A girl would become a woman today, but only in age. She had long since known what the adult world was like prior to this day, but it was this day that she would turn eighteen years old. Jade’s life prior to this day was a troubled one, and while she had hoped fleeing to America two years ago would improve her life, she was mistaken. Her time in the US was only marginally better than back home.

She brushed her long black hair behind her head as she leaned over a coffee table in her dilapidated apartment. She had assumed a new identity years ago and had lied about her true age, due to her ethnicity, people just assumed she was young looking for being twenty-two, but in actuality, her ID cards were all fake.

When she was only twelve years old, she had learned about America and how people here had more freedom, so she practiced English in secret and stored away as much money as she could to get a ticket to escape her homeland. It was a perfect plan, she staged it so well. She had gotten an older woman to pretend to be her mother so she could be accompanied onto the plane. From there she made her way to Australia and then she managed to get to America with a bit of planning.

Her parents were likely furious, and they likely had disowned her at this point, so there was no going back, but she would be damned before she married that man that they had appointed for her though.

He was only fourteen when she first met him, but already she could see how ugly he was inside. Thus began a long relationship of abuse. Her parents, however, only cared about the money his family held and restoring themselves to their prior glory. Her father had lost everything in bad business deals, and the family was only a fraction of what it was, this marriage would have brought them back into a higher status almost instantaneously.

Jade was blessed and cursed, blessed in that she was born a very beautiful girl with a slender figure and gentle features, but cursed in that it made her into nothing more than a bargaining chip for her family.

She had escaped that life and when she found her way into the US, she learned quickly how hard it was to get by as an illegal, so she resorted to selling drugs to stay afloat. By age seventeen, she had witnessed her first murder, and within eight months of that, she had committed her own. It was the nature of the business, man-killing-man and that was how it would stay.

Now, eighteen years of age, she couldn’t count the number of people she had to shoot on both hands. She was numb to it at this point, killing was just a part of her job and a necessity to stay alive. Crime was the only life offered to those without a support network.

Standing up, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was poorly fed, so her thin figure had only become thinner, something that she was certain would only make her into a greater sex object back in China, but she felt disgusting.

Her long black hair had grown so much in such a short time, now well down to her knees.

“The spirits laugh at me, surely...” She shook her head as she spoke to herself.

Throwing an old jacket on, she decided to go and get herself a soda. A short walk down to the convenience store and she walked out with a coke in hand. She marveled at how huge the American drinks were still even after so much time living there.

Sipping from the drink, she observed a cloaked man walking with a shorter man also donning a cloak. Curiously, she followed them from a distance and observed.

When the two made a turn into an old abandoned warehouse, she couldn’t help but poke her head up to peer through a dusty window to get a better look.

The two were meeting with another cloaked figure who seemed fairly nervous as their body language would suggest. “You know our policy on failure...” The tall one said.

The other one shook their head and pleaded as they got down on their knees. “Please! I didn’t mean to!”

“Talk is worthless, if you feel sorry then atone the only way that matters...” The tall one said.

After that, the short one next to him reached forward and grabbed the head of the man on his knees. With little effort they reached into his eye socket and pulled his eye out, ripping it off. He screamed in agony but his screams were silenced quickly when the small one slit his throat with their left hand brandishing a knife.

He gripped the opening as black sludge spurted out, causing Jade to gasp at what she saw.

The two looked toward the window and noticed her. She ducked down and tried to flee, but within seconds both figures surrounded her, pinning her to the wall. “I-I see nothing! I swear!”

The tall one’s voice was rough as he spoke. “Oh, I’m sure you saw plenty...”

“This one’s a human...” The other said very quietly.

The tall one glanced at his companion before looking Jade over. Gripping her face in his powerful hand he examined her. “You’re right. Just another human...” He shook his head as a black tendril came out of his sleeve aiming itself at her ear.

“W-what are you!?” Jade questioned.

“Demons, why, did you want to become one of us?” He laughed.

“What do you both want?” She asked.

“Order. Humans already have fucked up this world, so when we fix Equestria, we may come back here to bring order to this place too...” He explained.

That was all she needed to hear. Jade’s eyes grew serious as she spoke up. “Then I want to join you...”

“You’re just trying to save your pathetic life...” He accused.

“This world is rotten, just as you say. Maybe demons really can bring order to this shithole...” Jade said.

He looked over at his companion and then back at Jade as he gripped tighter. “What you ask will be incredibly painful...”

“I have already endured plenty of pain... What is a little more?” Jade grinned.

“A human among our ranks... That certainly will be... Interesting...” He nodded.

Gesturing to his companion, they reached forward with tendrils coming out of their hand.

Candy had spent some time designing outfits for the entirety of their group now and was ready to present what she had created. Each of the remaining members who hadn’t gotten an outfit had now been presented with them and were given them to try on now that she had assembled the remainder of their group.

The first to come out was Bolt Dash, who found himself with a pair of black pants covered in chains and straps and a black collared jacket with white trimming. He moved around a bit to see how natural he felt with the outfit and nodded in approval when he glanced at himself in the mirror, also sporting a black and white masquerade-style mask with white lenses over the eyes so that his eyes remained unseen, he chose to keep his hat on as well.

