebra hybrid I saw you walking with that night of the raid?"

"Yeah."

The princess face then turned to a disapproving frown. "The one who spoke of your so-called one year anniversary?"

"Pretty much." I confessed, wincing at the idea that she held on to that one particular statement.

She didn't linger on that thought for too long, instead looking to her qualifications. "What are her skills?"

"Where Solemn falls short on everything I've discussed, Kalimba knocks it out of the park every time. She's not as skilled of a fighter, but she is savvy. Quick to think on her hooves, street smart, knows the area like her own hoof, knows who to talk to, how to talk to them, and where to complete a transaction. Of course most of those skills came from her doing a lot of her previous owner's dealing for him, possibly out of his disinterest to want to be involved in anything that isn't paying him a certain amount of money."

Celestia took the moment to talk about the other connections I had. "And your other accomplice in the courtroom, what of her?"

"She's magically gifted but suffers from some endurance in that field, offers a lot of momentum to our purpose, monetary subsidies and political lobbying efforts have been funded through her almost exclusively. Though her primary reason for doing it is to undo the damage her father had done. Same goes for her brother, a city council rep of the very district we walked into this evening."

The princess gave me a sagely nod, appearing impressed with my work thus far. "An interesting network of friends you've accumulated. I see Blueblood's wisdom of inner-city dealing wasn't lost on you."

"I can only hope that's not a bad thing."

"It can be when you are caught." She warned.

My mind flashed back to the moment where I heard Him talking about how he would give me a good talking to. Last thing I needed was to get a dressing down right there in that room. "So I see." I said as I took a deep breath, thanking my lucky stars that I didn't have to face him there.

The princess walked in front of me, pulling my head down to her eye level. "You look tired."

"I feel tired, mentally."

The princess saw the look in my eyes and felt pity. "It's almost time for you to take a vacation, isn't it?"

"Didn't I have one already, with you and Twilight meeting my parents as the selling point?"

The princess lightly chuckled. "That's not a vacation, that's a cause of stress. I mean a real vacation, possibly a week of no interference from work, maybe after this month is done."

"It won't include you, unfortunately." I said, feeling a bit sullen.

"Don't remind me." She leaned into me, brushing her forehead against mine. "...Are you okay?"

"I'm dealing with it." I answered.

Her hoof lightly cradled against my cheek, she looked at me with a motherly intent. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

I glanced over to the bed, wishing for a moment where I could just be held. But there was still an individual waiting out in the hall. "As much as I would like for this to be the time and place, I'm afraid not."

"As such." She mumbled with a depressed tone, finally separating herself from me. "Well we know that we can at least use Solemn for your surface operations. I know she's hard to learn, but she'll come around to you once she sees your effort as genuine."

"That's not what I'm worried about." I said with a groan.

"Then what is it?"

I began to think of a worst-case scenario that could possibly occur. "I'm afraid that she's envious to a fault, the last thing I need is a Judas selling me out with a smile."

The high princess scoffed at me. "I know I've studied some of your world's religious lore, but wasn't Jesus betrayed with a kiss?"

I immediately rolled my eyes. "Dear lord, put that book down."

Meanwhile, the princess appeared a bit enthusiastic about her nailing the reference. "I have other religious tomes I'm looking up, the Quran, the Vedas, the Buddhist Teachings, Roman and Greek Mythology, they're offer such interesting ideas on the different forms of a human higher power. There are some radical ideals as well, but it's knowledge all the same."

"Knowledge that humans have gone to war believing." I argued before snapping myself back on track. "I think we should let Solemn back in before she starts to brood over our conversation."

Celestia seemed disappointed that she couldn't even have a conversation about my world's theological ideals, but she understood what was at stake. So she gave a begrudging answer to my suggestion. "Do what you must."

While I was feeling sorry for the fact that I broke off a fun conversation, I mentally made a note to pick that subject up for later. And by the time I had opened the door, the demeanor between the both of us had snapped back from a bit flirty to stern and professional. "Solemn Oath, come on in."

As the mare walked in, Celestia then informed her of her status. "The captain here has discussed with me some ideas of how you can be of use."

"Does that mean that I'll be briefed in full, your highness?" The mare questioned optimistically.

"Not yet. But in due time."

I went a little further with Celestia's answer. "We still have to see how you perform under duress. It's not everyday we can just exclusively rely on violence to get the results we want. Sometimes it is, but not always."

Solemn looked at me, appearing upset that I openly reprimanded her in front of the princess. But she didn't let that distract her for too long. "Your highness, whatever you desire, it shall be done."

Celestia stopped herself short of her initial response, walking beside the guardsmare she trusted. "Anything I want?"

"Whatever you desire, your highness." Solemn answered passionately.

The princess closed her eyes and then opened her wings. "Then I want you two to be friends."

"Uh, what?" I said, tilting my head in confusion.

The mare looked between me and the princess, stammering through her words. "Y-y-your highness, I-I'm afraid th-that I don't understand the vagueness of your request─"

She cut through Solemn's reply to speak at me as well. "Captain, that order is extended to you also."

"But why?" I asked.

"Because I know that in time, the hostility between the two of you will subside if there is plenty of opportunity for the both of you to interact. I can't have her guarding over your life while looking for an opening to let you fail. And you cannot justify any of her failings without accounting for your own in communicating with her. Once the two of you work together more often, you will gain trust with one another and operate with a much better synergy. If this is to succeed, then this is how it will be done."

Solemn was borderline objecting to the idea. "Your highness, with all due respect─"

But Celestia didn't let her get an answer in. "I'll notify your officer that your jurisdiction will be changed immediately. From now on, you answer directly to me and the captain exclusively. That is a royal decree."

Solemn glared at me with a fierce blush, most certainly against the idea but complying with the order. "...Your word is law."

"Very good." Celestia said, stopping herself short of clopping her hooves together in celebration. "Now back to the topic, what exactly did you find out about that arimaspi?"

Using the topic as a distraction, Solemn answered the princess question before I could. "It was killed using human weaponry."

The princess appeared shocked for a second, turning to me awfully quickly to verify the news. "Nondis, is this true?"

I confirmed her account. "I found shrapnel and bullets in it's neck. Something blasted that thing's head off, a bomb or a similar device."

Celestia took a deep breath and entranced herself in thought. "This is troubling."

"We also found this." Solemn added, summoning a pamphlet used to advertise the occasion.

The high princess read the ad, looking at what was proposed. "A flier for the event... apparently scheduled for yesterday evening after the Gala."

"Solemn says the shadow looks to be a griffon. But I don't recall there being a griffon here on post. Usually those guys are sent out towards the borders of Griffonstone." I answered.

"But a griffon can't use human weapons... can they?" Solemn asked.

I grimly replied to her. "I wouldn't put it past anyone learning our world's technology. After all, you learned how to use a tactical crossbow today."

"Yeah, and those arrows are still intact after an impact like that. That's pretty scary to think about."

I folded my arms in thought. "So now begs the question, how did they get a hold of some human weapons? Nothing in the inventory at the barracks was missing or out of place when I went there earlier. I'll circle back to it if I find out anything new. I'll see what I can find in the footage."

Celestia then made it a primary point of focus to find out what's been going on with my weapons and this event. "Captain, those weapons are ghastly dangerous to us. We cannot afford for those to get into circulation, or our guards will be going back home in body bags by the droves."

"I'll be extra careful in looking into the matter." I assured her.

The mare whispered to herself as she teleported out of the room. "Please do."

Twilight's Castle
Ponyville
The Next Day...
***Point of Perspective: Twilight Sparkle***

As I walked circles around the table in the friendship throne room, my mind couldn't isolate what I saw from Celestia just yesterday. If anything, I had nightmares behind it. I couldn't think about anything but the idea that this stallion was walking around in the bodies of the deceased. Granted, I faced off against a lot in my life, evil unicorns, transmogrified alicorns, power hungry centaurs, and even demi-god eldritch abominations capable of changing the fabric of reality in a snap of his tendrils. But I couldn't exactly know where to begin with this one. Do we go to the Tree of Harmony and borrow the Elements from them again, would our rainbow transformations suffice, maybe my magic is good enough to do it? I don't know the extent of his power, but I know the extent to how horrified Nondis must've been to encounter that.

But in any case involving a situation that Celestia calls me to do, I'd be better off with the safety net of my friends behind me. Not only are they my source of power, but they are my drive to succeed. Without them, I would never be in this position. And I'm sure Nondis would appreciate seeing their faces as we take on this monster together.

The door swung open, both Starlight and Spike guided the five other mares through as they galloped in from their respective jobs. Pinkie had just the tiniest hint of vanilla in her coat from baking. Fluttershy had a bit of a wild-animal smell. Rainbow Dash still had static electricity from cloud busting. Rarity wore her red sewing glasses. And Applejack had a few twigs in her tail.

As they took their seats, I proceeded to address them. "Girls, I know it's sudden, but I'm glad you're all here today."

Rainbow already knew the drill. "Just cut to the chase already, meetings like this are only about one thing."

"Another grand epic adventure?" Applejack sneered over to Rarity.

Predictably, she didn't like the idea of getting in the rough of things again, though she was never unwilling. "Ugh, dear. I cannot do another one of these this month. I love being with you all and I love you all to pieces, but I'm starting to feel that Equestria's been in more trouble in a year of our being element bearers than it ever has in the thousand before our being born."

Applejack snickered as she got the result she desired from the fashionista. "We knew this coming in, Rarity. Ain't no gettin' off this here train now."

Rarity argued in return. "Applejack, do you want to know the last time we had a threat to Equestria that nearly changed our entire world as we know it?"

"Well it can't be that short of a time ago." The farmer replied.

"LAST MONTH!" Rarity screamed as she jumped on the table to stare down the orange mare.

Applejack rolled her eyes at the mare. "And who was that?"

Pinkie bounced up and down in her seat. "Ooh! Ooh! I know this one! Queen Chrysalis! No wait, Starlight Glimmer!"

Starlight smiled nervously before hiding behind her mane. I patted the young mare on her back as I both reassured her and addressed the others. "That's in the past now, girls. And I know that we're pretty tired of life-changing events that could alter our world or bring grievous harm to our families and friends, but we're here because we chose to protect them and this world we love. Today, tomorrow, next week, or even the next ten years might not be any different. But it's our duty to deal with those threats, especially those that are considered to be unnatural or beyond the limitations or our nation's security forces."

"Which seems to be about all of them nowadays." Spike sarcastically added.

Fluttershy jumped in quietly. "And put it this way, it hasn't just been us doing all the work this time."

Applejack sat back in her throne to casually recline herself. "Ah have ta admit it, them humans have been a sort of help with those changeling invasions. We barely had to lift a hoof at the last two situations with them."

Rarity hopped off the table as she also pointed out another detail. "And the guards' morale have taken a steady rise in morale since Nondis was made Captain of the Royal Guard."

"Still..." Pinkie interjected, bringing a bit of reality to the forefront. "He's been shouldering a lot since then. I know he might've just got in almost half a year back, but it feels like he's losing a fight with himself. I'm awfully worried."

Rainbow Dash tried to brush off her concerns, trying to be optimistic. "Nondis will be fine! He's a tough guy with a bunch of cool stuff at his disposal. Is he gonna have a hard time with a few things, yeah. But I think in time he'll come out on top."

Fluttershy also added some words of caution to contrast with her earlier praise. "I don't know, they say that the guard has some really troubling issues with mental health."

"If Caramel wasn't already an example of that." Applejack mumbled.

Rarity quickly dismissed the stallion of topic. "Caramel was just a criminal, darling. He deserves every minute of his sentence for what he did to Pinkie."

"Can't blame a girl for trying." The pink mare said with a dismissive shrug. "But I don't want Non-Non to be the same way."

On that note, I pulled out a memory sphere and sat it on the table to bring up the matter of today's discussion. "In speaking of which, a situation has come to the princess' attention."

Everyone in the room started to mumble and mutter, Starlight raised a hoof to bring up a question. "What happened exactly?"

"Nondis was attacked last night. He's relatively fine in terms of his physical health, nothing like any serious cuts, bruises, scars, broken bones, that kind of stuff. But─"

Before I could finish, Rarity interrupted with a rant of her own. "Let me guess, another attack on his character? I swear those politicians are no better than ghouls with the way they demean those who they don't agree with."

I quickly corrected her. "It wasn't anything like that either. But it's taking a tremendous toll on his mind. As you saw on Thursday, he's struggling with a lot of what he sees on the job, especially with his elected assignment."

"Well if it's not that healthy for him, he should stop." Everyone in the room turned to Pinkie as she leaned forward on the table, nervously shifting her hooves on the surface. "I'm just saying. Nonny shouldn't be here throwing himself into stuff he can't get out of, much less something that's going to end up damaging him more than he needs. He doesn't really owe anypony anything, so what does it matter if he quits? I think he should try something else if this is what it leads to. I mean we all heard what Fluttershy said, we can't just let this keep going."

Rainbow groaned as she offered her reply. "But we all know Nondis. So we can safely nix that idea."

Pinkie slammed her hooves into the table, causing a loud echo throughout the room. "THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING!"

Fluttershy reached out to the pink mare. "Pinkie─"

"NONDIS IS HURTING! WE ARE HIS FRIENDS! WE NEED TO STEP IN AND TELL HIM TO STOP IF WE KNOW HE'S HURTING HIMSELF! WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE TO DO ANYTHING AND THEN HE COMES UP BEING ALL MEAN AND BROKEN!"

I couldn't ignore the fact that I agreed with her on the inside. I felt that after he was done with me, he should've just been done with the guard and went about his way. But that wasn't what happened, he went for a much more valued prize. And I couldn't help but to support them in any way. It was the only reason why I was doing this, the only reason I came to his defense. "That's not our decision to make, Pinkie!" I replied, choking back any desire to do what she had suggested. "He already made his decision. But that doesn't mean that we won't be helping him. Especially now."

The pink mare, usually jovial by nature, turned to me with narrowed eyes and angrily questioned me. "Do you even care, Twilight?"

"More than you know." I said as I turned away from her, I elected to not start an argument and focused on the briefing. "Nondis was the victim of a psychological attack and suffered a mental breakdown as a result. He was concussed and found passed out in the portal room. Something has him becoming increasingly paranoid, and it's safe to say that his growing sense of paranoia was justified on Saturday night while we were at the Gala. As such, the princess asked for our help to personally involve ourselves in the matter of limiting his confrontation with the pony responsible for those attacks."

"Umbra Sanctus."

Everyone in the room was unsure of what was said. But Rarity had said it. Spike spoke out to the seamstress. "Uhhhh, what was that again?"

She calmly explained herself. "Nondis told me of the name of this pony in question. Though he was warned against saying the name out loud, even writing it was to be condemned, he gave me the name. It is Umbra Sanctus."

"Lady, are you nuts!?" Starlight blurted out, almost ready to pounce the mare down.

Rainbow snickered as she pointed fun at the fashionable mare. "Ahead of the curve, huh? What's been so different where the two of you have been exchanging information like that?"

Rarity explained herself. "I took some time to test out this theory of mine. So I started saying the name in the comfort of my own home. Nothing happened all throughout the week I've said his name. Though I did run into another one of Nondis' associates on the assignment. She too was superstitious about the name, much like Starlight is now, I suppose it would only be problematic for those in Canterlot, but not in the comfort of a private discussion. If anything occurs from today, it will be because of my saying the name."

Now that I had a real name to commit to memory, I carried on with the briefing. "Nondis gave the princess a different name, a name he coded for us to use in any general discussion. He used the name 'Slade' to describe this pony of interest."

"Slade, that's an interesting name choice. Kinda awesome if you ask me." Said Rainbow Dash.

"What's not cool, Rainbow Dash, is how this Slade attacked Nondis." I said as I was about to illuminate the sphere. However, I had remembered who it was that helped Celestia put this sphere together. I glanced over to the one pony that could bring about an even better vantage point. "But first, I want to ask Fluttershy a favor."

Everyone turned their heads to the quiet yellow pegasus. "Me?"

"Yes. I need you to summon Discord for me. Out of all of us, you have the best chance to bring him here so we can talk with him, at least you can summon him without all of us needing the elements to do it."

Rainbow rolled her eyes in disgust. "Oh boy, as if we need to see his ugly face around here after that whole stunt he pulled."

The shy caretaker then replied in a dainty voice. "We had our conversation, he's made a very strong apology."

"You had better give him a good talking to." Rainbow said as she narrowed her eyes to the mare.

