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Drifting, floating. No direction nor purpose only movement... A space of clouds and light was the surrounding area while the light didn’t have any origin... it simply was. In the midst of this dreamlike realm of quiet there were two figures, one of which wearing casual clothing and the other had a white dress and a sunhat. “W-Where am I? Where’s... STAR?!” The figure in the white dress floated over to Gleaning Coin and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay little Coin, I’m sad that you’re here but relieved at the same time.” The mare spoke in a calming tone which placated the teenager.

“Little Coin? It’s Gleaning and where’s Bright Inanis at? He was near Silver Star and... I have to help Mr. Dart! I think he’s out of his league.” The colt started to move the clouds around but made no progress in escaping his location, the clouds were replaced as fast as they were removed. “Oh come ON!”

“You should quit doing that, there’s no point in trying to leave that way.” Coin’s face went from holding a sense of urgency to being flat out confused. “You can’t just leave here, especially through force.”

“Why not?! I have to-“ Yellow Haze emerged with his palms together

“Coin stop! What do you think this place is?” He looked around before looking back to the mare who’s face was still hidden by her hat. “It’s the space in between the fields of Elysium and Tartarus.”

“D-Does that mean I’m?”

“Yes and no, you can see me because I died recently and you’ve met me before.”

“Wait I don’t know you.” He said while gazing around, not losing hope on escaping.

“You don’t remember me?” She moved to take off her hat

“No! I don’t think I should any-“ Coin’s face was twisted in shock once the sunhat was off, the mare’s face was revealed but the fact that her head was floating above her neck added to the horror of the situation. “Y-You’re m-“

“That’s right, your old babysitter Golden Day.” Her Amber fur around her neck had a slow trickle of blood from the clean cut around her neck.

“But that means that...”

“I was a victim of Inanis, he told me everything about him before he took my head off.” She grabbed a handful of clouds and shaped it into a ball. The ball changed from clouds to glass and showcased the fight between Dart and Inanis.

“Seriously this Specter sucks!” Dart was parrying strikes from the claws of his massive quarry while it’s owner hid within the confines of its mouth.

“Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die!” The Sickness repeated with each thrust of its hand, trying to pierce the flesh of Dart but being deflected each time.

Coin watched in anticipation while Day just put her sunhat back on. “He told me who he was and how he came to be the way he is. He said he was a sheltered child and his mother was always there for him. One day somepony broke into his house and killed her but he had a spell that sent that pony to a void and he couldn’t stand to see the fear on his mother’s face so he cut her head off, sent it to the void and well... He was attracted to her body and...” Coin was on the verge of vomiting from what he’d heard

“So he’s been doing everything he said he did because of that?” He received a nod. “So why am I here instead of Elysium or...”

“Something must be keeping you here just like me, my desire for reconciliation for me and the others is why I’m here.”

“You’re the only one here.” Coin answered and gestured around but Golden Day chuckled.

“I’m the only one you see because you only knew me, I can see the others because I knew some of them before they were taken and he showed me their graves and drawings to torture me before I ended up that way.” They looked back at the sphere and saw that the fight was still ongoing.

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“The Sickness is unrelenting, eventually you’ll run out of fight.” Now Dart was using a kunai as a blade to parry the aggressive strikes.

“Don’t even remember where I found this but thank you Zeko for bringing these things to the guild.” Dart lunged backwards in time to avoid the stomp that broke through the concrete. “Just need to get Bright out of there.”

“I’m almost curious as to why you decided to fight me head on, even after telling your young friend that I’ve never even been hit you-“

“Spiral Dance!” The same spiraling rush of attacks brought on by tossed marbles led to The Sickness suffering a brutal assault from all sides and Inanis being knocked free from its mouth.

“What?!” He threw up an arm to block the oncoming strike from Dart’s weapon, he protected his body but lost his hand and most of his forearm. “H-How? The Sickness is supposed to be- Ah!” Dart stepped on his other arm, pinning him down

“I’m going to avenge Gleaning Coin, I refuse to let you get away.” Dart kicked Inanis in the side before raising his weapon but he noticed the blood on the ground was... moving. “What the?” He was distracted and didn’t notice The Sickness until it’s large hoof impacted his chest. The Specter stood over its user, awaiting further commands while Inanis looked at his hand in complete shock.

His blood moved towards his severed hand and worked as small threads to reattach the limb. “It looks like the demon blood worked better than expected, even though you managed to hit me... I just fixed myself! It looks like fate is leaning towards me!” He was in his Specter’s mouth again and headed towards Dart who was picking himself up.

“So I can’t do lasting damage? Then how-“ Dart was grabbed around the neck by The Sickness and thrown into the air.

“Die Die Die!” Three punches sent Dart further up before The Sickness grabbed him around the neck and held him still. The three floated above the city.

“That demon blood was something extraordinary! I feel more alive than I ever have before, almost as if I could burst into song for all of Manehatten!” They were suspended over a busy street, unsuspecting ponies walking through the city right after sundown below them. “I’m going to enjoy this, and then that mare, WRYAAH.” The Sickness let go and started a barrage on Blue Dart’s torso, the sound of bones breaking was music to Inanis’ ears, a final punch sent Dart flying through a neon sign to the shock of ponies below who heard the crash and barely avoided the falling sign.