Turning to his side, he grinned a toothy smile and gave Candy his approval. “You’ve got a good sense of style, kid. I like what I see and that’s saying something. Hard to believe you’re related to Jasper with great taste like this.”

Candy bowed and smirked as she responded. “I’m glad that my talents are appreciated. This suit should provide you with excellent assistance to your speed as well. I designed it to be aerodynamic.”

“It gets an A+ from me.” Bolt held a thumbs up.

Cloud poked his head out and gulped as he looked at his brother, noting the drastic differences in their garb. “Uhhh... I don’t know if this outfit will fit in with the others...” Cloud spoke softly.

Blinking, Candy shook her head. “Nonsense, come on out here so we can get a look at you!”

Nodding, Cloud came out reluctantly and placed his arms at his side as he stepped into the room proper with a robe that seemed to suit his usual Asian-influenced style. It resembled a long sushi-chef jacket that went down to his knees, accompanied by a pair of pants with a half-skirt covering one side. On his torso, he was sporting a v-neck shirt.

To complete the look, he was wearing a half-mask over the top of his face that resembled a white fox.

Candy nodded approvingly as she began to explain her design choice. “Your element is water and I noticed the way you utilize your magic is more supporting than offensive, so I designed yours to not only suit your fashion sense but also your freedom of movement. It’s not as conventional as everyone else’s, but it’ll do the job nicely.”

Cloud blushed and looked to the side as he said nothing. He couldn’t deny that the outfit was fetching, but it pained him to realize that he wasn’t as useful in a fight as the others, but it was the role he felt more comfortable doing. He wasn’t a fighter like his brother was, and if anything, he was better in the role of keeping his brother from getting in over his head.

The boy resigned himself and decided not to comment negatively. Instead, he bowed and thanked Candy for her hard work. “Thank you...”

“You look adorable as well.” Candy gave a thumbs up and a wink.

Bolt just rolled his eyes at the commentary his brother was receiving. “Where’s Keylime?”

“Right here, boys!” She called out with a giggle before skipping out of Candy’s bedroom with her new outfit on.

Bolt’s jaw practically hit the floor when he saw her. A tight corset top held her alluring cleavage together with green laces. The rest of the top was black to match her usual style, and it even had a lacy skirt to go with it, also sporting lime green trimming.

Her legs were covered in checkered leggings and thick combat boots. Atop her head though, she had a set of bunny ears and a masquerade mask over her eyes.

Candy crossed her arms and grinned at how well her work turned out as she explained Keylime’s ensemble. “I was given quite a nice canvas to work with. Boobs, butt, legs, plenty of good assets to show off on that one...” Candy nodded as she thought out loud.

Bolt whistled and nodded in agreement. “Definitely agree there...”

“Glad you guys like it.” Keylime giggled as she did a little twirl.

“Not as good as mine though!” Nova’s voice echoed before stepping out of another room behind them.

Her tall boots were the first thing that most saw before her midriff top and studded black leather sleeveless vest. One of her arms was decorated in black netting, while the other just sported a single fingerless glove.

A pair of black denim shorts that left little to the imagination covered her lower half and a mask resembling a cat covered her face. She gave a faux kitten meow as she moved her hand like a paw playfully. “Candy, I love it, you’re a real visionary!” Nova praised.

Candy nodded smugly. “Yes, well I do have an eye for these things. I’ve been quite diligent in figuring out what is the best design for all of you. I’d like to think that I do unrivaled work...”

“No complaints here.” Bolt nodded.

Stepping past some plants in the office, Jade Silverneedle ran her hand delicately along with a ficus leaf as she listened to her superior on the phone, their voice irritating her, but she played along as he rambled on.

“Listen up, human girl, I’m giving you a new assignment,” Eight Ball’s voice called out.

She had chosen only to turn on the audio for their call, as she couldn’t stand to look at the little twerp. She ran her hand gently up the stem of the plant as she tried to muster up the willpower to humor him.

“You speak with such discontent toward humans...” She replied.

Eight replied instantly, “all trash is the same.”

“There’s a saying in China, it goes something like ‘do not speak ill of people during the day, and do not speak ill of spirits at night’,” Jade responded calmly.

“Funny, I have a saying too... It’s called shut the fuck up and do what I say,” Eight instructed.

She sighed and shook her head as she sat down at her desk and turned her chair to face out the window, looking down at Canterlot below her. “My assignment came from the top, you can’t just-“

“You’re being reassigned, that’s an order from the top.” Eight grunted.

What a dreadfully impatient man. Jade thought to herself.

“Why didn’t they contact me directly then?” Jade asked.

“There are other matters that require their attention... Besides, what makes you think that you're important enough to warrant a direct message from the boss?” He replied.

She already had a guess. “It’s that black kabuki again, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, and that’s part of your assignment. You’re supposed to keep eyes open for the bastard, and you are now tasked with retrieving the box from Horizon Shimmer and her friends,” Eight said.

A double assignment? The black kabuki must really have the heads of the organization occupied if they are that concerned about it. Jade couldn’t help but wonder who he was. His motives were unclear, and whatever those at the top did know about him, they weren’t saying. She doubted even Eight knew who he was or what he wanted.