Fluttershy then grew an unappeased frown. "I gave him a Zephyr Breeze conversation."

Rainbow cringed as she leaned back in her seat. "Ooooh... Is he even going to come by when you call his name?"

She wasted no time to command the chaotic being. She drew a deep breath, as quiet as mouse before calling his name, "DISCORD!" The room shook with her voice echoing throughout. Each of us jumped from her sudden volume increase.

A flash of light later and the draconequus was perked up and ready to submit to the tiny yellow mare. "Yes, Fluttershy dear."

As all of us were shocked, Rainbow was the least so. "Wow. You know for all the years I've known you, I think that part of you is the one thing that still scares me."

Fluttershy pointed to me as she sternly informed the creature of her intent. "Twilight here wants to ask you a few questions about something."

"It's about Saturday night." I clarified.

The eldritch creature stood in place as he glanced down to the mare that summoned him. "Oh, well I suppose we did have a conversation as to if I needed to make an extended apology to you all for my behavior on that evening. I even went through the trouble of drafting a rehearsed speech."

As Discord pulled out a large scroll as thick as a roll of toilet paper, I quickly stopped him from getting into that for the moment. "I'm afraid our conversation is set to put that off for another day. What we want to talk to you about is Nondis."

At the mention of his name, the creature perked up as if he was about to tell some rather interesting details about his weekly ventures. "Oh. Well what do want to know? Perhaps a fairly interesting ordeal involving one of Celestia's personal guards? Maybe a brief conversation about his steamy little stint on last Tuesday night? Or perhaps a juicy encounter of taboos and testing the waters on Friday evening?"

I interrupted him to holler out what I wanted to know, at least before he started to get on my nerves. "Nondis on Saturday night, Discord! Celestia told me that you had information about what happened to Nondis on Saturday night."

The creature looked off towards the sphere that sat on the table. "Oh... that."

"Yes. That. What do you know about the situation that's occurred?"

Discord walked onto the table, picking up the sphere that sat before me. "Well that's pretty bold of you to question me on something you already have access to, Twilight. Isn't it true that Celestia gave you this memory sphere with that imagery already in it?"

"Put together by you apparently. But I want to know what happened in full." I demanded.

The creature hissed as he saw the yellow mare standing from across the table. "Well personally, Twilight, I don't think it's of Fluttershy's best interest to know what happened to Nondis. After all, you know how she typically responds to things of that nature."

Fluttershy calmly coerced the creature to follow my instructions. "Discord, I'm asking you to show us what you know."

The creature grew hesitant. "Fluttershy, I don't think that's a good idea. You may have some trouble sleeping tonight."

"Then that's a risk I'm willing to take." The yellow mare stood firm.

"Fluttershy, please." The creature begged, trying not to bring any form of harm and trauma to her.

The mare's voice softened more as she spoke to the creature. "I understand you're trying to protect me Discord. But our friend is in danger, and he needs our help. So can you help us understand what hurt our friend?"

Discord looked at the sphere and closed his eyes as he reached down and petted the yellow mare. "I pray that Luna gives you all good dreams tonight."

"Is it really that bad?" Starlight asked.

"I wouldn't say it's bad, that's just my being subjective..." He sat the sphere at the center of the table as the imagery from his memories started to take shape in the form of a screen displaying above the table. The screen started off with the image of an apartment room with a coffin sitting at the front of it. "It's much worse."

"How much of 'much worse' is it?" Spike questioned.

Discord gave him a direct reply. "Nothing you should be watching. But for starters, let's go back to a little something I managed to get a glimpse of on the Friday before last. It was the week following his birthday, and this was the gift that was given to him in his friend's apartment."

The memory started playing back out, but instead of it being quiet like I've often seen it through the sphere, there was the vivid sound of everything that took place. Discord extended his hand to the sphere as he displayed the memory of Nondis from the perspective of a top-down view. Nondis looked at a letter and read it to himself. "Happy Birthday to our most esteemed escape artist. I know you've been feeling a little upset with the news lately, so I gave you a surprise gift for good cheer. I give this to you with all of my being, I offer it to you with you running through my mind. The affection I have for you can only be described as eternal. With love and kisses in mind, Ummie."

As I watched that scene, that nickname had become a blatant disclosure to me since Rarity explained it to us. But instead of my mind being drawn on that for an extended time, there was a song playing on what appeared to be an old record player. But as the song went along, it gradually slowed down around halfway.

The lid of the casket flew open and a body was propped up to glance at the group present in the room. The four that was as startled as we were in watching it was Nondis, Melanie, Blueblood and my brother. I clenched my chest as the sudden jump scared a few surplus beats into my heart. While all of us were started from the second-hoof experience, we were more empathetic to the ones who were there to experience it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Melanie screamed and quickly grabbed Nondis' shoulders as she hid behind him.

"JESUS FUCKING..." Nondis himself was petrified, clasping his mouth with his hand to choke back anymore screams.

"Holy shit!" Shining jumped back placing a hoof to his muzzle.

Blueblood stared wide-eyed at the corpse, giving a slow nod. "Well that's a new one."

As the scene faded out, I could hear Melanie starting to sob and cry in the background before the scene began to transition. Discord began to explain. "Now of course, this was the reason why Nondis saw fit to move his friends here to Ponyville, so that either of them couldn't be targeted for this again. And before you ask, the body was very real."

Most of us had become pale from watching that. Fluttershy was already reduced to tears. "That's absolutely terrifying!"

"That's just disgusting." Rarity said as she held a handkerchief up to her muzzle.

Applejack hid her head in her hat. "That ain't right!"

"No wonder he hasn't been eating." I whispered to myself as the scene went from that to him walking in a hallway. "Is there anything else?"

"Well I suppose we are on the subject of Saturday night. But I think we should first go back to Saturday morning. This is where it really began to pick up steam."

This vision was from a new perspective. It was Nondis himself, but it appeared to not be from his usual height. As he moved, we saw that he was speaking with a servant, and he was talking at eye level. It wasn't until we saw a hoof come up and reveal to us that he was a pony instead.

"So you're telling me that it was someone who lived here on this side of the mountain that has that same permit? Who the hell would come in here with a permission like that?" It was his voice, but lighter.

The butler walking next to him brought out a cloth and placed at against his muzzle as he slowly turned to the issue. "...The late lord of the manor."

Nondis started to gag over the foul stench, he covered his muzzle as he turned to the issue at hoof. "Fuck me if that isn't─"

The body was revealed in plain daylight. It was Count DuMoneé's body that was swinging from the rafters of a luxurious manor. It almost looked as if the body was staring down at the two of them. A lady's voice called out from the distance. "Is everything alright?"

Nondis flagged the source down and the servant quickly galloped off to tend to the mare in question. "Please, I ask that the both of you remain in the room until the issue is resolved!"

"Handy, what is going on?" A male voice called out this time. "You're not yourself this morning. Something must be wrong."

The mare once again spoke out. "Please tell us if something's wrong."

The butler walked away to explain to them the importance of heeding his advice, a conversation that was obviously tuned out by Nondis. Meanwhile, his eyes were locked to the decomposed stallion hanging from the ceiling. He slowly walked down the stairs to see if there was anything else that could have showed evidence of a break in. A brief search showed that there was no sign of forced entry. But then a voice whispered in his ear.

Nondis froze completely. Much like it did for him, that whisper brought an uncomfortable chill. He then turned around to see if anyone was behind. The only thing that seemed to remain in his eyes was the sight of Count's body hanging above, still creaking and swaying. He then closed his eyes and convinced himself that he was making it up in his mind. "He's dead. His skin is bound to fall off his bones any day now. This is just some more of Umbra's bullshit, he's done this before." His eyes opened and he took a deep breath before going back to work, looking up at how he was going to get started.

Then true horror sat in as the body, which was facing the stairs, was turned to him. And it gazed to him.

All we could hear was the trembling sound of his voice trying it's best not to let out a scream. It was the sound of him having a panic attack, the shortness in his breath, the way he staggered as he walked up the stairs, the moments he clenched against his chest to ensure that his heart wasn't giving out on him. Then came the chime of a grandfather clock in the distance.

The whisper echoed in his ear with the intimacy of a nail being slowly dragged against a chalkboard. Then the body was suddenly turned his way when he was halfway up the stairs, all of it was far too great for his mind to handle. The only thing on his mind at that moment was one word: Run.

As soon as the door slammed behind him, introducing him to safety, the scene faded from view.

Discord frowned as he glanced to Fluttershy, who was hiding underneath the table. The poor thing was shivering as she mewled out in terror. "This is far too much!"

"Way too far is what it is." Even Applejack wasn't against the idea of hiding in her hat, but Rainbow Dash was piled up behind her, using that same hat for cover.

Pinkie didn't even do much, she was watching with all eyes on the view. Even if she was scared, she wasn't going to not see what he had gone through. In fact, I'm sure she was looking at it as justification. And I don't blame her. "What sick mind would keep doing things like this?"

"That would be the very culprit from Saturday night." I answered somberly.

Rainbow pointed out after the scene had gotten darker. "It looked like the same body."

Discord continued. "It was. The body was that of the late Senator Count DuMoneé. This encounter had taken place in the family estate where Nondis had... *ahem* engaged in business negotiations."

"Non-Non's not just being tortured..." Pinkie began to seethe with anger.

"He's being systematically targeted." Rarity proceeded to do the same.

Discord walked over to Fluttershy, petting her head as he comforted her as much as he could. "And of course, this brings me back to the situation I had edited for Celestia. But I'm sure you all want to see what you're up against. So I again apologize to all of you for what you are about to see of your friend. Oh... and this one is a little more graphic, in all aspects."

The scene was from the perspective of a top-down view from one corner of the room. While it was dark, everything else was various shades of green. And there was sound this time, captured seemingly from that of his own phone.

"Tsk, tsk, captain. You know I can't have fun with simple things." Umbra said with a mocking frown. "I like pizzazz, shock value, the initial moment where your face shows the second your fight-or-flight response is triggered. Now I don't want you to feel hopeless yet, there's still some fun to be had."

"So damaging my reputation with a bunch of lies and rumors wasn't enough? Destroying my peace of mind with grim reminders from beyond the grave? Giving me what could potentially be years of psychological damage is just lightweight to you?"

"It's a wonder how Count drives you up a wall." The culprit said with a dismissive tone. "He's dead. So it shouldn't bother you. Just think of him as your victory flag, swaying in the wind."

"Of course I forget who I'm talking to." Nondis mumbled under his breath.

He loosened the grip of his hair, but pushed Nondis' head forward. "You know, it wouldn't have to be this way if you just did stayed behind like I wanted you to."

"Sorry, but I don't swing that way." The human said firmly.

The stallion smirked as he dragged a hoof up to his chin. "Tell you what, I'll leave you alone for tonight on the part of one little favor."

"What?"

"I want a kiss." He whimpered in a pouty tone. "I miss you so much and you haven't seen me in a week. I was so worried about you. I was almost in a fit of rage not knowing where my precious monster-size boyfriend might have wandered off to."

Nondis closed his eyes and muttered. "You'd be better off shooting me."

"Is that your final answer?" The stallion smiled while he got in closer.

The human turned his head away from him, nudging his forehead against the barrel of the gun. "You got me, if you wanted me to die, then this is the best outcome for you. I'm not in your business anymore. So do it. Pull the trigger. No one will even notice until sometime late tomorrow morning. They'll even think it's suicide, it's perfect for you. JUST FUCKING PULL THE TRIGGER!"

"...Ugh... Fine. Your wish..." The stallion squarely levitated the weapon to the front of the human's forehead. He clenched his eyes shut, expecting the world to come to a brief end. "...Is mine to deny." He quickly said as he tossed the weapon aside, causing it to misfire into a wall. The sound of it's firing made the human flinch, only for his head to be held in his hooves while he inched closer. "Do you honestly think my intention is to kill you now? Why whatever gave you that idea? I told you that the game would be decided when you face off against your worst adversary. I'm not the worst you've faced, in fact I'm quite smitten with the idea of toying with you. You're so reactive, so passionate, so desperate and delectable. Maybe you'll show me how you have three princesses risking it all for a night with you. And judging from Kalimba's reaction, I must say that you are something I must taste for myself."

Nondis backed away from the assailant, only to find a force pulling him down and keeping the him locked in place. "As I said, I don't swing that way."

He then whispered in his face. "All I want is a kiss. Just give that to me and I'll be on my way. We can start slow, if you want. Even with my being this close, I feel the tension building between us." Nondis then tucked in his lips, which started to quietly anger the stallion. He forced his head to turn to him. "What are you hiding from me? My lips aren't good enough for you?" The human tightened his lips all the more, making sure that he couldn't be violated. "Seriously, I'm beginning to think that you don't want me to be your friend. Is it because of how my kissing you the last time has you so wound up? Or is it that you've secretly discovered a new fetish that you don't want anyone to know? I can keep secrets, you know."

He turned his head away once more and quickly thought to press his face into the ground. But it didn't go as planned as Umbra held the human by his hair again. He yanked back, assuring the pain sufficient enough to force his mouth to change.

"You must think that I'm foolish, that you're so smart. I know you're hiding things from me." He said, showing the frustration in his tone.

"And kissing me is how you find out." He replied, earning a snicker from the stallion.

The human's head was released, but instead of Umbra smiling, he was visibly angry. He abruptly tried leaning in to plant himself against the human. Nondis denied him by grabbing at his horn and summoning to his hand the gun Umbra tossed away. It was instead Umbra's mouth that was forced open, introduced to the gun.

The human angrily stood up and said to the pony. "You gon' have enough of fucking with me." The gun fired, sending a shot into his skull and the assailant's body flopped to the ground. Nondis turned around and started to pull out my phone, staring at the screen.

The human turned around in hearing Umbra's voice again. He glanced to see the body he shot at, only for his eyes to expand in horror over what he saw. Instead of Umbra laying there, it was an unidentified body. Nondis looked back down at his hand, realizing that it wasn't covered in blood, but rotten flesh and decomposed juices. He quickly hunched over to keep himself from vomiting.

A hoof then patted him on the side. "There, there. There's no point in screaming over it. It's just there." Umbra whispered into the human's ear. "Though I wonder about what his family would think of you doing this, an act of sacrilege so brutal that you'd go so far as to shove your hand in a corpse and show them what for. How delectably uncouth. Just imagine how the taste of their mouth would've been if you kissed them."

The human immediately vomited on the floor at the thought.

Umbra smiled as he walked beside his victim. "You know, all of this could've been avoided if you had only come by to see me. But now begs the question, who exactly would you be seeing from here on?"

"You're a fucking psychopath!" He screamed in between heaves.

"Aw, sweetie." Umbra said with a mockingly loving voice. "I'm not so eager to be called bad names. Besides, I'm just another lost soul looking for salvation. Isn't that what we all strive for, acceptance? I swear you call everyone you don't agree with everything but a Child of Faust. I guess you and Count have that in common."

"Shut up!" He screamed, aiming the gun at his assailant's direction, only to jump up at the sight of Count's decaying face instead. The human fell back, crawling away from the body that stared back. His hair was tugged back once more, his legs locked in place, rendered motionless as Umbra dusted himself off and tapped him on the forehead with his illuminated horn.

"Now the next phase of the game begins. New rules, of course. This one's a bit more interesting. Since I can't just let you recall this little event to the others to prompt some investigation, you'll learn to not be so eager to put my name to your lips. From now on, you'll fear me as the others. Just the mere thought of exposing my name will bring you to your knees. But do be careful, push too much and you'll be having the headache of a lifetime. Try not to black out too much, or I might have to come and pick you up, just like your friend."

A bright flash briefly illuminated the room, followed by a unsettling scream from the human. There was a brief pause between the screams as the spell subsided. But as the image of Umbra's face faded to slowly revealing Count's rotting body
being mere inches away from him, he let loose a blood-chilling yell. The other body that was shot stood up, it's entire body was assimilated by Umbra as he looked back at his victim, smiling to the screams as he walked away. The stress of the event became too much for the human to handle, and his mind gradually shut down to the world. Umbra walked out the room, offering the last bit of light from the hallway before leaving the distressed human in total darkness.

"Do think of me, but not of my name. Sweet dreams."

Before the scene could conclude in total silence, Fluttershy pinned her ears down, mashing her hooves against them to prevent herself from hearing the screaming. She cried out to the draconequus with all her might. "STOP IT! Stop it! I don't want to see anymore!"

