The red kabuki sat patiently with their ever faithful subordinate Eight Ball, who took care of their light work such as bossing around the underlings and keeping their mission intact on a smaller scale. There were certain tasks that a leader shouldn’t bother themselves with, and that was where the red kabuki's agents came into play. Every agent was given a specific directive, and Eight’s was to keep things in check in his area. Every agent knew what the consequences were if they were half-assed with their directive or if they failed at them. The red kabuki was pretty quick to kill any who chose not to follow anymore, and failure was the same as abandoning the mission. Tolerance was not a trait that they possessed, and all who worked under them were aware of that.

It was imperative to their mission that they keep a close watch on the area where he oversaw. They would need every advantage they could get if the black kabuki stood in their way. He was a devious one, and quite resourceful. For years he evaded them all, and that only frustrated the red kabuki more. He was standing in the way of their plans and constantly wasting their subordinates’ time.

Eight tossed a knife into the air, catching it easily as it came back down, and then glanced over at his master with his usual sinister grin. “So, the black kabuki might show his ugly head when Jade executes her plan, you think?”

The red kabuki was at least 80% certain he would, but up to that point he did prove unpredictable, so they accepted the possibility that he could do something else altogether. “I would say the possibility is very likely at the very least. He is a trouble maker for us, after all. The piece of shit is dedicated to being a thorn in our side.”

“That whip of yours should make light work of him, I mean a weapon from hell... That’s gotta be insanely strong... Bet one swipe of that could split the bastard right in half; hell, I’d pay good money just to see that happen. Watching his guts fly out of him as his body splits down the middle...” Eight commented as he tossed the knife into the air once more, he was almost drooling at the thought. Many would regard him as a twisted individual and they would be correct.

The red kabuki knew that Hell’s Lash was beyond powerful and that no mere mortal could stand before it, but it was evident that the black kabuki was no mere mortal. His abilities were impressive and it was clear that he was more than prepared for even a demon to stand in his way. Would the mighty whip of hell itself even be enough to take him down? Was it possible that he could withstand it? It seemed likely.

“It will take more than a weapon of hell to kill him, but he will be undone one way or another...” The red kabuki explained.

Eight raised a brow in surprise. “It’s not like you to be so cautious. What gives? Is this guy that good? You know something that I don't?”

The red kabuki recalled all the footage they had observed of the black kabuki. He was fast and incredibly deadly. There was little doubt that he was a seasoned warrior, and thus he couldn’t be taken lightly. Was his origin human or Equestrian, though? They had their suspicions, but they couldn’t confirm anything.

“It doesn’t matter how good he is, he’ll fall like the rest... In the long run, he’s just an insect that will get swatted. He’s been a pain in my ass for far too long,” the red kabuki said.

Hopping down from his seat atop of a table, Eight grinned as he heard those words. “Want me to come along to spice things up? I’d love to see you rip him apart. I'm getting bored sitting around here... Give me a few people to play with after, you know?” His voice emphasized the word "play".

The red kabuki shook their head. “There are still matters that require your attention. I want you to remain here and continue to oversee the operation. The stone must make it into our possession safely and then we must combine it with the others.”

“How many more are left?” Eight questioned.

“Eight by the look of it, but counting the one that Horizon Shimmer has, we already know where the other seven are, it’s just a matter of getting our hands on them before the black kabuki does,” the red kabuki answered.

“How soon do you think we can get them?” Eight asked.

The red kabuki faced him and the poor lighting of the abandoned warehouse reflected off of their elegant mask as they spoke. “Maybe three weeks at most. It should give us plenty of time before we miss our window.”

“Everything comes together then?” Eight grinned.

“Very much so.”

Stepping closer, the red kabuki could see the eagerness in her underling’s eyes. Eight was a fairly unstable character, and that much was evident from the day he was recruited. To him, nothing mattered except for playing games with people. His only passion was to gamble with people’s lives. A creature like him was shunned by society but welcomed into their organization with open arms.

The red kabuki couldn’t deny he was a valuable asset to their plans.

“Tell me... How did you manage to kill the previous candidate for the demon throne? I’m itching to know...” Eight asked.

Glancing at him, the red kabuki shook their head. “You’re not ready to hear a story like that. However, I can say that it was certainly a blast from the past.”

“Must have been one hell of a fight...” Eight said.

The red kabuki shrugged. “It was over far too quickly in my opinion, but then again it’s not as fun when they don’t beg for mercy... I prefer it when they grovel a little...”

“Ruthless as always...”

The red kabuki turned to the door and headed in that direction. “Of course, now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get ready for when Jade lures Horizon and her friends into her grasp. There’s no telling how she’ll fuck this up, so I better be on standby.”

“Humans are unreliable after all...” Eight pointed out.

“I’m well aware. Still, she has been a somewhat useful pawn. If she actually survives this encounter I may consider keeping her alive a bit longer if not just for my own amusement. Though that all depends on if she begs for her life or accepts death so easily... Nothing is less satisfying than prey who shows no fear before the killing blow...” The red kabuki explained.

Eight could relate to that sentiment. It was indeed always better when their eyes were filled with despair right before their final moments.

“Keep an eye on things, Eight, and don’t fail me... You know how I feel about failure...” The red kabuki said before finally leaving.

Eight shook his head and smirked as he answered. “I wouldn’t even dream of such a thing.”

