I turn and see Celt, looking for someone, while a noble with a bloody nose. Griffin immediately flies from the stage and intervenes.

"What the hell is going on here? Shouldn't you be lying in bed, sleeping off your stupor?" I started to slowly walk towards Celt and Griffin bickering, grabbing 2 darts from Eol's belt, immediately stripping them of their feathers.

"I hash an earth pony to find and punch. Friggin bucked mah head." He was too drunk to be swinging around aimlessly like that. Griffin drew Hades and pointed it at Celt as a warning.

"You're ruining the party, don't make me knock you out." Celt stood high and looked down on Griffin, poking him in the chest.

"I ish nert aferd a yooooooo." I step between the two.

"Hey, Celt, calm down." Celt rolls his eyes and shoves me aside. I readied the needles. Griffin glanced at the needles in my hand. He returns his gaze back to Celt.

"Come at me, bro!" Out of nowhere, Knightmare floats in to take his turn at intervening.

"Celt, you're drunk. Griffin, YOU'RE insane. Keep all bickering, death threats, and battles for the fate of existance OUTSIDE the ballroom okay?" Celt swats him away like a fly. They both turn towards the changeling.

"Shut up, nobody likes you." He starts to scurry away, defeated. Celt pulls out the crossbow. I shifted my position to go to his backside without him noticing.

"Ignis Vis." I start to spring into a jump, but at the last second Ubi holds me back, giving a quick shake of his head.

"YOU'RE ALL GONNA FUCKING BURN!" I turn back around to see a red crossbow bolt fly towards Griffin's position, only to be deflected by Hades. The Bolt flies over several heads through a window, finally exploding in the air. The resulting explosion surprises everyone, soon after hundreds of fireworks go off around the castle. Celt looks back at Griffin with a gaping jaw.

"Shit...." I gave a wry chuckle, Celt curled his mouth in a crooked smile, "Um, well, you see, I'm sorry?" He rubs his head with a boy look on his face. Griffin matched his grin, slowly walking towards Celt, dragging Hades along the ground.

"You just bought yourself a one way ticket on Nighty-night airlines!" Celt raises his arms infront of him to brace for impact. Griffin swings his sword like a paddle, the impact ringing out in a loud clang all over the ballroom.

"Ventus!" A wind rushes past through the ballroom, strong enough to help send Celt flying through the open window into the depths below, resounding with an audible splash.

'I'm glad that's over...' I stitch the needles into the sleeve of my dobuku, in case I needed them again. I walk back to where Rainbow Dash was.

"So, where were we?" She looked at me with an expression of confusion.

"You were saying something about... being a secret what now?" Thoughts started raging through my head. How could I let it slip so easily like that? Not that it matters anymore, you're retired now, best to be open with it. After all, she might not believe it anyway.

"Oh... that." I took a short breath, putting on a stupid grin, "I used to be a secret agent, then retired recently." she didn't seem convinced. In fact, she broke out in a disbelieving smirk, then laughter.

"Secret agent, yeah right... you? a spy?" I chuckled along with her, neither denying nor reaffirming her claim. If she asked, I could say I told her the truth. Knightmare buzzes by with a chuckle.

"Stranger things have happened," He shrugged, glancing around the ballroom, "Now where the fuck did I put that thing?" He keeps on looking around, finally setting his eyes on the stage.

"OH FUCK!!!" He immediately rushes to the stage to retrieve his guitar. I turn back to a still laughing Rainbow Dash, who's wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.

"Seriously though, where did you learn those moves?" I look at her with a serious air to my voice.

"I took lessons... added my own twist to the moves." Some situations called for inconspicuous blending into a crowd, some called for something to keep their eyes on you. It all depended on the mission, but now, it was just for fun. I was feeling alive, the thrill of dancing a riveting number simply to dance gave me a thrill unlike any other. I look towards the stage to see Knightmare struggling with a Gray mare with a musical clef tattoo.

