Twilight, Edgar, and Winslow ran down the narrow alleyway into Riker's Street, and were met with floats and armored soldiers marching towards Liberty Square, where they would loop around the four statues and end up on the other side of Eisen, back where the parade started. Twilight and Winslow stood on the sidewalk with Edgar behind them, hiding in a large metal dumpster to conceal his gigantic body from others.

"Hey... Edgar. What is this parade about anyways?" Twilight whispered to Edgar, whose eyes peeped out of the bin in response to her question.

"Liberty Day is the day the four founders signed the secession papers to separate from Equestria, making us an independent nation."

"Interesting... and you celebrate this every year?" Twilight wondered as she gazed upon a float moving towards Liberty Square with cheerleaders dressed in patriotic red, white, and blue regalia, dancing to the beat of drums and the sound of a trumpet playing a catchy nationalistic song.

"Yep," Edgar muttered as he noticed a pony passing by, ducking just before he made eye contact with him. "That was close..."

"Do you always have to hide from ponies like that one?" Winslow inquired as he watched Edgar duck again as another pedestrian walked by.

"I'm not very stealthy, as you can tell..." Edgar chuckled lightly as he ducked once again. "And if ponies see me, they'll know there's impending danger, and scatter. We don't want to cause a panic."

"Right." Winslow agreed as he watched the mechanised robots march alongside the armored soldiers. "Is there a way for us to cross the street to Masami and the others without going all the way to Liberty Square and back up?"

"I'm afraid not," Edgar answered the stoic knight, much to his disappointment. "Besides, we should stay here- scout for a bit."

"Hey, fellas!" Masami buzzed through their communicators at a higher volume than usual; causing them all to cringe slightly.

"Ouch!" Twilight uttered in discomfort as she fiddled with her communicator.

"Oops, sorry, my bad!" Masami giggled as she toyed with the volume, teasing them a little as she cranked it slightly, then dropped it down to a stable level. "Anyways, I think there's some trouble ahoof... I need you all to check the floats and ponies marching down the street- make sure they're legitimate."

"How do we do that?" Twilight asked as she looked at Winslow, who was just as flummoxed.

"Liazo thinks he can weigh-in," Masami replied as she adjusted her communicator to Liazo's frequency. "Go ahead, sugar."

"Alright, can everypony hear me? I'm on a building in the financial center with Rainbow Dash, overlooking Liberty Square." Liazo queried as he looked down at the parade from a faraway rooftop, with Rainbow Dash adjacent to him. "Listen, I thought about those cultists RD and I fought earlier. They weren't like most ponies. I remember clearly that they were as cold as ice- dead cold in fact. Like a corpse, that's been sitting for a while. I have no idea why, but that doesn't matter, what does matter is that we can trace some cultists using thermal imaging."

"Twilight, can't you use that heat-eye thing, or whatever?" Rainbow Dash guessed; trying to remember the terminology. "Oh! Heat-sense, was is called?"

"Yes, I think that might work." Twilight nodded as she uttered an incantation; causing her eyes to glow red like a fireball, and her horn to shine a similar color. "Let's see what I can find."

Twilight analyzed the surroundings in infrared vision. She glanced at the cheerleaders- nothing unusual, she directed her eyes toward the armored soldiers, nothing. Then a strange metal beast rolling down the street was caught in her gaze, it was as cold as ice. But it was uncertain, as Twilight's vision was iffy when it came to penetrating thick walls or armor. She was cautious anyways, and pointed the clanking machine out to Edgar, who nodded nervously, then activated his communicator.

"Masami, we have a big problem," Edgar informed Masami, who waited patiently for a reply.

"What do you mean by 'big' exactly?" Masami wondered, although part of her was dreading to hear the answer.

"Twilight spotted something in the tank." Edgar responded as he peeped his head out of the dumpster.

"The tank?! By the forefathers, what did we get ourselves into?" Masami gave a dreadful groan as she calmed herself. "Alright, I want you all to-."

Masami's communicator cut out, and silence was the only reply the task force received on her end. Twilight tried adjusting her communicator, as did the others, but it was no use. Masami's communicator had gone offline, and Draven and Evelyn's had as well. Gin's was nothing but static, and this alarmed most of those who tuned into her frequency.