“You’re serious? The Jade Silverneedle? Like this is the real deal?” Cloud blinked as he held his hand close to his face with an astonished look upon his face. Just like Candy, he was a fan of her work, but not as big a fan as she was obviously. Her way of accenting her clothing with her unique flare set her apart from others. Her designs were the kind that couldn’t be imitated.

Candy nodded with an equal amount of excitement as she shared the news. “Mother said she secured a tour for us where we can meet her ourselves, she’s going to let us see her private collection.”

“Pretty impressive, that Jade Silverneedle is a hottie from what I’ve seen of her on the internet... Almost as hot as Jasper’s mom.” Bolt smirked.

Jasper narrowed his eyes and then raised a brow. “Beg your pardon?”

“I’m just saying that Rarity is hot, dude. I’d tap your mom in a heartbeat no doubt.” Bolt chuckled.

Closing the distance between them, Jasper jabbed Bolt in the gut knocking the wind out of him. He gasped and knelt down gripping his stomach. He had never seen Jasper actually retaliate to any of his teasings, but now he at least knew that jokes about his mother were where even the calm and collected Jasper drew the line. Nova simply sat in the corner giggling as she sized up Jasper’s impressive bicep, nodding with approval.

Thorn frowned at the invitation. “I’m afraid I can’t make it. I have a training session with Cinder tomorrow, not to mention I doubt there’ll be much benefit in me going since I can’t exactly appreciate fashion like you guys can.”

Keylime was about to comment asking why before Yuna covered her mouth and shook her head.

“That’s fine, I doubt we’ll be attacked by demons around someone so important anyway. By the look of it, these demons are trying to keep a relatively low profile, so they wouldn’t dare get seen by such a well-known fashion designer...” Yuna commented.

Horizon nodded in agreement. “That is quite a logical conclusion, I suppose.”

“We could use a break from fighting demons anyway.” Candy smirked.

When everyone agreed, the group began to wander the big open barn that they had chosen to meet in. Jasper’s family often used it for gatherings, and so they agreed it was a perfect secondary meeting place outside of Horizon’s estate.

He wandered to the corner where Nova stood leaned against the wall and noticed she grinned when he approached. The teen removed his hat and nodded politely at her as he spoke. “So, do y’all have a ride to this thing tomorrow?”

Nova fluttered her eyes, causing Jasper to pay close attention to them. Their gentle almond shape made them cute but alluring at the same time. “Are you offering to pick me up, Jasper Apple?”

“If that’d be alright...” He blushed.

Standing up straight she stepped forward and came inches away from him. Her hand at her side reached forward and her slender fingertips landed carefully on his thigh as he stood in front of her. He flinched at first but did nothing to stop her as her fingers trailed up and touched his groin.

His eyes widened as he found himself frozen from shock, but Nova could already feel something getting harder. She laughed lightly before speaking in an almost whisper. “I guess that tells me you really wanted to pick me up then... I’ll wait for you at the cafe on Eighth street, okay?”

“Y-yes ma’am...” He nodded.

Removing her hand, she winked as she walked away and waved.

Jasper gasped for breath after she went to go and mingle with the others as he spoke to himself. “That’s a dangerous woman...”

Sure enough, the next day, Jasper found Nova waiting for him exactly where she had planned to meet him. As he pulled his truck up to meet her, he gulped and tried to maintain his composure before rolling down the window and shooting the girl a smile.

Seeing her standing there, he couldn’t help but stare at her mini skirt and midriff top. She smiled back at him and came around the other side of the truck to let herself in. With a simple hop, she was in the seat next to him grinning at him once more. When the door shut she leaned in and spoke. “So, here we are...”

“Yeah... Here we are...” Jasper gulped.

“So are we heading right there, or are you planning on taking me somewhere to do something naughty with me?” Nova asked with an almost innocent tone.

Jasper found himself flustered and stuttering. “O-of course n-not!”

She feigned disappointment. “Really? That’s too bad. I even wore these special panties...”

“W-wha!?” Jasper shook his head.

She giggled as she flicked his nose. “I was only kidding. Come on, we don’t want to make the others wait, right?”

“R-right...” Jasper nodded before starting the engine back up.

Once the vehicle was in motion, he glanced over at the attractive girl next to him and decided it would be better if he tried to engage in conversation to distract himself from how flustered he had become because of her.

“Strange that this Silverneedle lady keeps her private selection so far away from her main office...” Jasper commented.

Nova shrugged. “I don’t know much about fashionistas, but I’d say it’s probably a security measure to make sure no one steals her ideas. The rich are always paranoid about people hijacking their intellectual property after all...”

“I ‘spose that’s true. Do you know many rich folk?” Jasper asked.

She shook her head before flipping down the mirror on her side to check her eyeliner. “Nope, when other kids were learning the names of different boy band members, I was learning how to make bullets that can harm energy specters and how to hide switchblades on my person to get them past any security check.”

“So you really haven’t had a normal childhood then, huh?” Jasper asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

“Can’t say I have.” She shrugged.

Those words made him a little sad to hear. “Do you ever feel resentment toward your parents and Angel?”

“What do you mean?” She turned to him with a confused face.

“They more or less stole your childhood from you, forced you to enlist in... err... The family business...” He made sure to be careful how he worded it so as to not offend her.