Was it possible that someone else was working toward the same goal they were?

“Why this reassignment? I thought Summer Flare was on that job?” Jade asked.

“She’s useless, useless, and dead. You’re picking up the slack, I trust there won’t be able complaints about that? I’m itching for a reason to play with you after all...” Eight spoke.

His obsession with games only made her see how childish he was. “I’ll take care of it. Too bad about Summer though, she was dedicated, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, but dumb as a brick, so it’s probably for the best. Don’t fail us like she did,” Eight warned.

“I have it under control, I’ll report back what I find out every eight hours,” Jade replied.

Eight’s tone changed to a pleased one. “Good, keep me happy and we’ll get along very well, human girl. Just know that none of us trust you, so if you double-cross us, you’ll be dead before you hit the floor.”

“I would have guessed after eight years, you’d know where my loyalty is...” Jade rolled her eyes.

“Anyone can put on an act, so don’t fuck this up...” Eight threatened.

“If you excuse me, I have a lot of work to do...” Jade sighed before hanging up the call and placing her hand upon her desk. The woman grabbed a water bottle situated on her desk and took a long sip before eyeing the tree in her office. Taking the bottle with her as she stood up, she poured the remaining contents into its pot.

“Drink up...” She said quietly.

Killing Horizon Shimmer wouldn’t be an easy task if she managed to kill Summer, so Jade didn’t want to rush this. First, she needed to understand her enemy. A little scouting was in order. If she wanted to ensure her victory.

That would be far easier though, than tracking down the black kabuki. His movements eluded her and the rest of their group for a considerable amount of time. He was almost the most untraceable creature on the face of the planet. How he managed to blend in so well was beyond her.

Whoever he was, he did not fear their group, and if anything, he welcomed whatever challenge they proposed to him.

Finding him and killing him would likely cost them many lives, but that didn’t seem to stop the resolve in taking him down for any of their organization. Jade even found herself slightly excited at the challenge, but still cautious.

A few days had passed and Horizon was still curious about the events that had transpired to cause the end of Summer Flare’s life. Her mysterious master left their entire group in question, but the even more mysterious black kabuki had them all far more concerned.

“So, he’s like some super ninja-like guy with a fox mask?” Keylime asked as she did her best imitation of a fox. “Maybe he is like from some secret underground organization that’s like more underground than the original organization that we’ve been fighting! So he’s like double underground!”

Candy shook her head and rolled her eyes while she stood in the doorway to Horizon’s lavish living room. “Perhaps you could propose an answer to who the masked man is that actually gives us something to go off of?”

“I used to know a guy who dressed up like a fox actually...” Keylime said.

“Do you think it’s related?” Jasper blinked as he sat up from the couch with interest.

Keylime glanced over at him with confused eyes. “Huh? No. I was just sharing is all.” The girl shrugged, her shoulder slouching top slipping to one side as she did, giving a slightly better view of her chest (which Bolt was staring at).

In terms of useful insight, Keylime was seldom that source, but the girl did occasionally seem to guess things correctly if not by sheer dumb luck. Jasper suspected she was an idiot savant. Random things would blurt out of her mouth on the regular though, which was something that came with the package when it came to her.

Yuna noted how many people their group had enlisted at this point and found herself somewhat impressed by how big the operation had become. What started as a search for answers to Horizon’s mother’s death had become a task force to defeat demons and one that seemed to be growing larger and larger.

The computer genius pushed her glasses up her nose and smiled at the group as she proposed her ideas. “If I may...”

“By all means...” Jasper nodded as he was just eager to hear from someone who might actually have some answers.

Placing her hands upon her lap, Yuna began, “I had Moon analyze all we know and compile all the data he gathered when Horizon and the black kabuki fought, and it seems like this guy is definitely a trained assassin. His skill level is far above novice, we would wager he’s likely been being trained for a few decades.”

“If a seasoned killer is trying to get the box then that can’t be good...” Bolt pointed out.

“‘Fraid I have to agree with Bolt on this one...” Jasper frowned.

Nova giggled and sat down on Jasper’s lap and placed her arms around his neck, causing the boy to flinch and his entire face to turn red. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” She fluttered her eyes.

Jasper found himself unable to respond as she stood up and started laughing. “Your face! I can’t even!”

The boy pulled his hat down to cover his face as Nova continued to giggle and chuckle.

“Joking aside, I’m afraid both of you are right... This guy is the real deal and we need to figure out what’s in this box...” Yuna said.

Horizon reached into her utility skirt’s pouch and retrieved the box. She held it in her small hand with an open palm just staring at it as Yuna continued. “I believe I now understand how to open it though...”

The entire group froze and focused their attention on Yuna.

“Really? How?” Cloud questioned.

Yuna grinned as she explained it to them. “Moon has been analyzing the box for days now. He’s been running all kinds of algorithms on it to try and find a way to break it open and I believe we finally found it.”

“Well don’t keep us in suspense, girl.” Nova gestured with her hand for Yuna to hurry up and come out with it.

“The key is magic, more specifically, light magic. Sunset must have locked it with a type of magic that she knew demons would not be able to gain access to. Which means that Horizon has the power to open it.” Yuna smiled as she looked over at the girl she spoke of.

