To say that I was annoyed was an extreme understatement at the moment. Not only that I have to deal with Rainbow Dash's constant questioning, but I also have to put up with one of Raven's lackey's, Sierra Maverick. The other two that were apart of our group, however, didn't utter a single word, mostly because they were too afraid of the forest to say anything. Still, if Rainbow asks me about what my role is in the universe, life, and everything one more time. I was going to give her the answer to that particular question with smug gusto.

"I don't think she will give you a straight answer Rainbow. This slut will only talk until you satisfy her," said the other annoyance in my life. Groaning in in anguish with my head dragging against the forest floor of the Everfree, I had to think of a way to make Sierra and Rain shut the fuck up.

"I heard she slept with almost every mare in town. Like who does that?" Sierra continued, stroking my ire. I continued to walk through the twisted landscape, gnarled trees, and flesh-consuming bushes, with an ever-twitching eye.

"I can believe that. She even tried to seduce me for a one-time romp like I was some cheap whorse meant to be used and thrown away," Rainbow just had to add. The other two mares just stayed silent.

"With a reputation like that. I highly doubt anypony would want to date her, let alone marry her. I don't think she would be a loyal partner anyway."

'Did she say what I think she said?' I thought with a growl. Lifting my head slightly, I slowed my pace and turned towards the offending mare in question with narrowed eyes.

Over the years, I have learned that I have two states of anger. The first one is a blazing inferno that destroys everything in its path, without fear, without mercy. It's this type of anger that caused my first ever blood-rage years ago, and it is this type of anger that I can access for a boost in times of great danger. My second type of anger is that of piercing ice—It's cold, heartless, unrelenting in its overwhelming blizzard. This state of rage only comes out when my friends or family is threatened or when my ability to protect them is in question. And as a side effect of my icy temper, the air around me drops a few degrees, as well as the ground beneath me, slowly becomes covered in ice. No one calls me disloyal! Especially when its directed to the one I hold close to my heart!

"Oh, look! Someone is angry," Sierra said all too cheerfully. "I'm not sure why, but I can guess that because no one wants to be with her. All she can do to quell her loneliness is by being easy as can be!" she mocked with the smuggest look on her face. Meanwhile, Rainbow was still staring at me with her everpresent glare. That's when I stopped, let out a long exhale to calm my nerves, and explained why I was so "easy" as Sierra said. It was an answer I don't like admitting to anyone, but for Rainbow and possibly the other Elements of Harmony. I wouldn't mind telling the truth about why my love life was what it is, so long as they would keep quiet about it. Plus, it will definitely keep Sierra's mouth shut, and if it doesn't? Then my hoof, will.

"Tell me, Sierra. Do you know what a Soul Bond is?" I asked plainly. She and the other three girls just looked at me confused for a moment before replying.

"What does that have to do with anything?" she asked back with a frown. Taking a step forward, I explained as calmly as I could while making sure the nearby Timberwolves didn't get too close.

"Oh, if you knew anything about true love, then you should know that a Soul Bond is the most intimate and binding form of marriage. You and your partner's souls literally become "one" during a Soul Bond, and do you know what happens while that occurs?" She gave me look of confusion while Rainbow's eyes went wide. Sierra shook her head in response.

"Well, in layman's terms; During the first ever fuse between you and your partner. You learn absolutely everything about them, and I mean everything. You get to know what truly makes them happy, what makes them sad. All your memories become theirs and them, yours. You get to feel all of their pleasure and all of their pain," I said with an ever-increasing growl, and I made sure my final word was accented with a predatory flutter of my wings.

"Not to mention that once the bond is complete, both partners can feel what their other is feeling no matter where they are in the world! And do you know what the best part of a Soul Bond is?" I inquired with the creepiest smile I could muster.

"W-What?" Sierra gulped nervously, but her disgust face told another story of how she was feeling about this little piece of information.

"Hmmhmm, I'm glad you asked!" I cheered darkly. "A Soul Bond is "till death do us part," and if your partner dies. Do you know what happens to the surviving member?"

"N-No?"

Dropping my cheery creepiness, wings, and ears. I let out a sullen sigh, "You can't feel love towards anyone else but the one you have bonded with. The only way you can is if you find another person capable of bonding with you, but the odds of that happening is a billion to one. I am what I am because its the only way I can feel connected with anyone else, and before you ask. Yes, I can feel the love of a friend, family member, or sibling. Just not the love of a partner, lover, or companion."

'A little detail Lunaris forgot to tell me before I reincarnated,' I thought bitterly.