She shook her head. “Not at all, I’m glad they did. Sure I may not have a normal life, but I still got to make friends with all of you guys, so it’s not like I’m missing out on too much. On top of that, my family and I are really close thanks to all the time we spent together, so I’m thankful for that. Many people only wish for the closeness I have with my family.”

Jasper hadn't considered that. While her family was far from conventional, it was evident that they were just as, if not closer than his own. Nova acted like her mother was her best friend and the two seemed to get along flawlessly.

“I guess that makes sense...” Jasper nodded.

“It’ll all be over soon though.” Nova had a quiet tone.

“What do you mean?” Jasper glanced over at her.

Nova placed her hands in her lap as she looked down at them, remembering all the supernatural beings that her hands had aided in ending. It was a thrilling and exciting life, one that she had grown accustomed to.

“Well, once we solve the mystery behind our powers which I’m assuming is connected to what you guys are doing... We’ll have no reason to keep going all over anymore. We’ll have accomplished what my mom and Angel set out to do, so we’ll probably settle down here and live a normal life after that...” Nova explained.

“That’s a good thing, though,” Jasper noted the sadness in her tone when she explained herself.

“I guess...”

“But?” Jasper asked.

“But, I guess living a regular life is scary to me... What we’ve been doing is all I know, so a part of me doesn’t want to stop...” Nova said.

Jasper shook his head. “Everyone has to settle down eventually. A life full of danger is bound to be a short one. Eventually, you get outmatched and that’s the end of it. It’s better to get out of that kind of thing while you’re still young.”

“The idea of a normal life sounds boring though... I don’t even know how I’d fit in among regular society either...” She frowned.

“One day at a time and life ain’t boring... It’s just the start of a new kind of adventure, that’s what my ma says.” Jasper smiled at her from the corner of his mouth.

Nova felt herself smiling back at him. His kind words soothed her.

“Thank you, that actually helps. At least I have you guys around to help me adjust when that happens, right?” Nova asked.

He gave her a thumbs up. “Darn tootin’. We’ll be there to help you whenever you need it, after all, that’s what friends are for. You’ll fit in easily in good time, after all, you have us to guide you.”

Before she could respond, Jasper pointed to the other gathering of cars in a small parking lot. “We’re here looks like.”

As Horizon Shimmer watched Jasper pull up and park his truck, she noted that he had Nova with him. She looked over at Yuna in her own passenger seat and shrugged. It hadn’t been explicitly discussed who was driving who, but once Jasper parked, she saw Bolt step out of his car with his brother, Keylime, and Candy in the back seat.

Jasper followed suit and stepped out of his vehicle and walked around to one side to assist Nova out. When Yuna saw this, she blushed hoping that Horizon would do the same for her, but no such luck. Instead, the girl merely got out of her own car and stood waiting for the others. With a sigh, Yuna stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Once their entire group was assembled, Bolt spoke up first. “So, how far out is this place from here?”

“It’s about an eighth of a mile from here,” Horizon spoke.

“Why can’t we bring our cars then?” Bolt asked.

“Ms. Silverneedle said she didn’t want too many cars parked in front of the place so it doesn’t attract unwanted attention. She specifically instructed us all to park here and walk the rest of the way because of that...” Candy explained as she rolled her eyes.

Bolt placed his hands behind his head and yawned. “Whatever, not like I’m that interested in seeing clothes anyway. I’m just coming along because that Jade girl is a sexy beast; I wanna see if she’s as hot in person.”

“Probably more so.” Keylime winked.

“Well let’s not stand around here then; let’s go find out.” Bolt chuckled.

A good time later, the group found themselves in front of a medium-sized building with its own parking lot. Above them was a huge road bridge, the entire scene didn’t exactly strike any of them as the kind of place where a high-class fashion designer would keep her private collection.

Nova crossed her arms and scoffed. “This doesn’t seem like the kind of place a fashionista would keep her things...”

As expected, Candy came to her defense first. “That’s to keep people from bothering her. I mean would you hide your best stuff in a place where everyone would think to look? It makes perfect sense to hide it somewhere out of the way that no one would suspect.”

Nova frowned. “I suppose that makes sense...”

Horizon blinked as she felt a vibration in the ground as the others carried out their frivolous argument. “Huh?”

“What’s wrong, Horizon?” Yuna questioned as she took the girl’s arm in her hand.

Horizon froze and stared at the pavement. “Something... Isn’t right...”

As if her words had been the key, the ground under them shook and asphalt began to crack. The group tried to scramble but before they knew it, extremely large vines came out of the ground right through the pavement and created an enclosed circle around them. The vines grew to impressive heights that exceeded eight feet. They weaved together to create virtually no gaps between them as if they had a mind of their own.

Candy quickly reached into her bag and retrieved her short sword and swung at one of the vines only for the blade to bounce off and a black aura surrounded the vines. “Demon energy!” Candy exclaimed.

“Then that means...” Bolt paused as the group looked toward the building.

“No... It’s not possible...” Candy shook her head.

From the entrance to the building emerged a young elegant looking woman. Long black hair swayed as she walked on high heels that only added an inch or so to her short height. Her body was adorned with a gorgeous deep blue floral print dress that hugged her attractive form.

With a fan in hand, she moved it to the side and unblocked her face. Porcelain white skin was contrasted with vibrant red lipstick and expertly done mascara. Her eyes fluttered a few times from behind the fan.

“You’re Jade Silverneedle...” Candy spoke quietly.