Looking down at the box, Horizon’s eyes focused on it. “How do I open it?”

“You need only to focus the light magic into your hand and concentrate on it being the key. Our calculations suggest that it will open after the appropriate amount of light magic fills the box,” Yuna explained.

It sounded far too easy. All this time, they had wondered what was in the box, and now they had discovered that the key is so simple?

Horizon wondered if she was prepared for what was inside. This object was important enough that demons killed her mother to get it, was opening the box a good idea?

She ignored her concerns and instead concentrated her magic into the palm of her hand. She thought of a key, a key that would unlock this box and give her the next clue as to what happened to her mother. It would take only eight seconds of thought and after her hand finished glowing, the box finally cracked open, ready to reveal its contents.

“It actually worked...” Cloud spoke in awe.

“See what’s inside!” Candy encouraged.

Nodding, Horizon reached down and opened the lid with her other hand. The item inside only confused them all more.

It was some kind of crystal, jagged in shape, and dark in color. It appeared black and without any luster. It reminded Horizon of shale and looked fairly unimpressive.

“That’s it? A rock?” Bolt said.

Somehow, Horizon felt it had to be much more than a rock. Something about it told her that its purpose was far greater than she could even imagine. If demons wanted it, then it had to be special, right?

“Don’t underestimate it.” Candy warned.

Nova instantly agreed. “She’s right, if demons want it, then it’s likely very important.”

“Doesn’t seem important...” Bolt laid back in his seat on the recliner he sat in. “Pass it here.”

Horizon tossed the stone over to him, and Bolt caught it in his right hand. The teenager gave it a squeeze and then held it in front of his face as he looked it over. “Doesn’t even feel like there’s any magic in it either. All of us can at least sense magic at this point and this stone doesn’t feel like anything is coming off of it...”

Raising a finger as she lectured, Nova pointed out a possibility. “It’s entirely possible that the stone only responds to demon energy, in which case it will appear like any old rock to us since none of us possess such magic. It’s the perfect strategy to hide it after all.”

“That’s definitely a good point...” Bolt admitted.

“Funny, we thought opening that box would answer questions, but all it seemed to do was make us have a bunch more...” Candy crossed her arms and nodded.

“The mystery continues...” Nova spoke.

“I love mysteries!” Keylime spoke up.

Jade’s mansion was everything that she could have dreamed of when she was a little girl, but now as an adult, she couldn’t think of it as anything more than a place to get away from the ugliness of the world, but not even entirely. Her only sanctuary from the miserable world was far from perfect and she noticed it more and more. Still, she remained hopeful that helping her master would fix a majority of her problems.

The girl poured herself a small glass of wine as she yawned. The woman sat down at the desk in her private study and pulled up a holographic window from her phone on her wrist and began to flip through security footage for every room.

For a split second, she was certain that she saw something quickly flash by. With her mind focused, she closed her eyes and she could see them, an intruder, one who had snuck past her security with ease. Opening her eyes, Jade began to assess where they could have gotten in and where they were headed.

It became clear right away, the intruder was headed directly for her. A fool, and one with a death wish, surely. The woman finished her wine before setting the beautiful, fragile glass down atop her desk. She came to a stand and stepped around the front of the desk. She was average height at best, but her red heels added a good inch or so.

The custom blue floral print dress she wore exposed her left leg as she stood prepared for an encounter with an intruder. Dark brown eyes scanned the room looking for the entry points that anyone could attack from.

To her surprise, the invader came directly through the door. Standing up, he was average height, and she could see his body was covered in a grey cloak while his face was concealed by a white kabuki mask. It was unexpected, but Jade kept her composure as she retrieved a cigarette from a golden case and lit it.

“A white kabuki... I wasn’t briefed on that...” Jade commented as she lit the cigarette and exhaled.

The white kabuki drew a knife from under his cloak and flipped it open. It was a complex butterfly knife, and his skill with it was evident. Like his black counterpart, this kabuki was equally trained in the art of combat.

“I have come to track down a demon, I sensed one here but...” His voice was distorted, clearly, he used a voice modifier just like the other one. “No, you’re only a human.”

Jade grinned before puffing out a ring of smoke. Wiggling her index finger, one of the plants in the office had its vines extend and whip at the white kabuki. His reflexes kicked in and he was able to dodge the attack in time and swing his knife, cutting the vine from the plant.

Frowning, Jade casually walked over to the plant and caressed it, causing its vine to grow right back.

“I see... A human turned demon, what an interesting development. Regardless, you are slated to die, all who aid those shitbags will share the same fate.”

Jade didn’t appear too concerned by his threat as she petted the plant. “I would worry far less about me, and more about yourself if I were you. You’ve just walked into death’s arms and you don’t even know it yet.”

He wanted to question her further but another plant in the room grew at an alarming rate and its vine lunged at him, impaling his shoulder, digging its vine into the skin. The kabuki groaned in agony as the vine wormed its way into him, trying to pull it out, but then ultimately decided to cut it with his blade and yank the remaining tendril out.

Trying to get back up, he noticed his body had gotten weaker. He struggled to stand but it was little use, his strength was sapped. “What the...”