The image shattered like glass as Discord snatched the orb from the table and popped it like an inflated balloon. He immediately walked over to the trembling mare's side and held her closely, petting her as he tried to soothe her. While Fluttershy began to sob, the others couldn't bring themselves to talk on what they saw. Many were deeply saddened and highly enraged. Spike hid behind starlight with his claws over his ears, not wanting to hear that sound again. Starlight had her eyes closed, trying not to see the torture that took place.

I instinctively clenched my jaw shut, shaking indignantly. "So this is what Celestia saw."

Rainbow Dash peeked from behind Applejack. "There's no way..."

"That's what he's fightin'?" The farm pony questioned as she placed her hat on the table.

"No. That's what WE'RE fighting." Pinkie called out, who seemed to be the only one who watched everything that happened without flinching. "Nondis can't fight that on his own, so we have to do it for him."

Rarity immediately started using her magic to tie her mane back. "Fighting is merely subjective, darling. That's only what we're going to be SENDING TO THE ETHER!"

Applejack, who wasn't entirely against the idea, had showed some hesitation, even trying to make light of her own unease by joking with the fashionista. "Ah thought y'all were plum tired of grand adventures, Rarity."

To which Rarity replied. "This is not an adventure, Applejack! This is a national emergency!"

I took a few deep breaths to calm myself, at least to reign myself in emotionally. "Celestia classified this individual as a level ten threat, codename Slade. We have orders to discover what his plans are, and stop him from continuing these terrible acts. He's also a potential threat to the nation, as there are currently eighteen reported bodies missing in Canterlot's graveyard. However, meaning that there are eighteen reported, it's safer to assume that there are many more that could be at his disposal. He's a denizen of Canterrot, which means he's up to no good by default."

"We all heard him, Twilight. He's doing this just for laughs. It's one thing to prank somepony for a giggle here or there, but doing permanent harm to somepony's mental health is as terrible as you can get. He's not just a monster, he's psychotic and deranged. There's no reforming that." Pinkie added.

"Might I also add a few bits of information?" Discord chimed in, still holding a slowly recovering Fluttershy. "He owns an underground fighting arena, that alone claims at least fifteen victims per night in it's operation. We could be looking at another fifteen bodies with every night he operates, giving him more to work with."

"And this has been going on for how long!?" Rainbow inquired.

Applejack also came to a realization. "Didn't Kalimba say she was fightin' for Nondis?"

Rarity tapped her hoof on the table as she anxiously stated. "And judging from the way she speaks about him, she's probably protecting him from that very fate."

Applejack slammed a hoof on the table with another idea on her mind. "I'm willin' ta bet she might not even know anythin' about this."

"Then we have to tell her!" Rainbow shouted fanatically.

"We have to warn everypony!" Starlight loudly suggested.

As everyone started to get into an uproar, Fluttershy had wiped her eyes and nuzzled Discord for comforting her. She then placed a hoof against his chest to inform him that she was okay. She took on a sharp intake of air and shouted over everyone in the room. "GIRLS!" The others stopped and watched as Fluttershy continued to rub her eyes. "Girls, this is a top secret assignment. Celestia has ordered us to deal with this quietly, likely to not start a panic. I say we should just keep this to ourselves for now."

Spike tapped me as he spoke out. "Twilight, ponies' loved ones are being dug from their graves by this monster. We might be looking at an even higher threat than a level ten situation."

I couldn't agree more. "I'm willing to bet that as well. So we'll do as what we element bearers have to do. For our friends, our families, and for Equestria's sake."

"Ah can't imagine a poor soul havin' to look at himself walkin' round like a parading puppet. Lotta that ain't just cruel, it ain't natural, and it ain't right." Applejack, who was recovering from the idea of dealing with the deceased had grown more determined. "...I ain't exactly without loved ones lost here. But I can't imagine Applebloom getting looked at by some creep using my parents as a cheap suit. I can't let that happen, it don't sit well with me."

Understanding the seriousness in Applejack's voice, Rainbow Dash felt more compelled to join her. "So Twilight, who's sorry ass are we going to be blasting rainbow friendship lasers into this time?"

Before I could say anything, Rarity stared me down and firmly demanded. "Be sure to say his name, dear. If not ever again, then this once. Let's try to not show fear of what we're going to abolish."

"You girls are crazy." Starlight mumbled as she and Spike stood by.

I glanced back at my pupil and proudly ordered them. "Girls, our target is none other than the deranged Umbra Sanctus."

Sparkle Residence
Canterlot
Two Hours Later...

After my meeting with the girls, Spike and I had set out to Canterlot for a meeting with somepony I thought who could help me in trying to at least get through to those underground connections. If I had to, I would even go to Blueblood for the information, just as long as I could meet the strict prerequisites that would warrant the use of the elements.

As much as I wanted to outright use them for the purpose of vengeance, that's not what they were for. In fact, if we were to use them in such an unwarranted manner, we'd probably lose our connection to them soon after. And then Equestria would really be vulnerable from that moment on until new bearers are found. And that could take decades, even centuries to do.

But before I went about this search, there was only one thing I needed to do. I needed to inform my family. I needed them to be aware of what I was going to be doing and for possibly how long. If something were to happen to me, it's only responsible to let them in on what I did last. I do it before every world-saving mission and national assignment. The only times I didn't was dealing with Starlight and Chrysalis, but that was only because they caught me off guard. Those encounters were right then and there, as opposed to the run-in with both Tirek and Discord.

But this one was one I had felt the most unnerved about in a while.

As soon as I knocked on the door, my mind was already swimming with thoughts of what all Discord revealed to us earlier. I wasn't entirely sure of how I would get it done. Even finding who I needed to talk to was going to be hard. And then there was the matter of leaving Spike behind. Though my visit here could easily solve that.

The door opened and my mother greeted me with a huge smile. "Your majesty, what a surprise!"

My father shouted from the back room as my mother hugged me tightly. "Well, a visit by the princess! I should feel honored."

I couldn't help but become embarrassed as some of the neighbors passing up and down the street stared and watched. "Mom, dad, we've talked about greeting me like this."

"They also greet Shining Armor the same way." Spike added.

Mom patted me on my head. "Now Violet, you know we only do it because we're so proud of what the two of you had become. If I wasn't as old as I am now, I'd be begging your father to roll the dice and see what we could come up with on the third try!"

My eyes grew and I started to feel even more embarrassed over what she said. "EWWW! MOM!"

Dad then chimed in as he walked in from the dining room. "Now honey, she has a point. You know how Twilight loves to be my special little girl. A third little one would take too much attention from her."

"Dad, seriously." I said with a groan.

Then mom announced to me, also announcing it to the world. "Well if you want to stop us from making you an older sibling, I suggest you come inside."

I quickly trotted indoors with my wings covering my face, Spike followed close behind. "Ugh, why are you both the way you are?"

My dad hugged me as he inquired about how things were going. "So how's the others? I'm sure we get to hear what you all do come the next time you lot save the world again. But how about now since things seem to be a bit slow?"

"Yes, tell us what's going on behind the scenes." Mom added.

"In terms of the girls, they're doing just fine. Not much else to speak on other than Rarity's business picking up steam here in town. At least that's some good news." I said as mom also hugged Spike.

"And how's my little dragon drop doing?"

"Not off plotting betrayals today, are we?" Dad added with a chuckle.

"Nah, that's was pretty much a one-time thing. That's not happening again." The young drake replied.

Dad gave my assistant a pat on the back as he spoke. "Well it's a good thing that Count guy isn't around to be a bad influence anymore. I was getting worried that you would turn into a greedy beast who got in with the wrong political crowd. I can't say I'd be willing to embrace that chapter of your life."

I initially felt comfortable with the conversation, considering the topic. "Yeah. I'd never try to wish ill on anypony, but if I'm being personal about it, it's good that he's..." But then the image of Count's body being hunched over Nondis came to mind. I froze for a moment, getting more entangled in my own thoughts. "He's... he's─"

"Just say it dear, it's not a swear word. Dead, dead, dead." Mom victoriously called out.

"Six feet under." Dad added.

"Going up and yonder." Mom said with a sing-song voice.

"Rather the opposite way." My dad mumbled with a slight chuckle.

I didn't quite feel comfortable with calling his living status, considering what I knew. "Yeah, he's... deceased."

Mom jumped in jubilantly as she pulled out a white envelope. I already knew exactly where she was going with this. "That's the spirit! But I'll tell you what I'm more excited for."

I immediately face-hoofed. "Mom, seriously─"

"Midnight rendezvous in Prance! Ah, I can imagine it now. The two of you getting your great escape and eloping to where Equestrian Laws can no longer dictate your romantic passions, your youthful urges, your insatiable appetite for the intimate encounter. Possibly some scientific experimentation where the two of you start immediately talking about foals together."

I screamed at her, feeling my ears getting hot. "ARE WE SERIOUSLY DOING THIS RIGHT NOW!?"

"Violet, we're all adults here." Dad said with a snicker.

"Ahem!" Spike cleared his throat and raised his claw.

Mom couldn't care any less about the subject. "Spike is smart enough to know what happens between two consenting adults, and he's very intelligent. Why I'm sure he's already experienced what I believe are the first traits of dragon puberty. Judging from your reaction, it seems you two haven't had the great 'sit-down' yet. It's okay to tell him what goes on, so when he gets older─"

I had to immediately interrupt with the news, the bit of news I knew they would be sad to hear. "Mom, dad, this 'Great-Escape' plan you have isn't going to work. Nondis and I broke up."

She continued on like nothing was wrong. "Well we know you two broke up officially in the eyes of the public, but you can't fool us. We know the two of you still have feelings for one another."

I raised a hoof to grab their attention. As I did, I felt somewhat upset, so much that I didn't bother to look them in the face as I told them the truth. "...Nondis isn't interested anymore."

Mom and dad both froze, mom especially didn't want to believe it. "I'm sorry dear, but that sounded less like you trying to deny us our dreams for you and more of the literal bits and pieces of your heart trickling to the ground."

Spike, who wasn't completely aware of my relationship status, then spoke out to me. "Ouch. Seriously? Is that why I had to make you double chocolate chip cookies that one day you were depressed?"

Both my parents freaked out. "DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP!?"

Dad immediately perked up and stuck his chest out like he was upset. "Twilight Violet Sparkle, you tell me what he said to you. You know you're my dearest little girl, and I'll do anything to defend your honor."

Again, I told them the truth. "Dad, it's not because of him, it's because of me. I was possessive and I tried to go at it a certain way. I thought it would've kept things interesting between us, but we just... I guess we drifted after I got in trouble for what we did."

Mom pouted after the news started settling in her mind. "Ugh, that damn law again. I swear watching Shining deal with that was hard enough."

Spike then questioned me. "Wait, did he really just break up with you after the two of you go all the way?"

I felt my cheeks run hot as I turned to my assistant and spoke in a soft voice. "Spike, adult conversation."

He then proceeded to shrug and put my business out in front of my parents."Okay then. It's not like I don't already give you certain books with certain masturbation-worthy content involved in later chapters for you to build up that one particular moment."

This time, I full-on yelled at him. "ADULT CONVERSATION!"

Dad chuckled and nudged at mom. "See, I told you she picked up your sexual appetite."

Mom giggled behind a hoof. "And she also picked up your sense for danger too, Mr. We-can't-get-caught-if-we-use-an-invisibility-spell-and-a-bubble-of-silence-on-the-main-table-of-the-royal-library. Those were your words, you know."

He then growled as he snared mom in a hug. "And that was your scheme. You loved it so much, you named our son after it."

"I loved it so much, I had no other choice but to give us a son." She replied with a snicker. "That plan was so good that I had to wear that pregnancy like a badge of honor."

I groaned with despair over their crude discussion. "MOM! DAD! PLEASE!"

Dad whispered a little lower to her. "I wonder if she knows that she came after a quickie in the bathroom sink during a family vacation."

Mom couldn't help but to suppress a laugh. "Best speed-run ever."

At that point, I was over the conversation. "CAN YOU TWO BE QUIET ABOUT THAT, PLEASE!?"

Dad finally stopped teasing at my expense and reigned it in. "Now Velvet, I think she's upset. Maybe we should tone it down a bit."

After the bit of laughter, mom finally started to sober on the thought of my relationship status. "Okay. So... the two of you are completely done with one another. But who did he get involved with that could be any better than our darling little girl?"

I shook my head, trying to get on to the topic of why I actually came here. "Does it matter? I just came here to tell you both what I'm going to be doing for the next few days."

The two glanced at each other as mom muttered to herself. "Oh no."

Dad, as accepting as he was to my deeds and accomplishments, was always nervous about when I went out and did world-saving missions. It's within reason that he would be nervous about it every time it happens. He started off with a sigh. "That's what you always do whenever you're about to do something dangerous that could lead to yet another parade held in honor of the heroics of you and your friends."

Mom didn't pay it as much mind as dad did, she always had confidence in my magic, especially since she discovered that I was an element bearer. "So who's the big nasty threat trying to assume the total domination of all of Equestria this time?"

While I wanted to simply tell them what I was doing, it would probably come with a lot of disagreement. So instead, I brought up the subject in an inquiry. "Mom, dad, what do you know about Canterrot?"

The whole house was deadly quiet after my question. It seemed like the moment froze in time up until mom sat herself down, tapping her foreleg on the table nervously. "Oh.... oh dear."

"Oh dear, indeed." Dad said with a dejected sigh.

Mom whispered to dad with concern. "It seems we might finally have to have 'The Talk' with her."

"I thought I already talked with her about that place." Dad said as he walked over to a nearby bookshelf.

Mom then said. "I just told her a few stories back then, just a few scary foal tales about how there's some bad ponies working for the headless horse."

While the two were stuck in their deliberations, I had to grab their attention once more. "Uh, hello?"

Mom politely gave me her disapproval. "Twilight, sweetie, I don't know if there's a good reason for you to know about that place other than you wanting to go there yourself."

Dad was far less restrictive about his thoughts. "Which I can safely say that I'm not willing to allow. Many of your troubles up to this point didn't involve the stuff you'd see there. Why whatever makes you curious to that den of criminals?"

Mom then brought up an argument against going there. "You know that ponies there will do whatever to you, and it won't matter who or what you are."

"And you are a pretty little flower that could be maimed by those evil ponies there. I don't trust it." Dad said harshly, taking a more serious tone.

Spike glanced at the both of them and then to me. "Isn't that the place we were told to never go to or talk about when we were younger?"

"I know I still tell you that. But yes." I confirmed.

Dad shook his head as he spoke. "Look, Violet, it's not that we can't trust you, or even that we don't have faith in your abilities... It's just that it's a place that doesn't fit royalty. And you wear a crown now. And of course if I was anywhere near my prime, I'd have to advise you as a guard to never go there."

The mention of his past experiences in the guard, I grew to the idea of asking him more questions about what he knew about the place personally. "Dad, you were captain of the guard way back when. So I know you have to have some stories."

He looked off to the side, showing me that he did know something about it. Possibly knowing more than he lead on. "I... It's... That's not for me to disclose."

"Please dad, I need to know." I begged him.

He then begged to me in turn. "And I need for you to not go there. Ever. If I ever say anything, it's that Canterrot is the tiny sovereign nation hiding within Equestria's borders. The mere sight of you would be a call for violence. And I know they will do anything and everything to you, regardless of the title you hold or the crown you wear."

Mom gently suggested me to reconsider. "Violet, please forget that place and focus on your world-saving mission."

"Mom. I'm sorry, but that is what I'm here for." I informed her, earning a worried sigh from the both of them.

Dad made his opinion strongly known. "Violet, you are to never set hoof there. And that is my final word as your father."

Seeing how he didn't want to make any contribution to my task, I quickly ran through my list of alternatives. "Then maybe I can ask Shining for help?"

Mom immediately jumed up and questioned me. "Do you not remember what all your brother suffered through? Are you so obsessed with this that you'd willingly risk his sanity for this?"

"There's no place for you there. Just stay in the light." Dad urged once more.

"Spike, close your ears." I ordered, the young dragon doing as he's told. I then walked up to dad and questioned him quietly. "Dad, do you know anypony with the name Umbra?"

He immediately turned away. "No, I don't recall."

As I looked at him, I could tell he knew something about what I was asking for. But he was so adamant in not telling me that he wouldn't even look at me. The strained expression of guilt started to show on his face. I turned to mom and asked her to side with me on the matter. "Please, get him to talk to me."

