It was late in the night, the train car that held Twilight, her friends and Zikel was quiet. Everypony was sleeping, save for Zikel himself. He was busy staring out the window as the rode pass everything at maximum speed. For being his first train ride, he wasn't very excited. Then again, he has learned to just accept things in this world as they are. He was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by the sound of somepony clearing their throat quietly. Zikel shifted his gaze to see Twilight looking over at him curiously. Zikel nods to her in acknowledgment and returns his gaze out the window. She makes her way over to him and climbs up on the seat next to him, nuzzling into his arms gently.

"Are you alright Zikel? You haven't even been to sleep yet have you?"

Zikel shook his head, looking back to her and reaching up, running his claws through her mane gently

"No Twi...I have been able to sleep. I feel that when we get to..wherever this place is, something is waiting to strike. And my hunches are usually correct. As much as I do not want to have anything happen of course..I don't know."

"Don't worry Zikel, Cadence has asked us and our friends to come and help them with whatever is going on. And I know with you there, everything will be fine. The girls think so to."

"Most of you do anyways. Rainbow Dash still hates me for some reason. What does she even have against me?"

Twilight looked over at the sleeping pegasus then back at him.

"Zikel...I am going to tell you something about her that may explain why she is the way she is around you. We have dragons here as you know. But Spike is still just a baby. So Rainbow Dash has no problem getting along with him. But her family was killed by a full adult dragon. In the most grotesque way. She has been on her own since then,and carries a strong hatred for dragons other than Spike.I guess when she looks at you. She sees the creature who took her family away from her."

Zikel's hands form into fists, trying to keep himself quiet.

"She hates me because some other monster stole her family away? What right does she have to judge me then? Its not like I wanted this form when I came here. The one that killed her family is gone. So she decided to take it out on me. Geez, what a selfish little bitch. Blaming me for something I didn't do. She doesn't know a damn thing about me. I lost my parents to soldiers who invaded my home as a child..I watched my parents burn alive. Telling me there was nothing that could be done, and they forced me to leave their side."

He began shaking slightly with anger, clasping his hands together and baring his sharp teeth.

"She has no right...no right whatsoever to judge me. She can hate me all she wants to. But the fact that she blames me for the loss nof her parents...she can go fuck herself for all I care. Grow up and move on Rainbow Dash...I had to."

Little did he and Twilight know, Rainbow Dash heard everything he had just said, her eyes wide and tears quietly flowing down her face. He had her pegged. That is exactly what she was doing to him. Blaming him for something another creature did. And at the same time, the venom he spat towards her made her heart ache. She laid there, continuing to cry quietly. Twilight was shocked at how he talked about her friend, but understood his anger towards her.

"Zikel...please calm down...you get rather scary when you get like this..."

Zikel was about to let out a low growl when he opened his eyes and caught himself. Letting out a soft sigh.

"I am alright Twi. I know now that....she will never accept me because she can't move on. Why should I care for her when she clearly will never care for me? I know you want me to be friends with all of your friends. But that is never going to happen. When I first saw Rainbow Dash. I thought 'Well, she actually looks pretty cool.' Then we she finally saw me...well I think you remember what happened. But like I said, things will never change."

Twilight closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him lovingly, crawling into his lap and snuggling close. Zikel in turn wraps his arms around the alicorn and nuzzles into her as well.

"Thank you Twi...for coming to check on me. You are too sweet to me,. You, Tia and Lulu...you three are the closest friends I have in this world...I will not let anypony or anything take you from me...."

"Nor will I allow you to be taken from me as well Zikel. The time we spent together while you stayed. I will treasure it forever."

They stayed like that for a long time, eventually they both feel asleep with Twilight resting in his arms. The rest of the train ride of quiet as they all slept. Early morning came as the train made it to the Crystal Empire, the sun barely rising up and hitting the large crystal castle.

"Oh wow...this place is...beautiful..."

Zikel's eyes widened as he looked around the whole kingdom, the crystals that made up the buildings, the streets, everything shone brightly as the sun rose. He spun around to get a full view of all he could see as he walked with Twilight and her friends. Twilight couldn't help but giggle at his reaction

"I remember the first time I saw it as well. Was the most gorgeous place I had ever been to, And when we defeated King Sombra and saved the Crystal Heart, it became even more lovely"

Zikel nodded and listened as they walked along. The other girls talking about their own thing, all except for Rainbow Dash..she was rather quiet. But Zikel didn't pay any mind to her silence. They soon came across the castle, going inside. Zikel noticed one thing for sure...something wasn't right here. There we slipping past guards who just nodded to them and didn't stop him. Zikel looked down at Twilight.

"Twi....that feeling I told you about...it just got stronger. Be on guard.."

They walked into the throne room, there waiting for them was Cadence and Shinning Armor. Zikel was about to test out something, first watching Cadence and Twilight. They usually did this silly little dance each time they saw each other, but all they got was.

"Good to have you here with us Twilight, I am glad the letter may it to you quickly."

Red flags were already going off in his head, he played along with it for awhile and bowed his head in greeting to Cadence, she smiled back to him and bowed as well

"Ah, a dragon with manners. And who might you be good sir?"