After my little explanation, I saw that it had its intended effects, but only on Rainbow and the other two mares. Sierra, on the other hoof, looked like she wanted to puke. I frowned at this, however. Before Sierra could say anything to enhance her disgust. Rainbow spoke up.

"So, let me get see if I have this all figured out. You are a mare-slut because you did this "Soul Bond" thing with someone and that someone died. Making it impossible for you to feel any sort of connection with anyone unless you "bond" with someone, and to stave off the loneliness. You sleep with everyone?"

I shrugged, "more or less."

"That's—"

"That's horrible!" Sierra interrupted, earning an unamused stare from Rainbow. "What kind of Necromancy are you fucking performing?! Merging two souls together is...It's evil! Pure evil!"

"It's not evil," one of the unnamed mares joined in with a stomp of her hoof. "It's one of the purest forms of love that one can express there is!"

"And how would you know, Jasmine Leaf?" Sierra spat. 'Huh, pretty name. Makes me wonder how Sierra knows it.'

"Hmpf, if you must know. As a member of the Solar Faith, Soul Bonding is something that all couples strive to achieve. It is said to be one of the most difficult things to accomplish as the bond itself is equivalent to combining your own destiny with someone else's to the end of time. Everone knows that! Even Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has made it her mission to try and find couples capable of such an intimate feat of magic!"

"Tch, whatever, it doesn't change the fact that it's Necromancy," Sierra snarled. I let out a bored sigh and turned to Rainbow while Sierra and Jasmine argued about whether or not Soul Bonding was Necromancy, and to be frank. It isn't. It is classified at Auramancy, the exact opposite of Necromancy.

"Rainbow?" I said softly.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Her name was, Rose. Summer Jade Rose."

"Oh, how did you—?" I stopped her with a raised hoof.

"It wasn't hard to figure out before Sierra interrupted, love."

"Is she...?"

I shed a single tear and turned away.

"She is."

"Where are they!?" shouted a particularly livid dark-purple Pegasus. She was currently pacing around an empty camp with a few bodies lying dead in pools of fresh blood. "They should be right here! Where did they go?!"

Night Blade watched Raven rant and rave about their missing charges with a blank look. He had a good idea where his mistress fled to, and he would have told Raven right away, but the second she started her triad? He held his tongue for the time being.

Speaking of mares, Cinder was lazily trotting around the camp while Ash leaned against one of the open crates with his arms crossed on his chest. Raven's friend, Phoenix Scribe was currently looking over the scene with a scrutinizing gaze, as if he was treating the campsite as if it was a crime scene.

Letting out a sigh, he turned towards the pile of dead Griffins next to the camp. They were apart of the group of Griffins assigned with bringing the captured mares to a ship in Baltimare so that they could be broken and sold into slavery. The ten rotting corpses in question were all responsible for carrying the cargo, however. Their purpose instead was to lead him, and his compatriots to his captured Mistress hidden away in the Everfree Forest.

They've their mission admirably until they were disposed of, but once Night Blade arrived at the campsite, he knew that his mission was all for naught. His Mistress was already on the move into Baltimare, and they were lagging behind. This fact bothered him greatly for not being able to save his Mistress, and prove his worth as a guardian of the night. Of course, he didn't view Rhapsody as a weak mare, far from it in fact. She was one of the strongest ponies he had the pleasure of serving. He was simply disappointed in himself for not being able to provide support for his Mistress during her time of need.

Coming back to reality, Night Blade chose to speak his thoughts on the whereabouts of their missing ponies. Clearing his throat to stop Ravens ranting, he spoke. "I think my Mistress is already on her way to Baltimare and we just miss her."

"They're...gone," Raven's eye twitched. Night Blade nodded and pointed towards a trail of blood leading away from the camp. "Explain."

"My Mistress most likely broke free from her bonds and freed the others. The Griffins in charge were killed by the wolves while they weren't paying attention and my Mistress was the one to kill the wolves," he paused and turned to Ash, who wasn't paying attention all that much. "Can you track their scent, Ash?"

"Of course I can," the giant Diamond Dog snorted. "The Alpha and the other mares left together just a few hours ago. The Alpha was injured slightly, but nothing that she couldn't handle. I can track her blood-scent all the way to the edge of the forest from here, and on a side note. She smells quite annoyed about something."

"Can I ask a question?" Phoenix chimed in.

"Go ahead," Night Bladed motioned with a wing.

"How do you all know each other? Like, I understand Hawkfire knowing Night Blade, but the Drake Blood and the Diamond Dog? That doesn't really make sense."

