Prologue

It was a peaceful day in Canterlot, the capital city for the nation of Equestria. The noon sun beamed through a cloudy sky without any problems. The soft sounds of birds singing filled the air as the city teemed with life. Ponies filled the square beneath the castle all in a rush to make it to appointments on time, or catch up with long lost friends and acquaintances, or just find a nice and cozy spot for one to relax. It was just a normal day for the exclusive few that lived so close to the castle.

While most ponies were either outside enjoying the weather, or going through their own personal routine, there was one who didn’t. Princess Celestia, one of the rulers of the Nation of Equestria, was unable to leave the castle due to all of the responsibilities she had as her nation’s ruler. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to leave for a few minutes, maybe stretch her wings and practice flying around on her own like she used to, but it was that all of the governmental meetings and sessions kept her so busy all the time that all she could do was sit inside and watch.

She sat in her throne during the session break, staring off into space with no problems. Other than listening to the law makers fight and bicker over how the system should or shouldn’t work, and monitoring any problems that would occasionally spring up inside Equestria’s borders, she didn’t have anything else to think of.

“It’s been a while since Twilight’s last letter.” She thought, taking a deep breath and readjusting herself on the throne to get more comfortable. “I hope she is alright, but it has been a couple of days since I last saw her at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s Wedding.” She moved her mane from her face and continued to let her thoughts get away from herself. Princess Celestia readjusted herself in her throne still unable to find a comfortable spot. “I think that it’s time to rotate this cushion here, I’ve been on it for too long.”

She continued to fidget with the cushion, still unable to find an appropriate spot to remain at rest until the throne room doors flung open wide. Princess Celestia looked up to see the Captain of the Equestrian Fire Brigade, a bright orange earth pony, ran forward in a panic.

“Your Highness!” The Captain exclaimed, giving her a polite but hurried bow. She could see slight burns all over his front hooves, and that he had taken a blow to the head from something just a few seconds ago. His dark red mane was covered in ashes and sweat, which dripped onto the carpets he was standing on. “Please your highness, you must come quickly! There is a fire going on in Canterlot Elementary School!” He said very quickly.

“Easy there, what’s the problem?” Princess Celestia asked, waving the two guards that were flanking the Fire Brigade Captain off.

“Your highness, a fire just broke out in Canterlot Elementary School. The Fire Brigade is doing their best to contain the blaze, but that’s all we can do.” The Fire Captain explained. “One of the students is still trapped inside, and nopony can get to him! Please your highness, we need your help!”

Princess Celestia got up from her throne and walked to the Fire Captain. “It’s going to be okay. Take me there.” She said, watching the Fire Captain’s face light up. Princess Celestia knew that this wasn’t something that she should do; the lawmakers would throw a fit if they had found out that she was personally going to head out and do the job of the fire brigade, but the Captain had asked for her help, and she wasn’t going to let him down. “You ponies round up the guard, I’m going to need them to control the crowds.” She ordered, watching the two Pegasus soldiers in the room give her a salute with their wings before leaving the throne room. Princess Celestia then turned to the Captain. “All right, lead me to the fire.” She said, watching him nearly fall over his own hooves trying to turn around and lead her out of the castle.

When Princess Celestia had arrived at the scene, most of the three story Elementary school had been consumed with the blaze. The ponies in uniform seemed to be fighting a losing battle, spraying as much water as they could on the flames with no visible effect. She could feel the intensity of the flames even as she winded her way through the crowds of panicked ponies, running as fast and as far away from the scene while trying not to trample one another.

“Everypony please calm down!” The Fire Brigade Captain had shouted, stopping within walking distance of the blaze. “Please everypony! There’s no need to panic anymore!” He shouted again, not getting anypony’s attention.

“Allow me.” Princess Celestia offered, taking a spot where everypony could see her. After looking around, she cleared her throat before beginning to speak.

“EVERYPONY LISTEN TO THE SOUND OF MY VOICE AND BE CALM!” Princess Celestia shouted, causing everypony to freeze in their tracks. They all then turned, staring at Princess Celestia with surprise and shock in their eyes.

“Now that that’s all settled, we can get this problem sorted out.” Princess Celestia began quietly, facing the blaze calmly. After staring at the burning school calmly, and doing a few mental calculations, she turned to her guards that had just arrived at the scene. “Guards, I want you to keep the crowds under control and help the Fire Brigade where they are needed.” She ordered, watching the twenty or so soldiers give her a salute before leaving in a huff. Princess Celestia then turned back to the guard captain and calmly nodded. “Captain, I need you to round up your stallions and a floor plan of the building. If it’s not too late, we can put this fire out and save the young foal that’s still trapped in there.”

The Fire Brigade Captain didn’t need another word. In less than a few minutes he returned with a group of six pegasus and unicorn ponies all ready and eager to assist her. He also had the floor plans of the school tucked under one of his hooves before he presented them to her. Princess Celestia’s horn started radiating with magic as she picked the school’s floor plans up from the Fire Brigade Captain and unfurled them. “Your highness, we believe that the student is trapped in the second floor of the school in one of the classrooms at the back of the building.” He said, fidgeting in place.

Princess Celestia gave the floor plan a look over, looking up only once to see that some of the roof had begun to cave in on the third floor. After giving the map a second look through, she gave the floor plan of the school back to the Fire Captain and nodded. “All right, Captain you and your men are with me. With any luck we can save the student still trapped inside.” She then turned to the front door and nodded. “Captain I want you to tell your remaining men to keep the fire from spreading to the other buildings as best as they can. Based on the floor plan, there’s only one way to get to the second floor, and that’s the front door.” She added, standing firm against the blaze. Behind her back she could hear the Fire Brigade Captain relaying the information to the other members of the brigade.

After hearing him run back next to her, Princess Celestia grinned. “All right gentlecolts! Let’s plow the road!” She declared, reeling backwards a little before beginning a reckless charge at the front door. She could hear the hoof steps and the beating of wings behind her as she led the fire brigade towards the building. Concentrating a little, Princess Celestia’s horn flared up with her magic that formed a sort of battering ram in front of her. With little effort, she easily knocked the door down and charged into the school without any problems.

The smoke inside the building reduced Princess Celestia’s vision to almost nothing as she began to venture forward. The magic she used to form the battering ram then changed into a fully protective barrier that was big enough for her and the rest of the Fire Brigade. “All right, everypony form up on me. I don’t want anypony doing anything foolish is that understood?” She asked, turning around only to find that the door she had smashed through had disappeared, and none of the Equestrian Fire Brigade had followed her inside. Princess Celestia looked around, only seeing the smoke in the hallway being produced by the fire. “Oh well, I guess that I’ll have to do this myself.” She thought, turning around and taking a few steps forward.

Cautiously, Princess Celestia advanced down the hallway, shrinking the barrier she had erected to just enough to protect her and the student trapped inside. “Hello?” She called out, staring into the smoke. No response cam back to her. “Hello? Is somepony there?” She asked, continuing to walk down the hall. With each step that Princess Celestia took, the floor seemed to get dingier and dirtier so much to the point that it was all black with the signs of misuse. The heat of the hallway also was starting to get to her, causing her to sweat profusely. She looked around, not seeing any of the doors that were on the floor plan of the school, and continued to head down the hallway. After a few minutes of walking virtually blind, Princess Celestia found the stairs that were mentioned on the map. Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked over to the steps quickly and placed a hoof on the bottom step.

“YEOWCH!” She screamed, leaping back off of the bottom step and pulling her hoof closer to her body. Princess Celestia calmed down after a moment and looked at the stair closely, shaking her head in disbelief. The Stairs in front of her were nothing short of super heated white-hot metal planks welded together and left to burn anypony who would be foolish to step on them. Princess Celestia mentally cursed her self for not being cautious and looked upward as she saw the stairs glowing ahead of her like a path to her destination. “It looks like I have no choice.” She thought, flapping her wings. After lifting off of the ground she followed the path laid out for her, being as careful as she could be from touching the stairs beneath her.

After a few seconds, she made it to the top of the stairway and flew out into the hall, landing on the tile floor before her. She could make out shapes of lockers and fallen debris through the smoke, but she couldn’t make anything else out. She had also noticed that it was significantly hotter up in the second floor than it was down on the first floor. If she had taken those ponies up there, they may have died from heat stroke. “Hello? Is somepony there? This is Princess Celestia; if you can hear me just say something!” She called out again, stepping further into the second floor cautiously.

“Mommy......” Princess Celestia’s ears pricked up, it was faint, but she could hear the voice of a very young foal down the hall over the roar of the fire.

“Yes that’s it, tell me where you are little one and we can get you to your mommy.” Princess Celestia called out again, in a more gentle tone than her voice this time, walking slowly so she couldn’t miss the sound of the voice again.

“Mommy....... I’m scared......” Princess Celestia heard the foal’s voice again and could pinpoint it almost exactly. “Mommy...... Please help me......” The foal’s voice cried, causing the Princess to move to the sounds of the voice even faster.

“It’s going to be okay little one,” Princess Celestia reassured, walking in between some of the fallen debris that tried to bar her path, “I need you to stay calm, you are in good hooves now.” She said confidently, stopping to hear the sound of a little foal crying. Princess Celestia began to pick up the pace, running down the second floor hall and avoiding more debris as it fell from the ceiling, collapsing in the spot she was just seconds before she moved. She could hear the foal‘s crying a lot better now, even amongst the roar of the blaze, and could see a small doorway with the shape of a foal sitting on the floor.

Princess Celestia walked into the room, and used her wings to beat most of the smoke away so she could see the foal for her own eyes. The foal was a sea foam green pegasus that had a dark green mane and tail. “It’s okay now little one.” Princess Celestia said, as calmly as she could. “Here now, let’s get you out of here.” She said, walking around the foal.

“Mommy...... Do you not love me anymore?” The little foal asked, looking up at Princess Celestia and causing her to reel back. The foal’s face was almost completely burned off, save for the front of the eyes. It’s left front hoof was completely missing with the stump of the hoof slowly oozing out blood. The front side of the foal’s midsection was completely charred, leaving almost no detail to distinguish itself from plain and ordinary ashes.

“I set this fire you know Mommy. Do you not love me any more?” The creature asked, getting up on all of its remaining legs and limping towards Princess Celestia. The Princess stepped backwards; trying to back away from whatever it was that was walking towards her.