“A gift, a poison in your veins, now... Tell me about who you’re working for...?”

Forcing himself up, the white kabuki tried to stay on his feet as Jade approached menacingly. Before she could get too close though, an arrow whizzed through the air, knocking the girl’s cigarette out of her mouth. All that was left was a butt stained with her deep red lipstick.

Allowing the butt to fall from her full lips, Jade observed the doorway to see another figure in a kabuki mask standing at the doorway. A compound bow gripped in their left hand which was concealed with black leather gloves. The cloaked figure placed the bow on their back and casually entered the room, their black kabuki mask reflecting the low light in the room.

Jade flicked her wrist and another vine lunged at this new kabuki, but the black kabuki unlike their white counterpart merely gripped the vine in their gloved hand and snapped it off of the plant before tossing it aside.

Just like the white one, this one’s voice was distorted as well. “While my partner can be stupid at times, I would appreciate it if you left him unharmed.”

“You both already made your choice on what will happen to you, it’s not my concern...” Jade retrieved a fan from her desk and held it in front of her face, the blue vine print upon it complimenting her dress as she watched the black one walk over to the white one and offer them something that she couldn’t make out.

The white one turned and lifted their mask up slightly to expose their mouth. Jade couldn’t get a good look at them, but they knelt down and vomited before wiping their mouth and placing the mask back on. They returned to a stand as if nothing had happened.

“That wasn’t even the deadliest poison I have at my disposal...” Jade commented.

“We didn’t come to listen to you gloat about whatever powers you acquired, Miss Silverneedle...” The black kabuki said calmly.

Grinning, Jade saw an opening as the black kabuki walked in front of another vine plant in the room, this one housing powerful spores. Quickly, she commanded the plant and its vine stretched out and wrapped around the black kabuki’s right arm, holding them in place before going up their sleeve and right into their veins.

Jade laughed as she watched and gave her fan a few flicks. “It’s over now. Those spores will take over your whole body in a matter of eight seconds. You’ll become my puppet.”

“Best count them down for me then...” The red kabuki said.

Checking the watch on her wrist, Jade watched eight seconds pass but the black kabuki showed no change in their demeanor. Something was wrong.

The white one stood with their butterfly knife ready to strike again as they got in position next to the frighteningly calm black one. “Unlike you, I am not a mere human. It takes more than that to control me, and there is already something far more potent in my body...” The black kabuki said.

“What exactly are the two of you even after?” Jade questioned.

“We wish to kill the red kabuki,” the white one responded plainly before the black one retrieved a 44 magnum from their cloak and aimed it at Jade.

Jade laughed. “I’m afraid it’ll take more than some knife tricks and bullets to accomplish something like that. The red kabuki is invincible, you should know that. They can’t be killed by conventional means, even I don’t fully understand the extent of their powers...”

“If it lives, it can die, plain and simple,” the white kabuki insisted.

“Well if you want to kill the red kabuki, why are you wasting your time with me then? I’m pretty low on the pecking order, you know?” Jade asked.

The black kabuki glanced over at their partner before looking back at Jade. “Killing you is only the first part of our plan. The red kabuki may be strong but fighting is about strategy and technique. If we kill enough of their subordinates, then surely that will piss them off enough to where they get sloppy.”

“Ordinarily, we’d be against unnecessary killing, but any who voluntarily serve the red kabuki get to die with them,” the white one added.

Jade observed carefully as she wondered how the black kabuki was able to slip past her to get into the building. The white one she picked up right away, she could see them long before they got there, but it was almost as if the black one slipped right past her and appeared out of thin air. Was it possible? No, her eyes had no blind spots, that much she knew, there must have been some kind of trick to it. The smartest thing to do though was to not let on that there were ways to get past her immense vision.

What were these two? Were they Equestrian like some of the members of their organization, or something else entirely? She could sense nothing from them, their powers either were suppressed or didn’t exist.

The black kabuki aimed their firearm once more, their gloved left hand gripping the gun tightly as they aimed. “Humans who side with demons deserve death, plain and simple.”

Jade knew that this person meant business. Quickly, she had several plants in the room attack the duo. While they turned to deal with the matter, she made an escape out the door and raced down the stairs. A gunshot could be heard as the black kabuki fired in her direction, but missed.

With a bit of luck on her side, Jade raced down and got into her car, peeling out of the building quickly. She set the destination for her office, knowing she would be safe there. The black kabuki and his white companion wouldn’t be dumb enough to attack her in such a public place that was fairly well known and monitored regularly by security. Humans, Equestrians, or demons, there was no way they could risk the general public going after them.

Even the red kabuki tried to keep a fairly low profile for the time being. The black and white kabukis wouldn’t want to have a manhunt after themselves.

Once Jade arrived at the office, she parked her car and made her way past security, swiping her phone so she could access the elevator. As she leaned against the glass wall, she started to think what she knew over.

If the black and white kabuki were trying to kill the red kabuki, then it was likely they were after the same goal. This meant that they weren’t working with Horizon Shimmer or any of her friends. This was further confirmed when she looked into the matter prior and found out that the black kabuki attempted to fight Horizon Shimmer during their last encounter.