"Heh, we could say the same for your little group Phoenix," Ash smirked. Night Blade simply rolled his eyes and answered the question.

"In any case, we all met in various unique ways. For me, I met Rhapsody in Hollow Shades. Every year, she would bring a few gifts for the poorer families of the village. Especially for this one filly named Nightingale. One year, I got curious and decided to confront her on why she was enamored by this village. and do you know what she said?" Raven and Phoenix shook their head. Night continued. "She said; "Princess Luna would be quite disappointed if one of her knights couldn't protect or provide for her charges." That name: Princess Luna, was a name erased from Equestrian History, and only a select few elders from my village knew of that name—The name of the Goddess of the Night, and from that moment on. I knew that by helping her in her mission. I would bring honor to my family and glory to the Thestral race for when our patron returned from her lunar imprisonment."

"So you just chose to blindly follow a pony who said the name of a non-existent alicorn, and help her do whatever the hell she wanted?" Raven frowned incredulously. Night Blade merely shrugged at the question in response.

"So far, Rhapsody has proven she knows far more about Equestria history than most could claim, but that's not the only reason."

"And what reason is that?" Phoenix inquired.

"She is a Siren—A person capable of using music as a weapon. She even has a special catalyst that enhances a Siren's abilities, as well as owning a pair of blades made of star metal, which is something that only a high-ranking officer of Princess Luna would own. I believe she is the reincarnation of Midnight Rhapsody, Luna's second in command," Night explained proudly. "It's only a matter of time before she fully awakens and when she does. Her songs will bring forth the death and destruction to all of the Sun Tyrants forces in the most bloody symphony Equestria has ever heard!"

"Oookay.' How about' you, Ash? How did you end up with Hawkfire?" Phoenix coughed, clearly not disturbed by Night Blades questionably dark glint in his eyes.

"I was raised by ponies in Canterlot. My father was a member of the Royal Guard, and I wanted to follow in his pawsteps. Unfortunately, the Guard wouldn't allow me to join, so I was a little disheartened that I couldn't protect my home and become the strongest that I could be. So, bored out of my mind, I went to one of those "Pegasi Races" and met my Alpha for the first time."

"That's it?" Cinder asked with a raised brow. Ash shook his head.

"No, not really. It was my Alpha that approached me with a job opportunity. All I had to do was deal with a pack of Diamond Dogs causing trouble for Appleloosa, and once my mission was complete. She would let me join her pack to do what I always longed to do, and suffice to say. Once I finished the mission, she showed me all the problems with Equestria, the Guard, and the raising Griffin problem. It didn't take me long to join, and I have no regrets about doing so."

Phoenix turned to Cinder...

"Urgh, dad was a Kirin and Mom was an Earth Pony. I was born in Far Harbor, didn't want to be a Fisher, and became a mercenary for a while until I took up a job with Hawky. I decided she was cool and chose to follow her lead. End of story," Cinder groaned.

Night Blade rubbed his forehead now that everyone has tossed in their two cents. He wasn't too pleased that they were wasting time talking about their past, not at all. Sure he knew that there would be some trust issues with the other two if they weren't at least forthcoming on a few of their questions. Trust was important to keep their temporary alliance from falling apart, and that trust will determine whether or not to remove Raven and her lackeys from the playing field.

Now, if only he can figure out how his Mistress was able to disappear from the camp so fast, her scent is only a few minutes old, yet, Ash can track her all the way to the edge of the forest. Could it be the magic of the forest? He was unsure. What he was sure of, however, was that his Mistress needs aid, and wasting time talking to Raven and Phoenix was causing them to lag behind.

"Excuse me?" Night coughed, earning the attention of the part. "But we should really catch up to Rhapsody, cause at this rate. Our mission to come and save her and Sierra would be a major waste of time."

"Do you know where they are headed? Cause I have no clue where they went," Raven wanted to know.

Turning towards the south-east with a raised head and a light flap of his wings, he replied "Balitmare."

"Gay!" Cinder gagged.

"Ew, too ponime, bro," Ash coughed.

"Just. No. Don't do that again," Phoenix added.

"So hot."

Everyone slowly turned to stare at Raven.

"Shut up," she grumble-blushed.

Author's Notes:

So, yes I said that I would leave fim, but when I haz a sad, I writs so ere is som artz! For makin ya wories. Ps. Figured out how to work Fizzpop Berry Twist into this. Hawky needs someone amazing at commanding a Navy~

Art!