"Fifteen-two, fifteen four, fifteen-six..." Draven counted all of the fifteens in his hand as he spread them out on the coffee table, then began counting the extra points. "A double-run of four makes eight, and a pair is two. I've got sixteen points! What have you got, lad?"

"A nineteen hand... zero..." Charles almost whimpered as he watched Draven joyously place his peg at the end of the crib board; snickering to himself as he put his clawed feet up on the table boastfully. "Blast!"

"Hold on, lad! What about your crib?" Draven reminded Charles as he pointed towards the extra four cards on Charles' side of the table that were facing down.

"Does it matter? Even if I get more than sixteen I'll still be double-skunked!" Charles pouted a little as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his sofa.

"Aww... somepony's a sore loser..." Masami chuckled as sat on the loveseat nearby and watched as steam shot out of Charles' ears.

"Don't be mad, lad!" Draven gave him a jolly laugh as he packed up his cards.

"Yeah! I mean, it's not like you just lost five times in a row!" Masami teased Charles as he adjusted his glasses and swallowed the unbearable anger swelling in his chest.

"One of these days Masami... pow, right in the kisser!" Charles threatened Masami as he raised his fist, but she knew it was an empty threat; Charles was far too noble to carry out such a deed.

"I love you too Charles!" Masami the frustrated stallion on the back, and after a moment of silence, they both laughed together. "You faker! You aren't mad at me!"

"Good show..." Charles exhaled with satisfaction as he brushed off his anger. As he did so, James and Lucy ran in the living area and hugged their father; almost flattening him in the process. "Ouch! Careful now!"

Charles began to tickle James and Lucy, and the two were brought to tears within seconds. James kicked and screamed, but Lucy was more contained with her excitement, and she giggled quietly as Charles nuzzled her lightly to get a reaction out of her. After the two caught their breath, they jumped on Masami next, and she laughed even louder than them as they jumped up and down on her. "Auntie Masami! Auntie Masami!"

"You two are trouble!" Masami lit-up as she gently lifted them off.

"Daddy, daddy, look!" Lucy raised her arms and spun around for Charles as she showed off her wool sweater with bunnies all over it.

"It's beautiful sweetie," Charles brushed her cheek as he admired the cute designs on the sweater, "did you make that?"

"Nope! Auntie Fluttershy made it for me!" Lucy became overjoyed as she hugged Fluttershy, who had just walked in the living room.

"Oh my... Auntie Fluttershy?" Fluttershy uttered nervously as she began to process those words. "But I've only been with you a few days..."

"You've made an impression nonetheless, dear," Eleanor reassured the confused pegasus as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're one of the kindest ponies we've ever met."

Fluttershy was caught off guard by the statement. Sure, she had been called kind by many others before, but it still somehow managed to stun her every time. Even though she was called kind constantly, there would always be a part of her that would feel unworthy of such praise. It was simply how she functioned.

"Um- I- th- th-thank- thank you..." Fluttershy stuttered and trailed off as she blushed slightly; trying to hide her face after such a horrendous response.

"Hey, where's Winslow?" Masami wondered as she looked over to Flutttershy. Usually, he would always be glued to the cream-coloured mare.

"He went outside to practice magic," Fluttershy replied as she stared back at the entranceway.

"That basta-..." Draven trailed off as he realized he was about to swear in front of Charles' children, "Baster... yeah-... baster! He's practicing magic without me!"

"Thank you." Charles quietly thanked the dragon as he stood up.

"Well then, I think I might join that paladin!" Draven announced as he approached the entranceway; tempting young James to tail him.

"Dad, dad! Can I go with him?" James begged as he tugged on Charles' sleeve. "I want to see magic!"

"I don't know... will you stay safe?" Charles crouched down and asked the excited colt.

"Oh yes! Yes dad, I will!" James pushed out his chest and gave him a salute to emphasize his point.

"Alright, soldier! March on!" Charles saluted his son, and the young colt sprinted after Draven.

"I think I'll tag along as well, just to be safe. You stay with Lucy." Masami insisted as she followed James outside.

James and Draven exited the building together, and the young orange colored colt bounced around like a ball, tugging at Draven's purple captain's jacket. Just looking at the colt brought back vivid memories of his time with Gin when she was a filly. Bright-eyed, full of wonder- she always loved watching Draven and Winslow practice magic. He gave the colt a loving smile as he daydreamed about young Gin; prancing about the deck of his ship and causing a ruckus.

"What are you thinking about Mr. Jaggedtooth?" James pried as he tugged at his sleeve again.

"Ah, nothing lad!" Draven grinned as he scratched the back of his neck in an attempt to act natural. "You just remind me of somepony is all!"