“Urk!” Dart spat up blood and watched as the sign was caught by a familiar face but his focus returned to the massive figure approaching him behind sharpened teeth. Dart flung the kunai he had at the Specter but it was deflected almost effortlessly.

“Didn’t you say you’d avenge that colt, but this is all you can do in his name? You’d have been better off fighting for your own peace before anypony else’s!” The Specter spun and drew its hoof back, while Dart put his arms up in an act of protection. “HAAH!”

“Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die Die!” Furious mixtures of kicking and stomping broke through Dart’s guard and started breaking his ribs and his sternum produced an audible crack. “DIE!” A final roundhouse sent Dart into the wall of a building, sending bricks flying below.

“What just happ-“ He didn’t finish his sentence

*Squelch*

The Sickness’ claw was in Dart’s stomach and the Specter opened its mouth and exposed the void within itself, but before it could swallow the Azure colored stallion

“Last Resort!” The Sickness lost a leg to a blade of blood and managed to eat the rest before it could lose its torso. Shadow floated up to Dart while Inanis moved to allow his Specter to recover. “What happened, and where’s Coin?”

“That’s kind of a long story, he’s dead and this guy can regenerate like a worm. And I’m here in no condition to fight.”

“So what can I do? Do you need me to hold him off while you heal up, or is there some ultimate attack we can pull off?” The Sickness held its severed leg in one hand during Shadow’s monologue

“Look I’m not gonna lie to you, I can’t fight and he’d kill you if you fought him like this. Take my hand, don’t question it just take it.” He shakily put his hand out and Shadow took it while The Sickness slowly reattached it’s leg.

“So how is- Wait a second, woah!” A surge of energy rushed through Deep Shadow, pumping him up to a level he didn’t know existed causing his Specter to glow a dim purple and even he started to give off an aura. “Is this how you feel all the time? Dart?” He looked again at the stallion but got no response and once he saw the blank expression on the stallion’s face and the lack of light in his eyes he turned to Inanis.

“Well that didn’t seem to go well for him but now-“ Inanis wasn’t able to process the speed at which Infest appeared and threw a punch since it barely happened in the blink of an eye. “What?” The Sickness recovered and put up its guard in time to block a red hot punch from Infest.

“Chaa!” Shadow floated directly behind the Specter as it pushed into The Sickness’ forearms.

“I’m not that smart of a guy but I’m willing to bet that despite your Specter’s size he isn’t as strong as Infest is right now... I’m gonna make sure you’re don’t go to jail.” Infest kneed Inanis’ Specter in the side and grabbed its arms in one fluid motion before slamming it into a building. The Sickness burst from the building with rage in its eyes while its user’s head was healing from a gash. “So he can heal?” The Specters clashed, physically equal despite the large difference in size, a flurry of punches but Infest started to outmatch his larger quarry in speed and ferocity.

“Chada!” A solid right hook sent The Sickness spiraling towards the ground, creating a small crater and dissipating entirely. Inanis was on his knees and slowly rising.

“No no no no no... I’ll kill you for that, I’ve worked too long and too hard for my organization and my need to prey on-“

“Is that Bright Inanis?” A mare asked, making the blonde stallion freeze

“He works in the iron company I work at, but why is he beat up and did he fall from the sky?” A small crowd gathered around the blonde stallion, quickly identifying him from his normal upstanding role in society.

“Looks like nopony knows who you really are...” Shadow walked up and set eyes on himself.

“You might want to watch yourself Shadow, or else you’ll never find out what happened to your sister.” Inanis said from the ground

“I’m not scared of you, and I’ll be fine with not knowing.” Shadow told the blonde before raising his head. “This stallion is the leader of the underground group that’s been terrorizing this city!”

Two officers walked up behind Shadow and one put a hand on his shoulder. “I remember having to arrest you for getting in the way of our business, so I hope you have some evidence to back up that statement.” Shadow reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out a black notebook.

“A Golden Blade member asked me to help him find as much evidence on this guy as possible so we searched his house and found this, it talks about every step he’s made to get to where he’s at... And that’s the normal stuff, you don’t wanna hear about what he does in his free time.”

The officers glanced through the journal but right behind them a dark presence loomed...

*Voom*

One of the officers gasped when he heard the noise but before any harm could befall him, “CHAA!” The Sickness’ stomach returned to normal when Infest’s fist struck with enough power to set its fist aflame.

“Graah!” Inanis lunged at Shadow with his sharpened teeth bared, whether he was going for a bite or enraged beyond comparison was up for discussion.

“Not tonight bastard!” Shadow said as Infest kicked the transformed stallion’s ankle and cocked his burning fist back.

“Chaa!” The first strike was to Inanis’ jaw. “Chada! Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da!” Each hit scorched Inanis’ flesh and burnt his clothes to a crisp. “Chaa!” He was sent to the ground covered in flickers of flame.