“Stay back.” Princess Celestia said firmly, finally backing into the wall some distance away from the foal.

“But Mommy,” The foal droned, each syllable slowly lingering on as if to torture the princess, “I thought that you loved me? I thought that you were always going to be there for me no matter what I did.”

“Stay back I said.” Princess Celestia said even firmer than the last time, watching the demented creature continue to close the distance.

Princess Celestia began to flatten herself against the wall as the demented foal continued to close the distance; never stopping, slowly dragging it’s damaged body across the floor. She looked up, hearing another part of the ceiling above their heads start to give way. The little foal stopped its advance and cracked up a smile. “I’m sorry Mommy. But it’s time for me to go.” It said before staring at the ceiling. Celestia looked at where the foal’s eyes were staring and watched in horror as the spot it stood under collapsed. She let out a horrified scream, seeing the debris from the higher floor fall on top of the foal. The wall she leaned against caved in against her, causing her to fall into a seemingly vast abyss.

----

“Tia? Tia? Tia wake up, it’s just a nightmare.” Princess Celestia could hear her sister, Luna, whispering in her ear trying her hardest to wake her up. She could also feel the carpet on the floor of her royal chambers and figured that she fallen out of bed.

“Luna?” Princess Celestia asked, unsteadily getting to her hooves. “Oh my head..... What happened?” She asked, looking around. Luna stood in front of her, looking at her with concern. Her room was a mess; with dresser drawers flung all over the place, one of her bookshelves was knocked over, and most of the blanket she slept under was burned up.

“Thou were having a nightmare sister.” Luna said calmly. “And based on our observations, it had seemed to us that it was a terrible one indeed.” She watched her elder sister lay back down on the bed, shuddering as she did so. “Would thou tell us what it was about?” She asked, walking closer to the bed.

Princess Celestia shook her head, not wanting to remember the foal that had confronted her in the burning building. All of the details were still vividly fresh in her mind. “No, I can’t. It’s just....” She paused, staring quietly out one of the windows of her room, “It was just something that hurt too much. That’s all.” She finished.

“We would think that thou are hiding something from us. But if it is something that thou are not prepared to speak of right now, we understand.” Princess Luna said, looking at her sister gently. “We do have another purpose of our being here.” She added, watching as Princess Celestia turned to her.

“Another purpose Luna? What could that be?” Princess Celestia asked curiously.

“Well, we actually have two purposes.” Princess Luna began. “One of which thou hast requested of us to look into.” She watched her elder sister’s ears twitch before adjusting to a more comfortable position on her bed.

“And what was that again?” Princess Celestia asked through a yawn, still halfway asleep.

“Thou requested that we were to find the one that was lost. The one thou promised to look after unto adulthood.” She answered calmly. Princess Celestia sat up, staring at her sister intently.

“You mean that you found him?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Yes dearest sister we have found him.” Princess Luna answered. “It took many a night to find your little young one, but we assigned our finest scouts to search the land. Though there were a few complications during the search for him....” Princess Luna’s voice trailed off, seeing her older sister’s face brighten at the news.

“Well, where is he? How is he? Has he gotten his Cutie Mark yet? What is he doing now?” Princess Celestia asked Luna excitedly.

“Well he lives in Manehatten, he appears to be a fine and upstanding stallion within the community, and no he hasn’t gotten his Cutie Mark yet according to our scouts.” Princess Luna reported, watching some of the brightness disappear from her sister’s face.

“What about his job? What does he do for a living now, surely somepony must have helped him find something.” Princess Celestia asked.

“Well that was the thing that had surprised even us.” Princess Luna began, looking away from her sister. “It.... is difficult to explain. We could not believe our own ears when we received the knowledge of his chosen occupation.” She heard Princess Celestia shuffle her position on the bed again. “He does seem to have certain.....” Luna paused, trying to place her words carefully. “.... qualities for combat, or so we have heard.”

“Luna, I want to know. What. Does. He. Do?” Princess Celestia said firmly, beginning to glare at her sister.

“We did not want to alarm thee, dear sister but your little young one has taken the role of a Supernatural...... Bounty Hunter...” Princess Luna cringed, hearing a heavy snort from her sister, before turning to face her. “We didn’t believe it either when our scout reported to us this information.”

Princess Celestia remained quiet as she thought about her sister’s answer. “A Supernatural..... Bounty Hunter? I haven’t heard of something like that before. Do you have any details on what kind of job that is?” She asked.

Princess Luna shook her head. “We do not have any details as of late. It would seem to us that his work is highly dangerous, as our scout has reported that he conducts business during the day, and leaves his home at night to contend with the problem a pony has contracted him with. Our scout also reports that the young one still manages to make it back to his place of residence whilst heavily wounded, only to be able to meet with ponies later that following morning. Our scout has reported that his business actually thrives, and that ponies from all corners of Equestria come to his place of business for his assistance.” She explained.

Princess Celestia nodded. “All right, well do you know of a way to get into contact with him?” She asked.

“Our scouts have believed that he will not contact those who do not have business with him. Also we have learned that he only receives ponies with problems on a case-by-case business, meeting them after receiving a letter from them.” Princess Luna reported, watching her sister closely. “Why dost thou ask us these questions sister? “ She asked, watching Princess Celestia’s Horn flare up, grabbing a roll of parchment and a quill.

“Because Luna, it’s been ages since --well you know; the incident.” Princess Celestia stopped, her heart uneasy. It was almost fifteen years since she saw him, and her heart ached now that she knew that he was still alive, but it couldn’t have been easy on Luna either. She lowered the quill and parchment from her face, seeing Luna’s face tearing up slightly. “Luna, what’s the matter?”

Princess Luna shook her head. “No sister, we are fine. It’s just that incident seemed to be too painful for one to bear alone.”

"What happened was something that I would not have wished on some of my worst enemies.” Princess Celestia replied, her magic picking a handkerchief from the floor and using it to wipe Luna’s eyes. “It’s all right now. What’s happened is all in the past now, it’s just time for us to live with our decisions and try to make the most of it.” She reassured. “Now, you said that you were here for two reasons. What’s the other reason?” She asked, setting the handkerchief down with her magic.

“Yes sister, there is something else that we have been meaning to discuss with you.” Princess Luna answered, her own horn flaring up with magic as a scroll appeared out of thin air. “You see, we have just been informed that there was a break-in at the Foalsom County Maximum State Penitentiary approximately five hours ago.”

“You mean a break out?” Princess Celestia corrected.

“Well it was a matter of both.” Princess Luna explained. “You see, this was given to me by a messenger thirty minutes before I came to wake you.” She floated the scroll over to Princess Celestia with her magic, who took the scroll with her magic and unfurled it. Princess Celestia read it over, before reeling back and dropping it on the bed. “We do not know whether or not to take this declaration seriously, but they are indeed a threat to Equestrian ponies everywhere.” Princess Celestia remarked, picking up the scroll again and rereading it. She cringed as the scroll was full of the smell of death, the words written in blood. The scroll, in loopy handwriting read plainly:

To the foolish rulers of the lie that is Equestria,

By the time you receive this message; I will have already enacted my master’s will and have evaded your misguided sense of justice. I am writing this letter to say that the almighty King of the Thestrals, Cigam will be revived soon. My master has seen through your previous champion’s spell, and will see to the destruction of your nation and restore the Dead Zone back to it’s original splendor. Of course there is the matter of your new chosen wielders to the Elements of Harmony; it is under my impression that they have been separated for quite some time. Even if you were to try and stop me now, with out a chosen wielder of the sacred sword that binds my master you cannot have any chances of success. Surrender now and I may see that you and all of Equestria’s ponies get a burial, should my master show you mercy. Fail to do so and my master will burn every city in this nation to the ground, and crucify every pony who dared to support you.

“Luna, tell your guards to stay on high alert and keep an eye on any ponies that seem suspicious. We don’t want to have this masked pony slipping through our hooves.” Princess Celestia commanded.

“But sister, what of the masses? What would they say should news of this letter be reached to the masses? What will happen then?” Princess Luna asked.

Princess Celestia thought about the result if the letter stating the return of the King of the Thestrals and formed an idea in her head. “Luna, I will tell them that for their own safety keep an eye on suspicious activity. If news of this letter or the attack on Foalsom Prison reaches the masses, that’s when we truly need to worry.” She answered.

“And what of the Elements of Harmony?” Princess Luna asked. “We believe that they would be more than capable of wielding the sacred sword.” She said calmly.

“Yes Twilight and her friends would be more than capable of wielding the sacred sword, but you must remember Luna that no pony with blood that runs deep in Equestria can totally control it.” Princess Celestia said quietly.

“But sister, a pony like that has not been seen in over two-thousand years!” Princess Luna exclaimed. “Without a wielder, the Elements of Harmony alone are no use against his fell power!” She added nervously, watching as her elder sister picked up the quill and scroll again. “Did you not hear me sister? The fate of Equestria lies within somepony’s hooves that have been lost to time!”

Princess Celestia shook her head. “That’s not entirely true Luna.” She said continuing to write on the scroll, never breaking her concentration. “You remember what happened when our last hope had returned with the sword in the first place?” She asked finishing her writing on the scroll, before closing it up. “He was not of Equestrian blood no matter how much it pained him to want to be.” She said quietly.

“What art thou going to do with that letter sister?” Princess Luna asked.

“You’ll see.”

----

In a small reasonably quiet section of downtown Manehatten, amongst a set of abandoned buildings was the site of the office known as Supernatural Happenings. Everypony seemed to know of this place, as it was the only building that wasn’t scheduled for demolition. It was one of Manehatten’s earlier apartment buildings, standing at two-and-a-half stories tall; it had an air of nostalgia around it. Most of the windows were dark, with the exception of one of the first floor windows to the right of the front door which shows those few ponies outside that somepony lived inside.

Inside the lighted room was a large green sofa sitting perpendicularly to the window. A small lamp lit the room up beyond it’s physical capabilities. A small coffee table sat in front of the sofa, littered with old soda bottles and papers that had lists of successful contracts that were completed. A counter that led into a small kitchen sat parallel to the open window, revealing a small counter that a small black refrigerator rested against. Lying on the sofa was sea foam green Pegasus pony Raising Shadows, or Raze as he was preferred to be called, staring out into the windows outside of his apartment.