What they had going on was a three-way fight. Three different groups all after the same thing.

Arriving at the top floor, Jade nodded to her secretary and attempted to pull herself together as she entered her office and shut the door behind herself. The plain white room decorated with modern minimalist furniture brought her some comfort, especially with the plethora of plants surrounding her. The young woman seated herself at her desk and crossed her attractive legs before retrieving a cigarette from her top drawer.

Horizon Shimmer had the box, which meant she had one of the eight stones, and that was less than ideal.

Jade lit up and inhaled as she leaned back in her expensive chair. If the red kabuki had six, that meant there was a good chance that the black and white kabukis had the last shard. Would killing them all really be that simple? Horizon was less of a threat, but all of her friends would have to die too, as there was no way they would simply give up the stone even if Horizon were to be taken out.

Regardless of anything, Jade knew she had to rely on herself for these matters. Eight Ball expected results, and given that Summer Flare had failed him, his expectations of Jade were even higher. He was a deranged man with little patience, so failure wasn’t an option.

Taking another drag from the cigarette, Jade decided that killing Horizon Shimmer should be her first priority, after all, she needed to ensure that she got the shard away from the black kabuki.

Placing her hand upon a small tree in her office, Jade whispered to the flora. “Keep your eyes open... Horizon Shimmer will have to die...”

With the growing concern over the black kabuki, Eight Ball had put Jade on the job of killing Horizon Shimmer while the masked assailant was running around. The last the group saw him, he was far over in Illinois, but now he had come to Maryland. It was clear that he knew something, or he had discovered where the shard was.

Eight knew that if the black kabuki got his claws on the shard, it was not only going to be a challenge to get it back, but his superiors would wring his neck. He wasn’t scared though, as the threat of death didn’t phase him at all. Unlike most that worked under their organization, Eight Ball had no concern about his personal well being. He hoped to gain nothing from his membership except the ability to enjoy his little games.

The black kabuki though, he was a ruthless warrior. Eight had seen footage of him ripping their lower-tiered partners apart. At one point he had ripped one of their subordinate’s heads clean off. What made him extra dangerous is that he also was quite skilled with a bow and could fire off an arrow in only a few brief seconds.

In his old life, Eight remembered being a part of the underground crime scene back in Equestria. The thrill of making money or losing it excited him at first, but he found that he ultimately got no pleasure from money; instead, it was the passion that went into putting everything on the line, and the reaction on his opponent’s faces when they lost it all. So the prospect of trying to take down this masked assassin only thrilled him as he adjusted his glasses upon his face.

A phone call from Jade wasn’t something he was expecting though. Gesturing over the phone on his wrist, the small man made a hologram of Jade appear before him. “What is it, human?”

Jade rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I’m a demon like you...”

“A demon, yes. Like me? No.” Eight smirked.

She ignored his statement and decided to get to the important information. “I had a run-in with your black kabuki. He wasn’t alone, a white one was with him...”

“What’d he want? I thought he was after the shards,” Eight raised a brow.

“So did I, but apparently he’s setting his eyes on bigger prizes now. He expects to kill the red kabuki apparently...” Jade looked away.

This definitely was odd information. Their entire time dealing with the black kabuki for these past few years he seemed only interested in getting in their way, but if he actually hoped to kill the red kabuki, it was a death wish.

“That’s an empty threat. Killing the red kabuki is impossible, they’re invincible after all...” Eight explained.

“I suppose you would know better than I... Still increasing your security around the red wouldn’t hurt anything, just in case he tries to make good on his threat...” Jade said.

Eight just laughed at the notion. Jade was human after all, and that meant she wasn’t as trusted as many of the others in their organization, so she had no way of knowing many secrets. “Listen, Jade, there is no security around the red, they themselves are more than enough security, trust me on this...”

Jade squinted in disbelief. “How strong is the red for real?”

“It’s a need-to-know basis, but rest assured... The black kabuki poses no real threat. Let him go around thinking he does, it’s no concern to us.” Eight dismissed.

“Understood, I’ll work on my job then...” Jade acknowledged before hanging up.

Eight chuckled as one of his subordinates inquired about the phone call. “Is it really true that the red kabuki is invincible? Like for real?”

Looking over at the young recruit, he nodded. “It’s all true. Nightmares are real, and I suggest you don’t ask too many questions about the red kabuki unless you want to live through a few nightmares yourself.” Eight pointed a knife at the young one as he continued. “The red kabuki is something beyond any of our abilities to even imagine. The things nightmares are made out of. You’d do wise to not ask questions.”

His minion just nodded and stood up straight. “Yes, sir!”

Nodding back, Eight sighed before lowering his knife. The black kabuki clearly was confident, but likely overconfident. He was bound to make some kind of mistake, right? No. The black kabuki was far too careful, too calculating, too cunning. He wouldn’t make a novice mistake, so it was pointless to wait around for him to do so. Was it really true that he hoped to sit on the demon throne?

No, this guy was a trained killer. But the red kabuki was far scarier for sure. Eight Ball had seen what that creature could do with his own two eyes. Anything this black kabuki could dish out was nothing in comparison.

Eight laughed just thinking about it. “Welcome to hell, black kabuki...”