Even she rejected me, looking away from me as well with a softened smile of regret. "Violet, we love you. But we're going to ask you to leave."

I couldn't believe it, my own parents were either complicit or they were too scared to do anything about it. It made me more upset to see them so resigned to secrecy. "Seriously?"

She continued. "It's not for our protection, sweetheart. It's for yours. We can't risk you getting hurt prying into something that isn't any of your business. So please just leave this one to the investigative forces at work."

Spike, seeing how futile my requests became, took his claws off his ears and finally spoke out a harrowing detail that was supposed to remain undisclosed. "...Count's not dead."

This time, dad's eyes lifted to stare at the two of us. "What?"

Shocked that he would go so far as to tell them classified information, I called him out on it. "Spike, what are you doing!?"

"Count isn't dead. Not anymore." He lied, ultimately to get their attention.

Dad walked towards us, whispering. "What are you saying, son?"

Mom wasn't as slow as he was, she quickly grabbed the envelope with the tickets inside and levitated them to me. She then tried to push me out of the room. "Violet, you need to take these tickets, and take Spike with you. Get out of here while you still can."

By then, I started to see why Spike was more upfront with them. It was because they were afraid. They know they don't have the power to stop anything from happening to them. But it would probably be worse if the underground forces had somehow got a hold of either me or my brother. It was the fear of us being targeted by those forces.

So I followed Spike's example and talked about what I discovered. "We know what Umbra does, we know what he's in charge of. But it's bigger than me now. It's much bigger. And only me and my friends can put an end to it."

Mom became a little more frantic as she forced the issue of us taking those tickets and running away. "I can assure you, sweetheart, Prance is really nice this time of year."

I threw the tickets to the floor and walked over to my dad, who was staring at the glass case that housed the many commemorative plaques of our family's achievements. He stared at the reflection of himself in the mirror behind them. "Please, dad. I know it shouldn't matter to you, but you were a guard. I know the brotherhood you guys share for those that come before you, as well as those who succeed after you. And right now, one of those successors are struggling with a lot right now."

The first question he asked. "Is your brother involved?" It was colder than I anticipated.

"No. He's got nothing to do with this. It's Nondis, he's been working hard to help us. And now his work lead him to that part of town, to that particular name."

He shook his head with disbelief. "Those humans are crazier than I thought. Reckless creatures."

I then added. "All of them aren't involved, it's him exclusively. He's been trying to do this on his own in secret, even learning magic along the way to help defend himself. But all the magic in Equestria doesn't protect him from what Umbra's been doing to him psychologically. If I don't step in now, it'll be far too late."

Dad quickly cut in. "It's far too late if he's involved. You can't say that it's not too late when he's already there.... How long has he been there?"

"I believe he made his first contact in December, from what Princess Luna has told me."

Dad scoffed at my answer. "But he's already gotten that much attention, what is he doing?"

"From what we've gathered, he's been involved with some of those who work closely with Umbra. It's just that in recent developments where Umbra─"

My dad quickly cut me off, using magic to hold my lips shut. "I'm going to have to ask you to stop saying that name in this house."

I understood his rational fear and acknowledged his request. "Fine. Slade is what Nondis started calling him."

Spike then added. "Slade is using Count to make his rounds. So far as we know, he even used Count to scare Nondis and the other humans in the human world."

Even mom stopped trying to force those tickets down my throat long enough to gawk at the details that was unveiled to her. "The human world!?"

Dad chimed in with his own thoughts. "A magical being in a world with no magic, that's not good in any way. Has this been brought to Princess Celestia's attention?"

I answered his question."Not only that, but the other humans have been with us for a week, living their lives as ponies of course."

"So... What does any of that have to do with you getting involved?" Mom asked.

"Nondis is fighting for our freedom. And this guy is the main thing standing in the way. Celestia is assigning me to help Nondis, but not directly. If I can get a guide who knows the streets, I can at least start looking into what Slade's whole operation looks like."

Mom was still hesitant to the idea of letting me take the assignment. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just can't see you going to such an unsafe place with your being royalty. What if something happens to Celestia and Luna again? You're already the defacto successor to the both of them, I can't see you putting yourself in that kind of danger."

"Your mother has a point. But then you would also get Spike involved. Heavens know they'll be looking to sell him off to the highest bidder if they get a hold of him. A place like that is no place for your little assistant." He said, trying to come up with an argument as to why I had to stay out.

Again, I argued in opposition to their concerns. "But I have to do this. What else am I supposed to do, stand by and watch? I can easily grab a disguise, wear a wig, hide my cutie mark, and change my coat color."

Mom went to grab those tickets again, trying to give them to me. "Sweetie, there's no amount of makeup that will change who you are. If something happens to you, regardless of how you look, we can't bear it."

Mom and I looked over at dad, who was still looking at the display case. He gazed down at the award that was given to him after his time of service. His sights then changed over to the photo of him standing in his uniform for the final day of his service, surrounded by mom, my brother and I. He remained silent as he gazed through the glass that enclosed all these artifacts of the past. "Dad?" I called out.

His horn illuminated a yellow aura. His eyes closed for a second as he started to slick his mane back. The appearance of my father started to change before my very eyes as Spike also made a comment to his subtle, but jarring transformation. "Whoa, what happened to his face?"

Mom, knowing what he was doing, whispered out to him. "Crescent, no. You're done with that now!"

He opened his eyes, gazing at himself in the mirror. He turned around to look at me with a different set of eyes than the ones I saw when I was growing up. The pair I saw was far more focused, a lot more intense, without hesitance and conflict. It was like looking at a whole new pony who happened to have the same coat color as my father. He tied his mane into a pony tail, and muttered to me. "When are you going out?" Even his voice seemed icier than usual.

I was still a bit staggered in seeing him like that. "I guess whenever the next big thing comes up. But I don't know when that happens."

"Every Tuesday and Friday." He answered plainly.

I had to admit, I didn't think he was that knowledgeable of what I needed to find out. Instead, he seemed to be more of a help to me than a hinderance to my progress. "How do you know that?"

He responded in a low and booming tone. "Violet, did you forget that easily? I used to be captain too, I was even a higher ranking officer by the time you were born. Retired a fairly high rank. But this is something that I haven't dealt with in some years."

"So you'll help me?" I asked him.

"Hmm..." He glanced at the clock and started putting together his plan. "Today, we'll be spending some time going over your wardrobe and other things we can use to alter your appearance. And then we'll take a tour of the place so you'd know where to go and what to do. Tomorrow is the day where you'll act."

Mom, who was still in the camp of not letting me go, strongly expressed her dissatisfaction. "Crescent, you better have a brain up there. You know our daughter is a princess of this nation."

"If our daughter is going there on assignment issued by Princess Celestia herself, I'm not going to let her walk in unprepared and unassisted." My dad said as he reached a hoof around me and held me close. "That's my baby girl, let me take this one like you did for Shining."

Mom was thoroughly against the idea, but she eventually threw her hooves up to the air and resigned with a stern glare to my father. "Gracious, you two better get back home safely. Spike and I will be expecting you for dinner."

As the both of us turned around, I started to feel more secure in what I was doing. I hugged my dad and thanked him. "Words aren't enough to say how much I owe you for this."

He grimly replied. "Don't thank anypony for cursing you with misfortune and bad sleep."

A few hours passed by since dad and I left home. We ended up going to a few thrift stores to see what all I could buy for a disguise. But thanks to my notoriety, I couldn't exactly pretend it was for incognito reasons. Instead, I had to come up with the excuse of picking out clothes I'd like to wear and then giving them to Rarity to see if she could give the outfit a retouch or even a redo. Thankfully, that excuse was enough to pass off my appearance as insuspicious. From there I went to a makeup shop. I know it appeared a bit odd that I'd buy up to so many containers of temporary coat dye, but then I offered the excuse of Pinkie Pie holding a special party where the attendees wore stripes and splotches in solidarity for those who felt their looks were too atypical to blend in with society. That too passed as an acceptable excuse. After that, I went to a store that specialized in eyewear, and even a hair care shop, to get some colored contact lenses and wigs. My excuse for that was the same reason I gave for the coat dye. No questions asked, no suspicions raised, I walked out with everything I needed.

After that, we went into an alleyway facing towards the entrance of Canterrot. From there, we applied our coat colorings, our cutie mark disguises, our clothes, our contacts, everything we could to physically change our appearance to where we couldn't be recognized. As soon as we finished, I found even my dad completely indistinguishable from what he'd normally look like. Even I looked like a totally different pony under his guidance. I was amazed at how well my dad managed to disguise us.

The moment arrived, we were staring at the slum-down entrance from across the street. There was no special street marker or avenue plaque to tell us where we were going. It was intentionally inconspicuous. And anyone who made a wrong turn could easily get lost there, possibly to never be seen or heard from again.

But even looking at it, there seemed to be very little going on. "Well this is pretty dull."

"We're on the outside looking in." He announced, trying to disguise his voice to be a little deeper. "Now a quick review. What's your name?"

I added more falsetto to my voice to follow his example. "Gleaming Star."

"What's your occupation?" He asked, going through the number of rehearsed answers that I had to study throughout the evening.

"Janitorial staff at the public library." I added.

Our quiz continued. "Hobbies?"

"Bowling and crochet."

"What made you want to come here?"

"I got tired of my life as a boring janitor and I'm tired of having to clean up behind ponies." I answered, trying to be as sassy as I could be. I took inspiration from some of the girls in Nondis' home town.

"Does it make you so angry that you could watch a pony get beat up real good?" He asked the question as if what he asked wasn't disturbing enough.

And again, I had to answer in kind. "So much I'd wish they choke."

"Very good." He said quietly as we started walking across the street.

"All of this is just so unlike me." I whispered in my normal voice.

He glanced back at me and tapped his throat, indicating that I needed to keep up the façade. "That's the point. Can't let your real self show here. If you do, they'll know where to come find you."

"You're right." I replied, considering the circumstances of Saturday night.

He paused in the middle of the road, questioning me with a glance. "If a stallion comes up to you and asks you for a good time, how do you reply?"

I glanced to him and shuddered at the thought of what my answer was. "Say that my master has me on restriction, so no clients tonight."

"Good. Now if a mare does the same?"

My answer was vastly different, but the level of discomfort remained the same. "Flirt right back and get distracted by something specific. Say that you'll be right back, but don't return."

He nodded. "Now, golden rule for tonight."

"Don't speak unless given permission to speak." That answer was more for my protection. I wouldn't know what to say or how to say it here. But dad seemed to have an idea of how to negotiate.

He turned back forward and sighed. "Good. Now, another thing, if anyone starts to follow you, clear your throat and cough convincingly. It's a signal to many that you're being followed by a guard undercover. And ponies like that don't usually make it to morning unscathed. So they would be likely to stop following you then."

"I'm surprised that you don't write a book on this stuff." I muttered.

"Books are knowledge but can be inseparable from fiction. Unwritten knowledge is where the power truly lies. Now let's get moving." He said as he walked forward. "Stay behind me, but stay close. Keep your eyes on the back of my head and nothing else." I did as he instructed as we made our way into the unkempt alley.

Walking through the alleyway, I could see through my peripherals a lot of the downtrodden ponies laying lazily about the way. Some rubbed themselves and giggled, a few were sleeping, some were even climbing the walls and hanging from the rafters like they were bats. Others were posted up as if they were waiting on something to come by.

As soon as I walked past, one walked up to me from the side and instantly got feelsy, rubbing his hooves down my back and to my posterior. "Hey baby, looking for a good time?"

I immediately turned around to remove my rear end from his field of play. "Sorry. My master said I'm unavailable tonight." My falsetto almost broke from the sheer amount of panic I experienced in that moment.

He was insistent, closing in as he started to try and plant me against a wall. "C'mon cutie, your master don't have to know you had a little bit of fun. Just tell him you were caught in traffic or something."

As his hoof went to hold my chin up to look at his face, a yellow aura flicked his hoof away and then quickly turned into a dagger. "Go wander off somewhere." Dad looked at us with his eyes narrowed, the metaphysical blade brushing up against the neck of my molester.

The stallion shrugged his shoulders and eased away from the blade at his neck, which started to shave down his coat to his skin. "Hey dude, just let us have a bit of fun. We got some bollies for the cover charge. You know we're good for it."

He didn't back down, even going so far as to falsify my condition. "She has a nasty disease and can't be bought until she recovers."

The stallion immediately jumped back away from me. "Yikes, is it the burns? No thanks, not having that episode again."

The unknown stallion wandered back to his corner of the alley, while I could see a look of uncertainty on dad's face. "What's wrong?"

"Has the currency changed around here? Maybe a different name for something." He started to ask himself before shaking off his concerns and walking ahead. "Nevermind, let's move."

I caught up to him and quietly questioned him. "What do they mean by the burns?"

"Gonorrhea." He bluntly answered.

I gagged at the idea. "Ew, why did you say I have that?"

"Because a lot of stallions here don't want to give an operatic performance in the bathroom. Now be quiet, We're going to see an old acquaintance of mine in the guild."

"There's a guild?" I asked.

He quickly silenced me as he made a right turn down. "Remember, golden rule applies."

I said nothing else as we came up to a place that seemed ran down on the outside. But as soon as the doors opened, I caught a glimpse of something that was a complete contrast to the outside exterior. Dad walked up to the door and pulled it open to reveal a grand hall filled with stairs, crystal chandeliers, gold trim, and tables galore. It looked like a giant bar with the way servers were walking up to the tables.

Surprisingly, there were creatures from all walks of life here. There were a number of changelings sitting at a table, all of them wearing a special badge to the left of their chest. There was one table that had a half-dozen diamond dogs all inspecting the jewels they had in their possession. There was a pair of zebra stallions trying to drink one another under the table. A quartet of griffons all played poker with one another, with one slamming their cards down triumphantly, leading to the others to disgruntledly push over their stacked pile of bits for him to collect. A group of Saddle Arabians took turns throwing knives into a target against the wall. Nocturnal ponies, a rare breed of pegasi who's wings resembled that of bats, hung upside down from their tails in the rafters above. There was even a dragon with black scales telling stories with a boisterous laugh to those who wished to listen. A group of unicorn mares practiced their combat magic with one another. Earth pony stallions hoof wrestled in front of loud crowds cheering them on, of course also betting wagers for the winner of the match. Pegasi were playing a game of kickball in the air, with one unfortunate table being the unwilling victim of a stray ball knocking over their drinks.

The place was so full of life.

Dad and I sat down to a table, remaining quiet while a server walked up to us and sat a drink down without us even needing to say anything. Dad didn't hesitate about taking a sip. He just guzzled the frothy beer down and waited. I, not trying to stand out too much, followed suit and drank mine, albeit much slower than he did.

One of the nocturnal ponies unfurled their tail from one of the beams and nose-dived for our table. As soon as she landed, she had eyes on my dad. She questioned him with an upbeat tone. "Hey there Mr. Cutie. You seem to be a bit lonely tonight."

"Can't say my company's been much of thrilling these days." He replied carelessly. I had to immediately suppress any instinct to defend mom at that point.

She looked at me with a smirk, feeling as if she was easily superior to me. Her hoof wandered into his lap as he looked stone-faced. "Looks like you could use an escort then."

My dad didn't even seem to break a sweat dealing with her. "No escort, but business seems pretty low today."

"That's because a good number of guild underlings got swept up in the big crackdown yesterday evening." She said.

As I was more amazed with all the life that was overflowing in this place, this wasn't even the full number of ponies who actually work here. Dad also took notice. "I see. So it's an all-hooves-on-deck day."

She glared at me with a sadistic smirk as she wiggled her way behind my dad, rubbing him down as she spoke. "Most us regulars are swept up to do all the ground work now. It's a fucking shame, really. My guy could at least prove himself a good seat for when I want to take the edge off of a few deals."

"It is a pretty tempting thought." Dad replied, giving the mare a sideways glance at her.

I tried to hold back my anger, especially since she was feeling up my dad. I wanted to jump out of the seat and send her into a nearby wall with the way she kept looking at me like I was supposed to compete. She noticed my visible disproval, and milked it by letting her hooves wander down my dad's sides. "You look married."

"I look one thing, but I may be looking for something else." He said in a flirty tone, almost causing me to erupt with several foul-mouthed objections in mom's place.

She giggled as she glanced over to me, leaning into my father's ear. "What'cha got your eyes on?"