His body was covered with scars, only because of his line of work. Sometimes he would go onto a job with the Intel on a family being tormented by a terrible Manticore spirit and find out that it was only a simple ghost that was trying to get attention. Other times he wouldn’t know what to expect going onto a mission running virtually blind, and come out looking like he had a battle with an entire army of the undead. It also helped that he carried around a steel gray claymore enchanted by a unicorn that he had met before setting up shop here in Manehatten, and it also helped that whenever he would get hurt his body would slowly, like literally frozen molasses in January slow, seal off the injury and heal itself. But that wasn’t the weirdest thing about him. You see even though Raze was a pegasus, although he never was able to truly fly, he was different than other pegasus ponies in Equestria. He couldn’t explain it but whenever he would lose his temper, fires would literally start around him. Raze went to the hospital whenever it would happen, and the same answers would be given to him.

“I’m sorry sir, but that’s something that really can’t be explained.” The nurse or doctor on staff would tell them. It was the same thing when he asked about his body being able to heal itself; they just couldn’t give him a straight answer. Raze was literally kicked out of the last doctor’s office he went to when he bugged the head physician on staff about how his body was able to do what it could do.

And going down the avenue of magic was a bust as well. He had spent countless hours in every Manehatten Library of magic trying to find anything about what he was capable of, and that he wasn’t the only pony in Equestrian History that was able to heal his own injuries or start fires when he got angry, to no avail though as every Magic section contained nothing about fire starting unless it was how to do it as a unicorn or any pony who was able to heal their own injuries without any possible magical attributes.

Raze flipped over to his back and stared at the ceiling for awhile, moving some of his dark green mane from out of his eyes. His hindquarters were sore, but it really didn’t matter only because he spent most of his last mission running and avoiding like a chicken being chased by a cat.

He could see it clearly; he was in Manehatten Museum of Ancient History, staring down a Windigo that was guarding a set of golden boots of a make that had been predated to three-thousand years before Princess Celestia’s fight against her sister. Raze had stared down Windigo before, and they weren’t weak to the whole bonding and friendship nonsense that Equestrian teachers fed down the throats of young school fillies and foals on Hearth’s Warming Day. Windigo, this one in particular, were mean and nasty spirits that guarded particular objects that gave them the ability to feed off of the energy from the land which made it colder and harsher the longer they fed. The Windigo Raze had faced had seemed to have spent at least a full two-thousand years feeding on the lands that the boots were found in, and it was not surprisingly angry at the researchers who had found the boots and removed them from it’s place.

Raze figured that the job would be easy, just wear the Windigo down long enough to force it to find a different place to feed off the land, but something in his gut told him that something wasn’t right. He started off with his normal routine during a mission, questioning the ponies that were in a direct vicinity of the boots and gathering his information. After getting what he needed from a choice few ponies, Raze had felt he was ready for the Windigo. But that was when the mission went south in a hurry.

Raze had met up with the Windigo the following night, his claymore at the ready incase the beast was going to cause any trouble. However, he was caught off guard by the size of it. The Windigo had to be at least fifty feet tall, and with it being all black he knew that it was going to be a long and hard fight. After foolishly deciding to charge at the Windigo, and being blasted back by a hurricane force gust of it’s icy winds, Raze moved on to simpler hit-and-run tactics which seemed to be weakening it significantly. However in a moment of over-confidence the Windigo had proven to outsmart Raze, freezing over the entire building as the battle progressed, and that’s when it took Raze’s leg.

He had not been watching the Windigo’s movements closely enough and assumed that he could sail over the beast and take another pot shot at it. He was terribly wrong as the Windigo grabbed his left front hoof with it’s teeth and bit down, shattering the frozen leg without any problems. If the Manehatten S.W.A.T. Team hadn’t been there to get him out seconds after it happened, he would have been on Sunday’s paper as the first pony in centuries to get killed by a Windigo.

As a way to make up for damages and injury after the fight, the Museum Curator had ordered a special leg be made based on the design specifications that Raze had given him. After a few weeks, and a few botched missions on his road to recovery, Raze had a fully working leg back in his disposal that even came with a retractable griffin styled claw that made it easier for him to grab things.

There was a loud knocking on the front door, causing Raze to moan before looking towards the door. “It’s open!” Raze hollered, rolling over on his side. He watched carefully as a dark blue Unicorn pony walked in, shaking a little bit of water off of his silver mane before closing the door. “You know that there’s such a thing as an Umbrella Manson.” Raze commented, sitting up on the couch.

“Yeah, and there’s such a thing as an honest living Raze.” The unicorn replied, sliding off the saddle bag from his back and stepping into Raze’s Living Room. “But seeing as I can make one magically, and you work by beating back the spirits that harass innocent ponies I think that we can make an exception.”

“Yeah, so what brings you here?” Raze asked casually, watching Manson grab a soda bottle from his refrigerator. Manson shrugged taking a swig from the bottle, and grabbed one of the fold-up chairs next to his refrigerator. Raze cringed as he heard it drag across the floors into his front room.

“I was just in the neighborhood when I caught wind that you nearly took out another Magic section in one of Manehatten’s Libraries.” Manson answered, unfolding the chair and sitting on it. “Is that true?” He asked, setting the soda bottle down with his magic.

“Well you must’ve heard a bunch of horse lies.” Raze answered. “That last mission caused a lot of damage, and I wasn’t in a mood to take things too seriously.” Manson chuckled a little. “What’s so funny?”

“Well, that’s the excuse you used last time that you went to a library to research your,” He paused staring at the scars on Raze’s body, primarily the scar where his front left hoof should have been, and sighed. “You know that’s the same excuse you used the last time you accidentally torched a Library. You know that the ponies from the library can’t provide the answers that your looking for.” Manson scolded.

“You don’t believe me, here’s the proof.” Raze answered, grabbing a contract receipt from one of the stacks of papers and passed it to Manson. Manson’s horn flared up, taking the receipt from Raze’s mouth and looked it over. “All right and legal too.”

Manson nodded calmly, setting the receipt back down on the table. “Well now, I apologize.”

“It’s good Manson, you’re just looking out for me.” Raze replied, planting his right hoof onto his mechanical one on the floor.

“Here, lemme get that for you.” Manson offered, picking up the hoof off of the floor and placing it over the scar. Raze concentrated for a second before loosening the hoof up as though it were a real one.

“Thanks Manson.” Raze said, stretching again. “Now why are you here?” He asked, getting up from his sofa and walking into the kitchen.

“Well actually, I have a job for you if you’re interested.” Manson replied, his horn flaring up again and picking up a file folder in his saddle bag and setting it on the table. “It comes from the warden from the Foalsom County Maximum State Penitentiary, and he sounds desperate.” He watched as Raze quietly walked back into the living room, the claws on his prosthetic hoof extended around a soda bottle of his own. “It would seem that their trying to keep it all hush-hush, and they need you to catch the guy that broke in.”

“Don’t you mean the guy that broke out?” Raze asked, setting the soda bottle down on the table after a swig. He flopped down on the couch, staring at the folder curiously.

“No, actually this pony seemed to break in and single-handedly wiped out the entire prison population save one pony. A real John Doe in this case.” Manson explained, pushing the folder without spilling either bottle of soda to the other side of the table.

“What would make a pony want to kill off the entire population, and save one pony? I mean they’re all scum of Equestria, but the pony that did this must’ve been a real class act.” Raze answered, picking up the file and scanning through it briefly. “It seems like something that the fine mares and stallions of the Manehatten Metro Police Department can handle.” Raze said, setting the file folder back down on his table.

“You do realize that it’s half-a-million bits that you happen to be passing up right?” Manson questioned.

“Yeah, but it’s not my job in hunting ponies that are of this world.” Raze answered, grabbing his soda bottle and taking another swig. “Besides, it’s likely that the pony responsible is long gone. I mean the date on the file says that it’s been three days since the incident, and the Princesses Royal Guards have been summoned to settle this case anyways. Adding me to the investigation will just add another head to this brainless chicken.” Raze added, taking a deep breath.

“Adding another head to a brainless chicken? Where did that one come from?” Manson asked, chuckling slightly.

“I dunno, it was spur of the moment.” Raze answered. “Anyways, I’m not interested.” He added, lying back down on the sofa.

Manson picked the file back up from the table with his magic and placed it back into his saddle bag. “Hey, you can’t say that I didn’t try.” He said, picking up his soda bottle and taking another swig. “Are you going to need anything before I head on out and look for a job you are interested in?” Manson asked.

“You sound like I’m your room mate or something.” Raze said, quietly staring out the window again. Storm clouds were beginning to form overhead, as lightning began arcing between them. “Are you sure that you should be going out into this kind of weather? Why not crash here until the storm passes?” Raze asked, turning his head to Manson.

“Nah, I’ve got a wife and fillies to look after Raze.” Manson said quietly. “I’m just here doing my duty to find you work.” He added, getting up from the chair. “And if I stay here too long, the wife’s going to think that I have a thing for you and not her. You know how jealous she gets sometimes.”

Raze and Manson shared an uneasy laugh. After a few seconds of silence Raze laid his head back down on the sofa. “Well make sure that you get home safe. I don’t want to have to meet with your wife just to track down your body or something.” He said, quietly staring off into the sky.

Manson stood up, dragging out a covered dish from his other saddle bag and set it on the counter with his magic. “This is from the wife. As a way of thanks. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now.” Raze smiled, the scent of Mrs. Manson’s Chestnut and Blackberry pie wafting into his nostrils begged him to get up. He sat up and stretched, before getting up off the couch again. “You’ve been seeing more of this than I have at home you know?” Manson asked, uncovering the pie and letting it’s aroma fill the apartment.

“Well I did save your life.” Raze commented, stepping gently on the floor with his prosthetic hoof before his other ones. He walked into the kitchen next to Manson, and patted him on the back. “You know any later, and that wanna be Reaper of Death would have taken his first victim.” He added, inhaling the sweet aroma of the pie and nearly melting on the spot. They were talking of when Manson and his fillies went out for Nightmare Night two years ago. A psychotic Madmare had taken to swiping fillies off of the streets starting two days prior, and had almost gotten away with Manson’s kids. Raze and Manson had scoured all of Manehatten, and kept the Police Department out on high alert until Manson had met up with the Psychotic Mare.