Draven took a deep breath and admired the large park in front of Charles' mansion. It was walled-off to the public, and that preserved the area's serene beauty. A small creek ran under a bridge that stretched over to the other side, leading to the teleporting pad that they had arrived in days ago. Surrounding the circumference of the pad was a vibrant flower bed of various hues, creating a ring of color that would've made the landing pad look like a pupil with an iris from an aerial view. Past the bed of flowers were trees, mostly ash, and oak, but they provided a pleasant contrast when paired up with the flowers; an atmosphere of containment and security, an aura that brought inner peace to whoever entered the park. The most remarkable aspect of the area was that it remained relatively quiet despite the bustle and noise emanating from the city nearby (Charles' house was situated on the very edge of Eisen, near the Western Ocean, and only a few hundred meters away from the Downtown area).

In the massive front yard of the immense estate- closer to the perimeter wall -Winslow was using spells on rocks he picked up off the ground, tossing them into the air and firing blasts of blue, concentrated magic from his horn and fingertips. The rocks exploded when struck by a bolt of magic, but luckily they were small enough not to cause any significant damage, merely turning into dust fragments as they combusted.

"Woah, cool!" James hopped up and down as he ran over to Winslow, who didn't seem to notice the young colt. "Hey, Mr... what's your last name?"

"It's Conrick." Winslow replied with a stoic expression as he tossed up another rock and cast a levitation spell on it, suspending it in the air. He then blew it to pieces with another spell, and it exploded like a firecracker.

"Mr. Conrick, can you teach me some magic?" James waved his hands about and made explosion sound effects.

"You mean your teachers haven't taught you any in school?" Draven raised a brow as he crossed his arms.

"No, we don't teach magic in schools." Masami chimed in as she joined up with the group. "Mainly because we don't have a lot of unicorns in Ausrüstung. Most of the ones that are here are either immigrants or descended from the handful of unicorns who joined the forefathers on their journey to the Blacklands. James and Eleanor are two of the few descendants left."

"I suppose it understandable why they don't teach magic in schools then." Winslow agreed, then kneeled down to James' height. "Would you like a few lessons?"

"Yes please, Mr. Conrick!" James clasped his hands together and tried to contain his excitement.

"Alright then," Winslow gave the colt a half smile as he patted him on the head once, "let's begin."

"A magic-duel then?" Draven proposed as lightning sparked at the end of his clawed fingertips."We should show him how to fight another magic wielder. Let's keep it simple"

"Very well," Winslow nodded as he set aside his sword and prepared his magic, raising his hands and coating them in magical energy. He then gestured to James, showing him the proper stance when facing an enemy. "Always fall back into a defensive position- don't leave anything open. If you keep your hands up, your magical shield will hold strong."

"Yes, Mr. Conrick!" James copied Winslow's stance as he raised his hands up like a boxer, but with an open hand instead of a fist. "How do I make a shield?"

"All you have to do is focus," Draven instructed the colt as he prepared a small electrical attack. "Try to imagine a wall in front of you, lad. If you hold that thought, your shield will be able to withstand a lot of punishment. I'll demonstrate with Winslow first... are you ready?"

"Yes," Winslow answered as he raised his hands and pointed over to a nearby tree. "Stand over there, James."

"Yes, sir!" James obeyed as he hid behind the tall ash tree and eagerly awaited the duel.

"Try not to blow anything up, will you?" Masami urged the two fighters as she stood beside James. "The caretakers will be pissed if you start a fire..."

"We won't," Winslow assured her as he returned his attention to Draven, who was waiting for his first attack, "I promise."

"Pay attention, lad!" Draven belted over to James as he prepared his first attack. "Watch Winslow block this!"

Draven fired off a bolt of lightning that struck Winslow's shield and dispersed in the air, revealing the magical dome around him momentarily as the attack impacted it with a crackling sound. Draven pummelled his foe hard with precise bolts, but Winslow's shield did not admit defeat.

"There are two ways to crack through a shield," Draven explained as he turned to face James. "You either use brute force or break your opponent's focus."

Draven shrouded his body in lightning and looped around Winslow's magical shield, launching himself like a cannonball. Draven then fired a blast at his back, cracking the shield, and leaving a distinct crack in the transparent dome.

"See that, James?" Winslow made sure he was paying attention. "My eyes couldn't keep up with him, and I couldn't adjust my shield in time. That's how he made me break focus."

"That was awesome!" James cheered as he pumped his fist up in the air with an excited grin on his face.

"Of course, it would've been a different story if you had a blade, Winslow!" Draven punched the paladin on the shoulder teasingly as he ran over to James. "Did you learn anything?"

"Oh yeah!" James beamed, jumping around as if he had pogo sticks for legs. "Magic is awesome! Can you teach me more some other time?"

"Of course I-." Draven paused for a moment as he glanced at Winslow, who had his blade prepared as if he was about to strike. "What's wrong, Winslow?"