Closing the fan and tossing it aside, she nodded. “Yes, I am indeed Jade Silverneedle...”

“Y-you’re a demon?” Candy shook her head in disbelief.

She looked away carefully and touched her hair, running her hand through it. “We all are to an extent, but yes I am a demon.”

“How!? And why?” Candy stepped forward.

Jade kept a neutral expression as she explained herself. “You’re looking at the only human within the organization’s ranks. I stand alone as the only human to be permitted to join.”

“So you’re not Equestrian like the rest of them then?” Jasper asked.

She nodded. “Correct. I had to prove myself twice as hard to earn a place in this organization, but I am a demon like the rest of them now.”

“Why though? I don’t get it! You have everything! People respect you!” Candy asked.

Jade grinned at those words. “It’s what I have been ordered to do. Horizon Shimmer and her friends must die, then I am to return the stone in her possession to my master. It’s nothing personal.”

“And who is your master?” Nova questioned.

“That would be me...” Another voice spoke.

Standing atop of the building was a figure in a dark tattered cloak with a red kabuki mask covering their face. They were short in stature probably only five feet even.

Jumping down they stood at the entrance to the building that Jade had exited and leaned against the wall. “Make light work of them, Jade. Show me that it wasn’t a waste of my time to grant you power...”

Glancing over at the red kabuki Jade looked back at the teenagers who now had taken battle stances and retrieved weapons from their bags before setting them aside.

“Very well...” Jade sighed before tapping her foot on the ground.

A large vine burst through the asphalt and carried a short sword on it. Jade took the ornate sword carefully in her left hand and pet the vine with her right before it sunk back into the earth.

“That’s not creepy at all...” Bolt commented.

Donning the sword, Jade flicked it and commanded more vines out of the ground striking at the children.

Most of them jumped out of the way, except for Cloud who got caught by one that wrapped itself tightly around him. He struggled to break free but found himself unable to move.

“It’s no use trying to escape my plants, they are fueled by demonic energy...” Jade explained, “The more you struggle, the harder they will fight back.”

Cloud grew still as Bolt rushed over to try and help him, pulling at the plant to no avail. “I’ll get you out, bro!”

Jasper growled as he clenched his fists. “So, plants are your thing then?”

She nodded. “That’s right, Jasper...”

“How do you know my name?” Jasper grunted.

“I know a lot about all of you... My plants can see where I can not. I can see through every plant within an eighty-mile radius if I choose to. I can follow you all everywhere, and so I know much about you...” Jade explained.

Candy blinked. “That’s how you got so successful...”

Jade smirked at the accusation. “That’s correct. With my plants able to spy across the city, I could peer into every private conversation and snoop on my competitors. With enough knowledge, I could make designs that I knew everyone would love...”

“That’s borderline genius...” Nova chuckled.

“Yes, but now I’m going to have to kill you all.” Jade sliced with her sword once more and vines whipped at the children.

Horizon and her friends swiftly moved out of the way, and Horizon focused energy into her claws. When they lit up, she sliced at a vine, cutting it in half with her light energy. As suspected, her light magic could cut through dark magic with ease.

Another few vines came up and Horizon sliced each away in succession, keeping them from hitting Yuna who was crouched and covering her head to avoid being attacked.

Horizon stood on guard around the girl while Nova and Jasper went into action. Jasper closed the distance between himself and Jade, swinging at her with his mighty punches, breaking through a vine that burst out of the ground attempting to defend its master.

Jade was agile and able to dodge each of his swings with grace and elegance. Nova just sighed and retrieved a gun from inside of her boot and pointed it at Jade. “You brought a gun!?” Jasper asked while still swinging at her.

“I never leave home without one, now try not to get in the way...” She grinned before letting off eight rounds.

Each bullet managed to get deflected with Jade’s quick sword. “No fucking way...” Nova gasped.

A vine burst up and attempted to grab Nova, but she reacted quickly and focused her magic on it. Manipulating the space around it, she was able to increase the gravity and pressure around the vine and within seconds it crumpled up to the size of a pea before falling to the ground.

Jade stepped back and made another vine come out of the ground and push Jasper back. The boy went flying and crashed into the wall of vines that surrounded all of them.

“She’s tough...” Jasper groaned before bringing himself back to a proper stand.

Candy held her sword tightly behind herself as she concentrated. Jade took a stance with her sword at her side and gestured with her right hand. “Come then, child... Let us see who is more skilled... No magic, just blades.”

Candy narrowed her eyes as she stepped forward. The two circled each other for a few seconds before Jade made the first strike. Candy quickly blocked it and took a swipe at her foe.

Jade was able to dodge and block attack after attack and the two continued like that for several minutes with neither of them landing a hit. After a mighty strike, Jade and Candy both stepped backward with their swords ready to clash once more. “You’re not bad, kid...” Jade commented.

“I am being trained by a sword master, unlike anything you could imagine...” Candy spoke.

“Youth... So ignorant...” Jade shook her head before lunging forward.

Candy narrowly moved out of the way and retaliated with her own sword. The two long pieces of steel scraped against each other before Candy jumped back and kept her guard up.

“I don’t get you... I always looked up to you, I wanted to be like you... Why would you become a demon? Why would you help the red kabuki?” Candy asked.

“A child like you wouldn’t understand my reasoning...” Jade growled before attacking again.

Quickly, Candy saw her opening and twirled her sword in her hand, and lunged it forward. Before she knew it, the sharp blade pierced flesh and went through Jade’s gut, and came out the other side.