Yuna sat at her desk examining the stone that Horizon had acquired. The teen had given it to her for safekeeping and so she could study and analyze it with Moon’s help, but the strange rock was still quite a mystery to her. Every test she had run on it didn’t reveal a single secret about it.

It was black in color and looked like some kind of gemstone, but an uncut one. She ran a hand through her hair in frustration as she spoke with Moon about their findings.

“I don’t get it, Moon... This rock exhibits no demonic power whatsoever. I can’t find any kind of dark energy from it, but there is clearly some kind of magic connection... Why do these demons want it so badly?” She asked.

The hologram of Moon walked over to the stone and kneeled down studying it further. “My scans indicate that the rock is definitely not of Earthly origin, that’s for sure.”

“So it came from Equestria, but why is it here? What use does it have? This black rock doesn’t seem to do anything...” She frowned.

“According to my calculations, the stone is thousands of years old...” Moon suggested.

“Is it possible that maybe it powers something? Like maybe it’s not useful on its own?” Yuna asked.

Moon nodded as he placed his paw in his other paw. “Or what if the stone merely does not work here? It’s possible that these demons came here to bring the stone back to Equestria! The stone somehow must have ended up here for safekeeping or something and they are trying to get it back. Sunset must have found it and put it in that box to keep it from getting into those demons hands!”

Yuna bit her lip as she leaned back in her chair. She pulled the pencil out of her hair and tapped her lip with it as she considered that option, realizing there actually was another possibility. “Or...”

“Or what?” Moon asked.

“Sunset got the stone from Equestria...” Yuna pointed at Moon with her pencil.

“How would she do that though?” Moon asked.

“Sunset must have known a way to get to Equestria, I mean those demons came here so there has to be some means of getting there, right? Maybe that’s why she was killed? She was followed by one of those demons on her way back?” Yuna suggested.

Moon paused but began to run some numbers as he contemplated it himself. Maps of the city appeared next to him and a circle went over the storage facility where they found Sunset’s lab. “This could explain why I found trace remnants of magic in the storage facility when the data was sent to me... Some kind of portal could have been housed there at some point?”

“There’s a problem with that theory though...” Yuna said.

Moon already knew her objection. “If the portal was in her lab, Sunset would have needed a way to know about the portal prior, right?”

“Exactly...” Yuna nodded.

The two sat in silence for a good long moment. Yuna scratched her head and tapped her pencil on the table eight times before the answer came to her.

No. It’s not possible. She thought to herself.

“What if...” Yuna started.

“Yes?” Moon leaned in with interest.

“What if the reason she knew about the portal was because she had been to Equestria prior to this?” Yuna asked.

“But why would she do that?” Moon asked.

Yuna bit her lip, not wanting to suggest it out loud, but she forced herself to voice her thought. “What if... Sunset is from Equestria?”

“You mean that she’s Equestrian? Not human?” Moon blinked.

Yuna nodded slowly. “And that means...”

“This is all a big cover-up then...” Moon finished her thought.

“So how’s this sound... She puts the portal in that lab, locks it there, but she gets some unwanted company coming through the portal, and he kills her...” Yuna suggested.

“But then the portal would still be there, wouldn’t it?” Moon asked.

Yuna came to a stand and started pacing the room with her thumb on her lip. “Not if the demons came through it... They would have moved it somewhere, right? Somewhere where they can get access to it whenever they need...”

“Are you forgetting that the facility was still locked when it was found? On top of that, it had plenty of magic protection around it...” Moon said.

“Maybe Sunset couldn’t prepare for demons? After all, they seem to be pretty unpredictable...” Yuna spoke.

Moon ran the data through his logic system and deemed it sound. “It’s all a fairly sound theory...”

“One that we need to keep to ourselves...” Yuna frowned as she looked at the canine hologram.

“Huh? Why?” Moon tilted his head.

“Moon, if this is true that means that Horizon’s mom is an alien from another world. I don’t think it’s a good idea to spread this info unless we are 100% certain that it’s true. It’s just a theory right now, but I don’t see a reason to concern Horizon over it until we have more to verify it with...” Yuna explained.

Moon frowned as he realized what she was suggesting. His simulated emotional intelligence grew with every interaction, and now he had a firm understanding of the situation. “Horizon does indeed seem to already exhibit poor social and emotional development, so I suppose it is reasonable not to impede on the girl any further, correct?”

Yuna bit her lip and grimaced at his words, but recognized that he needed to be blunt and ask such questions so that he could learn. He would be useless to them unless he learned how to communicate with them.

“I can’t say that I’m a fan of pointing out her shortcomings, but I suppose you have some merit...” Yuna replied.

Moon blinked. “Miss Yuna, may I ask you a question about Miss Shimmer?”

“What is it, Moon?” Yuna leaned in closer to talk to the hologram.

“Your feelings for Miss Shimmer are quite deep aren’t they?” Moon asked.

Sighing, Yuna leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. “Yes... I love her more than anything in the world. At first, I was just infatuated with the idea of her; her beauty and quiet demeanor had me...”

“And now?” Moon tilted his head.