Winslow stood at the ready as he surveyed the opposite side of the estate, where the trees thickened and light was scarce. "Something or somepony is watching us... over there." Winslow pointed over to the thicket.

"Yeah, I can hear something rustling about over there." Draven noticed as he listened in.

"James, stay behind us," Masami ordered the young colt as she stepped in front of him, a pistol at the ready. "There's no time to run."

Draven prepared his lightning once more, and Winslow removed his eye patch, revealing his witch's eye. As they readied for the oncoming assault, James began to break-down, alerting their enemies of their whereabouts. Masami attempted to calm him down, but the pressure was weighing on him, and he cracked. "You need to be silent James!"

Six metal beasts with mechanical, purple eyes jumped out of the bushes and stood in a perfect line. They all looked alike, yet... drastically different from what Masami was used to. They looked nothing like any automation she had seen.

They looked like skeletons, albeit skeletons with mechanized parts encasing their horrific frames. It seemed as if every "bone" was a crude imitation- made of metal. Their skulls were proportionate to their bodies, but they were hideous as if somepony coated a pony's skull with metal and sharpened their teeth into razor blades. Their hooves and hands were replaced with mechanized claws, and their eyes shone a disturbing and faint purple in the dim light of the forest as they stared down Draven and the others. What was most interesting about them was not their bodies, however, but the glass dome replacing the top portion of their skulls... and what was inside them.

"Are those... brains in there?" Draven was slightly unsettled by the sight. "Masami, what the hell are these machines?"

"I- I have no idea..." Masami admitted as she raised her pistol.

Suddenly, the cyber-skeletons split up into two groups. A couple ran towards the house, and the remaining four stayed behind and started sprinting towards Draven and Winslow, each letting out a bloodcurdling screech that echoed for miles. Masami ran after the two that were going for the house.

"Keep James safe! I'm going to help Charles!"

Draven and Winslow had no time to respond and began to fight the four skeletons. They were incredibly fast and agile and even dodged precise bolts from Draven. Winslow however, was having an easier time. He sliced off the arms and legs of each robot one by one, and James stayed close by, making sure he was near him, but not close enough to get cleaved in half by Winslow's massive greatsword.

As Winslow finished off the last one with a sword-thrust to the chest, he noticed something... they were all standing up again. They began to repair themselves, and within seconds, they were attacking him again; screaming and snarling like wild animals. "They can heal!"

"I can see that, thank you!" Draven bellowed as he struck a skeleton with a blast of electricity; knocking it back into a nearby tree.

"Mr. Jaggedtooth, look out!" James warned Draven of the approaching skeleton, who had its eyes fixed on his neck.

Draven dodged the creature's maw and grabbed its head with his claws, sending a pulse of searing lightning through the glass dome covering the creature's brain, and cooking it like a boiled egg. It was then that Draven realized what needed to be done in order to defeat them. "That's one! Winslow, you have to destroy the brain!"

"Dually noted!" Winslow shouted as he cut a skeleton in half at the waist, then drove his sword through its brain capsule. "That's two!"

"Look out!" James pointed towards a charging skeleton headed right for Winslow.

"Second Eye: Soul Piercer!" Winslow shouted as another witch's eye opened on his face just below his larger one. Winslow moved so fast it seemed as if he were teleporting, and he appeared behind the skeleton with his blade in a thrusting position, brain matter smeared across his sword. The skeleton stood for a moment, then fell. As he turned his head to face Draven, the second eye disappeared. "That's three!"

The last skeleton charged at James. "Draven!"

"Stay back, James!" Draven yelled as he stepped in front of the colt to protect him. His eyes began to crackle with electricity, and he raised his hands to summon a mighty blow. "Dragon Thane's Thunderous Greatsword!"

A towering blade of pure lightning appeared in Draven's hand, and he slammed it down on the machine hard, utterly obliterating it and searing the grass slightly. It let out a thunder-like 'boom' as it made contact with the ground.

"That's four..." Winslow took a deep breath as he turned his attention to the house. "We've got to get back to the house, now! Come James!"

The two remaining creatures charged at the entranceway door, smashing it down with their combined momentum. They then ran around the mansion- it seemed as if they were looking for somepony.

Masami whistled loudly, and within a matter of seconds, a mechanized suit flew towards her and caught her like a net, assembling, and boosting her speed. She followed the robots through the house with her pistol at the ready, and a determined look in her eye. She wasn't going to let anypony hurt her family. She flew over to the living area and tackled one of the machines to the ground, then blew the creature's brains out with her gun. "Charles, where are you-."

Masami felt a hard smack hit the front of her helmet and blur her vision- she was seeing double, and could no longer stand. Surprisingly, the creature didn't try and finish her off, and it moved onto the next room in its desperate search.