"I'm going to go see if Knightmare is going to need any help..." I hear a smack as the grey pony near punches Knightmare. I lean on the edge of the stage, listening absently to the bout between Knightmare and the Gray Pony, overhearing about another human turned into a winged beast called 'Zeta'. I perked up when it clicked in my head that this one knew about humans. I didn't know whether to be concerned or just let it slide. The tension starts to escalate as the argument continues, Knightmare defending the appearance of humans here in Equestria, with the Gray Pony rebutting it with a snide remark. Knightmare quickly objected with how we only came here against our will, not knowing that this world wasn't as cracked up as it was made out to be. Then the Gray Pony asks the million dollar question:

"....How bad is 'your world' that this place would seem a paradise in comparison?" I could answer that question in 4 words or less. What words would Knightmare choose?

"....War." Well done, you just answered it in one, not what I was thinking of, but a good answer nonetheless. The entire room suddenly had a slightly darker feel to it than a few moments ago.

"War?" She paused, her lower lip quivering, "How recent?" All the nobles were on edge, waiting for the changelings unwanted answer.

"Daily." I heard someone faint in the crowd, then silence. "For the past five hundred years, there hasn't been a single day without war occurring somewhere. Even if things aren't perfect here...at least there's no worry that you'll be press-ganged into fighting against someone you've never even heard of, all for resources and money thinly veiled as 'the right thing to do'." That's basically it, how the entire world simply competes for resources, power, authority, with no absolution or resolve in morality or conscience. If one wonders why war even exists, it can simply be traced back to mere greed.Even if there were only two people left in existance, as long as one wants what the other has, they'll try and take it by any means necessary, be it commerce, theft, or even seizure. I stand up straight and nod at Knightmare.

'Your goal may be farfetched, but not impossible...' I pace along the edge of the stage, ponies still in shock and awe of what Knightmare has said. The ponies of Equestria really were virgins to the outside world, living in the lavish comfort of peace and prosperity, they never knew what it was like to be torn from the womb and tossed into the outside world, with its simple evils of fighting simply to survive the next day, of which, if ever they were exposed to it, would violate their moral values and traumatize them to a point of no return. Wherein lies the only choice they would have left: to realize that they have lost their innocence, and so must continue with what life has thrust upon them. Knightmare simply gave a mere taste of what our world was really like, and they threw up like they had just tasted garbage.

Rainbow Dash walked up to me, standing by my side, leaning on the part of the stage where I was. I looked up at the glass chandeliers decorating the ceiling, sparkling and shimmering. I tuned out the entire world out, letting in only the music that played afterwards. The metal causes the entire room to quiver. I tune the music out, looking at Knightmare and the Gray pony onstage. I didn't know much apart from what I heard, but it seemed like the Grey Pony is a classical musician. I met musicians just like her, they usually end up in a drunken stupor of depression when they become entangled in the changing times, they lose grasp of what they know due to the ever rising popularity of western music. I watched as Knightmare guided his hands with Octavia's hooves to play his guitar. To my surprise the pony started to enjoy playing the music. As the song ends I lean on the edge of the stage again, seeing the Gray pony blush as Knightmare beams with a smug grin.

""Admit it, THAT was fun!"

"I will only admit that it wasn't as horrible as I'd feared..." She seemed out of breath. Her friend, a White unicorn with styled blue spiky hair combed over, came over and patted her on the shoulder.

""Octy, you are one stubborn mare," The Unicorn and Knightmare share a laugh before 'Octy' took the guitar and smacked Knightmare over the head with it, knocking him offstage to land right next to me. I look down at the changeling slowly picking himself back up.

"Well done Knightmare," Aoi tells me. "You've managed to make a little bit of peace...." He cracks his neck audibly and rubs it.

"I MIGHT have deserved that..." I raise an eyebrow with him as he lifts himself back onto the stage.

"You okay? She hit you pretty hard..." He nurses the new bruise wrought from being hit with his own instrument and chuckles.

"Dude, Aoi, mah bro. I've hit MYSELF harder than that! No seriously, ask the asshole back there, he witnessed it." I look backwards to see Griffin reeling backwards onto the floor in laughter, "Savor it, Griffin the Griffin, for it shall be the LAST time I embarrass myself! PERIOD! It shan't happen again!" He said the last part in a Highland accent.

"Ten bits say you make a fool of yourself three more times tonight," Griffin says with a smile, wiping away a tear of laughter. I shake my head, apparently slapstick comedy was more prominent among the two.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Scratch and I shall conduct a bit of an experiment in dedication to the resident bad-asshole, Captain Griffin of the Griffin Pirates!" I see Griffin immediately stand up shaking his head in dismay, to a look of a mix of terror and embarassment.