He levitated a sack of jewels onto the table, all sapphires as he spoke. "I'm looking for some information. There's a old friend who usually rummage through here, a bit of a pervert, stocky fellow."

"Hmm... Not exactly specific." She said in an amorous tone.

Dad cleared his throat and imitated an unusual accent. "Pretty much speaks loike this, tall vowels, has an accent that drags around like he does. I'm pretty sure he has a hoof in the slave market."

The mare quickly erupted into laughter. "Ha! Now if that ain't the old bastard, then I don't know what is. What's it to ya?"

Dad seemed to match the same energy the mare gave him. "He might be interested in a job, one that pays... considerably."

Once she figured out that the task dad had wasn't hers to have, she started to withdraw herself from him completely. "Ah, tragedies are commonplace, aren't they?"

"What makes you say that?" He said with a tone, almost questioning why the mare stopped all the physical attention she was giving him.

"Two things. First, Prod's been kicked out of the guild at least two years ago."

...Prod?

"And second?" He asked.

The mare shrugged and sat at the table next to me. "His slave got him good. Poor bastard was found in a ditch with half his brains excavated."

While I trying to hold back my feelings with the mare sitting next to me, I was internally disgusted with the details she put out there. Dad didn't seem too thrilled to hear the news either. "Ah, well that's no good."

She kicked her hind legs out on the table as she leaned herself in my direction. "You're telling me. I'm still hung over the fact that bitch he kept bending over the post had finally got the better of him. One of the other guys even told me how that slave of his was found in the VIP lounge of the arena, a champion of some guy walking in with new money. Piss-poor choice, if you ask me." It was obvious that she was talking about Kalimba.

"Slave must be as good as dead then too." He said with a dry tone.

The mare giggled and started slapping me in the back. "Actually that bitch got her ass whooped from here to Manehattan and back. Turns out that new-money guy is quite a sheisty fellow. The rules was that she'd get handed off to the winner, he ended up buying over our guy Speedy right then and told him to kick her ass so he could have her back. My guess is that he probably fucked her brains out for the money he paid her." She then turned to me like I was supposed to take part in the conversation. "And get this, she's a zebra hybrid too with quite some legs on her. Should've stayed in the prostitution ring, but she's only going to get herself killed, not to mention that target on her back because of how she did Prod. Seems a downright shame."

"Shame?" Dad inquired.

"Seems an awful waste. Such a nice plump frame. What's her name, doesn't matter. She'll be dead before the month is done. Should've been happy with what she had, at least she could've lived longer." She again turned her commentary to me. "It's almost like dumb bitches don't know their place in life until they get it beaten into them. But again, stupid bitches like her has a target on her head, not even knowing full-well the fact that he was actually protecting her."

"Why the target?" He asked.

"She's knows all of Prod's closer contacts, all his business tactics, all his schemes, most of his moves, but with none of the skills to boot. She's weak, will probably talk if she's tortured for long enough. It never takes much to break a slave, they're already broken to begin with."

"And no one knows where she is?" He asked. I continued to hold my peace.

"If you're trying to get your information from her, you might want to see if you can reach her new handler. But he's pretty sheisty, so be careful." She warned.

Dad gave her words some thought and shoved the sack of jewels her way again. "This was a good talk. Maybe we'll meet again?"

The mare smiled as she stood up from her chair, walking up to my father and giving him a slow kiss on the cheek. "I don't know, maybe we'll think it over a drink or two."

"Tomorrow perhaps, at least the scene won't look like a cemetery." He answered with a smirk of his own.

"Consider it a date." She waved her hoof at him before taking to the air and giving his head a hug and a soft peck on the muzzle. "Later, babe."

She flew back into the rafters to join her friend. Dad walked away from the table, I followed closely behind feeling even more angry over what she did. As soon as we walked outside, I felt more compelled to call my dad out for how he had disrespected mom with that encounter. "What was that all about?"

"Golden rule is still active, save it until we get to our next place."

It only took a good fifteen minutes before we reached our next destination. When we arrived, I was internally revolted by the appearance of the place. It looked like an old run-down shack that had a tin door. There wasn't lock the first for security, not even so much as a latch to hold the door closed. Instead it was just a dark place with a tin roof and no heating. It was so cold in there that anypony could sit food anywhere around here and they won't have to worry about it for a few days.

As soon as dad closed the door behind us, he went on to rummage through the place, seeing if anything new pops up. It's almost like he's been in here before, at least more than once. Meanwhile, I had to let my emotions simmer from earlier. That mare had done more to make me angry than any other pony, especially with how friendly she was to my dad. And what made it worse for me was that he didn't even bother to force the issue of his marriage into the equation. He just went along with it.

For moments, I was silent. And I stayed that way until it finally boiled over in my thoughts. "This is all crazy!"

Dad shushed me the moment I got loud. "Volume. You should mind that before you get us both caught."

While I decreased my volume, I did not decrease my level of anger. "I'm sorry, I just don't find it all too thrilling to watch my dad flirt with somepony other than my mom. Then she had the nerve to look at me like I was supposed to be competing with her for you. The only thing she was pointing out to me was the fact that she didn't give a damn about our family and what we are, she's out to ruin what we are just for the fun of it!"

"I have no interest in her. I was just trying to play the scene." He casually explained as if he didn't care. "If you want to make it through this place as quietly as possible, best you'd do the same."

"Can you imagine what it would be like if some stallion walked up to me and started getting feelsy with me? I mean you just held a knife to somepony's throat for just that much! How am I supposed to feel when it happens to you!?" I had to catch myself before I got any louder and just outright changed the subject so that I didn't have to linger on it too much longer. "Anyways, what is this place?"

"Seems like an abandoned home." Dad answered.

"More like a condemed home. This place is abysmal." I pointed out, still trying to distract myself from earlier.

He poked his hoof into an opening that was meant to resemble a window, with a lovely view of a brick wall and some scrap of moonlight trickling in from above. "Prod talked about fixing this place up. Guess he thought the booze was worth it more than having insulated walls."

As time progressed, I started to find more topics to discuss with him. Namely, the thing that drew my curiosity was the fact that he knew Kalimba's enslaver. I had to know what his relation was to a pony so cruel. "How could you be friends with someone like Prod? You know he works in the slave market, you know he's an abuser, you know he's a pervert, you know he's a cold-blooded murderer. He's a criminal."

"That wasn't always the case, but I wasn't blind to the signs either." Dad began to explain. "A long time ago, we were guards on an assignment to here, but he got into the drugs real heavy and never came out of that mindset. He got dishonorably discharged for drug possession. I tried getting him out, but he wanted to stay on the drugs. He liked that more than he did living a normal life. He had a good upbringing, parents who cared maybe a little too much, a social structure built for him exclusively to succeed. But he wanted to live a wild life, this was his out. We grew apart over time and he fell to this place, while I fell in love with your mother. We're not friends, the furthest thing from it actually. But we did have a moment where it felt like we were business partners in regards to darker... intentions."

The more dad talked about his past, the more I grew curious as to what may have happened. But there was one detail that grabbed my attention at that moment. What darker intentions did he have? "Such as?"

He glanced around and checked if anyone was in the square outside before he started speaking. "You remember that politician that signed off on your brother's deployment? The one that gave him the years of PTSD?"

"He retired sometime after Shining came back, didn't he?" I concluded.

"He did retire. I remember that." He said, sitting down and folding his forelegs.

"...So what about him?"

He took a deep breath, looking up to the ceiling as he spoke. "It's interesting that your mother did what she did to bring attention to the fact that Shining was as much of a victim as the others were. But where she failed was that she approached him in a public space in front of countless others. She was arrested for being a disturbance. My son was being hammered in the papers while fighting off suicide in a hospital bed, my wife was locked up for a few days, and you were so depressed that you started to struggle in your studies. So wouldn't it make sense to address the cause of your family's downward spiral?"

I know that the room was cold, but for some reason it felt like that place got significantly colder as dad spoke onward.

"Wouldn't anyone notice that one of the most controversial senators, known for making headlines with his decisions and propositions, had suddenly retired quietly without any other controversy to follow, with no headlines about his doings and financial pursuits? Isn't that a bit unusual? Surely an off-brand comment about a former colleague should've followed. Perhaps he could've thrown somepony under the rails, maybe expose a few adversaries and their dealings. Anything to cover his own tracks and deflect from what he was doing. He liked the grandstanding, and yet there was nothing to be heard from him after his retirement.... I know it would've made for good headlines, but sometimes you realize that the only thing to do is to not let them win in the end."

Now I know why it felt ten times colder in that room. "Whoa, don't tell me you... killed him."

"Oh no, I didn't kill him. But I did have five minutes with him. And in those five minutes, I did what your mother dreamed of doing to him when she got locked up in the dungeons for a few days." He confessed quietly, I could see one of his hind legs twitch as he carried on. "It's hard thinking about how he almost walked away from it all, having the night of his life and getting to go back home to his family like nothing happened. And then having watched him vote down every spending measure to aid in the mental health of every guard out there because he wanted to line his pockets. And then having done all of that while condemning my son to a lifetime of nightmares because of who he fell in love with, damaging MY family while HIS gets an all-expense-paid vacation and a free ride."

I could tell from the furrowing of his brow that he had a deep-seeded hatred for that politician. It was the first time I ever saw my dad have genuine hatred for anyone. "Dad."

He stopped for a moment, collecting himself before he continued on with a calmer tone. "No. I did not kill him, I merely made him wish that the night was over. Those five minutes were the most conflicted I ever experienced as both a pony and a parent. I knew it was wrong, I did it anyway. I knew that it wasn't legal, but it was still justice in some way to me. I knew that I couldn't take him away from his family, but I knew that every other family out there couldn't get their loved ones back either. Nothing could change the end result, no matter how bloodied he was. So I took five minutes to give him what I felt was necessary, much less than what I had the initial intention of doing. And I left it at that. It took my entire pension to make it happen, but I realized it was a waste after it was all said and done."

He stopped showing flashes of his anger and looked out the window, checking for any others who could be in the area. But while he was doing that, I just wanted to hug my father. I wanted to comfort him for the pain he had hidden inside for so long. But I knew that this paint on me could easily wear off on him. I had to maintain a distance. "So what happened to him?"

"I don't know. You'd have to ask Prod." He said with a dismissive tone.

"Well we can't ask him now." I said quietly.

"I suppose not." He said with a dejected sigh. "Damn, if only I knew where this slave girl was."

This time, it was my turn to check outside. I saw just a group of stallions walk completely past before I started to speak. I then told him the truth. "The slave girl, I know who she is."

He turned to me with a curious expression. "How do you know?"

"Because Nondis helped her kill Prod." I answered.

He couldn't do much outside of shake his head. "Ugh... a mess, this is."

I then argued him over why he shouldn't be upset. "She was being abused! I can't say that Nondis did the right thing by being an accessory to murder, but... can I blame him for wanting to help her?"

"I suppose not. Prod wasn't an upstanding citizen in any regard. I'm willing to bet he probably got into more perverse things as time went along. I mean he was already looking at fourteen year old girls for slaves. It's fitting that one of them managed to grow up and end his life. But hearing that she's weak and has a target on her back doesn't really help matters." Then again, I guess my dad wasn't all too upset with the circumstances, I guess the better way I could've put it was how inconvenienced he was for the moment.

But I had to convince him that the circumstances couldn't be any more convenient for us. "She's not as weak as you think."

"How so?" He asked.

"Zecora has been training her. Nondis also trained her a little too." I answered.

He hummed as if he started to show some optimism. "That's good news. But if she's helping him, then how did Nondis get into this mess to begin with?"

"I think it's because of that VIP Lounge. I think he goes there every time he comes here."

He instantly became bewildered at the idea of Nondis getting so deep in the network. "Wait, you mean he's been fraternizing with those individuals, in that space, where the head honcho runs the show?"

"I advised him against it, but he was supposed to have some sort of in-house help." I informed him.

He still couldn't believe it, especially how close Nondis was to Umbra. "He's living in the lion's den, and now it's chewing at his leg. It's only a matter of time before they finally close in on him and finish the job."

The way my dad described it made me anxious. I was already apprehensive of what could happen to him, and what I saw from Discord hadn't made it any better. If anything, I was more in a rush to get to the bottom of this. "Can't we look into what they're doing today?"

"You heard what that lady said, there was a raid yesterday. If anything, tomorrow night's activities might be a bit more muted. We're more likely to run into a simple showing more than we would anything else."

"Or maybe the ringleader would probably throw an even bigger show in defiance?" I suggested, thinking about how Umbra causally strolled through the halls of the castle with absolutely no care in the world.

"That's too brazen. There's no way we'd see that happen unless he was making an example of someone." Knowing that Nondis had done a raid just last night, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what's going to happen.

For now, the place that supposed to be forbidden is nothing but a quiet shell of it's corrupted moniker. "So what do we do now?"

Dad closed his eyes, thinking of a plan of what to do next. It never took him too long to come up with a conclusion. "Tonight is just a tour and a run-through on decorum. I suggest you'd treat tomorrow as such."

"So we're done for today?" I asked him, almost ready to breathe a sigh of relief.

"A lot of information I sought out is out of the cards. We'll have to rely on that former zebra slave you know if we want to get anywhere." He announced.

"Well I guess we can go then." I finally had that aforementioned sigh and started making my way to the tin door. But as my hoof reached out for the knob, I heard a terribly painful scream coming from outside. Dad pushed me out of the way and cracked the door open as he peeked outside. I wanted to peek my head through, but his magic quickly grabbed at my horn, directing me to stay out of sight.

"Stay behind me. Be quiet." He whispered as four ponies came into view.

One of them limped forward, yelping as he did so to escape three other pursuers. The three that hunted him down simply galloped ahead of him, cutting him off at every turn. The victim started to scream as the third punched him in some bandages wrapped around his hind leg. He instantly fell over and started holding his wound. "Boss, please, I didn't rat you out! I just told him what he was looking for! It was to get him out of our hooves as quick as possible!"

The leader of the group dismissively answered the stallion as he summoned a dagger and aimed it for the stallion's neck. "And I'm to trust a bastard on a crummy leg who sang when the human got involved?"

"Please! I promise the next time I'll─" What followed his interrupted plea was the sound of him yelling out, then gurgling, hissing... then finally silence. My dad held me back with a much stronger force, preventing me from seeing what was being done. As he looked on, he watched as the blade continued to saw through the pony's neck. In enough time, his head was mostly separated from his still body, hanging by a mere shred of muscle and skin. The next second was spent with them simply ripping the rest off before they continued with their conversation.

The boss spoke in a low voice as his victim's life faded from his eyes. "The next time won't involve you. That's the words from the big wig himself. We have an operation to keep and you put us out there. Can't have loose lips on bum legs. You understand this business, should've kept your head down."

The other two snickered and mocked the decapitated stallion. "Poor little ol' Hobble done got himself done in."

One of the stallions looked in the direction of the shack, dad getting out of view in enough time to not look suspicious. They completely missed us both hiding within. "If Prod was here, he'd probably give him a good rut on the way out."

"Invitation's still out there." The other lackey suggested.

"No way, he's probably gonna shit himself in a few seconds. Just cut off his good legs and sell 'em to the new vendor." The boss of the two lackeys gave the order, and they followed it within the second of his saying it. "Shame, could've been getting a new leg had he not talked. Now he's gotta lose all of 'em."

As I sat inside, all I could hear was the grunting of the stallions, along with the grizzly sounds of a blade slowly separating flesh and muscle, cutting through every tendon without reservation. Not soon after was the popping sounds of the joints being cruelly ripped from their sockets. I could only close my eyes, trying to mentally drown out the sounds of the cruelty taking place outside. I was unable to do it successfully, as it became the only thing I could concentrate on in the silence. I held a hoof to my muzzle, trying not to make a sound as I started to cry to myself. Dad quietly petted me, trying to comfort me as best as he could in the current circumstances.

They finally finished with their victim, lobbing the legs off in a potato sack like it was a sport. "So boss, what do we do with the nugget?" One of them asked.

The boss still toted the head as he spoke. "He's getting put out on the arena entrance, gonna be nice and cozy up there while he rots. A message to those who dares to ever make a fool of the big wig."

"I'm surprise they won't feed him to the timberwolf pit." One of the lackeys said with a lackluster

"C'mon, you know policy. Starve them good so they'll put on a show." The other lackey answered as their voices started to disappear into the distance.

"Yeah, you're right." As they left, the body of their victim soon dragged behind them.

