“Finally! The air here is so much better than on that stupid mountain; it feels like I can fly forever!” Rainbow dash barrel rolled over the pegasus-drawn chariot with a giggle. “Ponyville, here we come!”

Rarity sighed, shaking her head, “Rainbow, dear, you should stop doing that. What if you hit a bird or something?”

The prismatic turned herself around while flying to face rarity, “Pft, You have nothing to worry about, Rare’s. I’ve got-” Just then, a robin smacked the back of Rainbow’s head, making her yelp in surprise and fall momentarily before correcting herself. Snickers from the other mare, minus Yoriichi, made Rainbow dash glare at them. “Shut up…” She muttered with an embarrassed blush.

“You can only sense a being from behind that is coming at you with harmful intentions. Best keep your eyes forward,” Rainbow rolled her eye, “Because we are arriving.” Yoriichi said, pointing at the snow-covered town.

For the past three weeks, the mare quickly got the hang of their spacial awareness training in no time, Rainbow dash being the first to grasp it. After a lot of bruises and borderline concussions, the mares could easily defeat themselves from the wild and defend themselves against Yoriichi. No attempts to attack the sun-breathing teacher had been made.

Applejack and Rainbow dash were prime examples.

Even so, Yoriichi felt pride well up inside himself: out of all the sword men and women he had taught, none could compare with this batch.

‘I know that they worked hard. It is clear as glass the amount of strain their bodies have been through.’ Yoriichi glanced at the mare's limbs. All had varying degrees of visible muscle, with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie pie being the most obvious: surprisingly enough. ‘Some had no trouble at all,’ He glanced at Twilight, reading a book she’d brought with her since the start. ‘Others had doubts,’ He looked over to see Rainbow chatting with one of the royal guard pegasus pulling the chariot, to no success. ‘And some didn’t believe that they could do it.’ He looked over to Rarity staring at the countryside view with a dreamy look. ‘But one thing they all have in common: Is that they made it. And I have no doubts that Muzan will fall.’

Yoriichi was snapped out of his thoughts when the chariot land on the ground with a bump. The mares quickly got out of it, with Yoriichi being last. Suddenly, voices called out, making the group look to their left. Down the dirt road were Fluttershy, Spike, and Michikatsu with his protective barrier still on.

“I see you all came back in one piece,” Michikatsu joked, “And in record time. Honestly, I thought you all were going to take at least a year or two. Thank the heavens that weren’t the case. All that book organization was driving me mad,” He cringed, “ I can’t even read a word! They’re in a totally separate language!” Michikatsu shouted while throwing a hoof up in frustration.

Twilight walked up and used her magic to levitate Spike onto her back. “Heh, If you want, I can teach you equestrian.” Twilight then nudged his side with a sly grin. “Maybe even throw in some beginner foal’s books to get you started.” She giggled cutely.

Michikatsu’s six eyes widened, then they narrowed at the studious alicorn, “Don’t. you. Dare.” He said in a threatening tone.

This made Twilight goggle more as she started to walk away. “I’m joking, Michikatsu. But thanks though, for taking care of the castle while I was gone.” She turned her head at Michikatsu with a friendly smile, “You’re a good friend.”

The demon brother faked coughed into his hoof to hide a blush, averting his gaze. “N-No problem.” He mumbled as he and Twilight walked away.

Soon, the rest dispersed. Applejack and Rarity had jobs and families to go back to. And Rainbow had flown off to practice her flying abilities; maybe throw some healthy gloating to the local fillies and colts with some tricks. That left Yoriichi and Fluttershy by themselves again as the shy mare ran up and threw herself on Yoriichi, wrapping her forelegs around his neck.

“I take it you’re glad to see me?” Yoriichi asked, rubbing Fluttershy’s back.

Fluttershy sighed in relief as she nodded. “You could say that. I mean, there are a lot of dangerous creatures in those mountains. The girls or you could’ve gotten hurt.” She let go of Yoriichi and stepped back far enough to give him room. “But I know that my friends are strong, especially you.”