"What the hell just happened up there?!" Butch growled as he tried to contact the others. "Spike, what do you hear on Evelyn's end?"

"Nothing." The young dragon replied in horror as he tapped on his earpiece.

"Looks like we've got to wing-this, folks... this ain't groovy..." Liazo uttered in anxiety as he informed the rest of the team with functioning communicators.

"I'm going after Evelyn," Butch grunted stubbornly as he walked passed Spike into another narrow alleyway- a shortcut to Riker's Station. However, he was stopped by Spike, who placed his arm on his shoulder. "What do ya think you're doing?"

Spike hadn't seen Butch so intense. He was usually gung-ho and bold, but this time around, Butch looked simply menacing. The mere mention of Evelyn in danger set him off like a firecracker. He knocked Spike's hand away instantly and tried walking away again, but this time, Spike grabbed his arm.

"Butch, we can't just leave. If they're in trouble, they can handle it, can't they? They have Draven, and Masami's pretty capable." Spike attempted to reassure Butch, but the stubborn soldier still retained his gruff attitude and intensity.

"Spike's right Butch, we can't just abandon our mission. Our job is protecting the ponies of Ausrüstung, you know that." Liazo reminded Butch.

"Yeah," Butch grumbled as he lit another cigar. "What do you want us to do?"

"I need you two to get back to Liberty Square. If things go awry, you've got to get everypony out of there and away from harm." Liazo delivered his orders powerfully, and with ferocious-focus. He could not let anypony lose sight of the task at hand.

"Alright, we're on it." Spike nodded as he turned around, but stopped just as he saw of Butch, who stood still- at a crossroads. "Butch? Are you coming with me? Butch?"

"Dammit, the one time I'm not with her..." Butch mumbled as he looked down at the ground.

"Butch?" Spike asked again as he tilted his head.

"Yeah, I know..." Butch groaned as he ran past Spike; giving him a light shoulder check as he did so out of oblivious frustration. "Let's just go."

****

"Hello? Hello?!" Masami tapped her communicator frantically. "Rrrgh, damn thing... nothing ever works when you want it to. How about you guys? Is anypony's communicator working?"

The ragtag group of comrades toiled in a maintenance room in Riker's Station monitoring the communicators, away from the public eye, so as not to arouse any suspicions. Masami tinkered with her signal box and communicator, as did the rest of the group. It was an utter mystery as to why the communicators went out so suddenly, and the silence within the small dark room was foreboding to say the least. The only relief from the tension was the incessant tapping on communicators- trying to get them to function properly.

"Nah, lass... I can't hear anything," Draven replied as he tried adjusting his earpiece. "How about you, Gin?"

"I'm afraid not, I only hear static." Gin responded as she removed her bothersome communicator. "Weird..."

"It appears that something or somepony has disrupted our communications systems. It isn't anything to do with the signal." Evelyn deducted.

"Perhaps radio waves?" Masami proposed.

"No, otherwise our communicators would've combusted inside our eardrums." Evelyn contradicted Masami's conjecture, and Gin cringed as she grasped her ear, visualising her ear exploding. "It must be some form of magical interference disrupting the communicators- inaudible to a regular pony's ear. Magic-auras like this are typically short-range, so the source of this distortion must be close."

Masami was silent for a moment as if she had come to a shocking realization. Her eyes widened momentarily, but she tried to conceal her emotions, calming herself, and attempting to dispel any suspicions about her reaction to Evelyn's analysis. Draven caught sight of Masami's sudden dip in behaviour and was curious as to why her demeanour altered so drastically.

"Something the matter, lass?" Draven asked the dazed mare politely, noticing her worried expression.

"No, nothing." Masami lied as she shook her head frantically, impatient with her own lie, and yearning for the conversation regarding her reaction to cease. "It's nothing, really."

"Alright then." Draven cordially accepted Masami's reticence, as he did not want to incite another- more severe reaction. "Anyways, what's the plan?"

"Well, we could go outside to find the source of the disruption, but somepony has to monitor the communicators here. I think you and Draven should go out there, Gin and I will stay in here." Evelyn ordered Masami and the black-scaled dragon. pointing at both of them with her middle and index finger.