As soon as their voices disappeared totally, as did their presence, dad finally stepped in the doorway, poking his head out to survey the area. As he did that, he spoke back to me in a low voice. "This is the side of the city I never wanted you to see, this is the side I saw when I was given that assignment years ago. From then on, I knew the two of you could never come here. But... it seems that fate had other plans." The door opened wider, dad used his magic to usher me along, keeping my head aimed for the back of his own. "Golden rule is in effect, keep your eyes on the back of my head, don't look anywhere else, please."

Walking outside, I tried my best to do just that. But as we walked to our exit, I heard him groan in displeasure. I only assumed that he was upset over what had taken place, that wasn't the reason. Instead of it being a realization of the unwanted circumstance, I found myself stepping in puddles along the way... puddles of the blood of the victim. While our hooves splashed through the crimson reminder of a life gone too soon, I became squemish.

Honestly, death was never new to me and the girls. In many instances of a powerful villain destroying countless homes during a fight, or even an invading army of changelings taking the lives of innocent ponies, the tragedy of life lost was always the result. Support beams falling on an misfortunate mother, a fairly sizeable chunk of rubble falling onto a foal below, or even a mother getting ripped away from her foals, never to be seen again, that's what I was used to. Always the after, never the during.

This, this was my audibly witnessing a murder taking place, and the evidence being stained all over my hooves. As soon as we cleared the fresh stream of blood, I couldn't erase the distinguishable smell of copper tainting my memories. I clenched my eyes shut, holding onto my dad's tail for a guide. "I want to go home." I whispered with sadness.

"We both do." He somberly answered.

The Next Evening...
***Point of Perspective: Equus Nondis***

My shift throughout the day was pretty quiet for the most part. So when I got to the train station to meet with Kalimba, I was already preparing myself for the change of pace. As soon as she showed up, she seemed as if she was trying to contain her excitement, but she was far more bouncy than she usually was.

I started taking note of her condition after that night she showed up with a fever. As time progressed, she started to appear better with each and every meeting. Motions she'd normally refrain from, she started taking risks and performing them. Even with the way she talked to me, it appeared that she was getting more comfortable, exhibiting her independence more often, speaking out for herself when she wanted certain things. On the way in and out of our usual meetings, there was always a root or sage she strongly requested for Zecora's use. I suppose by looking at her on tonight, those items went towards boosting her immune system and providing some much-needed energy where she originally had little of.

Of course, she still had reservations on certain things. But expressing herself and her unique identity became her new norm. It was liberating to see that she had gotten this far. I liked it. "You seem pretty energetic today."

"Tis de first time I get to see you in almost a week. I should be more conservative or I may grow some attachment, so to speak." She said with a quiet smirk.

I muttered back to her. "Love train already left the station, currently located elsewhere."

"You don't need to drag it across my face." She rolled her eyes in response to my statement.

"I'm only doing this because shit got weird after this past weekend. I'm just trying to make sure all my bases are covered." I replied as we walked along.

"Of course you had to have known what he would do, you failed to visit him for some time." She pointed out as we made our way quickly to the alley. "It happened before, or did you forget?"

"Didn't think he'd bring it to my front door like I ordered it." I scoffed. "Like literally packaged it like a cruel birthday gift."

"But you should've already known." She said as we were about to make a run into the alley leading into Corrotto's streets.

I shrugged and shook my head. "Guess there's no running, is there?"

"Not a chance of it." A voice answered from above us. In a dazzling display, the mare who spoke out had swooped in from above and landed herself on all fours, slowly rising and spreading her wings before us. After her entrance, she quickly trotted up to me and ran a wing under my chin. She gave me a sultry smile as she stepped between me and Kalimba. "You're the one who wanted to venture into this beast from the start." She said while tilting her head playfully.

"You again?" I asked, blinking like I was confused, more surprised than anything.

The mare giggled as she inched closer. "I don't know why you're calling me out like I actually know you. But you should keep your volume down. Even the stones have ears you know."

Glancing past her head, I could see a certain zebracorn lowing her head with red magic searing through her horn. Her eyes slanted as she almost seemed ready to pounce at any given moment. But before she could unleash hell on the disguised princess, I had to step in. "Hey Kalimba, I'm gonna go take a leak. Be right back."

I began to wander off, turning into another alleyway that seemed fairly empty before finding myself pursued by both the disguised princess, and the disgruntled zebra from a considerable distance. Celestia landed right behind me, pointing a wing to the back of my head while she spoke. "You know, things like this is how you get yourself killed."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, turning around to face her.

The mare sat herself before me, folding her hooves. "I just wanted to keep an eye on you from a distance. Also there was a pair of ponies who followed you two for a whole five blocks from the train station."

I glanced back to the alleyway, seeing just Kalimba keeping a sharp eye on the two of us during our exchange. But hearing that there were others following me did put me on high alert. "Thanks for the notification, guess you were looking at me from a distance."

"Can you blame me? I haven't seen much of you all day." She said as she started to lower her voice, closing the distance between us. "Also, you okay?"

"I'm fine, just nerves and whatnot."

The princess wanted to step in even closer, but felt the ominous aura coming from Kalimba down the alleyway. She glanced back to see the zebra, still standing at the ready to blast her magic towards the both of us. She backed away and gave me yet another warning. "Remember that you are not to engage with this Slade directly. I know he'll probably see Sunday's operation as an offense, but try to be as negotiable as possible until further notice."

"Fair enough, but I can't promise that."

Celestia voiced her vexation through an eyeroll and a barely-audible groan. "Try not to get hurt tonight. Please?"

"I usually don't." I replied just a second before she leapt into the air to clear the buildings surrounding us and leaving out of the area for the night.

While I took a moment to appreciate her taking the opportunity to check in on me in person, Kalimba approached quickly and scowled at me. I finally snapped out of my thoughts and noticed the angry mare in front of me. "So who was she!?" She hollered, causing me to jump.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!"

She got in closer, leaning in as she questioned me further. "I shall ask again. Who was she?"

While I could trust her to know who it was that actually visited us, I couldn't trust anyone around here to not listen in on what I was saying. So I kept my explanation as simple as possible. "A lady who gave me my first tour of the place. That's all."

"Abeg, she gave you a tour?! It is good to know dat I am so replaceable in your mind. And here I thought I was giving you all dat you need outside of your usual life, but now I see dat you cannot be asked to keep your eyes open for any potential threats, too easily distracted by some mare looking to give you some cheap pum-pum behind a dumpster!"

"Really, were going in that direction?" I asked with a laugh.

"Why don't you tell me who she is and what she is to you, instead of lying to me, Ah?"

I glanced around and then whispered quietly in her ear. "That's my girlfriend in a disguise."

Her tone immediately readjusted as she quieted herself down. "...Dat was her, de one you promised your future to?"

"The one and the same." I confirmed.

Kalimba still remained on the quiet end of a response. "Well. I suppose it was within her right to service you in an alleyway."

"Really?" I said, imagining the scenario of myself being dragged into a shady alley while the princess glared up at me from between my legs, giving me the royal treatment. Admittedly, the idea started to gain some unwanted traction in certain parts of my body.

Kalimba took notice. "Since you look like you could use a bit of service right now─"

"Focus, asshole." I slapped myself, trying to detract from what sexual fantasies started to take root in my brain. Thankfully no one knew who I was in pony form, so I could get away with walking off a half chub. Hell, some ponies here would consider it a normal occurrence. I marched right out of the alley with my dignity shown to the world, albeit for a short period of time. Though I had no intentions of taking a casual stroll as much as I was at a brisk trot. Kalimba ran up to catch up with me while I started glancing around.

"What is wrong?" She asked, noting how I was checking behind myself with every turn I made.

"You know my friend from earlier in the alley, she gave me a heads up. We may have some devoted followers on our trail, so we'll head over to the usual meeting place and try to shake them off."

Hear ears twitched at my response, she started to frequently check behind herself as well. "How many?"

"Two."

"Dat is an easy number." She said, scraping her hoof against the cobblestone.

In the moment, I started to think about if we were dealing with either some run-of-the-mill grunts or some trained assassins. Either way, I wanted to make sure that we could win that fight before resorting to more abbreviated methods. "I never got to ask you this, but how's your training been?"

"A lot of times when I have dealt with Prod, his techniques were used on me mainly to take what he wanted. But in being in so many subjugation holds, I have learned to use dem when I need to. De only problem is dat I did not have de strength to pull it off, he never kept me healthy because he wanted to keep me weak. Little food, little water, cold showers in de exposed air, all of it kept me sick with my illness. But it has gotten better in de past few weeks. Dere is also some magic I have learned to make use of. I even know some spells now. But if dere is anything I cannot stand about my training, it is Zecora constantly finding ways to put me on my backside. Over and over, I fall, she tells me to get up and do it again, and den she knocks me down to repeat dat whole process."

"So Zecora's teaching you how to fight?" I asked her, genuinely impressed with the news.

"She is teaching me to adapt what I know into what she is giving me. She also has me doing a lot more stretching to keep myself loose and limber for when I need the flexibility. Most of my physical training comes from where I work during de day, so I come back here stronger each time, much more healthier as well. I'm starting to develop quite de technique."

As soon as we approached our usual meeting place, I looked around the square to see a plethora of ponies conversing amongst one another. None of them looked as if they were trailing us for any reason. But to be sure, I had to put us in a situation where they would have to be either bold or stupid enough to fall for. Either way, we were going to get an answer. As soon as I opened the door, we started scoping the place and identifying a plan of confrontation. "That's good. Maybe we can put that new technique of yours to a test."

The moment she entered, Kalimba made an observation that only she could identify. "De air smells too fresh in here. Somepony may have entered recently."

I couldn't really smell the difference, especially since I wasn't the one who lived here for years. "Air still seems to be pretty stale to me. Are you sure it isn't Prod's disappearance that's freshening up the place?"

She then approached an area where there appeared to be an impression in the dust on the floor. She noticed yet another impression sitting by the door. "Ponies sat inside of here." She then lowered her muzzle to make out any scents. "Nopony around here wears dis essence. And I don't wear anything remotely close to de smell of vanilla.

"So you're saying someone's in here?" I asked, looking around the room.

The mare sniffed the other imprint. "Dis one smells like a distinguished gentlecolt. Seems whoever came in here was very well-to-do, at least."

I went over to the window and gave a peek outside. And just as I figured, two ponies, a yellow stallion and a green mare, both unicorns, started walking towards where we were. "Looks like they're getting closer. Let's keep it dark and let them walk in."

Each of us took a dark corner and waited silently as the hoofsteps approached even closer. The door slowly swung open as our two pursuers cautiously glanced around to survey the room.

The mare looked back at her accompanying stallion and spoke. "I know we saw them go in here."

"Perhaps. Are you sure that was her?" The stallion inquired.

"Certain of it." She confirmed.

They closed the door behind them, their horns starting to illuminate the room. "It's too quiet. An ambush."

As they looked around, the light began to reveal more of the hidden corners of the room. Unfortunately for us, the mare caught glimpse of Kalimba's tail. "That way!"

The stallion called out in an authoritative voice. "Halt!"

I quickly summoned a magic blast and casted it directly for the stallion, knocking down the main threat of the duo. As soon as he started to recover from the blast, I spoke out to him while Kalimba revved up her own magic against the mare. "No. You halt."

"Kill them?" Kalimba questioned frantically, ready to sent anyone a face-full of her magic.

"Not yet." I called out, as I started to approach the stallion. He glanced up to me before trying to kick me off of my balance. I leapt back and quickly summoned a gun, aiming directly for the stallion's head."

"Wait!" The green mare called out, stretching out a hoof towards us.

"Move and I'll shoot!" I commanded, not wanting to waste any time.

The stallion squinted his eyes at me and backed away, appearing incredulous. "...Nondis???"

When he said my name, my mind immediately went into the mode of ensuring that he had no chance survival. If he knew my name, then it's a probability that he was hired by Slade himself. My aim only stiffened, the trigger just that much closer to being squeezed in my magic. "You have till the count of three before I blow your brains out."

The mare, thinking on her hooves, used her magic to lift the barrel of my weapon to the ceiling to save her partner. She called out with a voice of desperation. "Nondis, wait."

That was a voice I didn't think I'd hear in a place like this.

My eyes opened to see the color of the aura surrounding the barrel of my gun. Looking at her face, I could see some familiar features within her eyes. Even if everything was different about her physically, I could still tell who she was. "...Twilight?"

Kalimba did away with her magic and leaned back against the wall. "As if de night cannot get any more eventful."

I started to pull my gun away. "Okay, you're here. Then who's this?"

The stallion gave me a friendly salute as he took a sigh of relief. "Well I'm just an aspiring in-law, don't mind me."

My jaw fell to the ground as soon as he ditched the fake voice for a quick moment. I chuckled not because it was funny, but because of how close of a call that was. "Holy fuck, dude! I was about to air your ass out entirely. Oh let me put this away." I said before dismissing the firearm into my emergency stash.

The stallion chuckled back, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a good thing you didn't. My wife is quite the crybaby."

"Jesus fucking Christ, man. What are you guys doing here?" I asked, still relived that I didn't put Twilight's dad into an early grave.

Twilight, without giving her father a chance to say anything, quickly jumped in with a defensive statement. "I'm just learning the place, that's all."

I started to walk up to the disguised princess, taking an observation of her disguise. "You don't just learn about the bad part of town with your dad. You're here for something specific. Why else would you be here in that getup?"

"Well would you believe me if I told you that it's a classified matter?" She said, trying to keep me at a distance.

"No. Because my assignment is declassified to you." I replied, walking around the mare, trying to get a better look at her disguise.

She danced around to keep me from getting any looks at her from behind. "My reason is different from yours."

While I thought it was strangely suspicious that she was trying to hide whatever was behind her from me, I stopped pursing the matter for the moment. "Then would you care to explain why you're here in the shitty part of town full of druggies, rapists, murders, and misfits?"

Twilight refused to look me in the eye as she answered me. "I'm here because I chose to be."

"Incorrect. You're here because of me." I replied, thinking that she was here to try to bail me out of a particularly hairy situation.

"I need for you to not be so self-centered. I'm not here for you." She snapped back at me.

"Twilight." I droned in deadpan.

"I'm only here because..." As she was trying to answer the question, I walked up to her, trying to get an honest answer out of her without offering much of an avenue to look anywhere else, only to see me in her vision. She glanced off once more. "Don't get so close to me. You're not even my boyfriend anymore."

I held her chin with my magic, asking her quietly. "Why are you here?"

"Not for you." She said, sitting on her haunches.

"You're not here for me, then what are you here for?" I questioned.

"I wanted to learn, nothing else."

"If you wanted to learn, you'd have your head in a book." I replied.

The princess started to blush. "You of all ponies know I'm not all about that."

"But it's what you do at this time of night. You read books to help you sleep, to help you wake up, to help you burn shit in the kitchen, to help you save the world, and even to help you masturbate." I pointed out quietly, trying not to make the last bit as audible as the rest.

Twilight used her magic to separate herself from me. "Can we not talk about that right now?"

"My point is you're not here to learn anything if there isn't a book involved. So why are you here?"

She trotted back to her father's side as she explained her logic. "Maybe I'm here to learn about what's not written in books. After all, you of all ponies should know that I'm all for notating the seldom-archived truths of the world. Boundaries of discovery─"

"In a place where you said your head would be taken and kept alive for some black magic sorcerer to keep as a decoration." I bluntly pointed out.

"So?"

I tilted my head as I brushed off her illogical response. It was not only atypical of her, but it was also apparent that she was still lying. "I do recall disclosing that there were bodies missing to you and the others. Are you sure you're not investigating that behind my back?"

Her eyes rolled back, indicating that I had touched on a reason why she decided to infiltrate this part of town. "You know what, fine. I am here for you. But I'm not here to help you."

"Why does that sound like a half-truth?" I asked, knowing that there was something else to her motive.

Her dad had finally finished with watching our exchanges and interceded on his daughter's behalf. "Nondis, please work with us here. All we want is information from your zebra friend."

I quirked an eyebrow at the middle-aged stallion. "What kind?"

"Vital contact information." He stated as he walked towards her.

Kalimba, uncertain of who he was and why he was here, was cautious over the speed of his approach. "Who are you trying to reach?"

Seeing her body language, Crescent slowed to a halt and gave her some space to assess him while he explained his reason. "I want to know about possible guild members who would be serviceable for her." He then pointed to his daughter.