Yoriichi nodded and looked to where Twilight ran off. “You are correct; they are indeed strong. But their training isn’t over yet.” He said with a stern look.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked with a head tilt.

“They still have to gain a breathing technique. I only allowed ourselves to return because they had already adapted to the thin air of the mountain, to stay there would be unnecessary.” Yoriichi explained. He looked back at Fluttershy, now with a soft expression and a small smile. “Also, I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss you a little.” He chuckled softly.

Fluttershy then perked up with widened eyes, not even caring about the faint blush on her face. “O-Oh, I forgot!” She looked side-to-side to make sure nopony was around to her hear. Thankfully there wasn’t. “You didn’t tell the girls about that letter I sent you…r-right?” She hesitantly asked meekly.

The sun-breathing stallion shook his head with a chuckle and placed his hoof around her neck. “No.” He simply said, causing the shy mare to visibly relax and let out a sigh. “But I must ask-” Fluttershy looked up at him,”-what is a “Coltfriend”?” He asked with an eyebrow raise. The sudden question made Fluttershy flustered for a moment before she managed to compose herself.

“W-Well, to put it simply, It’s like a best friend. But instead, they have romantic feelings for a mare. They make sure their marefriend is happy and vis-versa and take them out on…dates. And stuff…” Fluttershy spoke, her voice getting quieter as she went on.

Yoriichi’s smile grew wider at the shy mare's demeanor, “So, like a wife or husband that aren’t married yet, right?” Fluttershy’s face turned redder as she hid her face behind her mane, only silently nodding in response. Yoriichi started to walk, catching Fluttershy off-guard. But she managed to get up at his slow pace. “Well, since I’m this “Coltfriend” now, I should bring you somewhere nice where we can catch up. Do you know any places?”

Fluttershy peeked an eye out from behind her pink mane, her face a little less red now. “I heard the Golden Stable’s is a good restaurant; it just opened not too long ago.” She then escaped Yoriichi’s grasp and went ahead of him. “Follow me. I’ll show you the way.” She smiled. Yoriichi only smiled warmly as he followed Fluttershy.

‘You’re becoming more like her every time I see you, Fluttershy.’

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity huffed and puffed as she stopped mid-dash. In her panic, she forgot to use the concentration breathing and was now a sweating and tired mess. In her magic was a piece of parchment with a purple ribbon tied around it.

“D-Darn, J-Just *Huff* missed *Huff* them.” She cured under her breath. “Screw it. I’ll give it back to Yoriichi the next time I see him.” Rarity then sighed in defeat as she turned around to go back home. A small gremlin grin formed on her muzzle as she looked back at the barely visible forms of the couple.

“But I think he already read it” She giggled.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“ARGH!”

Michikatsu ran into the castle's study in a slight panic over the shriek. Only to narrowly dodge a wooden sword flying by his head and embedding itself into the crystal wall. Sweat rolled down his face as he peered in the doorway to find Twilight angrily huffing at the wooden sword, not even noticing the demon sword pony. When she did, her demeanor became timid as she grinned sheepishly at Michikatsu.

“Having trouble?” He sighed, walking in and to the mare.

“Y-Yeah,” Twilight chuckled. “I’m trying to develop my breathing style as Yoriichi told us to do. I mean, he gave us the rundown of it but didn’t go any deeper!” She pouted with folded forelegs. “I’ve been here all day trying to integrate my magic into my sword skills and with no luck.”

Michikatsu chuckled lightly and patted the grumpy alicorn's back. “There, There, you’ll get it soon. Hell, I made my own breathing style trying to learn Yoriichi’s, it’s not as good but it’s better than nothing, right? He said. But he slightly recoiled when Twilight looked at him with that sparkly eye look filled with wonder.