“E-Everything I’ve d-done... I h-have no regrets...” His body turned grey and then to dust and drifted along with the wind.

“He tried to kill me... you saved my life.” The officer said while the other one wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to Shadow.

“What’s this? A hundred bit fine?!” Shadow read the paper and saw that he owed a good deal of money. “Why?! I saved the day here again!”

“For littering and profane language, I hope you have the coin to pay for it soon.” Shadow stood there thinking about what the officer said before jumping into the air and looking for Blue Dart but finding nothing.

“Maybe...” Infest appeared and flung him towards the trail of broken buildings that Inanis and Dart left behind in their skirmish. “Come on Coin, be alive somehow...”

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“What the? What happened?” Inanis looked around and saw that he was in front of the apartment complex. “Some kind of daydream? Oh well, back to business.” He walked up to the stairs.

“I wouldn’t if I were you, you don’t really belong there.” He turned and saw Golden Day standing there with Coin next to her. “But I do need to pay you back for what happened six years ago.”

“You might not get it Bright, but just like us... You’re dead.” The stallion looked around for a second before clutching his head in pain and remembering his demise, his appearance changing to a scorched brown with singed clothes and hair quickly after.

“Argh! I remember that stallion and his Specter! The Sickness, eat them both!” The massive Specter formed and rushed towards the mare and colt.

*Bzzm*

“Yellow Haze: Rift!” Inanis was pulled backwards towards the stairs of the apartment, a hole opened in front of them with hands, talons, and claws grabbing onto his back, arms, and legs.

“What?! Where are they taking me?!”

Gleaning Coin started to shimmer and disappeared completely while Inanis struggled. “I don’t know for sure if it’s Tartarus or someplace worse...” Golden Day walked closer and put a finger on his chest. “But I hope you’re never going to have peace again.” She pushed

“NO!” The limbs pulled and spiraled into a vortex, sending a vile individual to an eternal punishment.

“Good luck Coin, I’ll do my best to watch over you. Now we can be at peace again.”

At her words over two hundred mares appeared from nowhere and clapped over their collective retribution.

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“Geez kid you can take a hit, if only Dart could say the same.” Coin looked up and saw a hairless red haired colt holding Blue Dart over his shoulder. “And your girlfriend might need to know you’re alive.”

“HE’S OK?” Silver Star rushed over and embraced Coin with enough force to leave him gasping for air.

“Zeko we should get going! Kotetsu’s got some ‘important shit’ to tell you.” A white bird descended to the shock of Coin and Silver Star, and a brown haired creature similar to the one they’d just seen was resting on its back.

“Alright Nouka geez, have some respect for the dead.” Zeko jumped onto the construct and the two flew off into the night sky.

Silver Star was the first to recover from her shock. “Who was that? And do you know him?”

“I don’t know but I feel like I should. Can you let go of me though? I did just come back to life.” Silver Star let go and helped him up before they walked back to her apartment.

“COIN! I beat him!” Shadow ran up and put his friend in a headlock position while the two laughed but Coin looked back in the sky once he was released and remembered what he just witnessed.

Zeko and Nouka flew through the sky with Dart’s body beside them. “Wow, this journal is really meticulous. Not sure why he’d keep more than one copy though.”

Nouka examined the corpse beside them and gawked at the hole in the lower chest. “So how are you going to fix that?” He pulled a small black rod from the arm and one from Dart’s neck.

“How should I know? Fixing a broken arm was already hard enough, guess Dart stays dead.” Zeko made a one handed sign and Dart’s eyes went from black to having two Rinnegan. “I kinda think I should feel bad for Shadow and Coin though, in a way I let their mentor die but at least they didn’t find out about Bright or Golden Day.”

“I’m still surprised that Bright would have a kid and act like he owed the boss money but he was the boss, and Shadow’s sister was helping Coin in the afterlife? How’d you see that anyway?”

Zeko produced a chakra rod, “Put this in his arm before he ‘died’ just in case, so what’d Kotetsu have to tell me?”

Nouka sucked air through his teeth in preparation and looked at Zeko slowly. “He and Shiro have their wedding in a week and you have to come.” There was only silence in the air until Zeko grabbed Dart’s body and flung it into the horizon.

“Fire Style: Dragon Flame bomb!” A stream of flame left Zeko’s mouth and created a blaze in the sky, incinerating Dart’s corpse in the process.

“Didn’t you tell me to be respectful for the dead?” Nouka questioned

“He was one of the Red Claw, so the wedding is this following week? Damn it! Ok I have a stupid idea so bare with me on this one: we convince them to hold off for a little while.” Nouka looked into the air with a thinking expression. “It’s the best chance I have since I’m here dealing with things.”

“We can ask when we get back to your desert. Kotetsu said it’s weird that you were using a dead pony person as a puppet.”

“Doesn’t Rei use his dead twin? Ok then.” The two went silent as they flew in the sky, the moon overlooking them.

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Author's Notes:

A late gift but a gift nonetheless, in all honesty who saw those twists coming? I didn’t even see it and I’m the writer

See you next time