Raze had only gotten there just in time to save Manson’s life, causing the Madmare’s nearly fatal blow to miss his face entirely. The Madmare was captured and turned over to the Police, and most of the fillies were returned to their parents with stories of how they were almost, “gobbled up!,” by the Madmare.

“By Celestia I can’t wait to dig in.” Raze said, moving to a position that made him look like he was a filly waiting for a present. Manson chuckled, pushing the pie away from the edge with a bare hoof and turned to Raze. “I know, I know. We have to wait for it to cool down first.” Raze said, standing back up and sniffing the pie again.

“You know, sometimes you act like you were a colt.” Manson said, stopping as he heard a rough knock on the door. Raze and Manson looked at each other, before Raze disappeared around the corner to the front door. Manson walked forward and peeked around the corner as Raze had the door slightly open to see who was on the other side.

“Are you Raising Shadows, owner and Proprietor of the Supernatural Happenings Supernatural Bounty Hunter Office?” A gruff, and menacingly looking pegasus pony in silver armor asked, looking soaked from the rain that began to fall from the sky.

“Yes, who wants to know?” Raze answered, eyeing the pony suspiciously.

“Raising Shadows, I am from the Royal Court of Canterlot. The Princess of the Day, Celestia has sent you this message and seeks a meeting with you.” The gruff pegasus pony replied, digging a white scroll from his saddle bag before passing it to Raze. Raze took it with his prosthetic hoof and opened it as the soldier-esque pony stood out in the rain.

To the pony Raising Shadows of the Establishment Supernatural Happenings,

I hope that this letter finds you well, and that you are able to come to Equestria’s aid. I have need of your services and wish to set up a time and place for us to meet. I also have enclosed one-thousand bits so as to ensure your aid, and will pay handsomely should you choose to accept. I would hope to hear from you as soon as possible, and would expect to meet up at your Earliest Convenience.

Signed,

Princess Celestia.

Raze stared at the letter for sometime, and looked down to the bag of money that the guard held in between his teeth. After mulling it over in his mind, Raze smiled and tucked the letter under one of his wings and grabbed the bag of money from the soldier’s mouth. “Tell Princess Celestia that I have an open spot to meet her on Thursday. Three-o’ clock should give us both enough time to prepare.” Raze told the pony.

The soldier saluted Raze before turning around and taking off into the night. Raze closed his front door, turning as Manson approached him. “Well that was something that you don’t hear about everyday.” Raze commented, walking back into the living room.

“What was that about?” Manson asked.

“It was one of Princess Luna’s soldiers.” Raze said. “Princess Celestia wanted to schedule a meeting with me, and I told the soldier to have her meet me this Thursday.” He added, setting the letter and the bag of money on the coffee table.

“What could the Princess want? I didn’t think that news of your business left Manehatten.” Manson commented.

“News of what I do shouldn’t be that well known outside of the city.” Raze turned to Manson, seeing concern on his face. “It would seem that one of our nation’s rulers has a problem that she can’t handle on her own. It would just be another way to make my name more well known out here.” Raze added confidently, watching Manson put a hoof to his face. “What? You think that I’m not good enough to handle the Princess’s request?” He asked.

“No it’s not that.” Manson commented. “But it’s one of the Princesses of Equestria. And you know that there’s something wrong when it’s a problem that she or the Elements of Harmony cant handle.”

“You don’t need to worry. Maybe it’s something that just needs another thought process on.” Raze replied. “Besides that, she only paid me a thousand bits to begin with. It could be that she wanted somepony to act as an extra security guard outside Equestria, but none were available.” He added. “Besides, it’s not like I’m not going to not treat her with the respect she deserves, She is the Princess after all.”

Manson’s horn flared up again, picking up the saddle bag with his magic. After putting it back on he sighed. “ Well Raze, I hope you don’t do nothing stupid. I don’t want to hear that you got sent to the moon, or turned into stone, or anything that could cross the Princess you understand?”

“Or what? You going to get me down off of the moon just so you can send me up there yourself?” Raze asked casually.

“I might just do that.” Manson answered, his horn flaring up and creating a small barrier above his head with his magic. “Anyways, I want you to know that if you need anything, you know who to call.” He said, taking a step towards the front door.

“Here lemme get that for you.” Raze offered, walking to the front door and opening it for Manson. “Good manners and everything you know right?”

Manson nodded, walking past Raze into the quiet night rain. “You take care of yourself Raze.” He said finally, watching Raze nod before walking down the street and out of sight.

Raze closed his front door, locking it with one of the claws on his prosthetic hoof. He then turned, walking deeper into the apartment and passed the kitchen that had Mrs. Manson’s pie waiting for him. He came on a set of old stairs, the only ones that led up into the actual rooms of his apartment. He climbed them carefully, cautiously stepping on each board as though they were bombs ready to go off. After getting to the top, and seeing the hallway leading to what was at one point a few separate apartments, now was his bedroom and bathroom on either side of the hall. Raze walked down the hall, opening the door to his bathroom and stared at the small tub that sat in the middle of the room. It wasn’t much, especially when he first got into the apartment when he was young, but it had kept him clean with every time he went to take a bath.

Raze calmly walked over to the faucet on the tub and turned it on with his teeth, watching the water flow. What could the Princess want with me? I mean, I didn’t exactly tell anypony about what I did that wasn’t a citizen of Manehatten in the first place. Raze thought, staring into the tub. A chill ran down his spine, which caused him to shudder. Maybe she wants me to fess up for back then. He thought nervously before shaking his head. Idiot, she paid you a thousand bits! Why would she want you to fess up for that? He scolded mentally, turning away from the tub and heading to the sink that faced the door. He stared into the mirror that hung above the sink and shook his head. “I gotta look good for Thursday. There’s a lot of stuff that I have to get done before she shows up though. Let’s see, I can close up tomorrow and get this place cleaned up, well at least the front office, and Ill have nothing to worry about when the Princess shows up.” Raze commented, staring at his reflection.

He turned back to the tub and walked back over, shutting the water off before it spilled everywhere. Raze then took his prosthetic hoof of before climbing in the tub and let out a relaxed moan. “Why was I even thinking about back then? I mean, what’s done is done. I cant change the past, no matter how much I want to.” Raze pulled his front right hoof from under the tub and shook the water off of it. After it was dry, well as dry as Raze could get it, he concentrated for a few moments and jumped slightly as a small flame appeared on his hoof with a small pop. He balanced it on his hoof for a few moments before watching it go out instantly. “Hmm, there isn’t really anyway for me to play an angle on this situation. She’s one of the rulers of Equestria after all, and one wrong word can cost me a one way trip into the dungeons in Canterlot.” Raze mumbled, watching another small flame pop into his hoof.

Raze spent the next hour lying in his tub before climbing out and drying himself off. After cutting himself a slice of pie, he grabbed one of the blankets he had from a closet in the hall downstairs and walked back to the sofa. He picked up the letter that Princess Celestia had given him and read it again, before setting it down and finishing his pie slice. “Man, just what exactly have I gotten myself into this time?” Raze remarked, lying back down on the sofa with the blanket before drifting off to sleep.

Sleep never came easily to Raze. He usually had to wait at least an extra hour before he could actually start dreaming. On most nights, he would relive cases that were successful usually watching as a spectator. But on nights like this one, he was dreaming something different.

Raze stood quiet and alone in the hallway of an abandoned school building. There was hardly any light and from what he could see it appeared to have gone through a fierce fire. “Hello?” Raze called out, walking forward nervously. “Heeeellllloooooo? Is somepony here?” Raze called out again, continuing to walk down the hallway. He couldn’t see any sign of a door on either side of the hallway, and in some spots of the walls he could see chain link fencing that would have prevented him from falling into a vast abyss.

Raze kept walking remaining as calm as he could, and taking up as much of the scenery as he could, while avoiding some of the leftover debris from what appeared to be a really devastating fire. After a few more minutes of walking, Raze stopped at a stairwell and an intersection of the building, only to have the intersecting hallway blocked off by more chain link fencing. “Well now, I would assume that somepony’s trying to tell me something.” Raze thought aloud, walking towards the stairs. He planted his right hoof on the steps and heard a dull thud, as if he stepped on a steel plate and looked down. His hoof was firmly planted on a steel plate which was made to look like a poor attempt at a stair. Raze could see that it, and the ones above had holes due to rust and wear on them, and could stare beyond them into nothing but darkness.

Raze shuddered, feeling unnerved and trudged on, hearing the dull thudding of his hooves against the cold metal. He stopped only once to the sound of a loud creak, afraid that he might fall through the old metal. Come on Raze, it’s alright. Put one hoof in front of the other and let’s get off of this thing before it breaks. He thought, pushing onward. Raze had gotten to the top moments later, and turned as the stairs before him fell apart. “Well, it looks like I’m only going one way.” He said, moving forward.

The second hallway wasn’t in the best of conditions as the first hallway. He could see doors to classrooms, but most of them were barred shut by wooden boards or were jammed. He could also see where the floor above him caved in and fell into rubble and did his best to walk around it where he could. In some parts of the floor, he could see the chain link fence underneath the floors as a deterrent from anypony standing there. Raze could also see that in some spots, the school lockers were ripped off of the walls and left to hang over some chasm that didn’t have the chain link fence underneath. Raze still kept walking, seeing an open door at the end of the hallway, just beyond another smaller chasm.

After hopping onto one of the fallen lockers, and back onto the floor before the lockers fell, Raze walked into the classroom cautiously. The room was surprisingly well lit, save for the corners of the room. There were no desks to speak of, and he could see a place to put saddle bags on the left most side of the room, opposite from where he stood. The floors were a sick and disturbing brown mixed with what appeared to be blood, but he couldn’t be for sure and he didn’t want to find out. The chalkboard seemed to be normal, but had a strange rune drawn on it in regular chalk depicting three circles in a triangular formation with a larger circle drawn around them. Raze stared at the rune, beginning to feel dizzy as he did so, and planted his prosthetic hoof to his head.

“Filly-killers aren’t allowed here.” Raze stopped and turned to see a small, pale white earth pony filly appear behind him.

“Excuse me?” Raze asked. “But what are you talking about?”

“Filly-killers. They aren’t allowed here in this place.” The filly said sternly. “This is a sacred place to our creator. To our God. And our god doesn’t like Filly-killers.”

“What are you talking about? There’s only me and you here. I don’t see a filly killer here.” Raze replied, seeing the pale blue eyes of the filly glare at him.