“You have to tell me your secrets!” She shouted. Michikatsu gulped as flashbacks of the first time he had been turned into a demon again played in his head. All the test and exams the crazy alicorn had put him through physically and exhausted a ex-UPPERMOON rank demon! He didn't wait for Twilight to get another word out as a bolted away. Her protesting voice got further away, but it was only a matter of time.

It was going to be a long night.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Rarity! Applebloom and Scootaloo want me to go to the park with them today, can I-” The small white filly stopped at the bottom stair with a surprised look.

Around the room were several pieces of fabric being cut, stitched, and tampered with. All supplies and materials were surrounded in a light-blue aura as the small white filly could barely make out the form of her big sister, Rarity, through the dance of fabric. With some luck, the small filly weaved and made her way over to Rarity, who was hard at work at a sewing machine.

“Rarity, what are you doing?” She asked, poking Rarity's side and getting her attention.

“Oh, sweetie belle, why are you up so late?” Rarity huffed as she shut off the machine.

Sweetie belle just looked at the older sister with a confused looked. “Uh, it’s not even past midday yet.” She pointed to a nearby window. Sure enough, sunlight was pouring through it but was covered by the floating fabrics. “But why is the room so chaotic? No offense, but I’ve never seen you do something so…large-scale before.”

Rarity giggled and patted her little sister's head. “No offense taken, but you are right, Sweetie. Ever since Mister Yoriichi’s help, I’ve been able to spread out my magic to more objects than before. So now I’m able to finish orders two to three times faster than before! You know what that means~?” She drew out with a friendly smirk.

It took a minute for the filly to realize, but when she did, her face lit up with excitement as she squeed in joy. “That means you can actually have time to spend with me?!” She said. When Rarity nodded, only to be trapped in a mini bear hug by Sweetie. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!” Sweetie chanted. The happy filly let go of her older sister and raced to the front door. “Sorry, but I have to go! My friends are waiting on me! Love you!” She yelled as the door was quickly opened and shut.

Rarity smiled warmly and went back to work. Maybe these techniques were only good at saving the world. But it was time to go back to training.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow flew through the sky at blinding speeds. Her lungs never felt this full before, and she believed that her wing could go on forever. The prismatic flyer got as high in the sky as she could and let herself drop, sending her hurdling to the earth below. She gave a powerful flap of her wings that made a faint white outline surround her body.

Magical energy poured out of Rainbow dash in colors similar to her mane, it was held back by the wind force. It built up lots and lots of energy until it could hold it in and a loud booming sound rang out, accompanied by a circular explosion of color.

Rainbow dash internally smirked because it took everything she had not to have her face fly off. Unfortunately, the ground was close, and with no ever to go, she managed to pull herself up enough to not hit the ground. As she soared above the ground, the same multi-colored energy surrounded her again but built up more energy than before. The following explosion would have ruptured Rainbow's eardrums if she was by it, and would have been nearly crushed under the tons of dirt and land the explosion kicked up. She looked back at the aftermath with pride and slowed her speed until she hovered in place.

“A double rain-boom? I never heard of that happening before.” Rainbow said to herself. With a chuckle, she resumed soaring in the sky back to Ponyville, good thing she was a good couple of miles out. Just then, an idea came to her head. “That’s it.” She chuckled smugly, “It's going to be the best breathing technique nopony has seen before. I bet AJ is going to be impressed!”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starburst moaned in pain and discomfort as she tossed and turned in bed. Whatever that damned red-maned stallion did to her was causing a burning sensation throughout her whole body like a terrible fever that never let up.

The walls of her courters were nothing special. Only lord Muzan could live in such luxury, of course. It was circular with enough room to walk around, only fitted with the bare necessities of decent living. There was a bed, which she was currently suffering on, a nearby table and chair with parchment and writing equipment, and a small restroom on the opposite side. It had also been several months since she had consumed mortal flesh, so her immunity and strength, or lack thereof, was probably the cause of this burning feeling.