The two froze in place as Candy held the sword firmly in place. Jade dropped her own sword and reached down to the blade and touched it carefully as she felt black blood ooze out of her body. Looking down at the wound she found herself laughing between coughs. “Heh... Black blood... I guess... I really am a demon then...”

“You didn’t have to be though...” Candy nearly whispered.

Jade shivered as she felt a cold chill take over her body. “You know so little, child...”

“Why though? Help me understand...” Candy spoke.

Coughing, Jade hacked up some black blood that dripped down her lip. “Am I any worse than the rest of the world? The world is an ugly place, I... merely tried to use beauty to hide how ugly it was... But I suppose the world was just too ugly to mask...”

“The beauty you created was real... The way it made people feel was real...” Candy said.

Jade smiled. “Thank you... That’s comforting to know... At least I get to go hearing such kind words... Knowing that I made a difference even to someone... That’s enough for me, I suppose...”

“It didn’t have to end this way...” Candy shook her head.

Jade closed her eyes. “Just finish it... Please...”

Nodding, Candy pulled the sword out of the woman and pushed her back. Jade fell backward and landed on the ground as a pool of black blood grew from under her. Within seconds her body turned into the same black mist that they had all come to recognize and just like her, her plants all vanished the same way, freeing Cloud and the others.

Candy sighed as she looked where her idol had once laid. “You were lead astray...”

The red kabuki moved from the wall and laughed as they clapped their hands together. “Quite a show... I must say that I am indeed impressed. You’ve all shown a great deal of promise by killing my lackey... That means it’ll be exceptionally fun killing all of you. Still, I should thank you all for getting rid of that pest.”

The group readied themselves for another fight as the red kabuki stood proud. “She worked for you! Have you no sympathy!?” Jasper asked.

“Her? A human? Don’t make me laugh, my order has no room for humans... She was just a mere pawn... A sacrifice on the path to greatness... It is always fitting that the queen has many soldiers willing to lay down their lives to appease her wouldn’t you think?” The red kabuki said.

“I guess you wouldn’t be in charge of all these demons unless you were a total cold-hearted bastard...” Bolt hissed.

“All mortals will eventually die... What difference does it make if I kill them now or wait for them to destroy each other? Nothing changes, it’s all the same shit anyway.” The red kabuki asked.

“Who are you? Show us your face!” Nova demanded.

Shrugging the red kabuki nodded. “I do grow tired of this cloak and dagger bullshit...”

Obliging with their request the figured removed their hood and tossed their cloak aside revealing a slim figure with average-sized breasts. Long legs were covered by knee-high lacy socks and black combat boots. The rest of her form was sporting a black and white Lolita style dress. The girl was exceptionally petite, which went well with her short stature.

When the hood came off, long golden hair with red tips cascaded down her form going down to her waist. It was wavy and luscious, the kind of hair that many girls would die to have.

With a quick motion, she removed the red mask and tossed it to the ground revealing her face. It was youthful and beautiful. Her skin was pale and flawless along with ruby red small lips and a tiny nose.

Her one eye shined a bright red but the other eye was covered by a thick black leather eye patch. She smiled as she cracked her knuckles and extended a hand outward revealing red painted nails.

“It’s been far too long since I’ve taken that mask off, but I had to keep myself secret from some of my... lesser subordinates...” She spoke.

“You’re a girl?” Bolt blinked.

She nodded. “Indeed, I am.”

“Who are you though?” Yuna questioned from behind Horizon.

Glancing over at the girl with her one eye, she spoke. “My name is Serenade Dazzle. I am the future demon lord.”

“I thought Serenade Dazzle got defeated and someone else became the next potential demon lord...” Horizon asked.

“And I defeated them... So I reclaimed my previous position. He was nothing I couldn’t handle...” Serenade smirked.

“And you’re related to Adagio Dazzle then?” Horizon pointed out.

“Clever... She’s my sister, a powerful siren just like myself. Now, enough idle chit-chat... Surrender the stone in your possession to me and I promise I’ll kill you somewhat faster than I had originally planned...” Serenade threatened.

“Forget it, bitch tits. You aren’t getting shit from us!” Bolt chimed in.

“You can have it over our dead bodies!” Jasper added.

Serenade glanced at him and grinned with devious delight. Her grin was the kind of thing that nightmares were made out of. Her face was able to contort to perhaps the most evil-looking expression that any of them had ever laid eyes upon. “Very well... That can be arranged...”

Flicking her wrist, black tendrils came out of her sleeve and wrapped around Jasper, lifting him into the air. With another quick motion, she pulled him toward her and the tendrils began to constrict him. He groaned in pain as he struggled to get free to no avail.

“Let him go!” Candy demanded.

“Give me the stone and I’ll drop him,” Serenade said plainly.

Reaching into her pocket, Horizon retrieved the box that held the stone and took it out from its enclosure. She held it in her palm as she looked at Serenade. “Let him go,” she ordered.

“That stone you hold, you have no idea of its true power...” Serenade lectured.

“Why do you want it? It seems to lack any power at all,” Horizon asked.

“You humans just think so simplistically. The stone’s power is merely inactive. When combined with the other pieces it’ll forge another siren’s amulet... My sister’s broken amulet...” Serenade explained.

“This shard is part of Adagio’s amulet?” Horizon looked down at it.