“Our god also doesn’t like liars either. He says that those who are unclean will be washed from this land upon his return. Filly-killers and liars are those that are on the list.” The filly said, taking a step towards Raze.

There was something wrong about this filly, something very wrong. Raze couldn’t put his hoof on it, but he never even knew that there was such a thing as a Filly-killer when he was her age. “Easy there now little one. Where are your parents?” He asked, trying to change the subject.

“They were unclean and had to be washed from this land before God could return.” The filly said nonchalantly. “Especially since they worshiped the traitorous wenches Celestia and Luna.”

Raze couldn’t believe his ears. “And who told you that?” He asked, in spite of himself.

“Our god told us that.” The filly answered, taking another step forward. “He said that anypony who reveres and worships Celestia and Luna are to be washed from the Dead Zone in their own blood.”

“Okay now,” Raze said, taking a step towards the door. “I think that I’m going to just head on outta here, and leave you to your god worship.” He said, turning to the door only to watch it slam shut in his face.

“You can’t go anywhere. Our god says that you know too much, and that you’re going to have to be dealt with.” The filly said quietly. Raze pulled at the door with all of his might, only stop when the room began to shake and tremble. Raze turned to where the filly stood only to watch her disappear. The room then began to shake violently, flinging Raze from one side of the room to the other like a pony rolling dice for a board game. When the room stopped, Raze got unsteadily to his hooves only to see five giant black claws pierce through the roof of the classroom. Raze stood his ground, reaching for his claymore only to find it not there when he needed it, before watching with horror as the roof was ripped off.

“What in Equestria?” Was all Raze could say, seeing a pair of demonic red eyes staring at him from a dark black cloud of smoke. He never saw anything like it before, and backed away slowly as two claws hooves erupted from the cloud’s sides like volcanoes, flailing and thrashing everywhere. One of the clawed hooves then immediately flew straight at Raze, narrowly missing him by inches as he darted to one side of what was left of the classroom. The cloud removed the hoof from where it was, literally splitting Raze’s running space in half, before grabbing the left hand side of the classroom with the other hoof. Raze watched, stunned as the cloud opened up a huge maw of razor sharp teeth before tossing the half of the classroom and eating it.

Raze couldn’t believe his eyes. He watched as the cloud swallowed it’s meal with virtually no problems, before glaring down on where Raze stood. The cloud then grinned, grabbing the other half of the class room with no problems, and greedily stuffed it into it’s mouth just as easily as the first half. Raze could only watch with horror as the beast continued to eat the building, with him still inside, somehow avoiding all of the teeth before swallowing it. Raze let out a scream, falling down with the chewed up debris into the vast abyss below.

----

THUD. Raze hit the floor of his apartment hard, opening his eyes as the wooden floor flooded his vision. He sat up, looking around and watched the sunrise from his living room window. “Ugh, what a night.....” He mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his temples. He could see rain puddles on the streets outside his office, and there was some debris lying in the middle of the road, but there wasn’t too much for him to really get cleaned up on the outside. Raze stretched his back, rubbing his sore flank with his prosthetic hoof before standing. He heard a loud clang and jumped, walking nervously out into the first floor hall. He then took several steps forward, trying his best to keep calm. After igniting a small fireball in his right hoof, he saw that there was nothing there. Aw horse feathers, I know I shouldn’t have eaten that piece of pie before bed. Now I’m hearing things. Raze thought, walking back to his front room.

Raze stopped, feeling a sudden cold take over his body as he entered the front room. He quickly walked back to where his claymore sat in the corner and grabbed it with the claws on his prosthetic hoof. He then turned to the window, holding his blade low as he stared at two ponies standing in front of his building. Raze immediately got a nervous feeling about one of them, only seeing a dark purple snout under it’s ominous black robe. He could spot the handle of a sword down near the front side of the robes, but it wasn’t anything that he had ever seen. It was smaller than the handle of the sword he carried almost by half and it seemed to be wrapped in gold fabric, or at least that’s what he could tell from where he stood, and it just hung out loosely in front of the pony in black robes. Raze then turned his attention to the second pony a lank, pale white pony with a brown mane and tail. He could have sworn that he saw the pony before, but he didn’t remember when he saw him.

The black robed pony just stood quietly as his pale companion chattered almost happily in his ear, not moving an inch as Raze stared at him. The black robed pony looked up, and began to glare at Raze with golden eyes that seemed to stare into his soul which caused him to tighten his grip on the claymore. Their gazes clashed for a few moments, until the black robed pony said something to his pale companion causing him to stop talking and stare at Raze. Both ponies then turned and walked off down the intersecting street, disappearing from sight.

Raze continued to hold his claymore tightly for a few minutes after the two strange ponies left. All right, what the hay were those guys problem? Raze thought, continuing to hold his sword. And why do they give me a bad feeling that something’s going to happen tomorrow? He thought, taking a calming breath before propping the sword back up in it’s usual corner. He stopped a second time, planting his hooves on his head firmly as it started to ache. After falling face first back onto the floor, the aching started to pass until finally it was gone. “Damn.... Why’s my head starting to act up?” Raze moaned, getting back onto his hooves quickly. “If those ponies show up again, I’ll need to be careful around them. I don’t know why, but they seem off.” He said to no one, walking back into his kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. “Any who, I need to get this place taken care of. The Princess is coming tomorrow , and I really need to leave a good impression. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get a huge contract out of her after this one!” He thought before getting to work.

Raze spent the better half of the day running all around Manehatten for cleaning supplies, as he had run out of the ones Manson and his family had let him borrow. By the time he had gotten back to his apartment and started cleaning his front room and office, it was almost six-thirty. After spending the latter half of the evening getting those rooms organized and cleaned up it was well past nine. Raze grinned, a few moments after the Manehatten Clock Tower had rang out the last toll into the night, before flopping casually onto his front room sofa. “Finally I’m done.” Raze said, wiping the sweat from his brow with his front hoof and casting it aside. “Now all I can do is wait for the Princess.” Raze said aloud, leaning forward and staring at his reflection in his coffee table. He jumped however, as the sounds of a hoof knocking on his front door startled him. “Now what?” He mumbled, getting off of his sofa and walking to the front door. After touching the door knob, another icy chill went down his spine.

Slowly Raze opened the front door and blinked, stepping back only when he opened the front door, seeing the black robed pony standing in front of him. Great, it’s the pony from before. What do I do now, I’m closed for daylight ponies and most of the time nighttime ponies don’t need my help! Raze thought nervously.

“How do you do this fare evening? My name is Angelus, Atrianich Angelus, and I am a member of an exclusive society of ponies in Equestria.” The black robed pony began, extending a hoof.

“Raze, and it’s a pleasure.” Raze said, extending his own hoof and shaking it.

“Now that we have that business sorted out; I am here to extend a once in a life time opportunity to you Mr. Raising Shadows, to become a member of our exclusive organization. I would explain more, but I do believe that it is cold out here and the organization wouldn’t like it if I had said anything with other non-members outside.” He said politely, continuing to make Raze nervous.

“Oh... uh... yeah, sure you can come in.” Raze offered, stepping aside as Atrianich Angelus walked inside.

“It would seem that a pony with your prowess could do with a change in scenery.” Angelus began, lowering his hood to reveal the face of a heavily scarred blue stallion with a golden mane. His eyes were gold, which darted about Raze’s front room quickly and never settled on one spot in particular. In the center of Angelus’s forehead was the same symbol in Raze’s dream in gold, and seemed to glimmer and shine uneasily. “Yes Mr. Shadows, the organization that I represent would provide you with some of life’s most exciting treasures. The ability to go where you want, the ability to live where you want, and have riches unforetold by normal ponies!” He explained, turning to face Raze happily.

“What’s wrong with where I live? And what does your organization do anyways?” Raze asked, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach as he passed Angelus.

“Well to answer your first question, there really isn’t anything wrong with where your living. I was just merely pointing out that you may have been living here for much too long.” Angelus answered, watching Raze sit down. “And as to your second question, the organization that I have come to represent works only for the betterment of our fellow ponies. We do everything from building schools for those young foals that need them, to creating hospitals and healthcare centers for the sick and needy. We spend hour after tireless hour trying to find ways to make Equestria as a whole better for all.”

Raze nodded, trying to not look at the symbol on Angelus’s head before cracking his neck. “Well don’t you guys have a name?” He asked. “Because every organization has to have a name.”

Angelus chuckled. “You are correct sir. I have come to represent the exclusive organization of the Seal of Three Times. And like I have explained that it is our goal to make Equestria better for all as a whole.”

It was Raze’s turn to chuckle. He stared at the seal on Angelus’s forehead for a moment and closed his eyes, seeing the chalk-drawn seal from his dream. “All right, well what’s the deal here. What do I have to give up if I wanna join up?” He asked, reopening his eyes and looking back towards Angelus.

“Always cuts to the chase.” Angelus joked, fidgeting with something under his robes. “Here you are, this pamphlet should explain to you everything that you need to begin your initiation.” He pulled out a simple white pamphlet with a smaller symbol in the middle. Raze took the pamphlet with his hoof and opened it, scanning through the pages quietly. “If you need time to go over this, maybe talk with members of your family-”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll think about it.” Raze said, setting the pamphlet on the coffee table. “Is that all you wanted?” Raze asked.

“Well I suppose, I mean if you’ll think about the invitation then we will understand.” Angelus answered, turning to leave. “You have made a wise decision in thinking about this. I would hope to see you again with an answer that will be more positive than most.” Angelus threw up his hood, covering his face a second time. “I’ll be back in a few days waiting for your decision. Hopefully you’ll be able to see the glory of truth by joining the organization.”

Raze watched Angelus closely as he walked to the front door and headed outside. After a few moments, and a look out of his front window to check that he was gone, he then picked the pamphlet up and flipped through it with his hooves. As he was looking, Raze stopped on one page in particular that caught his interest:

We here in the organization of the Seal of the Three Times, have no toleration for those who worship traitors to our creator. Our services go out to those ponies that need them, but those ponies that refuse to walk in our creator’s shadow will be mercilessly denied our assistance. We do not tolerate the weak within our ranks, and our creator only rewards unending devotion to him. Should you wish to join, you must face an initiation test that would find you worthy of joining up. There is also a nominal class that you must attend classes that you would have to pass with perfection, and only then would you be able to become one of the many members of the Seal of the Three Times.