“Now that I’ve gotten to know the real person... She’s better than I imagined. She’s socially awkward, sure, but that’s what I love about her... I can relate to a person like her and yet at the same time she is what I wish I could be...” Yuna frowned.

“How so?” Moon asked.

Yuna removed her glasses and set them onto the desk before she began to strip down to her underwear. After a few seconds, she picked out some pajamas to slip into and laid down on her bed.

“I guess I like how Horizon can say what’s on her mind without a filter, she isn’t afraid to say anything... She’s never apologizing for being who she is. She’s such a strong person...” Yuna found herself smiling as she praised her crush.

It was all true too, Horizon was exceptional in so many ways, yet the girl treated herself like she was boring and average. In actuality, Horizon had a talent for getting others to join her in her pursuits. Her consistent blunt honesty made her dependable when it came to the truth, and her serious demeanor meant she was never sarcastic.

Of course, the girl’s physical appearance did quite a bit for Yuna as well. Her hair had that unkempt look to it that Yuna loved for starters, and her face had those cute freckles.

Moon had shut himself off when he realized his master was trying to rest, and Yuna only fell asleep after noticing the time was 8:48 PM.

The red kabuki stood there before one of their subordinates that they had determined was responsible for the loss of the stone that now was in the hands of Horizon Shimmer.

Standing next to the red kabuki was a tall cloaked man who stood a good foot above the red kabuki. He stated the will of his master as he watched the underling that they knew as “Flush”, grovel at their feet.

“You had the stone, and then you managed to allow it to fall into Sunset Shimmer’s hands... While we were able to kill Sunset, the stone was not found. Due to your negligence, Horizon Shimmer now has the stone...” The tall man spoke.

Flush kept on his knees as he begged for his life. “Please! I will do anything!”

The red kabuki gestured for the tall man to lean in and listen. He did as he was instructed and listened to the words of his master whispered into his ear.

After a few moments, he nodded and stood tall. “The red kabuki says there is no room for failure. Do not grovel, stand up, and face your death like a proper demon.”

Tears ran down Flush’s face, but he forced himself to stand. The red kabuki reached into their cloak and retrieved a knife, which they quickly flung at Flush, hitting him right between the eyes. The demon fell and was a black mist before his body hit the ground.

Jade stood with Eight Ball as the two watched some of their lower henchmen round up a few bodies and toss them into a fire pit. They had been required to take out a few humans that stood in their way for the mission that they had been assigned. Cleanup was always a boring part of the job, which is why Eight always left it to his subordinates.

Pulling out a cigarette, Jade leaned up against a wall as she lit up, taking a short drag before placing it between her two fingers. Her ankles crossed as she used the wall for support.

“I’ve been a part of this organization for years now, but there’s still so much that I don’t know...” Jade said.

Eight didn’t bother making eye contact. He watched the burning of the bodies behind his glasses. “No one person knows too much, that’s how the red kabuki keeps it...”

“Who is the red kabuki though? I know he’s in charge, but why?” Jade asked.

Shaking his head, Eight answered. “It doesn’t matter. They’re in charge and the rest of us have to just deal with it.”

Jade scoffed. “You don’t even know do you?”

“I know, but I’m not telling a human... The reality is that only the higher-ranking members of the order are permitted to know more about the red kabuki. There’s only a handful of us that know his intentions or identity. Rest assured though, he’s the real deal...” Eight explained.

It made Jade uneasy to think that despite her time in this organization, she still wasn’t that trusted. She had killed for this red kabuki and she had never even seen his face or gotten so much as a thank you. Still, she followed under the hope that it would all make sense in the long term.

What she understood was these demons had come from another world known as “Equestria” where they were outcasts. Their leader gave them power, and his ability was unprecedented. After he came to the human world, he granted passage for other demons to do the same.

Many in their group spoke of giving order and balance to the world like they were some kind of saviors coming to save humans from themselves. The lower members were permitted to know absolutely nothing, not the identity of their leader, not the aim of the mission, or even details of jobs they were sent on. Everyone that was lower in rank was to complete tasks assigned to them without question.

Jade was a step above a rookie underling, but well below a trusted advisor. She had earned a tiny bit of recognition for her loyalty and ability to deliver on her promises, but because she was human, it was far harder to impress those at the top. As far as she knew, she was the only human in the group, and it seemed as though it was going to stay that way.

Humans were hated by all in the order, and many within it didn’t trust Jade, but she just brushed it off from the start.

“Forgive my rudeness, but it’s hard to believe he’s that strong when he has so many henchmen like us do his work for him...” Jade replied.

Eight laughed and shook his head. “Don’t mistake him. We’re not needed for our strength, that’s for sure. If he wanted to, the red kabuki could run this entire operation themselves. They just don’t like doing the light work, can’t say I blame them either. No one wants to do crap jobs after all, not when you have the ability to subjugate others into doing them for you...”

Putting out her cigarette, Jade rolled her eyes while she stamped it out. “You have some serious issues, did anyone ever tell you that?”

Looking out of the corner of his eye, he grinned stupidly. “What you consider ‘issues’, I consider unique qualities.”

“Yeah, you’re unique... That’s for sure...” Jade shook her head.

The kabukis are going at it, huh?

We're getting closer to the end of part one of Act VII at least!