“Yes, and I hold most of the other pieces inside of me...” Serenade hissed.

Horizon focused on the stone and her words. She closed her hand around it and looked back up at her. “Let him go or I’ll shatter it to dust.”

“Do that and I’ll not only kill him but all of you as well. Both of you will gain a new understanding of what pain truly is; I can do things far worse than death itself, that much I promise you...” Serenade threatened.

It took a moment for Horizon to react. She thought for a few seconds on what was the best course of action.

Realizing what she had to do, Horizon focused her magic into her hand. The stone began to glow red as she focused her energy upon it and without thinking, she pressed it to her chest and the stone fused into her body, vanishing completely as it did.

Serenade blinked in astonishment as she dropped Jasper to the ground. The teen coughed as he tried to compose himself. Serenade stepped methodically toward Horizon. Her hand extended and a whip made of bones and fire appeared in it out of thin air. “You just made the dumbest mistake of your entire life...”

“I’ve been told that a few times...” Horizon shrugged.

Serenade nodded and chuckled. “I assure you... This will be the last...”

A flick of Serenade’s wrist made her whip crack, leaving a trail of fire behind it. Horizon pushed Yuna back to get her out of harm’s way as she dodged another crack of the whip. Upon closer examination, it appeared to be made out of a large creature’s spine.

Serenade cracked it a few more times causing Horizon to continually leap out of the way making the blonde woman cackle with delight. “Dance, bitch, dance!”

Bolt charged up his hands with electricity and sent a jolt in Serenade’s direction only for the girl to deflect it with her whip. She raised her hand in the air causing tendrils to come out of the ground and grab at him. Fortunately, he was agile enough to get out of the way before they took hold of him.

Nova and Jasper teamed up and both charged at her only for Serenade to produce a barrier made out of the black tendrils. She laughed as all attempts to attack her were thwarted one after another. “Is that the best you all can do?”

Keylime leaped into action retrieving two leather whips from her bag and began to crack them back at Serenade only for the girl to grab one with her free hand and tug it to bring Keylime closer to her. Once she was within range, Serenade kicked her in the side of her face, bringing her down.

Horizon readied her claws preparing to strike but an arrow soared through the air landing only inches away from Serenade. She looked in the direction of the arrow to find the black kabuki sitting on the back of a motorcycle with a bow in hand.

Serenade grinned as she saw them and turned her attention to the new challenger. “So, you finally show yourself... I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I was pre-occupied, so I didn’t have time to humor you. Now, how would you prefer to die? Should I disembowel you, or perhaps break all of your bones one at a time?” The black kabuki asked.

“I’d like to see you try either...” Serenade hissed.

Nodding, the black kabuki darted toward her at incredible speeds, swiping at her with a knife. Serenade moved quickly enough to avoid being cut, but the black kabuki continued with swipe after swipe, attempting to cut her.

Serenade’s whip cracked at the black kabuki, but they were far too quick. After a few more dodged attacks, the black kabuki fired a few more arrows at her, only for Serenade to catch one of them with her bare hand. Snapping it in half, she laughed. “I’m soon to be the lord of all demons... Do you really think a few arrows will take me down?”

“I imagine the one with demon blight will...” The black kabuki spoke.

Blinking, Serenade looked down to the snapped arrow, noting it was hollow and inside it oozed a grey liquid. She growled in annoyance. “Demon blight, pretty clever... I suppose you’ve bought yourself another day of life for now... When this wears off, you know that I’ll kill you...” Looking over at Horizon and her friends, Serenade pointed her finger. “That goes for all of you as well. I’m Serenade Dazzle, the most powerful demon that’s ever lived and you are all just worthless pigs to the slaughter to me.”

The black kabuki wasted no time in firing another arrow which Serenade managed to dodge before disappearing into a cloud of black smoke.

“Damn, she got away...” Jasper stated.

Coming to a full stand, the black kabuki turned toward Horizon. Their mask shined in the light as they spoke in their digitized tone. “You have absorbed the stone... Show me your power...”

Horizon blinked but stepped back and got into her fighting stance. The others all got ready to intervene until Horizon dismissed them with her hand. “Let me handle this, just one on one, no one else has to get hurt, alright?”

“You’re the only one I want anyway...” The black kabuki spoke.

“That is acceptable.” Horizon nodded.

The two began to circle each other, and after eight painfully long seconds, Horizon lunged at the masked stranger and slashed with her claws. The black kabuki saw this attack coming and deflected every strike with a small knife from inside their cloak. Their swift motions were unreal, their speed was beyond human. The black kabuki was capable of moves that most never dreamed of.

Horizon attempted a follow-up attack only to be blocked again by the same knife. The black kabuki leaped backward and flipped before landing a good eight feet away as they stared down their opponent. Horizon kept crouched low ready for a follow-up attack. There was no predicting her opponent.

Moon came up as a hologram within her glasses as he spoke to Horizon. “I’m running some tactical data now, it seems that the black kabuki is capable of speeds far beyond that of a normal human. I would wager they are Equestrian in origin, I would exercise caution.”

“Wouldn’t be a surprise then...” Horizon nodded before raising her hands to block another set of knife attacks from the cloaked figure.

After blocking their blade a few more times, the black kabuki stood back and tossed it aside. Instead, they reached for the bow on their back and retrieved an arrow attached to the bow, and took aim.