Wow, it would seem that ponies have to jump through hoops to get into this little club of theirs. Raze thought, setting the pamphlet back down on his coffee table. “Manson’s going to need to get a look at this, I think that there’s something that’s going on that Mr. Angelus isn’t telling me about.” Raze said aloud, suspiciously eyeing the pamphlet. “Something isn’t settling right with me either. Why haven’t I heard of this organization? The Seal of the Three Times huh,” He paused, looking back out the window. “I know that if there was an organization with those kinds of philanthropic goals, every pony in Equestria would be trying their hardest to get in. But, why would anypony want to get involved in an organization that basically forces said pony to spend all of their time with the organization? Seems like a sense of forced slavery to me. And really, the only ones that created Equestria were Princesses Celestia and Luna. Who’s this ‘Creator,’ that they keep talking about?” The questions that Raze asked seemed to pile up, causing his head to hurt. “Whatever!” He snapped, rubbing his temples in frustration. “I have a big meeting with Princess Celestia tomorrow. I’ll ask Manson to look into this organization tomorrow before she shows up, and if I have to go anywhere outside of Manehatten.” Raze said decidedly, getting up from his sofa and going upstairs to get ready for bed.

----

“Say what again?” Manson asked the next afternoon, nearly spitting out a full swallow of coffee onto a solid black unicorn’s trench coat that Raze was putting on.

“I need you to look into the organization The Seal of the Three Times. One of their representatives came to meet with me late last night and there’s something about them that doesn’t seem right.” Raze repeated, pulling his mane from underneath his jacket and straightening it.

Manson set the small disposable coffee cup he was carrying on the counter in Raze’s kitchen with his magic. “You do realize that there not all there, if you get what I’m saying. That organization is rumored to have it out for both of the Princesses; listen Raze don’t get involved with them, they’re just bad news.”

“Yeah, I could tell.” Raze answered, sliding both of his wings into the holes of the jacket that Mrs. Manson cut out for him. “It was the way that guy Angelus talked. You’d think that he saw the world beyond our own and wanted to spread the word.”

“You met with one of the Inner Circle?” Manson exclaimed. “Raze, that’s a once in a lifetime occurrence. No pony’s been able to speak with one of the Inner Circle of his organization.”

“You seem to know a lot of this Organization.” Raze commented casually.

“Well, my dad belonged to the organization before it went south.” Manson explained.

“Went south?”

“Yeah, like far south.” Manson nodded. “Originally the organization was founded to look for the son of this legendary knight from olden times. The organization was filled with very well-to-do ponies that wanted to help their fellows. It goes way back, and it could have possibly been founded by Star Swirl the Bearded himself. Or at least that’s what my dad told me while he was a member.”

“What happened?” Raze asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“Well one of the Inner Circle had just ascended to Triumvirate of our section, basically the organization’s highest council member, in a bitter campaign against a rival that wanted to continue with traditions. The new Triumvirate member for our section was a radical member, and was believed to have seen into the future. After that, he somehow convinced the other members that our goals would be better served to bringing in followers into some unknown radical faith. When most of the Members left, my dad included, only those who were dedicated to this religion were allowed to stay. The Seal of the Three Times had virtually disappeared after that.”

Just as Raze was about to ask about more information on his father’s organization, a loud and powerful set of trumpets began to play outside. Raze and Manson looked up and headed to the front door and opened it as two pegasus Canterlot guards carried Princess Celestia in a golden chariot behind them. Raze and Manson bowed low as Princess Celestia stepped off of her chariot, slightly nodding at both of her guards that stood in front of her. Her mane fluttered gently, as though a breeze blew through it, before quickly moving out of the way from her other eye.

“Presenting her Highness of the Daylight! Princess Celestia!” One of the pegasus guards declared as the Princess stepped forward.

“Thank you.” Princess Celestia said calmly, walking up to Raze’s apartment before watching both Raze and Manson rise.

“Your highness, it’s an honor to welcome you to Supernatural Happenings.” Raze said, stepping to the side and allowing her to pass.

“So you must be the pony Raising Shadows?” She asked calmly, looking down and seeing Raze’s prosthetic hoof. “My sources tell me that you are good when it comes to these kinds of problems. Is that true?” She asked.

“Yes your highness.” Raze answered. “My partner here can be a witness, I’m probably the only pony with the guts to do the jobs that aren’t fit to be solved by royal hooves.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I see. And tell me, where did you get that hoof?” She asked, pointing at Raze’s prosthetic hoof.

“This your Highness?” Raze asked, looking at his prosthetic hoof. “I got that for being the only pony stupid-lucky enough to survive a fight with a fully powered Windigo.” He said nervously, watching as Manson put a hoof to his head.

“I see.” Princess Celestia said quietly, grimacing a little. “Anyways, let’s get down to business. If you can show me the way to your office, we can get this business taken care of.” She said, watching Raze nod and extending the prosthetic hoof outwards. She stepped into the apartment, turning to her guards and nodding slightly, before looking back into the apartment.

Raze and Manson walked in behind her, closing the door behind them. Raze then pointed to the room across his front room and watched as Princess Celestia walked in. It looked like an office one would see in a bank, or a rich pony’s mansion, with a wall of books standing behind a desk big enough for Raze to sit in. Two smaller chairs would have sat in front of the desk normally, but in their place was a fancier crimson chair that was big enough for the Princess to sit down upon. She quickly took her seat as Raze swept past her, taking the seat across from her and planted both of his hooves in front of his face. “Well now your majesty, let’s talk business.” Raze began calmly, watching Manson file in behind her and into a corner.

“Well, we have a problem. When I say we, I mean that everypony in Equestria is in danger.” Princess Celestia began quickly. “Normally, I would call on the Elements of Harmony to address this situation but this is something that even they couldn’t handle at the moment.” She explained.

“Well what’s the problem your highness?” Raze asked.

“Well It would be better if I told you where and when it started.” Princess Celestia explained, taking a deep breath. “It all started a few months ago, when I received a disturbing report that a massed murder-suicide had happened outside of Ponyville. I went out to investigate and found the site in question, a small church a good three hour’s walk outside the city and just west of the Everfree Forest. I couldn’t find any survivors, but on closer inspection I found this seal.” Princess Celestia’s horn glowed vibrantly for a moment as a small sheet of paper appeared as if out of nowhere, before landing gently on the desk.

Raze picked up the sheet of paper on the desk and blinked, seeing the Seal of the Three Times drawn on it in red ink. “Okay, continue your highness.” Raze said, setting the paper back down on the desk.

“Normally I sent an Investigator, Officer Shining Mirrorcoat, to look into the murders but didn’t hear anything from him in a week since I sent him there.” Princess Celestia continued, looking nervous.

“Your highness are you okay? Do you need anything to drink?” Raze asked, watching Manson slip on by behind her and disappear into the kitchen.

“Oh... uh water is fine.” Princess Celestia said quietly.

“You heard that Manson?” Raze asked, hearing Manson rustle around noisily in his kitchen.

“Yeah I heard you Raze. I’ll be there in a second.” Manson answered, continuing to look in Raze’s kitchen. After a few moments Manson returned with a glass of water and a coaster for Princess Celestia and a bottle of soda for Raze on a tray that he carried with his magic. After setting the tray down, Manson stepped back into the kitchen before returning to his position in Raze’s office.

“Thank you.” Princess Celestia said, taking the glass with her magic and taking a small sip. “Anyways, I lost contact from my Investigator at least a week after he left for the scene. I returned there and found this note lying in the building, after it appeared to have burned down, and It seemed to not have any sort of damage on it.” She said, her horn flaring up again as the note appeared out of thin air and floated into Raze’s hooves. He read it closely, making sure not to miss a single detail:

To Princess Celestia,

I apologize for the delay, but I have uncovered something far more gruesome than what you have feared. The darkness that covers this town, it doesn’t seem right. Not even Nightmare Moon’s darkness was anything compared to this. My lady I pray for my safety almost every night, unable to sleep amongst these terrifying..... I apologize, but I can hear one of them now. I’m holding up in the Mayor’s house in Ponyville, and I have barricaded every entrance point. PLEASE send help I dOn’T tHink thAt there’S aNy tIme FoR Me lefT.

Signed,

Officer Shining Mirrorcoat of the Royal Canterlot Police Force

“That’s creepy.” Raze mumbled, trying to see if there was something that could be used as a clue. After a few moments he set the paper aside, and took a deep breath.

“I have spoken with the Mayor of Ponyville on three separate occasions, and she has assured me that Officer Mirrorcoat is not in her office and that they were keeping an eye out for him but that’s not all.” Princess Celestia added, taking another sip of her water.

“There’s more?” Raze asked.

“Yes.” Princess Celestia commented. “A few weeks later, foals from Ponyville have been reported to have gone missing only to be found with their eyes and mouths sewn shut in the Everfree forest.” Princess Celestia shuddered nervously, watching Raze and Manson share a glance with each other. “I have sent my best soldiers after the pony responsible for these atrocities, but with every attempt they have yet to catch the one responsible. And then there were the nightmares.”

“The Nightmares?” Raze repeated curiously.

“Yes the nightmares.” Princess Celestia answered. “I only just recently received these reports from my protégé, the unicorn Twilight Sparkle, that her friends have encountered these nightmares before performing the spell Mind Delve. After the spell they would seem to come out for the better, but absolutely refused to recount the events that occurred during the duration of the Mind Delve. The only information that I have been able to gather from Twilight is that they all have seen that seal during the spell.” She explained, staring at the paper with the seal.

Okay, so there is something more to this organization than meets the eye. Raze thought, the information mulling around his mind. After a few moments, Raze lowered his hooves and leaned back into his chair. “I apologize in advance for being so blunt your highness, but what is it that you expect me to do?” He asked calmly, stretching in his seat.

“There is a dark force working around the area of Ponyville.” Princess Celestia began, taking another deep breath. “I need you to find out what’s been going on and who is behind these disturbing events. And if you can find Officer Mirrorcoat, I would like him brought back to me alive if it’s possible.” She said, taking another sip from her glass. “Like I have said in my letter, I will pay well. And I know that if this puts your own life in danger, I am to double what my asking price is to cover your medical treatments.” She explained, watching Raze lift one of his eyebrows.