"Why do I have to stay here?" Gin objected with somewhat justified indignation.

"Butch worries about me often..." Evelyn answered her with a doubtful sigh as her eyes gravitated towards the ground in a sombre fashion. "I would appreciate it if you stay here, for Butch's sake."

"Alright..." Gin was caught off guard by Evelyn's concern for Butch's well-being and sat down on the cold concrete of the maintenance room floor in acceptance, resting her head against the brick wall.

"Masami, Draven... you may leave." Evelyn nodded to Masami and Draven as she watched them walk out the door into the unpopulated station.

As the door shut, Masami and Draven were greeted by utter stillness. It was astounding what an absence of life could do to the atmosphere of a normally bustling area such as Riker's Station. The air was thick with darkness, and shadows seemed to stand still rather than stir with the imagination, but still seemed to shake in the presence of light raining down from the two long staircases leading up to Riker's street. The noise from the parade assumed a different sound in the echoing chambers of the station. What sounded like laughter and cries of joy, sounded more like haunting wails and harrowing moans in the empty, and dusty station.

"Say, it looked like you saw a ghost just then... what was that all about?" Draven asked the still worried mare, attempting to distract himself from the unsettling environment surrounding him.

"It's... nothing. I was just reminded of a ghost, something from my past. I hoped to forget it... but it always returns." Masami answered in a grave tone of voice.

"We all have past demons we wish to hide from others and ourselves..." Draven responded with empathy in his voice as he gave the graceful mare a jolly smile that only he could deliver. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, it's fine, really." Masami refused politely, staring at the ground as she walked along the grey pathway with Draven leading to the main area of the teleporting station.

The large pathway spread out into a massive room with a ceiling nearly forty feet in height. The wide area was filled with benches and dining tables, and the teleporting chambers were nearby, although they were switched off for the parade. The room echoed severely, and the slightest hoofstep from either of them was enough to create a reverberating sound.

"This seems pretty deserted, do you want to-." Draven trailed off as he heard another pair of hooves stomping on concrete. "Do you hear that?"

"Yes." Masami whispered as she moved closer to Draven, clearly hearing the clattering of hooves in the distance. "Stay close."

Out of the darkness, a pair of eyes emerged- purple dots that seemed to never blink. It's eyes were fixated on the two, and its gaze was almost hypnotic, sending a chill down Draven and Masami's spine. As the eyes moved forward, the pony's face was revealed, or rather, the mask covering the pony's face.

The slightly cracked mask had devil's horns and sharp fangs that jutted out like a saber-tooth tiger. It was a blood red oni mask- a demon, a mask that slashed at Masami's courage. Not because of the demon, but because of the pony she knew was underneath. The mask's "tongue" stuck out like a snake, and the design of the mouth made it look like the demon was howling, and the pony's eyes made it look all the more real.

"Draven, plug your ears!" Masami warned the unnerved dragon, who prepared his lightning cautiously.

Draven was flummoxed by the command. "What, I-."

"Just do it!" Masami cut off Draven as she stared at the demonic pony looming over them with great intensity. "Do it now!"

"Boo." The pony uttered in a soft, eerie voice. Just as Draven plugged his ears, the pony drew a katana from his sheath, and a massive sonic boom blew Masami and the dragon backwards. It sounded like a trillion screams, like a banshee wailing at the moon, like a million fingernails running down a chalkboard. The most horrifying, awful sounds, and it all was bellowed in an instant. "Cursed Blade Technique: Kuroko's Howling Slash!"

Masami and Draven recovered, although their ears rang a bit from the boom for a moment. Masami grunted as she got to her feet, and she helped Draven up too. Draven was dazed, but he quickly snapped out of it and began to survey his surroundings to spot the unseen adversary.

"Show yourself, you yellow-bellied shadow walker!" Draven growled as he illuminated the area with his lightning.

The pony emerged from the shadows as Draven's lightning lit up the room. He was a stallion, a little shorter than Draven, but around a head taller than Masami. He wore a black robe fitted for combat- the sleeves removed, and replaced with metal arm protectors that were ink black, and shone like obsidian. He had a blood red sash across his waist that added to his devilish appearance- the only trace of normalcy in his appearance was his coal black hair that was tied in a thin ponytail, and his white complexion-- the only skin showing on his body being his neck and ears.