Waiting for her moment, Horizon stood perfectly still until the arrow was shot her way. Timing it just right, she sliced with her claws and broke the arrow in half while she rolled out of the way. The black kabuki was able to reload and fire another in less than half a second though which only narrowly missed Horizon.

“Their aim is incredible!” Yuna commented from the sidelines.

Moving while firing, the black kabuki unleashed eight arrows in only a few seconds, Horizon dodging each one, but struggling as each flew past her. The final one she caught in her hand and focused her energy as she hurled it back at the one who fired it.

It would prove ineffective as the black kabuki was able to turn their head and the arrow flew past them as if it were nothing.

“Horizon! Use your magic! He doesn’t seem to be capable of magic based upon all the data we have!” Yuna yelled to her friend.

Horizon glanced over at Yuna and nodded after she registered what she was saying. Concentrating, Horizon summoned a set of light swords around her. Twirling and gesturing with her arm, she sent one toward the black kabuki expecting a direct hit, but the masked opponent swiped their foot across the ground and a wall of fire came up blocking the attack.

“What!? He can do magic too!? I thought you said he wasn’t capable of it, Yuna!” Bolt pointed out.

Yuna shook her head. “He shouldn’t be able to! He must have some way to hide his magic potential from being detected...”

“People can do that!?” Bolt exclaimed.

“Apparently... Up to this point, I didn’t think it was possible... Maybe it’s some kind of demonic trick that normal magic users can’t do?” Yuna gulped.

“Great... Just what we need... Surprises...” Bolt shook his head.

Horizon moved quickly and hurled another sword in their opponent’s direction, only for it to be blocked by a fireball that came from their gloved hand. The black leather glove on the black kabuki’s hand remained free of burns.

Deciding it was better to do a direct assault, Horizon took one of the swords in her left hand and slashed at the black kabuki but to her surprise, the black kabuki conjured a sword of light of their own and blocked it with their left hand.

“So you can do light magic too then... That’s a surprise...” Horizon stated.

“Magic is mastered only by those who seek to do so...” The black kabuki responded.

Horizon squinted. “How can a demon master light magic though?”

“Your magic is impressive, but you’re still no match for me...” The black kabuki spoke, ignoring her question.

“We’ll see...” Horizon replied before slicing at them again.

The black kabuki blocked the attack and slashed back at her only for Horizon to get out of the way and remain unharmed. The two locked blades over and over before they both allowed their swords to disappear.

“Not bad...” The black kabuki complimented, “but let’s make things a little more interesting...”

The black kabuki showed their right arm from under their cloak and the group could see they had a detached sleeve that was held on by belts on their forearm. The belts glowed and came undone on their own as the sleeve fell to the ground along with the leather glove upon their hand.

Underneath the sleeve, their arm was obviously feminine, but from their forearm down their skin was as black as charcoal and leathery in appearance. Tendrils going up their arm whipped around freely like they had a life of their own, and her hand was a demonic claw with razor-sharp talons.

“The black kabuki is a girl?” Bolt blinked.

“And a demon...” Jasper added.

“Today is full of surprises...” Nova said.

Horizon looked at the unnatural arm as the black kabuki raised it up ready to strike with it. Their battle stance changed now as it was clear they would now favor their right hand in battle. Horizon focused on it, knowing that the demonic appendage would definitely change the course of the entire fight; demons were unpredictable after all.

With a quick motion, they flicked their arm and it changed into a long whip and slashed at Horizon sending her backward. After the attack, they submerged their hand into the ground as it seemed to phase through it. From behind Horizon, a tendril shot up like a spear out of her own shadow.

She moved quickly, but the tendril managed to clip a single hair off of her head. Before she knew it, her opponent dived into the ground and vanished within shadows, and reemerged behind her slashing at Horizon with her evil claw.

Horizon blocked the attack but when the claw grabbed her sleeve she noticed the sleeve began to burn with a black flame.

Acting quickly, she tore the sleeve off and threw it to the ground. Just like other demons, demonic energy left from their touch seemed to burn flesh. Horizon had gotten lucky that her skin didn’t make contact with the demonic appendage.

“So you’re a demon too?” Horizon asked.

The black kabuki said nothing; they just prepared to attack again.

Yuna began to run an analysis on the black kabuki with Moon, hoping to gain some kind of data that could prove useful to Horizon.

“Fuck this, we can’t just sit here, we need to step in!” Bolt growled in protest.

Jasper held out his arm to stop him. “We don’t know what we’re up against and so far Horizon seems to be holding her own. For all we know, the black kabuki is holding back, it’s best not to agitate the situation...”

Bolt froze and growled. He wanted to protest, but he couldn’t argue with Jasper’s point. He hated it when Jasper was right about something, but even he couldn’t deny that there was a distinct possibility that the black kabuki was only toying with Horizon. Her demeanor was incredibly calm for someone who was outnumbered. At any time the rest of them could have jumped in to ruin their one on one fight, yet she didn’t seem worried about that scenario.

The more Bolt thought about it, the more Bolt believed that it all meant that the black kabuki was prepared for an all-out assault on her. Was such a thing really possible though? Sure she was a demon, but could she really take on all of them at once? No, it had to be possible.

As Bolt recalled the data they knew about the black kabuki he was reminded that she was likely a trained killer. Her ability in combat was beyond formidable and she acted so meticulously without concern.