“You sure are well informed of how things work here.” Raze commented politely. “So what kind of pay am I looking at here? I understand that you can’t really empty the treasury, but can you give me a rough number?” He asked. Princess Celestia’s horn flared up again. In an instant a scroll popped out of thin air and dropped into Raze’s hooves. He opened the scroll with one of his claws on his prosthetic hoof before reading it. His jaw then dropped.

By the Royal Decree of Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria and bringer of the Dawn:

Upon the completion of the task assigned by the Princess; the pony known as Raising Shadows is to be paid, in it’s full amount, the sum total of ten million bits. Should his life be threatened in anyways, the paid total will be doubled to twenty million bits upon completion of this contract.

Signed on the Twenty fourth of the Third month in the Summer Cycle,

Princess Celestia

“You can be surprised on how much I know about you.” Princess Celestia commented, staring at Raze as he set the scroll down on the desk and clamped his mouth shut. “My Little Pony, is everything okay?” She asked, seeing sweat run down his face.

No everything is not fine. Raze thought, unbelievably staring at the scroll. Nopony in the history of this business has ever offered me this much money! It would be criminal for me to take all this money for something as simple as an undercover mission. Unless.... Raze stopped, remembering of some rich ponies he had helped a few contracts ago, who paid him almost a full million bits in repairs to his apartment after he had completed a contract that involved him chasing off a few spirits that preferred to haunt the rich and famous. I really don’t want to take this much money, but something tells me that this is going to keep me set for a looooooooong while. Raze scratched his mane as Manson walked around to his side of the desk and nearly fell over after staring at the amount of money written on the scroll. “Uh yeah. Everything is fine your highness.” Raze said after a few moments. “It’s just that I haven’t been offered this much for my services before.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “I see, so is this offer too much? I can go lower if it will make you more comfortable.” She offered, making a quill appear out of thin air. Raze shook his head, rereading the scroll a second time.

“No, this is a fine amount.” Raze said, continuing to stare blankly at the scroll. After a few moments he passed it back to Princess Celestia who made it vanish in thin air along with the quill with her magic. “Is there anything else that you want to let me know? Any other information that could help me in this investigation would be very much appreciated your highness.”

Princess Celestia shook her head quietly. “Unfortunately there isn’t any other information that I am able to give you, though I do believe that my protégé would be able to help you in any other details that you may need. She lives in Ponyville at the moment, and will be willing to help you solve this matter as fast as possible.” She added, finishing her water. “On behalf of Equestria I thank you for helping me to solve this matter.”

“You are quite welcome your highness, I am going to need the letter and this drawing though if you don’t mind.” Raze said, taking both the letter and the paper and stacking them on top of each other.

“Go on ahead. And I hope that you are able to solve this problem before it gets too out of hand.” Princess Celestia said, rising from the chair and turning to go. Raze got up from his chair, and walked past the Princess, opening the front door for her as she left. Both Raze and Manson then watched as she climbed aboard the golden chariot that she arrived in, and watched the guards guide it around the pavement before taking off. Raze and Manson remained where they stood for a moment, before snapping back to their senses and walking back into Raze’s apartment.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Manson asked. “You told the Princess that you would help out, and the Seal of the Three Times aren’t on the best of terms with her.” He watched Raze walk back into his office and pick up both the letter and the picture of the seal before walking into his front room and setting them both on either side of the pamphlet he got from Angelus last night.

“It seems that the organization’s involved. And honestly, a pony that can seriously sit there and sew a foal’s eyes and mouth shut is a psycho nut-case.” Raze commented, taking a seat on his sofa and staring at the three objects on his coffee table.

“How do you know if the organization is involved with those reports of the sewing of foals’ eyes?” Manson questioned, taking a seat on the floor across from Raze.

“Look I’m not going to go around and point hooves, but there’s something more than just a normal coincidence going on around here.” Raze said, staring at the seal drawn on both the pamphlet and the page of paper that Princess Celestia left with him. “I swear that two nights ago I saw this same symbol drawn on a chalkboard in a burned up building in a dream that I had.”

“Your kidding.”

Raze shook his head and looked up at Manson. “Look, I need you to go and get me a train ticket to Ponyville. There’s something that’s going on there that I need to look into.” He said, watching Manson nod calmly.

“You going to be okay Raze? Are you going to need some back-up?” Manson asked, watching Raze shake his head.

“No, Manson I need you to stay here and look up everything about the member of that Triumvirate from the organization maybe-” Raze stopped in mid sentence, and turned to the window. Down the street was Angelus, or at least he thought it was Angelus because of his hood, but he was standing with six other ponies that wore heavy burlap cloaks covering every part of their bodies as they moved around him darting this way and that. Raze could feel a sudden chill from underneath his jacket that crawled up his spine, and made his stomach feel queasy. “Manson, I need you to leave out the back.” Raze said urgently, getting up from his sofa and walking to his claymore.

Manson looked out the window, seeing Angelus with the other ponies that seemed to circle him before turning to Raze. His claymore was in a solid black sheath that had a buckle around his chest. There was only a metallic tip on the sheath, and the leather used to make it was as black as a moonless sky at night. Manson nodded, immediately walking out of the room with Raze hot on his hooves. “Raze, these guys seem like they mean business. And that’s a member of the Inner Circle, are you sure you want to do this alone?” He asked as he and Raze bypassed the stairs and walked to the screen door at the end of the hall.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Raze said nervously. “I just hope it doesn’t come down to a fight. I just remodeled the upstairs bathroom, and I don’t want anything to go wrong. But if something does happen, let the fire department know.” He said, unlocking the door for Manson.

“Don’t worry it won’t come-” He froze, as a quick knocking sound echoed through the hallway from the front door. Manson quickly opened the back door after giving a reassuring smile to Raze and closed it behind him just as a second set of knocks rang out from the front door.

Raze turned back to the front door and began walking down the hallway as another set of knocks, impatient ones this time, rang out in his apartment. He took a calm breath and opened his front door, seeing Angelus standing on the other side of the door with six other ponies standing with him.

“Ah Mr. Shadows, it’s about time. I was about to get rather disappointed in you and your hospitality.” Angelus said impatiently as Raze backed up, letting him and the other six ponies in with him.

“I apologize. I was just getting ready to go out for a contract. You understand right?” Raze said before closing the door behind them. “Now what can I do for you gentlecolts?” He asked suspiciously.

Angelus looked around smiling a little as his eyes focused on Raze’s coffee table where the pamphlet he had given Raze sat. “I see that you have been looking over and thinking about my most humble invitation have you?” He asked, moving out of the way as Raze walked past him and his followers and into his kitchen.

“Yeah, I thought about it.” Raze answered coolly. “And I have to say, with all of the stuff that your group has to offer I think that it would be a great opportunity to join. By the way, who are these guys?” He asked, walking into his front room and pointing at the six other ponies standing next to Angelus. “They don’t seem like your average ponies in an exclusive club.”

Angelus was beaming, staring at Raze with a smile. “Well now, that’s great news sir! I didn’t think that it would be so simple to get you to say yes to joining our group, you are going to love it as a mem-”

“Hold on there, I didn’t say that I was joining. I just said that it would be a good opportunity to join.” Raze said, cutting Angelus off.

“Excuse me?” Angelus asked, almost shocked at what Raze said.

“I said that it would be a good opportunity, but I never said that I would join you guys.” Raze repeated, staring at Angelus firmly. “Besides that, you didn’t answer my first question and on top of that why are you here now? I mean why didn’t you give me an extra few days to sort things out before I gave you an answer?”

Angelus started shuddering, obviously trying his best to hide a growing anger that was becoming apparent in his face. “Oh... Oh I see...” Angelus mumbled, turning away from Raze. “Well as to your questions... The organization thought that it would be in our best interests if...” He stopped, seeing the glass that was left on Raze’s desk in his office. “... If you didn’t meet with certain traitors before you joined up with our cause. My fellow compatriots here were just some... insurance, yes insurance to get you to join up...” Angelus’s voice spoke in a deathly whisper, turning back to Raze. His whole demeanor was changed, Angelus’s eyes were not of the same pony that Raze had met up with earlier, they were the eyes of a mad pony, bent on taking lives that he couldn’t control.

“So you brought those guys along just so I wouldn’t get any cold hooves in joining the Seal of the Three Times huh?” Raze asked, concentrating and letting the claws on his prosthetic hoof extend. “Well sorry buddy, but I don’t walk like some puppet for a puppet master.” Raze added, returning Angelus’s glare with one of his own.

Through the window the sun began to slowly fall from sight as both ponies remained quiet and deathly still. Neither seemed to let their own will be struck down by the other as the only thing that could be heard was the unnatural growling of the ponies that surrounded Angelus. Raze could visibly see that he was shaking with nothing short of psychotic rage, and he could tell that it was everything that he could do to keep from mauling Raze himself. Angelus’s breathing was shallow and harsh, and it echoed throughout Raze’s sitting room with virtually no resistance. After a quick jolt, Angelus stopped just as quickly as his rage had came, turning to leave. He stopped at the door, and gave a final snort before lifting his hood above his head. “It’s a shame Mr. Shadows. You could have seen the glorious birth of our great lord and savior. But now that I see that you are a fool who wishes to stand by his traitorous Princesses and resist the change. Gentlecolts, kill him.” Angelus ordered, opening the door before stepping out. He could hear the sounds of groaning from underneath their cloaks, but found that hard to concentrate on as his surroundings began to change.

Immediately in front of him, Raze’s home began to change. A series of trembles shook the very foundations of the building, knocking the furniture around as parts of the walls began to look decayed and ancient. Blood began to form on some walls as others started to fall apart and collapse, which made it look like time had sped up on them. Even the very floor that he was standing on began to crumble and decay beneath his hooves, revealing a vast and black abyss below a chain link fence that reminded Raze of his dream. Raze leapt to the side, towards his kitchen, as a huge section of the ceiling fell where he stood and smashed through the fence with no problems.

Raze only had seconds to continue to observe the decay rampage through his apartment before something else caught his attention. The six cloaked ponies from before had begun to growl and screech even louder than before, thrashing about in an unpony-like manner. He could see that their cloaks had begun to tighten around their bodies, forming a sort of skin that looked unnatural. One of the ponies reeled back on its hind legs, groaning as a pair of razor-like blades erupted from the fabric of its skin and splashed blood on the floor. It let out another screech, standing on the blades that made its, “hooves,” and stood up as another pair of blades erupted on its back legs. The hood of the cloak formed a sort of head, with the eyes and the mouth sewn shut which caused the pony to let out a gurgled roar before slipping on the blades of its hooves and growling nastily.