That was enough for Zikel, this had bad situation written all over it. As Zikel came up from his bow, he grabbed his dagger from behind and used his shadow step to quickly get to the princess. His blade right up against her neck and his eyes flaring a fierce glare, The girls gasped in shock as he placed his blade against the throat of the crystal princess, Shinning Armor moving in to defend his wife, But Zikel held his other hand up to stop the charging stallion.

"Who are you?"

Zikel asked in a dark tone, his dagger threatening to slice through the flesh of it's target. Cadence shifted her eyes and glared at him.

"Iam the Crystal Princess, Mia Amore Cadenza, lower your weapon!"

"Wrong answer."

He said as he pressed his dagger harder against the flesh

"Who are you?"

"Zikel, stop this now! What has gotten into you?!"

"Be quiet Twi. I will ask once more. If you cannot answer me truthfully, I will spill your blood here and now."

"I am the crystal princess, I swear!"

"If that is the case, then what is the nickname that she knows me by from her last visit hmmm?"

She did not answer, only to glare at him and suddenly lung at him with all her might. he falls back as she pushes him down and pins him to the ground. His dagger still pined to her neck

"Perceptive one aren't you? This kingdom is ours now...you ponies meddled in out last attack, you won't in this one. The queen has already set her plans in motion,and is dealing with the princess as we speak."

It hit them all at once, even Shinning Armor, their eyes widening as they figured out was exactly what was going on

"Oh no...not again...not again!"

Twilight yelled and looked to her brother

"Shinning! We need to gather the guard and-"

Suddenly the room was filled with guards, but turned into something else.black insect like creatures that had the blue eyes and hard and smooth outer shells that seemed to protect there bodies. Zikel kicked the one that had him pinned down off his body and jumped back up. Shinning and Zikel made their way over to the girls and made sure that they kept an eye on each other.

"This is bad...this is so very bad..."

Twilight said as the changelings came closer

"Twilight...get you and your friends and brother out of here. You need to go and find Cadence. She could be in absolute danger right now."

"Are ya serious?! We can't leave you here by yerself to deal with these vermin!"

Applejack said to him in a concerned tone.

"She is right, darling! You are a strong dragon, but this many all at once?!"

"There is no time to debate this! Get going, all of you!"

He said as a changeling tries to make a swipe at him, but he dodges and shoves his blade right through it's skull hard enough to break through the natural armor it had. Twilight was hesitant to leave her friend behind, fighting off all these changelings by himself wasn't going to be an easy feat, but she reluctantly nodded and teleported all her friends out of the room. leaving him with a room half full of changelings.

"Alright boys. Let show these oversized bugs what we can do..."

He said splits himself off into five other copies, each drawing their own blades as well and taking the same stance he did.

"Cut them down...all of them."

Him and his copies shot forth, beginning the slaughter that would most definitely be needing a cleaning team in the throne room after all this was done and over with. The battle was grotesque, body parts of changelings flying all over the place as Zikel and his shadow copies moved about the room with great speed, the sun hadn't started shinning through the windows quite yet, so the shadows he could find were of great use to him and his copies, flying through them like they were portals to each side of the room. The changelings made a big mistake attacking in here, that's for sure. But no matter how many of their comrades fell, they just kept attacking. Zikel wasn't getting off scott free either. He had endured some cuts to his arms, legs, back and chest. a few bites here and there. There was just too many of them for him to not have been hurt.It all came down to one more changeling, who know that they were beaten and tried to make a run for it. But Zikel was a bit more quicker than him and tackles the creature to the ground, shoving his blade into the changelings left forearm, it lets out a hiss of pain as he did, glaring at him

"Since you are the last one here. You are going to tell me were I can find this queen of yours..."

"N-never...I will never tell you, beast..."

Zikel grins wickedly and took his blade out, shoving it into a fresh spot, the changeling letting out another cry of pain.

"You know, I could always add more holes to your body than you already have...though I am not sure the next few will be good enough for your health. Now tell me where she is holding Cadence. Or I will end your existence VERY slowly."

He said as he takes the blade out and stabs the changeling multiple times,slow and deep thrusts into the creature's limbs

"One here....another here...oh, an we can't forget about here..."

Zikel continued to torture the creature, eventually he broke down and started talking. Shaking in fear at Zikel.

"S-she is b-being held...i-in the lower secret prison cells below the....c-castle. The queen has made her new lair down there....please...I am telling the truth...Please..."

"I believe you..."

The changeling lets out a sigh of relief.

"....but that doesn't mean, I have to let you live..."

Before the changeling could scream, Zikel sliced his throat with one swift motion, its last words were this.

"You...are a monster...."

"I have to be...for those I care about. You brought this on yourselves, you and your queen."

As Zikel got up from his position, he began walking away and out of the throne room, heading to where he was told she was being held.

"Cadence...I know you are still alive...hang in there. The shadows will be your savior this time."

He said as he made his way out. Next Chapter: Act 14: A Returning Threat Part 2 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 17 Minutes