Charles, Eleanor, Lucy, and Fluttershy were held-up in the master bedroom, all on the bed. Charles had a shotgun in his hands, and Eleanor held Lucy tightly. "It's going to be alright..." Charles whispered to Lucy.

The skeleton starting banging on the door with great ferocity, screaming and crying as it tried to crack the door open. "Daddy, what's going to happen?"

Fluttershy stood up, and without a word, she shoved them all into a closet and locked it. "Stay here."

"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" Charles cried in outrage as he banged on the closet door. "Are you insane?"

"I have to protect my friends, no matter what," Fluttershy muttered to herself as she felt her fangs extend and her wings transform. "No matter what..."

As the creature broke the door down, Fluttershy charged forward and drove her claws into the skeleton's brain, killing it instantly. She then felt her body return to normal as the machine fell to the ground. She ripped the leg off a chair and drove it into the metal skull of the beast; feeling uncomfortable with lying. "Come out."

"Fluttershy, how did you-?" Charles was speechless as he emerged from the closet and looked down at the fallen foe lying in a heap on the floor.

"Winslow... taught me a few things..." Fluttershy felt a sharp pain in her chest as she lied once again.

"I can't thank you enough, Fluttershy. You saved my family." Charles was on the verge of crying as he hugged her tightly. "Thank you..."

Fluttershy cried too. Not because she was happy, but because she knew that it was wrongfully deserved praise. She thought about what would've happened if they saw her in her vampire form, and what they would say to such a beast. However, she used her tears as a mask to hide her true feelings about the matter. She felt empty and cold like her heart had just shriveled up.

"What's going on? Is everypony okay?" Masami stormed in the room with her pistol drawn but holstered it once she realized the automation had been subdued. "How in the-?"

"Auntie Fluttershy saved us! She's a hero! Like the one in the comic book James reads!" Lucy beamed as she hugged the cream colored pegasus' leg tightly, which hit Fluttershy hard. She was so in awe by her, so thankful. What would she have said if she knew about her? "You're the best Aunt ever!"

"Thank you... really..." Fluttershy felt uncomfortable smiling as she looked down at the dead robot.

"Masami, your head!" Eleanor touched the bruise on the pale-faced earthpony's head gently, trying not to hurt her. "You need an ice-pack."

"I'm fine Ellie... I'm okay..." Masami insisted as she sat down on a nearby chair. "I'm just glad you're all safe."

"Is everypony okay?" Draven asked as he rushed over to the opened door with Winslow not far behind.

"Yes, we're alright." Charles nodded. "Fluttershy saved us."

"Did she now?" Winslow gave Fluttershy a suspicious look. "I'm glad you're all unscathed-." Winslow stopped and looked out the window. He heard a faint screech come from the front yard, there were more skeletons standing outside.

"Bloody... heck." Draven corrected himself as he peered out the window with the stoic paladin. "What are they doing?" Just as Draven said that the skeletons turned around and retreated, jumping the fence and running off into the city.

"I think they were looking for somepony..." Masami deducted as she thought back to when the skeleton ignored her a few minutes prior. "Looks like they didn't find whoever he or she was."

"She has a point," Winslow added. "Those creatures seem to mimic the hunting instincts of a wolf, and I suspect they are tracking somepony."

"Who?" Charles wondered as he watched the last of the skeletons jump over the perimeter wall.

"Well... they all just hopped over the south wall, so that means... shit." Masami realized. "They're headed to the Ministry of Science! I've got to get a hold of Evelyn!"

"Twilight..." Winslow thought to himself, then looked to Draven. They were thinking the same thing.

"Hello? Hello?! Is anypony there?!" Masami spoke into her communicator, but there was only static. "Dammit, there's interference... somepony knocked out the communications grid!"

"But who would have the tools to do-." Charles and the others stood silently as they all heard the radio on the bureau turn on by itself and listened to a cold and robotic voice speak.

*A-A-A-ATTENTION PONIES OF EISEN, THE-THE-THE TELEPORTING STATIONS HAVE BEEN DISABLED FOR MA-MA-MA-MAINTENANCE. D-D-DO NOT PANIC, T-T-THEY WILL BE BACK UP EVEN-EVENT-EVENTUALLY. IT WOULD BE WISE TO STAY IN-IN-INDOORS FOR THE TI-TIME BEING.*

"There hasn't been maintenance for over one hundred years..." Masami's eyes widened.

"Well, there's the problem! No wonder they're doing maintenance!" Draven chimed in but was confused as he saw the shock on Charles' and Masami's face.

"That's just it, though..." Charles muttered. "The stations were all built one hundred years ago... they don't need to be maintained. Somepony just knocked them out."

"Shite." Draven cursed under his breath. "We've got to get to Twilight!"

Author's Notes:

Sh*t's going down! As always, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a like and a comment if you did!