Meanwhile, I was a bit surprised by their request. "Why though? Starlight is a good magic user, and she knows a bit about this place."

Twilight shook her head. "She doesn't have a lot of physical stamina at the moment. Magical stamina means nothing if you can't properly fight somepony off of you. And then I'm also trying to reform her. I can't risk any chance of a relapse occurring. Exposing her to this place may trigger some dormant hostilities, and I frankly don't want to have another magic duel to the death with her again."

I took a moment to consider some options, especially with some possibilities of how I was going to find anyone that would be able to accommodate Twilight during her venture into the moral equivalent of the Mariana Trench. But the primary frustration of the thought came from my memory of the first time I entered the guild hall looking for an assistant of my own. I thankfully lucked out with Kalimba, but who's to say that she wouldn't find her own satisfaction elsewhere? Even then, it will be hard to find anyone I know that I could trust like her, and it would probably be that much harder finding the same for a princess undercover.

Still, I didn't feel comfortable knowing that she's right here in the thick of it. "How about you let me decide that for you, and you two can go back home?"

Twilight promptly interjected. "Nondis, the situation is beyond just you. So please stop being stubborn and let me do what I'm supposed to."

I argued back at her. "I know it's beyond me. It's not fucking rocket science. But why in the hell should any of this involve you? Don't you know how dangerous this place is? You told me yourself that this place is bad news, that I should avoid it. But here you are breaking your own principle. Like what are you going to do if something happens, and you or your dad get hurt? I almost killed the guy as soon as he said my name, what makes you think anyone else will hesitate like that around here?"

Twilight stepped up to me, using her magic to encircle the entirety of my muzzle while she yanked me in to speak. "Your friends ran into Him. Yeah, Him." She waited for me to process it before she carried on. "Saturday night at the Gala, after you passed out. They ran into him, and he almost got away with Melanie."

My body had become numb, horror was the only sensation that ruled much of my senses. The world seemed to fade out while I was trapped in my own thoughts.

It was too soon, I planned out everything to where he couldn't possibly run into them, and he still did. What did I do wrong? I made every precaution that he doesn't know shit, even if he were to sneak another one of his memory search maneuvers. I crossed every t, dotted every i, made sure that none of my recent memories don't intersect with anything they do or where they are specifically. Now everything's in the air. Does he know what they look like? If not, did he identify their voice? Did he plant a tracker of some sort on them? Do I need to relocate them? Should I confront him about it? Where do I go from here?

Kalimba noticed that I was completely lost to my own thoughts, tapping me on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I briefly brought myself back out and replied to her.

"Kalimba, tell them everything they need to know. And be quick, because we have a meeting with Slade in thirty minutes."

Several Minutes Later...

After some time of our run-in with the Sparkle family, Kalimba and I set out to the colosseum. Along our walk there, I had grown distracted by lingering thoughts of what Twilight informed me. It was hard to shake off, especially since I was going to see the guy responsible for all this grief in the first place. Kalimba seemed to not want to disturb my thoughts, but rather she seemed caught up in a few of her own. Perhaps she had a lot of things on her mind since finding out who exactly Prod was in his early stages. I can only imagine that she had more resentment than questions, but the latter category started building itself comparatively to the former.

When we arrived, neither of us said much as we were about to enter.

But a certain someone had plenty to say at the moment. "Well, look who came to greet me at the door."

While walking past him, I couldn't help but to lash out at the thought of him endangering my friends. "We all know why we're here."

The stallion appeared confused, oblivious to what I had implied. "Do we now? Because I don't recall there being a specific reason I've led you on to coming here yet."

"And yet you welcome me so openly?" I asked, still angry.

The stallion wrapped a foreleg around the back of my neck and guided me inside of the lounge. "Oh come on, my affections for you haven't changed. I know what I want from you and I'm just a little more determined to get just that. I'm sure you're just as motivated to do the same in one specific arena of your life."

Already, I knew this was going to be a rough night. So I came to the idea of nullifying my anger and frustration with a few drinks. "Barkeep, I would like a bottle of your finest─"

He quickly placed a hoof over my muzzle and called out to him. "Crème, close the bar." Upon that notice, the bottles behind him were shuttered away. The eccentric mastermind twirled around and bowed to me. "Sorry, but I want you sober when you talk to me."

I then tried to debate with him to open the bar. "You know, they say that alcohol is the ultimate truth serum."

He giggled as he strutted over to me. "Oh I know, but that's way too easy for the both of us. Your getting drunk would be a good way to milk information out of you, and give you some reassurance that what you'll be giving me is completely absolved of any responsibility and mental retention. It's no fun when the cards are all on the table facing up."

"Isn't that the whole draw to being in the Inner Circle?" I asked.

The stallion smiled as he stood mere inches away from me, tapping me on my lips. "Well that's how it works, but you're not a member. So that's why I have to make this fun for myself, because there's so much that I don't know, that you do know. You're sitting on a whole world of information, information that would be completely invaluable to me should I decided to take my operations to new heights. Or perhaps... new frontiers."

I narrowed my eyes to the stallion and lividly warned him. "I don't know your endgame, but I know that you're fucking with the wrong idea there."

"Am I? I'm just an aspiring... how do you lot say it, businessman. I just want to take the opportunity to spread over to new horizons and discover a new means of entertainment, perhaps even a whole festive event dedicated to the idea."

"How so, by making a human your new beast of the week!?" I questioned loudly, angrily backing away from him.

As I was walking away, I felt something tug against my hooves, preventing me from moving at all. I looked down to see an orange aura clasping me down to the floor. Meanwhile, the eccentric ringleader waltzed over to me and leaned on my back. "Well... I could make a highlight of it, but no. I have a more interesting draw in the works. And I believe it will be you who'll help me get that very draw." He hopped on my back and whispered in my ear. "Visualize it. I believe in your world it's called 'Primetime'. The most dangerous creature to have ever seen life, bided in a bout against you and your friends, a fight for supremacy. Or even better, one of my most cherished creatures in a bid against those that claim to be the powers of this very nation. Can you imagine the action of six humans against the greatest chimera to have ever been birthed, or the six champions of harmony against the greatest adversary they'll ever have to face, an adversary so foul that it's guaranteed to leave them a lasting impression."

I made pronounced attempts to get him off of my back. even using my magic to topple him overboard. "And what about you?"

My attempts failed with him wrapping his hooves around the back of my neck, hanging off to my side as he whispered in my ear. "I'll be happy to stand by and watch that show go on from the comfort of my exclusive box seats."

"Now what if someone has a word to say to you about it?" I asked, thinking of Celestia.

Trying to get in closer to my face, he pulled himself up to meet with my face. "My dear not-human, it's not if someone has a word to say to me, but when. You know who will come running to your beck and call, just like she's always been in the eyes of your superiors. And if she does have a few words for me, then I will entertain them. It does not matter the audience, I will always provide a good show for those who attend."

Magic began to sear out of my horn, sparking violently as I took aim for his own forehead. "For a guy who wants to keep this place running, you sure are playing a dangerous game."

The stallion appeared displeased with my threatening nature and climbed off of me with a pout. "Life is boring if you live safely. If you live dangerously, you'll be certain to run into something that will excite you. And then you'll find that you can't have enough of it." He dusted himself off as he continued. "You also like to live dangerously, especially with that stunt you pulled on Sunday."

"I wasn't investigating you. I was investigating the Beast Tamers Guild." I specified.

He snickered and tilted his head at me. "Was it over an Arimaspi?"

"Yes." I answered bluntly.

He walked past me, but not leaving my side before leaning over and telling me. "I know who gave you the warrant."

"No warrant. Just a hunch." I lied.

He scoffed at my answer, knowing my obvious bluff. "I might have been born on a day like this, but I wasn't born last night. You don't conduct a mass unlawful seizure without a warrant."

I then tried to substantiate my bluff. "You must not know what country I'm from then. We've killed off world leaders and suppressed native populations just for political ideology and profits alone. You think I wouldn't pull that same play here when there's so much money to be made?"

And then he finally called me out. "I do know that you make speeches like that when you bluff on your actual position. So you might as well come clean on if he gave you the warrant. Because I know, and I'll already have something in mind for him."

"Don't you think digging up his father is enough?" I questioned, starting to get upset again.

"Digging up a corpse or two is hardly a consequence, more like a field trip to the candy store for me. But I do have a much better idea in mind... as you'll soon see."

Kalimba, hanging back from the exchange, finally walked beside me as he moseyed off to the other side of the room. With two clops of his hooves, he summoned the maids to bring in a brightly painted wheel with a giant sign at the top that said 'Wheel of Torture'. Along with the wheel were two ponies dragged along in ropes. They were none other than Alabaster and Blue. Blue oddly seemed the more relaxed of the two, while Alabaster had a more intense look on his face. Oddly enough, he was the only one of the two unicorns wearing a magic restraint.

The psychotic ringleader pirouetted before the pair before announcing to everyone in the room. "Everypony gather 'round, we have a show tonight! And of course our two stars will be none other than our residential sibling pair!" The stallion then pointed his cane at me. "See, I thought about punishing you for what you did, but then I had to remember that with what I did on the previous night, it's more fair-game than punishment-worthy. So I'm leaving you off the hook... for now. But, it comes under a strict condition." While he danced lightly, tapping his hooves like he was a line dancer, he disappeared and reappeared right beside me, placing the jewel of the cane against my neck. "It's just a microscopic condition, a bit of fine print, babe. Barely even noticeable."

While he paraded himself away towards the pair to be punished, Kalimba muttered under her breath. "Dis does not look good."

"I know." I cosigned.

"Bastard, come here." He ordered, pointing to a spot on the ground with orange runes. The stallion did so, but not without giving his younger sister a nervous glance. As he approached, his hooves started to glow until all four were caught in the circle. From that point on, he couldn't move. "I know what you're afraid of the most, you know my abilities well enough. And you know exactly what this is."

Alabaster whimpered out to the stallion. "Please─"

"Aht!" He sharply screamed, interrupting him to give attention to his younger sister. "So, your brother did something he wasn't supposed to. Now of course I can't punish him without having you involved, it would be far too easy. So, I came up with a plan. Either I make an example of you, or I can simply go about my night giving your brother everything he deserves. And considering that there was a lot of assets and customers lost due to that little raid he signed off on, I can attest to the many business partners who would like for me to make a permanent example of him. And you know me, I might decide to let that linger on for a few more months, possibly years until I let him close his eyes."

The mare swallowed the fear in her throat and stepped forward. "I'll do it."

The psychotic stallion smiled while her brother hollered out to her. "Blue, no!"

Alabaster was silenced with a swift blow to the chin, followed by a cane tilting his chin up. "You see that, Bastard? Your sister is far more compliant than you are. If anything, I'm only keeping you alive because your sister requested it."

"Hey!" I called out, objecting to what was taking place.

"I haven't asked you to speak, captain." He replied without even giving me a single look.

"If you're mad over something I did, then you punish me for it."

He shouted back with enthusiasm, about to give the ensnared Alabaster another whack. "If that's what you want, then I'll come up with something I know you'll love watching."

Just a moment before he could reach back with all his range, a soft blue aura held the cane still. He looked back to see Blue shaking in place, trying to be strong for her brother. "Just me... please."

He cut the mare a glance, shrugging nonchalantly as he summoned a handkerchief to clean the jewel atop his cane. "Fine. Then I have something especially made just for you, my little heiress." Two more clops of his hooves and two more maids walked in with a sizeable object covered in a satin sheet. "What an awfully large portrait I have here. Why I can imagine the image of it being something posted to the halls of a big beautiful mansion. Now... who is this a portrait of?" He asked, almost like he was treating the event like a whole game show. Yanking the sheets off, it revealed the portrait of a brown plainly-looking mare with a soft smile. "That's right, your beloved mother. But that's not the only thing I have of her."

Alabaster shrieked his pleas. "STOP IT! DAMMIT, STOP THIS, IT'S TOO FAR!" But they fell to deaf ears.

Another servant appeared to hold a silver patter with a lid, opening it to reveal a pair of some sort of ceramic masks. Blue stifled her distress as she recognized what was revealed to her. Alabaster began to grit his teeth, bearing the tears and anger on his face. The way he breathed, the staggers between his breaths and the occasional heaves between showed many in the room that he was already pursuing violence upon his release. Meanwhile, the ruthless ringleader levitated the mask to his hoof and placed it over his own face, walking up to Blue Royal with it worn proudly.

"See this, this is the final vestige your mother had to offer to the world before being lowered into her grave. Such plainly features. They even took the painstaking effort of inserting the freckles. But yes, this is the face of your mother as her process was finalized... But that's the one they use for the company busts, as you've already seen. Now I have one that's even more special."

The mask was placed back on the platter to pick up another mask. But upon drawing this one to his face, Alabaster turned himself away in distress while Blue shuddered and started shaking uncontrollably.

"Now this... This is the one. This is your mother, the day she was taken in, the eve of her sunset. Behold your mother's sudden beauty."

I wasn't exactly sure of what was taking place, but I knew if it had the both of them reacting so viscerally, it had to be something beyond the realm of terror. I whispered over to Kalimba. "What am I looking at?"

She quietly answered me. "A death mask. It is de likeness of de face from a deceased being, taking de shape from de corpse of said deceased being. Dey often use it for sculptures... but dis one appears to be far more sinister."

Without warning, a servant walked over to me and offered me a platter, as soon as the lid came off, I was greeted with a gruesome still image of a mare in pain and despair. "Your mask, sir." The servant waited for me to take the item, as the others played along. I reluctantly took it and observed it.

What I was looking at, it disgusted me beyond a reason of morality. Her eyes appeared to droop listlessly, her jaw agape as she attempted to get air, parts of her face were forcibly shaped up from the rigor mortis, and on the same side was the slight indentures of the rope she used to commit the act. All I could see in her face was the pain, the anger, the struggle... Oh God, the struggle on her face. She was obviously torn between wanting life and committing to death. It showed that her suicide wasn't a decision she peacefully came to. The entire time, she fought with it. The last and final moment of her agony was not triumphant.

What the fuck did Count do to make her choose this?

The mask turned over without any trace of my manipulation. Orange magic levitated the mask onto my face, strapping around the back of my head. "Wait, we're wearing these?" I asked mortified.

"Well we can't have a masquerade without a mask! So let's get to it, everypony! All of you put on your masks!" Alabaster was visibly distressed, trying to hold back his rage and sadness. The despot walked to him and dangled his mother's cruel moment before his face. "Except for you, Alabaster. I want you to watch as your sister takes on what you cannot, a fate your sister has spared you of at the cost of her own being. But if you do want comfort, I'll let you gaze upon the countenance of your dearly-departed mother." He placed the mask over his own face and turned to Blue, giggling as he pointed to yet another set of runes on the floor, placed a few feet away from her brother. "Now my dear, assume the position."

Blue tried to control her breathing before moving forward, taking one step at a time into the circle. As we was getting in place, Alabaster chided his sister. "Blue, why do you do it? Stop this! I'm the one who needs to be punished, not you!"

"This is your punishment. You can stand right there, Bastard. I'll be sure to give you a good show." The ruthless stallion answered as he ushered his younger sister to the circle, In guiding her, he made sure that the both of them were facing him head on. Placing a hoof on the mare's back, he guided her to bend down. She clenched her lips shut, waiting for what was to come next. He then smelled the mare's mane through her mask, using his magic to stimulate himself. Alabaster knew what was coming and tried to turn himself away. "OPEN YOUR EYES!" He screamed, using his magic to force the brother to watch as he began to insert himself into his sister. Blue took deep laboring breaths, hoping that what was being done would soon end. But her efforts of wishing for the non-consenting affair to end had been amplified as he forced her head to look around the room. "Look into the face of your mother, and know what wonderous gifts she left you. Including the one you'll soon receive." The stallion began to huff and puff as he forced his hips into her.

He started his pace slow, yet forceful. Everyone in the room watched silently as she was violated by him, not even budging as her composure broke and she started to whimper. He planted his hooves in front of her, caging her in as he sped up his pace. It didn't seem as if he was trying to enjoy it, rather trying to intentionally work himself to his climax. He glanced at the brother, watching him squirm as Alabaster tried to avoid looking at the still image of his mother's final moments. Instead, he found the very small solace of watching his sister to be enough to get him through the experience. Deep down, he felt remorse for allowing his sister to take the punishment voluntarily instead of offering his life. But she looked up to him, trying to smile through the experience before tears followed suit. She was content in knowing her brother's survival was assured, though the circumstances were far too much to overcome.