With her demonic claw in the air, the black kabuki lunged forward at Horizon, attempting to grab her in the claw, but the teenager managed to dodge the attack.

Another few swipes and Horizon was beginning to note something; the black kabuki was definitely holding back. In their previous encounter, she had seen how ruthless she was in killing Summer Flare, yet now it felt like she was merely toying with her. Perhaps it was a psychological trick to get into her enemy’s head?

Horizon summoned another set of light sword and began to hurl each of them at the black kabuki, but she dived back into the shadows and vanished each time to avoid the attacks.

It was no use, so long as she had the shadows to retreat to, she was impervious to conventional means of attack. Her body seemed to be capable of converting itself entirely into shadows and thus she could hide wherever shadows were.

Horizon came up with an idea and instead of attacking with her final light sword, she instead ordered it to float behind herself.

“What’s she doing? Why isn’t she attacking?” Bolt asked.

Jasper leaned in with interest. “I think Horizon has an idea...”

The black kabuki moved with Horizon’s moves and this time when the girl summoned a new sword and threw it, the black kabuki instead jumped out of the way.

“I knew it... So long as I keep my shadow in front of me, you can’t use it to ambush me. So there are limits to your powers then...” Horizon explained. “You’ve certainly given all of us a big hint. Why not tell us who you are now? What do you want with the stone, and why are you interested in killing Serenade?”

“Light magic can be quite powerful if you use it correctly, but are you really strong enough to use it to its full extent?” The black kabuki asked.

“How can a demon like you use light magic?” Horizon changed the subject.

“There is more to magic than you understand, unlike you, I didn’t just discover it...” The black kabuki replied.

Horizon pushed forward and swiped at the black kabuki which they, in turn, swiped at Horizon. Both dodged each other’s attacks over and over and continued on like that for several minutes without either of them slowing down. The passion behind their fight was evident as the others watched in anticipation of which one of the two mighty warriors would fall first.

It was clear that Horizon’s training and practice were starting to pay off, as she had gone from a mere novice to a worthy opponent already in such a short time. Each day every last one of them grew stronger.

“Kill her, Horizon!” Bolt cheered on.

“You can do it!” Nova encouraged with Bolt.

Yuna watched in awe as her crush performed dazzling moves against such a powerful opponent. Horizon fought with such beauty that it made Yuna wish she had her sketchbook on hand. What she wouldn’t give to get the opportunity to capture Horizon facing off with the black kabuki on paper. She could already see the masterpiece in her mind, but sadly she would never be able to transfer it to paper.

While she was lost in fantasy, Moon had appeared from a hologram from Yuna’s phone. “Ms. Yuna, Horizon is fighting with incredible speed, but I doubt she can keep this up much longer; she’s bound to tire out any moment.”

Sure enough, his words rang true as Horizon and the black kabuki both leaped backward and put a good few feet between the two of them. Horizon panted lightly as she tried to keep herself ready to go another round, but it was becoming futile. She was starting to wear down, and her body simply lacked the energy to keep the fight going for much longer. The black kabuki on the other hand didn’t seem tired at all, if anything, she came off as nearly unaffected by all the activity.

Once she saw Horizon panting they raised their demonic hand into the air. “Care to give up now? I can see you’re exhausted. Face it, you’re no match against me.”

“Exhausted or not, I’m going to continue fighting you. I won’t surrender for any reason...” Horizon said plainly.

Her words were powerful, but it was hard to tell if there was any emotion behind them, due to the incredibly monotone nature of Horizon’s voice. The black kabuki nodded and moved so quickly that her body turned into shadows and reappeared a few feet from where it originally was.

After doing this a few times, she struck with her claw at Horizon only for the girl to roll out of the way. Quickly she followed up with another slash in the hopes of hitting her, but once again, Horizon was able to dodge the attack with ease.

Leaping backward the black kabuki came to a full stand and raised their demonic claw in a menacing stance. “Enough! I have seen all I need to see...”

The entire group blinked as the claw grabbed the hood of their cloak and removed it. With another motion, they ripped the cloak off of their body and tossed it aside. Long red hair with yellow highlights fell down all the way to her ankles. It was long and wavy and part of it draped over her face as she removed her mask.

Her body was thin and trimmed as Horizon could see semi-muscular abs on her stomach that was revealed by her midriff black top. Her legs were covered in a pair of leather pants with a half skirt draping over one side and a large belt hung off of her pants.

On her feet was a pair of heeled tall boots with little wings on the back of them. They were back in color, matching her pants.

The woman’s face was partially covered by her long red hair that was wild and unruly, but there was no escaping her vibrant teal eyes that shined brightly. She had a young-looking face despite her age.

She flexed her demonic arm before it glowed and the detached sleeve on the ground levitated back onto her arm and belted itself back onto it. The leather glove that covered her hand followed and she flexed her hand once more when the arm was covered again. It was clear she wore the sleeve to hide her condition.

The group stared in complete awe at the woman.

“Who is that?” Bolt asked.

Jasper froze up for a moment before answering. “That’s Sunset Shimmer... Horizon’s mom...”

Sunset smiled at her daughter and ran a hand through her own hair. “Horizon... It’s good to see you again, it’s been a long time...”

This chapter marks the end of part 1 of Act VII. Also, it will be the final illustrations by Applety. She's moving on to bigger things, so thanks to her for all her help.

For those who held out hope that Sunset was still alive... I guess you get the last laugh.