"So, a 'special performance'?" I turn around to see a display of magic, and see face to face with an image of Griffin kicking down a door, Hades pointed forward with its tip glowing red, the image cutting to a clip of me sitting in a chair, holding a cigarette in my paws. I break out in a smile.

"One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie behind those eyes..." My holographic self state, slowly twirling the cigarette. I try to hold back a chuckle, I don't even smoke. "What dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty...." The image gets a close up onto the illusionary captain's eyes to reveal...

'What?' The image turns into a candyland-esque world with the captain dancing and frolicking among the fields, holing a giant red and white lollipop, along with various chibi versions of diamond dogs and changelings. I double over in laughter, clutching my sides.

"No way in hell would that ever happen." I pause when I hear pawsteps rushing towards my direction. I roll over and get back to standing position as the captain marches past me, leaping onto the stage and grabbing Knightmare by his jacket.

"Knightmare, you... Fucking TRAITOR!" He yells to the point of spitting on Knightmare, then punches him across the stage, slowly approaching him, "Just what the FUCK was that?"

"Uh, meet the pyro?" Knightmare replies through a winded voice.

"What." Griffin stops immediately, his expression turning to that of what Keith would describe as a 'WTF Face.'

"Valve finally released it." He slowly gets back up, nursing his new bruise.

"You've got to be kidding me. Do you have ANY idea what you just did to my image?" He pointed to the wisping image disappearing.

"Mauled it like a cat does to a baby bird?" He turns his head to the side with a nervous smile.

"And do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you?" Griffin kept on advancing towards him.

"Um....... see previous?" Knightmare gulp and held his arms in defense. Griffin scratched his chin in thought.

"Hmm. No." Knightmare sighed, wiping the sweat off of his brow. "I think I just won't help you with your 'unable to eat real food' problem." He froze as if Griffin had shot him through the heart.

"Now how the hell could you 'help' with THAT?" Knightmare starts growling at the captain.

"I know magic, and I maaaaaaaay just know a spell that lets us humans toggle between our true forms and what we are now." At the mention of turning us back to human form, my ears twitch. "Meaning that, if I feel like it, not only could I expose all of us for what we really are, and make us damn near powerless at that, but if I were to make you human, you could eat some of the leftover food from the Sweet Apple Acres cart. However, for what you just did on that stage, I don't think I'm feeling very generous right now...." I sigh in relief, I'm not sure I wanted everyone to know about us just yet.

"And you didn't bother mentioning THAT earlier!?" He starts seething with anger.

"Must have slipped my mind......." I think the whole room could hear the spiteful sarcasm coming off of Griffin's voice. Knightmare's face turned red with anger, steam whistling out of his ears. Knightmare grabbed Griffin by the throat, griffin simply stating a phrase I thought I'd never hear again:

"U MAD BRO?" That tipped it, Knightmare started to curl up his hands in a punch.

"YOU BRAINDEAD EGO-MANIACAL SNIVELING SONOVABI-"

An explosion knocked everyone off their feet, and sent a guard flying towards the stage, Griffin and Knightmare dodging out of the way. I jumped onstage and had my hand on Kokuryu. I crouch to a low stance and gaze at the mass of rubble and smoke, ready to attack at any moment. As the smoke cleared I saw a Black dragon, as tall as I was, with purple lines running over her scales, almost seeming to beat with a pulse of their own. I felt Kokuryu hum violently within its sheath. Her size answered a much needed question lingering in my mind.

'I guess that's how...' My hand tensed over the hilt, I gave a low growl. Knightmare walked towards her, cursing and ranting.

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!?" He shouted as he dragged his guitar along the ground. The dragon simply walked past him, her focus set on something behind us, I look backwards and spot Princess Luna sitting on her throne, her gaze one of confusion. The air becomes still. The dragon reels her arm backward into a punch straight into the Moon Princess's maw, many of the nobles reacting in a shocked resounding clamor, other nobles fainting. The Princess recoils from the punch, the throne tipping over, ejecting the princess into the back wall. I see Knightmare's fist clench in anger.

"HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He drops his guitar and grabs a chair, throwing it at the dragon. The chair merely splinters into woodchips, the dragon not even flinching. Both Griffin and Knightmare stood there, their jaws dropping. I kept my hand wavering over Kokuryu. I had to be careful, take a tense situation and add three loose cannons that could go off, and you have a situation going bad in less than a second. The Princess staggers up, her nose bleeding profusely. I was still working off the effects of the alcohol. Adrenaline started to run through me, clearing my vision momentarily. I couldn't afford to be reckless...

"WHO ART THOU AND HOW DAREST THOU DISRUPT THIS OCCASION, AND ATTACK EQUESTRIAN ROYALTY!" Her voice booms across the ballroom, swaying the chandeliers with the sheer force of her voice. "THOU SHALT BE PUNISHED FOR THIS ACTION!" Her shout hurt my ears, other ponies around the room clutching theirs.

"OUTTA THA WAY! COMING THROUGH!" Knightmare bolts towards the Dragon, shifting into a tall, heavily built cat woman, breaking the marble effortlessly with each step. The Princess flew into the air, a velvet aura coating the air around her horn, readying a spell. I shouted to Griffin.

"Griffin, GET KNIGHTMARE AWAY FROM THEM, HE'S GOING TO GET HIS ASS KICKED!" The dragon leaped into the air, grabbed the Princess's glowing horn, and used her as an equine club to slam Knightmare backwards, the cat-like figure rushing towards me. I take my hand away from the hilt, outstretching my arms to catch him, right as he slams into me.

"I got you!" With the inertia slowing down only slightly, I struggle to regain my footing to create friction on the cracked marble tiles. We skid across the floor, halting as we both smash into the drywall. He pulls himself out of the new crater in the wall the impact made, Knightmare seeming unharmed.

"Bad... Move..." He stands up tall, clenching his fist. I wheeze due to the impact combined with the dust in the air.

"You Okay, Knightmare?" He roars, going back into another run again, I grab his tail.

"I will be OK when I got that oversized lizard and that damn bird in a headlock!" He kept running, to my dismay, I couldn't get a proper footing and he ends up dragging me along with him. I try desperately to regain a steady grip on the floor, but it was too slick. He snatched his guitar off the ground and starts charging forward. As I was hanging on with one paw, I fumbled through my sleeve to retrieve one of the needles. Then Griffin stands between Knightmare and hold out his arms, seeminglessly stopping Knightmare in his tracks.

"Hold it bug. Think about it for a sec, Okay?" Griffin turns around to glance at the battle between the Princess and the Dragon, while I let go of Knightmare's tail and dust myself off, grasping the needle in my paw.

"If that thing can do THAT to princess Luna, just what exactly do you think you'll be able to do against it? It would be better if the three of us stayed OUT of this, at least till we know what we're dealing with." Knightmare changed back to normal, gritting his teeth at the helplessness of the situation.

"Fine, but then we better spend this time thinking of how we can beat that thing." He pointed towards the two battling forces. I give a slight chuckle, nursing a bruised solar plexus.

"Heh, next time Knightmare, don't expect to use me as another pillow, my ribs still hurt from you slamming into me..." I wince at the pain.

"Okay, Knight Aoi, we've got something here that is on the same level as Princess Luna. Did you see those lines all over it? Yeah, that's magic if I ever saw it, meaning that this dragon..... thing, rather than using basic dragon abilities, probably knows how to use spells. Since it's a dragon, it has a near unlimited reservoir to use spells."

"A dragon that knows how to use further magic?" Griffin nods at me. I think back to what Ubi told me about dragons...

"So, we'll need to triple team it, if it comes to that. Also, its scales were black, meaning we're gonna have a tough time even cutting it to begin with. It's smaller than the ones I'm used to fighting, and it's faster, so we'll have trouble even hitting it to begin with."

"Griffin, there's something Important I need to tell you!" His attention turns to me,

"Yeah, what is it?" Thoughts start racing through my mind, info, memories, going to the conversation I had with Ubi.

"Ubi told me how dragons use magic, usually taking years of natural practice... Meaning..."

"Meaning..." I needed one more piece of information.

"Meaning?" He cocked his head to the side.

"What did you say about using magic..."

"That is has a nearly unlimited reservoir? That it is definitely using it?"

"That the fact that you could tell from those lines."

"Yeah. By that, it's strong magic." Things finally came together. It wasn't just strong, it was immensely powerful. "If it takes years of practice, yet this thing is so young, I'm guessing it's the Twilight Sparkle of Dragons." I didn't know what he was talking about, but it was probably nowhere near close.