"I am Kanakirigoe, the third member of Infernalgear. You should respect the shadows, dragon. Kuroko's Scream!" The menacing stallion hissed as he blew Draven back into a pillar with a deafening sonic scream, rendering the unprepared dragon unconscious. "There... now we can talk."

"Draven!" Masami shouted back to her ally as he attempted to run to him, but she was unable. She was locked in a staring contest with her foe. "What did you do to him, Ichirou? What did you do to me?"

"Oh, nothing... he will recover in time. You, on the other hand, I used a magic-disabling technique I learned from The Shadouītā Scrolls. I can't have you doing anything rash just yet." The sociopathic stallion purred. "I'm so glad you remember me, Masami."

"How could I forget the stallion who murdered my master..." Masami growled at the mischievous stallion as he paced around her casually.

"Ah, ah, ah... don't you mean our master?" Kanakirigoe snickered deviously.

"He was your father, nothing more, and you murdered him in cold blood." Masami snapped as she spit on the ground. "You took your mother's sword and corrupted it, and destroyed all Hiro built for you!"

"Wrong! What he built for you! You were given Kochi!" Kanakirigoe exploded as he struck Masami. Although she tried blocking, his strength was beyond that of any mortal, and it crushed her arm as she attempted to deflect his backhand. "Pathetic... and to think my father thought you were his star student. The great 'Angreifer'."

Masami crumpled to the ground in a heap as she clutched her shattered arm, writhing in agony. "You're pathetic, you piece of shit! You became a shadow-eater, you consumed the darkness, you became something ugly! Hiro never wanted this for you- aarrghh!"

Kanakirigoe stepped on Masami's fractured forearm forcefully and caused this her to wail in pain. She cussed at him furiously. "Oh, don't worry Masami, I'm not going to kill you. I just want to make my mark, give you a message from me and my... associates. You are playing a dangerous game, 'Angreifer'. I want you dead, no doubt about it. But not just yet... I will return to finish the job, but you better come prepared next time. You'll need to use everything Hiro taught us, you can do that for me, can't you?!"

"Go to hell, Ichirou..." Masami groaned as Kanakirigoe removed his hoof and sliced her across her left shoulder with his blade.

"I already have... I'm renting a condo actually." Kanakirigoe sassed Masami, chuckling to himself as he walked back into the shadows. "You know, I always thought you were beautiful. I wanted to marry you... but it turned out you were nothing but a worthless Dyke. Give Hiro my regards when you visit his grave sometime. Ciao..."

And with a wisp of cold air, Ichirou vanished, leaving no trace. Masami cried for a moment before getting back on her hooves and tearing at the fabric on her shirt to fashion a sling for her arm. She walked over to Draven, who snapped out of his trance as soon as she tried to rouse him.

"Ah! Wha- what... Masami?! What happened?" Draven grunted as he stood u, realizing Masami had been horribly beaten. "Oh my-. Masami, your arm! Here, put your good arm around my shoulder."

As Draven and Masami began their slow trek back, their communicators buzzed for a moment, then became clear. "Hello? Hello?! Is anypony there?"

"Evelyn? Is that you, lass?" Draven asked as he limped forward.

"Yes, I got the communicators back up and running," Evelyn answered proudly. "Did you find the source of the magic signal?"

"Yeah, listen... we found the source. Long story short, I got my arse kicked, and Masami's been beaten badly." Draven uttered in a gritty tone of voice as he got a better grip on Masami's arm.

"Oh, dear me. Come back here right away, I have a medical kit on me." Evelyn panicked. "I'm going to get in contact with the others- make sure everyone is okay. Hang in there you two, I'll send Gin to meet you halfway."

"Thanks, Eve..." Masami thanked her weakly as she looked down at the floor with a troubled expression.

Draven limped for a few moments before slowing down to talk to the silent mare. "What happened back there when I was knocked-out? Who did this to you?"

"Just another demon of mine..." Masami uttered with a grave expression.

Author's Notes:

Introducing the third member of Infernalgear, Kanakirigoe! (I really enjoyed writing this chapter!) As always, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a like and comment if you did! See you in the next chapter!