The stallion then levitated the other mask, before the mare's face, to look at and separate the eye contact between her and her brother. He nibbled at her ear and whispered between thrusts. "I wonder, my sweet little Blue, have you ever thought about what it was like to be dominated by me?"

As she was being forced upon, she saw the kinder face of her mother she had gotten acquainted with, and began to enamor herself with the warm memories of her departed parent. "Mo... Mother..." She whimpered out.

Her rapist, however, took her psychological torture as added stimulation, increasing his pace. "That's right, call out to her, she's all around you, giving you comfort with each warm memory you get from seeing her face, her cold, lifeless face." He squealed while bending down to her, still wearing the face framing her mother's final moments.

Upon watching it, I grew physically sick. Up to that point, I thought I could withstand it, but it became too much for me to mentally process. I looked elsewhere. "I can't."

"You will watch!" He called out violently, stopping himself and pointing at me. "You said it best. 'If you're mad over something I did, then you punish me for it.' Well now I make you watch."

While he took a break, she started pleading out to the peaceful looking mask. "Mother... Mother please!"

Glancing down to see her finding some modicum of comfort, he started giggling eagerly. "Oh, I know this feels familiar to you, doesn't it?"

"STOP IT!" Alabaster screamed at the stallion.

In response, the stallion knocked over the mask that was in front of her, took off the one he wore, and levitated the crueler one before her very eyes. Her eyes instantly changed from seeking hope to realizing there was none to be found. The cries for her mother stopped dead, she was left almost speechless. The damage to her mind was already done, but that only solidified it. The thrusts became more frantic and purposed. "Oh, I feel it! Here it comes! The moment we've all been waiting for!"

The stallion laughed sadistically before putting his effort into attaining his climax. Instead of chuckling, he started grunting. Blue clenched her eyes shut while her brother watched helplessly. And with a final shove, he cried out in ecstasy and basked in the moment. And then after that moment of initial release, he fell limp over her and panted with satisfaction.

One of the patrons wearing a mask walked towards the center of the room. As they did, they began to slowly take off their mask and grab the two masks off of the ground. The sibling pair looked up and stared in shock over who was standing there collecting the masks. "Ah, well that was a bit of fun. Really refreshing to be able to put my stallionhood to work every once in a while. But is isn't any fun unless you see me walking in front of you while somepony's on top of you still. Now would you care to guess who's really on top?"

While the clothes remained the same, the hat still worn as it usually would be, the form of the stallion above Blue began to deteriorate. As she glanced up to see who she was caged in by, she shrieked out an unearthly scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Her deceased father, none other.

The ringleader laughed boisterously, dancing in a circle as he gave the room a bow for his performance. "You see, my dear? It doesn't matter if you think your mother's going to comfort you with these silly ideas that she's all around you in spirit. It doesn't change the fact that she's long dead. And just like those long dead, they can't do anything to protect you when something happens to you... But they can hurt you, they can reopen wounds, revisit traumas long past, and they can allow those open lacerations to fester into a much more deadly disease." He then placed the cruel mask beside Blue's blank expression of despair, all for Alabaster to witness.

The stallion lashed out, pulling at his immobilized legs and slashing his horn at the air. "You son of a bitch! you're a fucking monster!"

The stallion continued to have his fun. "See that, Alabaster? In the end, your father got just what he longed for after all this time, a second go at his baby girl. Funny, I could've arranged for that while he was alive. But this turned out to be a lot more fun anyways. And take it from me, it was quite fulfilling."

"Get him off of her! NOW!" The white unicorn stallion demanded.

He smirked back at him and motioned his cane like a fish. "Nah, let her stay there for a good fifteen minutes. Gotta let those little miscreants run around in the afterglow, and I bet she'll get what she's been wanting for a while now. You should be happy... You might be an uncle... or even more of a big brother. Brother-uncle? Uncle-brother? Broncle? Uncler? Eh, give it eleven months and we'll come up with something catchy."

The entire time I sat there, I was quietly chanting the words that came from everyone in this Godforsaken establishment. All I could hear while watching this transpire was the mental notes of everyone regurgitating the same damn thing, 'play your role' or go along with the flow of it all. But seeing her being forced to have a foal against her will, after being raped, by the corpse of her father, all while her mother's dying face was plastered all over the room, it was beyond too much.

I've had enough of it.

I stormed over to the center of the room, threw my mask to the floor, and physically shoved the decaying corpse off of Blue. The room became silent as everyone watched me clear Count's corpse a few feet away from his distraught daughter. Alabaster looked up to me in shock, not even expressing immediate gratitude more than the genuine concern for what I was doing. "Sorry. You had your fun, now it's done."

Of course, he didn't like the idea of me breaking up his little party, and tried to gracefully confront me over it. "You can't seriously be so eager to cut me off. I just wanted to have some fun."

As the body finished wilting to it's putrefied self, I stood firmly between him and the family he's accosted for his entertainment. "As I said, you. Had. Yours."

The stallion nodded, biting his lip, rubbing his face as I stood in his way. He gave me a light bow. "Okay. You're right. I had my fun with her. But not with you yet." The fake smile he had on his face was wiped clean off as he stood tall before me and glared me down. "So I suggest you keep your schedule open, human."

On that note, he walked off, announcing that the bar was open and taking a drink himself before disappearing into the halls outside. It took a little bit before the magic of the runes below both Blue and Alabaster wore off. And once they did, he immediately went into comforting his baby sister.

"Blue, say something, please?"

Crème walked from behind the bar and gave her a quick look before announcing to both me and her brother. "She's having an acute stress reaction, take her and get her out of here. You two are done for tonight."

The stallion quickly loaded his sister onto his back and turned to me. "What about you?"

I summoned the claymore I used during the Arimaspi Mountain assignment and pointed at the decaying body. "What about me? Get out of here, I'm gonna do some shit to your dad the two of you don't need to see. So get moving, get her home, keep her safe. That's what you do."

Alabaster started walking up to me as if he was about to hug me. "Nondis, we owe you─"

"You owe me an explanation of why the fuck you're not gone. GO! NOW!"

He nodded and took his sister into the hall leading to the box seats, likely to take the secret exit out to the streets. Meantime, I turned to the decaying body and started slicing at limbs to make my work easier. "Kali, get me some old sacks to throw this bastard in. If you ain't got that, then grab me some of those silk sheets the staff's been using."

"We do have body bags available for disposal purposes." Crème added.

"Then get me that so I can get his ass out of here for good." I ordered the servant, who bowed and went off to a nearby storage closet.

Kalimba watched as I started hacking away at Count's body, trying my best to work through the smell. As others in the room started to dissipate from the scene, I continued to work on segmenting him off to where he can't possibly be used to reanimate. And because of how decayed the body was, it didn't take much effort in my swings to separate anything. When the body bag landed right beside me, I held my breath and started stuffing the parts inside. The zebracorn covered her muzzle as she spoke. "You are a brave one to be a rainy day to his parade."

I coughed briefly, just getting a whiff of the putrid decay. "Some shit just crosses the line with me. This was definitely it."

"It's not about de lines he crosses, it's about de one you crossed." She said as I also took a moment to cut his head off and dump his torso in the bag. The mare questioned me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting an end to this fuckers book, it's been well overwritten." I said, zipping up the body bag and toting it like a sack.

Kalimba then warned me. "You know, dere are laws in dealing with de dead."

"And I'm breaking this one to get just what the family asked for."

Sometime Later...

After my leaving the arena with a dead body in tow, I made several mental obligations to try and make myself available for some sort of counseling session tomorrow. Kalimba kept me solid along the way, sometimes even taking the load off of my back so I could process what the hell had just happened. We got back to the shack and went on with the idea of disposing the remains by Alabaster's previously known request, cremation.

I didn't know anything about cremating a body, not personally. The last time I just gave the order to have them cremated en masse. But the part about how hot the oven has to be to cremate someone, no idea. I'm sure that they have some special oven to meet that demand, but as far as I'm concerned, throwing him in a fire was all that I needed to do.

Kalimba and I talked about that at length, and she came up with a hypothesis. She believes that simply cutting them up wasn't exactly the easiest way to ensure that the body couldn't be used. I was sure that it would work on the account that if I simply spread the limbs to various places, they could not be complied and reused. She went a step further and included the potential of there being a recovery and reconstruction effort. So she advocated for the limbs and appendages to be broken down on a cellular level.

The first option that came to my mind was cremation.

Not only does burning something changes the chemical composition, it also changes the property of that item that was burned. So being that cremation was requested to begin with, I have to consider that as a first-option. Perhaps Alabaster knew of his methods and gave me an advanced word on how to deal with things like that. Perhaps he was giving me the solution the day he showed up in the mansion.

If that's the case, then why didn't he argue with his sister against having him buried next to his wife?

The shack that was once filled with stale air had been filled with the putrid stench of a dead pony being thrown into an oven for makeshift crematorium purposes. As soon as we got the last of him put in, I had to keep myself from vomiting. Kalimba seemed more used to the practice than anything, though she wasn't as easy-going with the smell. "Cutting up and burning the body so he won't use it again? Do you think dis will work for good?"

"If the only thing that remains is ash, you can't put it to any use. Alabaster wanted this to be done since he showed up to the mansion unannounced."

Kalimba quirked a brow at my statement. "Did he really show up to deir home?"

"There are other witnesses, you know." I said, clearing my throat of the little vomit that came through.

She walked over to a nearby cabinet and pulled out an old bottle of rum. Planting the bottle on the counter, she told me to drink. "Down some of dat, it will numb you down a peg. At least den you won't have to acknowledge all de maggots in his leg. I groaned as I popped the cork and drank some of it down. But what I didn't anticipate was how strong the drink was. I was originally guzzling it on the first gulp, but that initial pass was all I needed to tell me I needed to slow my ass down. Instead of gagging at the smell, I was more focused on the fact that my throat was almost on fire. "I said some, not a lot. Silly boy."

"How fucking strong is this shit!?" I said, still trying to recover.

"Prod always liked strong drinks. Dere is still has some moonshine in the pantry. So it is at least a good seventy-five percent what you have taken in."

"SEVENTY-FIVE!? Lady, this shit will put me out for good!" I said, clearing my throat. "No wonder that shit got me gagging so hard."

The mare looked at the stove and turned the oven on to it's highest setting. But just as the oven started to get warm, we started to hear the pilots inside flicker out. The oven had gone completely dead with a slightly cooked decaying body inside. The smell in the room was made significantly worse. "So what now?" She asked.

I glanced around the place and started thinking of what I could do. There were some old tattered curtains, a bunch of broken furniture, some flaky paint on the walls, a bunch of moonshine, and a lot of incentive to relocate our place of meeting. Since I pissed off Slade, it was only right that I had to swap locations. To hell with it, this place is just filled with bad memories and terrible recollections.

I guess arson's on the menu. "I'm sure this place doesn't matter to you or anyone else anymore, right?"

"It is true." She confirmed.

I gave my idea a final go-over and confirmed what I wanted to have done. A burning house is more than hot enough to deal with a dead body. Done deal. "Find some matches and grab that moonshine out the pantry, I'll take some of those curtains and turn it into a fuse. We gotta relocate anyhow, might as well leave nothing behind. Let this place be a pyre for those who tortured us in life. Can we agree on that?"

"Yes. We can do dat."

While I glanced at the bottle of rum, I took it's weight into consideration and poured some on the counters. I didn't pour all of it because I knew I wanted something to drink for later, at least to knock me out a good while so that I didn't have to deal with the nightmares too tough.

Kalimba came back with the matches and moonshine. She emptied the jars all over the counters and floor, making sure that every last bit of this place was going to be the pyre we sought for it to be. We then gathered the chairs and tables, stacking it in the kitchen to help keep things kindled for some time. The tattered curtains and old sheets found throughout the place ran from the kitchen to the middle of the dining room. I doused a little more moonshine over our make-shift fuse and struck a match. I backed away slowly, holding the burning match in my magic until we were as close to the front door as possible. Kalimba walked out while I gave the place a final nod farewell.

The moment that match dropped, the fire started going in the direction of the kitchen. And since everything was covered in moonshine, the vapors combusted rapidly and set off a massive plume in the room. It only took minutes before the shack was glowing orange from within.

We could hear the crackling of the wood and support beams from within, the sound of the growing inferno gaining strength throughout the cold winter night. The two of us shared the bottle of rum as we watched the place burn from across the street. We took our casual swigs as the flames entranced us both. While it made us warm for the time, we couldn't shake the cold stench of death that permeated through our minds. Kalimba held the bottle and hummed with curiosity. "I have a question, what of de others who's bodies come up missing?"

I held my hoof out for a swig as I answered her. "I think I have an idea. Treat everyone like I did those changelings, burn the bodies, burn the ashes, let them be dust."

"Not many families will agree to dat." She pointed out.

I shook my head, taking a swig of the drink. "If they saw the same thing we did on tonight, they'd realize they don't have a choice."

"How do you mandate something like dat to occur?" She asked.

I took another sip of the drink before handing it back off to her. "I can't. But I know someone who can with the swipe of a pen. It's out of our hands now. I just pray my ex and the others can make something happen, if they're plotting to make something happen."

"That fire is pretty bright." She pointed out, seeing the large pillar of smoke rising to the curtain above the district. "Since dis is going to be a pyre for our tormentors, I suppose dat a final word should be said before we leave. May I give it a try?"

"Shoot for the stars." I replied.

The mare raised the bottle in the air, speaking as she did. "Each morning when you made me serve you, when you threw me in a cold shower, when you worked me when I was sick, all I wanted to do was to know de comfort of my past while looking at a future without you. But now I know you will never beat me again, you will never force yourself upon me, you will never work me to death. I will never be a victim of you, and I will let every memory of you plague me no more. Disgusting idjiot baboon." She kissed her teeth and took another swig before addressing her father. "And you, you are alive. I wanted to have de closure of knowing dat you no longer exist, dat you have no place in my present or future. You may want to apologize for what happened, but I know somewhere inside of me, I am going to hate dat little girl wanting to hold you again. She deserves better. Stupid faddah." She then passed the rum over to me as if it was a microphone. "Your turn."

I gladly took that metaphorical mic and held it to the air, saluting the flames that engulfed the shack. "In the days up to your death, I had to ponder over how you would get your revenge on me. Then you came flying out of a window and smacked your head against the pavement, so I thought it was over then. Your son was happy that it was over. Your daughter rejoiced in knowing the pain you brought them was at an end. I even wanted to wear all white to your fucking funeral. But then your friend had to go and dig you up, and shove you in every place you shouldn't be. I can't blame you for being dead, I just blame you for being accessible to the bastard. Hell, I can't even blame that on you, I can only blame the fact that you were a repulsive asshole in life, who also became a repulsive reminder in death. I know it's bullshit for me to request something from you, but I want you to kindly burn in hell. This time is for the last time, Count. Go be with your wife, who you hated so bitterly. Be in the land of the dead, and only in the land of the dead..."

The shack started to fall in on itself as pieces of the structure caved in, causing a massive plume of fire and smoke to erupt from the roof. That moment for me was like a confirmation that a chapter in my life that was supposed to have concluded months prior had officially ended. I took the final swig of the bottle and then chucked it into the fire. The two of us then walked away, done with our Tuesday night here in the land of Corrotto.

I whispered back to the makeshift crematorium. "...And this time, stay there."

Two weeks later and here we are again. Slowly getting back on schedule, I predict that I should be back on lock by sometime in early September, if not early August. Of course, next chapter is drafted and some upper-percentage done.

I hope everyone is having better days than they were a year ago. I know for some of you, the pandemic doesn't seem like it'll ever end. For those who live in the States, it's more like we're trying to pull out of the driveway and leave it in the rear view mirror. Hopefully the vaccines make it's rounds to everyone in the globe, and for those who don't want it, it's your choice. Personally, I've been double-dosed in April and I haven't felt anything strange, I don't feel like Magneto, I don't feel like Superman, I don't feel like I've done anything special other than take a jab in the arm. I can encourage you to get it, but it's still your choice.

I hope to see you all again next chapter. These past few months have had some pretty steady releases, but it's hard staying consistent with so many large chapters to go through. I thought about downsizing, but I wanted things to run a specific flow, at least two days of events taking place, or a day of action. There are some chapters that will jump throughout the week, spanning maybe five days, but no time skips right now.

See you guys next time. Possibly in the next 2-3 weeks.