"... wrong..."

"Huh?" Griffin and Knightmare cocked their heads to the side in confusion.

"You're not going to be able to get near it... Let alone touch it, or even get a swing at it." I take a deep breath, "Unless you can use that same level of magic, we're most likely going to get floored as soon as she finds a new target."

"You're right. My sword is too slow. I won't be able to hit it, unless I have a clear shot and she doesn't see it coming. Knight, let's face it, you might be able to hit her, but you won't do any damage at all, so........"

"So, we're right fucked then, aren't we?" His tone seems to deflate. I hold up the needle.

"Now I didn't say we couldn't buy some time for Luna," Immediately a spark of inspiration lifts everyone's spirits.

"You mean, let Luna handle it, while we give her time to prepare herself?"

"Yeah, but first." I call Ubi over, "Ubi, on my signal, get ready to call the royal guard." Ubi flattens his ears in disappointment.

"I can't everyone's too scared to, they're not going to listen."

"Dammit..." I look back at the two, "You do realize that, considering what it's doing to Luna, trying to get close will pretty much be suicide right?" They nod, Griffin having a sly look on his face.

"Which is why we're playing distraction." Oh? "Knight, you and I will play distraction, while Aoi does his ninja thing and goes for the kill shot. We'll only get one chance at this. Screw up, and we're all dead. It won't fall for it a second time." I'm not a ninja...

"It could work, and it means we're more likely to live since we'll be playing defensively." I start thinking further.

"Griffin, how much magic can you spare?" He pulls out three vials of that strange liquid like the one in the vial I gave to Ubi... meaning...

"I got about ten minutes of unlimited spells, but then my brain will be fried and I'll have to drop out."

"I only need one." I needed something to make me fall faster, if a sneak attack was going to work, it would be from above...

"Hold on." He snaps once, calling three crew members by his side. "You three, get the crew to evac this place. It's about to become a warzone." Knightmare still gazes warily at Griffin.

"I still hate you, you know that, right? Once she's down for the count, then it's gonna be you and me." He then looks at me with an impish grin, "How about bullets, will they work?"

"Bullets won't work on something harder than diamond." He bits his bottom lip, thinking.

"True, How about a plasma cannon instead of bullets?" I was still wondering where he would get the bullets from...

"Can't guarantee it'll do damage, but it should at least give the rest of us breathing room. But, where are you going to get something like that?" Griffin looked questionably at the changeling. Knightmare broke out in a wide smile.

"Shall I?" he raises an eyebrow towards my direction. I simply nod, and he changes into a large mech with heavy weaponry. Keith would have had a fanboy moment right then and there.

"Remember, We're going for buying time here, nothing serious." Griffin nods.

"Now, Aoi, you said you needed one spell?" Griffin asks.

"Yes." He cocked his head to the side.

"What kind of spell were you thinking?" I needed speed.

"Can you make me go faster for about 30 seconds?" I did the physics calculations in my head.

"How much faster?"

"Fast enough to turn me into a living bullet while falling?" I wasn't sure this could bode well at all, but it was worth a shot.

"Does 2578 kilometers per hour sound right?" I nod in response, 'Perfect.'

"That, I can do. Just tell me when you want the buff." He shakes one of the vials.

"Okay... now... are we forgetting something?" He looks behind him to find another pony, clad in armor with a sword on its back. All eyes were on her now.

"Ello poppet. Where do you think you're going?" Griffin lunges at the pony, pinning her down with one hoof behind her back. I felt Kokuryu vibrate within its sheath with vigor at the battle ahead.

"You, you came in with that... thing. You know it better than we do. So, tell me how we can kick it's ass."

"Um. I'm Ritz...... I don't.... really.... know... any of her weaknesses? I don't even think she has one........" She said stuttering, scared out of her wits.

"You're kidding........" Griffin deadpanned. Knightmare approaches the pinned pony, morphing an appendage into a cannon.

"Well then, 'Ritz'. I you've got 5 seconds to think about what weaknesses she has, or you won't have a face." Knightmare said, his voice metallic and artificial. I dash to the position between the cannon and Ritz's head, giving him a cold glare.

"Don't start this Knightmare, It might be hard to do, but calm down..." He lowers the cannon away from my face. Griffin slowly lets go of Ritz.