She was thankfully interrupted from her silent suffering when the door to her room opened, and the bored demon walked in, a large brown sack over his shoulder. To her surprise, Muzan had also entered with a look she remembered seeing on royal guards when she was mortal.

“Drop it.” Muzan commanded.

The bored demon didn’t hesitate as he dropped the sack on the hard floor, resulting in a muffled yelp of pain and restrained cries. Starburst couldn’t see it due to her position on the bed, that was until Muzan walked to her side and used his newly found magic to levitate her into a sitting position. Not with care anyway. Now that she had a good look at the sack, she noticed it was moving slightly. The bulges receding and poking out were a vague outline of a pony’s hoof.

“L-Lord M-Muzan…” She managed to sputter out.

“Silence, one of my high-ranking demons shouldn’t be lazily laying around doing nothing. You should be fully healed by now, but you are not. Most likely, your body still isn’t at full strength, even with the amount of flesh you consumed. Be it your or the realm's magical environment or your own biology, that is little concern to me.” His face got closer to her with a bone-chilling stare. “What I care about is you making me look like a fool.”

Muzan then backed away from Starburst and over to the moving sack. In the blink of an eye, a stinger shot out of his back and quickly cut the top of the sack clean off, then hid back in the demon alicorn's side. When the sack unfurled, it revealed the form of a terrified mare in her late thirties looking around the room with fear in her eyes, mostly the inhabitants of the room. She had a lime-colored coat, baby-blue curly mane, a pair of little-pink eyes, and a cutie mark of a pair of scissors and cut paper. Starburst looked at her with an indifferent expression before looking at Muzan tiredly.

“I expect you to finish your meal before I return with more,” Muzan said. He turned around and started to walk to the door, the bored demon in tow. “Don’t make a mess.”

The door shut, which left the terrified mare staring at Starburst with wide eyes. The mare dragged herself backward until she hit the wall with a yelp. Since the floor was jagged and hard, combined with her visible raw hooves, left a small blood trail leading to her, like a red carpet to a fancy meal. A chuckle came from Starburst as a grin formed on her lips. In a flash, she had sprung from the bed and bolted to the mare. There was a scream for a single second, quickly turning into gargled cries when Starburst bit her throat like a wild dog. She didn’t wait to save the taste before her demon instincts kicked in, bite after bite as the burning sensation faded away slowly. The only sound in the room was the wet tearing sounds of flesh as the mare’s pained whimpers finally died out, barely noticeable to the starving Starburst. But when the demon mare got to the mare's midsection, something caused her to stop eating and stare at it with a surprised expression. In the mare's belly, was a barely formed foal that hadn’t even had a proper body yet, possibly a few months old.

Starburst suddenly felt a painful spike in her brain, making her recoil away from the pregnant corpse and hold her head with her hooves.

“Oh, I am so happy…do you think it would be a filly or a colt,...”

“...”

“Don’t worry, I’m sure my little colt friend can take care of our happy little child. If it is a colt, you can finally stop hanging around those annoying friends that get you into trouble all the time, Heh”

“...”

“I’m just kidding. Besides, it would be nice to not have to bail you out every weekend because of them. *sigh*”

“...”

“W-What? Why does the chief want to see us? And why such a date, three days from now? Is it because of our…nevermind, I’m sure it isn’t a big deal.”

“...”

“Anyway, this little jerk right here is making mommy very tired. So I’m going to get some rest while you go shopping, ok?”

“...”

“Love you too, honey bee.”

The painful sensation stopped stabbing the demon mare's head. She sat on her haunches and look at the ceiling while breathing heavily. “What was that? It feels like I should know who that stallion was, but I can’t name them.” She sighed. Shaking off her tiredness, she went back to eating the corpse with a strange sense of guilt and sorrow, setting the foal on the table so she could bury it later.

“Why do I feel sad all of a sudden?”

Next Chapter: On the road yet again Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 58 Minutes