"Ugh, it's fine, A dragon that uses magic is small enough to evade power strikes, and strong enough to withstand speed attacks. It's very possible that she really DOESN'T have any weaknesses. We'll just have to play her 'Not-strengths'." He says, scratching his head. Knightmare tilts his head to the side, as if irked by Griffin's remark.

"I don't think you fully realize what's hidden within this castle. If their brawl should breach the Black Vault, we are ALL in deep shit. Ending this fight as soon as possible is my current priority." I could tell it was hard for him to maintain that form, if he kept it on for too long he could overexert himself from the stress.

"The Black Vault?" Griffin asks, getting back up. Knightmare finally dissolved his disguise back to his original form.

"Celestia told me about it. It's literally a vault where things deemed 'More Dangerous than Discord' are locked away. It's INSIDE the castle! If their brawl breaks it open, I don't wanna think of what...THINGS could get released!"

"Well fuck. That would have been nice to know. Now we have to go after them..." He suddenly remembers something, "Wait a sec... we're forgetting something. Six somethings, actually." He winks at Knightmare. I shake my head.

"We need to go now, I don't want to deal with other hazards that could endanger MORE civilians." Knightmare pats his fist into his palm, finally getting what Griffin said.

"The Elements of Harmony!" I still didn't get what they were talking about. Knightmare calls out in a sing-songy voice, "Oh GIRLS!" The six ponies immediately group around us: Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, AppleJack, and the white pony who nudge for Rainbow Dash to dance. Rainbow dash speaks up.

"Would you three explain what the hay is going on?" Rainbow Dash asks with a confused look on her face.

"Well, Whatever this thing is..."

"HER NAME IS EMBER" The armored pony interrupts.

" Okay, EMBER, is thrashing Luna as we speak, and we have a plan. But if it fails, we need you to use the Elements of Harmony, so, go get em." He waved them off as if to tell them to go play. I look at Rainbow Dash and stop her before she leaves.

"Rainbow Dash, what are you still doing here?"

"I'm here to help, isn't that obvious?" What could she do against a dragon?

"She's the Element of Loyalty, that's why!"

"Element? What Element!" Griffin facepalms in frustration.

"The Elements of Harmony are six artifacts, taking the form of five necklaces and a tiara, which represent kindness, loyalty, honesty, laughter, generosity, and magic. Together, they are the most powerful force in this world." He explains in a monotone fashion.Knightmare chimes in.

"They've defeated a demoness and sealed away the spirit of chaos, and a power-hungry changeling queen. I think they can handle a wingless dragoness." I sigh.

"Hmm... I sure hope you're right about this..." I think fo the implications it would have should they fail.

"So, we three will head to wherever they are, and you six get to the vault and..." Griffin was cut short by the crumbling of a wall, the dragon using the princess to smash down the wall, slowly walking over the bits and pieces of debris. I draw Kokuryu Immediately, taking a defensive stance.

"Girls... Go... Now.." Griffin says in a hushed tone.

"... You gotta be fuckin' with me..." Knightmare shifts into another form, a white alicorn with a fiery teal mane.

"Griffin, when I sheathe my sword, cast the spell." The dragon throws Luna to the side like a ragdoll, turning her attention to us. I tightened my grip on Kokuryu, the blade shimmering golden. Knightmare looks at Griffin for a cue to attack, While Griffin simply just shakes his head no. Out of nowhere, a familiar voice calls out to dragon.

"Ember, STOP!" Ritz, the armored pony trots up to Ember and smacks Ember, literally knocking sense into her. The lines disappear and her eyes turn from a glowing purple to shining crimson. Knightmare's jaw drops and lets his guitar drop to the floor.

"Well now, THAT was anticlimatic." Ember rubs the back of her head.

"Ugh... what happened?" Ritz begins her lecture.

"You went on a rampage, AGAIN! And at the Grand Galloping Gala!" The dragon wincing at each piercing word. Griffin blinks, dumbfounded.

"What... the... fuck... just... happened...?" I lower my blade into a relaxed stance.

"Scratch that..." I breathe a sigh of relief. Both Griffin and Knightmare twitch in frustration, trying to comprehend what just happened.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL JUST HAPPENED!?" Knightmare yells, turning towards us to provide an explanation. The dragon starts to speak now, turning to us.

"Umm... oops? Hehe... Sorry folks." She continues to chuckle rather nervously, "Yeah, I don't care...
Now where'd I put that bitch, Luna?" She sported a playful smile. I started to smile.

"To answer both of you, Ember just got some sense knocked into her..." I snicker.

"You... you have GOT to be shitting me..."

"I don't believe this..." I simply shrug. Just then I see Ember turn her gaze to Griffin. She had a look of rage: cold, dark gaze. One I knew of as one wanting revenge.

"WHAT?!?!" I don't think this was the time to be coy. You have a lot of explaining to do...

"You..." She point at him then starts walking towards him. I tightened my grip on Kokuryu.

"What about me?" He asked, not getting it.

"Yeah, what about him?" Knightmare chimes in, "Because, seriously, fuck him, he's an asshole." Ember walks until she's face to face with him.

"I'm going to kill you, asshole," She spits in his face. Knightmare blinks, then smiles.

"I like this gal..." I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Five minutes ago, you wanted to get back at her for interrupting..."

"Only because she was interrupting me giving Grif a piece of my mind and playing some Grifball." I give him an indifferent stare, blinking twice to signal that I didn't get the reference. Ember backs off by two steps.

"But not here. Too many innocents to get in the way. Be warned. I will find you. And I will fill you with so much pain, you will beg for death. And after that, I'm going to EAT you, but, unlike my dad, I WON'T choke. Now, I have to go....... talk with Princess Luna." Ember starts to drag the unconscious princess out through the wreckage of the wall she came in from, then something comes back to mind.

"WAIT! Ember..." I call out to her, only to have my call fall on deaf ears. I was hoping to have a talk with her...

"Wait... hold on. She storms the gala, wrecks shit, curbstomps Luna, snaps out of it, says sorry, threatens me, then takes the princess out back to have a chat over a cup of tea?" He tries to tangibly grasp the situation for emphasis, but fails, "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?!?"

"I DON'T KNOW, YOU TELL ME!" Knightmare bellows out a reply with an equal amount of confusion in his voice. I sigh and sheathe Kokuryu.

"I don't know, but it looks like you're going to have to watch your back." It was only a half lie, why she bombarded and attacked Luna was anyone's guess, however, one thing was for certain.

"She just swore a vendetta on you..." They were still yelling at each other.

"Sonor. Sonor. Sonor. Sonor. I DON'T FUCKING KNOW!" Griffin shouts, the blast from his voice sends Knightmare flying backwards onto the ground.

"She just swore a vendetta on you... and please stop yelling." My ears were ringing from Griffin's shout.

"WHADDA YOU KNOW, YOU'RE A BIRD CAT THINGY!" I hold my paws over my ears.

"I'm still trying to burn through the spiked punch, you yelling is not helping!" They look back at me, Griffin taking a deep breath to calm down.

"Okay... She said She said she's gonna kill me, and unlike her dad, she won't choke........ wait, her dad? Oh, just FUCKING great. She's pissed because that dragon ate me and it died instead." It took you that long to figure it out. It would have been faster had you not yelled and would have save me the pain in my ears.

"Are you serious? A dragon ATE you and it died? How the fuck does shit like that happen?"

"I'll tell you what I tell everyone else. I'm chewy." He said with a sly grin. I rolled my eyes and looked dead at Knightmare, speaking in a deadpanned tone.

"He dove down its throat with a sharp scale." Griffin frowned and looked at me.

"Wow Aoi, way to ruin it." That was for nearly blowing out my ear drums. Knightmare shakes his head in a mix of disapproval and disbelief.

"Not ONLY are you an asshole, you're a lunatic to boot." Not 14 minutes ago, you were going to shoot the pony who saved us a lot of trouble in the head with a plasma cannon, you're not one to talk...

"Yeah yeah. They're coming to take me away, haha! Hee hee, ho ho, haha, to the funny farm! Where life is beautiful all the time! Seriously though, I know. I'm pretty screwed up."

"Then move to Ponyville, you'll fit right in!" I crack my neck and give a small sigh.

"Have your face plastered all over the news one day," I think back to my last day on earth, "Then you could see yourself acting crazy." I look out across the now ruined, broken, crumbling ballroom, and I laugh a little.

'There is no way in hell we are going to clean all this up...'