What in the hay... Raze thought, watching as the other robed ponies followed suit and took the same shape as the first. What kinda sicko would do something to those that followed him? He mentally asked, watching as they all began a painfully slow advance on him. He couldn’t believe that his house had just turned into something a pony would see in a nightmare, the blood on the walls and the metal plating that he stood on in what was left of the kitchen didn’t help, and he had certainly hadn’t seen a creature like the ones advancing on him now before. Nervously Raze drew his claymore, not knowing whether to feel angry at Angelus for treating his followers this way or sympathetic to their tortured screams. He kept his guard up but was surprised as the pony that was closest to him brought both of his front legs up and swung them unnaturally fast at his head, giving him only seconds to block the attack.

Raze sidestepped the pony, backing up as it recoiled from the block before continuing to advance on him. Two of its fellows had begun to follow it into his kitchen, growling and snarling as Raze continued his back pedal. Raze then stepped out into the hall, almost getting one of his hooves caught in the chain link fencing when he heard the sounds of the other three ponies growling in the hall. He turned to look right, seeing that at least one of the ponies had made it to another set of steel plating that had appeared with the rest of the scenery. It let out a groan and another growl, before beginning an attempt to walk on the fence. Raze could hear undeniable sounds of metal scraping against metal, and could see through one of the holes in the wall that the other three ponies were already in the kitchen and had continued their advance on him.

Horsefeathers.... Raze cursed, staring at the scenario. He was hopelessly outnumbered, a fact that he had to face no matter how many times that he didn’t want to face it. And there also was the point that Angelus was getting further away the longer he dragged this out. Damn, I guess I really don’t have much of a choice. Raze thought, taking a deep breath and glaring at the ponies advance. Calmly, Raze selected a target from the group of ponies that began to form in his front hall, and went for it. He charged head long into the group, narrowly managing to block an incoming attack from the original pony that chased him into the hallways in the first place. With a powerful swing he brought his claymore down on the pony directly in front of him, the one that was advancing on him on the chain link fence.

CLANG! The sound of metal clashing against metal began echoing and resonating from the inside of his house. Somehow the pony was not only able to block Raze’s incoming attack with one of its bladed hooves, but he was able to keep the blade from going any closer to its body. The pony sent Raze reeling back, causing him to fall backwards and onto the fence. The pony then reeled back, and brought it’s blades down on him only to strike the blade a second time. Raze and the pony held their weapon’s in a deadlock for a few moments, with neither side giving an inch. He spotted an opening, watching closely as the pony took a bit longer to bring down the blades on him, and saw a small gash on the underside of its belly. He then grinned, watching pony bring the blades high above its head, and struck. With an ear-splitting battle-cry and a forceful swing, Raze drew the claymore back and swung it into the gash which caused it to reel back. The other ponies stopped moving only for a second as their compatriot reeled back which gave Raze enough time to recover. He stood firm, staring at the blades as they reached the top of their arc before thrusting forward.

The pony stopped moving almost instantly. Nothing moved; time seemed to stand still as Raze removed his claymore from the pony’s chest. It then let out a final wail of death, before dropping on the floor and started squirming. Raze glared at the beast and stepped over it, advancing on the two that were in front of him that remained motionless. He then razed his claymore over his head, with the intent to bring it down on the one that stood furthest from his front door, and parried an attack that came from one of the ponies that had come from behind him. Raze threw all of his weight into the block which threw the pony off of it’s hind legs and caused it to smash into the wall, causing it to crumble with ease. As the pony tried to recoil, both it and Raze noticed that both of its back legs were caught in the chain link fence. In one quick move, Raze brought the claymore down on the exposed gash and ended the pony’s life before he could swing one of its legs in response.

While Raze was busy finishing the second pony off, two of the three that had followed him from the kitchen had gotten within striking distance of him. Before he could react, one of the ponies brought its front legs down on him and scored a direct hit on his back right leg. Raze let out a roar of pain, removing his claymore and taking several steps forward. He turned on the attacker, ignoring the fire of signals that erupted from the open wound on his leg and raised his blade to block the attacker a second time, crying out in pain as the pony forced him to stand on his back legs. Raze shoved the pony off of him, watching it recoil before swinging the blade at the gash only to see it stop just before it made contact. The pony’s front blades were blocking his attack and holding him in that position. Raze could see out of the corner of his eye as another one of the ponies began to advance on his left while he heard the other two’s blades grind and scrape across the steel of what was left of his kitchen. He began to push harder, biting his lip as the pain seared through his leg and somehow managed to get the blade to pierce the gash. The pony he faced reeled back, which gave Raze another opportunity to remove the blade from the gash and thrust it back at it. The pony reeled back, gagging on what appeared to be blood though it was too dark in color for Raze to be certain, and collapsed, falling back on what was left of the hardwood floor in his home.

He heard another loud groan and turned just in time to avoid what could have been a lethal hit. Raze was still outnumbered, though it wasn’t as bad as it started to be, and he could see that the ponies were almost hesitant to continue their advance on him. With none of the ponies daring to make a move, Raze advanced and charged at the pony that was still relatively close to his front door. Raze thrust his blade directly at the pony’s head, and stared dumbfoundedly as the blade harmlessly passed through it as though it weren’t there. Shoot. Raze thought, withdrawing the blade before the pony could react. The pony then raised the front blades on him, and lunged forward, roaring as Raze avoided the attack. Raze then brought his claymore down on the pony, watching the blade pass harmlessly through its body, before bringing it back up and hitting the gash with a glancing attack. The pony recoiled, turning as wildly as it could on him without slipping on its blades before readying another attack. Raze swung his blade into the pony’s gash a second time, watching it carve deep into its wound before leaving its body. The pony immediately stopped its attempt to strike Raze in order to cover its now open wound, but was actually doing more harm than good. It looked up and attempted to rise a second time to get another attack, but let out a horrifying scream as Raze watched the pony finish splitting itself in half.

That kinda evens things out. Raze thought, watching the other two ponies continue their advance. He calmed down, watching both ponies stay somewhat closer together and it appeared that he would have had a much harder time getting at their gashes. Raze saw an opening in their guard, and quickly charged. Both ponies remained firm, ready to block as Raze leapt at them both and raised their blades as they did so. Raze reeled back, landing on his hooves before thrusting the blade into one of the ponies exposed gash. Both ponies reeled back, but the one that stood out of the kitchen made its injury worse by widening the hole that was made by Raze’s sword. The other pony made an attempt to lash out at him with its front blades, only to fall short as Raze quickly removed the blade from the first pony and stepped away from the last one. The second pony leapt forward, trying to score another critical hit, but was met halfway with the end of Raze’s claymore as it pierced the same spot as the other five. The last pony began to thrash and scream as Raze swung his blade hard, sending the pony flying off of his sword and smashing into the decayed wall. After watching the pony’s life fade, Raze turned to the front door and limped to it. He sheathed his sword and opened the door, continuing to fight through the pain of his leg as he did so.

Meanwhile, Manson had just turned back down the corner that led to Raze’s apartment when he saw a pony in a hooded black robe stand calmly staring at the front of the building. He immediately flattened himself against one of the fences that lined the street. He could see that the pony was amused with something, seeing his body shudder from underneath the robe. He stopped moving a few seconds later and Manson could have sworn that the pony began to speak in what seemed to be a cross between a growl and a snarl, stamping his hooves underneath. Manson then watched as the front door to Raze’s apartment flung open, with Raze appearing on the other side. The pony stamped his hooves furiously a second time and began to speak in the same growling snarl. Both Raze and Manson watched as a cloud of blood red energy began to form at his feet.

That’s not good. Raze thought, watching as the cloud continued to form around Angelus. He gripped his claymore tightly and bolted towards Angelus as fast as his injured leg would allow. Angelus stomped the ground once more and unleashed the cloud of energy like a storm that crashed into Raze like a hurricane. Manson could only sit and watch as the energy cloud slammed into Raze’s apartment before it exploded.

“RAZE!” Manson shouted, immediately bolting from his hiding spot and running past the pony in black robes as fast as he could towards the burning inferno that was once Raze’s apartment. Manson’s horn immediately flared up, forming a barrier of energy around him as he charged inside. After looking around the initial debris, Manson found Raze lying against the wall with a part of the second floor on top of him. “Come on Raze, let’s get outta here...” He groaned, lifting some the flooring from Raze’s body. Raze didn’t move however, remaining silent as Manson continued to try and wake him. As more and more of the apartment burned down around them, Raze stirred and slowly sat up groaning all the way.

“What in Equestria... that son-of-a hydra’s spawn!” Raze snapped, looking around before coughing on the smoke. “Manson what the hay happened? My apartment’s on fire!” Raze snapped, trying to jump back onto his hooves before clutching his chest.

“Easy buddy, you took a beating.” Manson commented, helping Raze to his hooves and picking up his claymore with his magic. “We need to get out of here.” He said, turning back to the front door and quickly making their way out of the building.

When they got outside, Raze and Manson stared at Angelus as he began to walk off. He stopped, turning and seeing both ponies in front of the apartment and laughed. “Well, well, well...” He paused, smirking underneath his robe. “It would seem that I underestimated you Mr. Shadows! I admire your efforts, and am glad that you managed to survive!” He shouted over the blaze.

“You better have the bits to pay for this you dirty piece of sh-” He snapped, stopping himself in mid sentence as Angelus continued to laugh.

“It won’t matter in the coming days!” Angelus shouted back, cutting Raze off. “If you think that you can stop me, come to Ponyville and see if you can stop our creator’s ambition!” He shouted before turning on his heel and walking off. Raze and Manson turned back around, watching as his apartment burned down right before their eyes.

“Hey Manson, I need the next train ticket that will be heading to Ponyville.” Raze said, continuing to glare at the blaze.

“You can’t go on those injuries!” Manson exclaimed, cringing as he saw the open wound on Raze’s leg. “You could die before you get there!”

“I need to get there as soon as possible. I’ll get checked out at the hospital at Ponyville when I get there. Please Manson, Angelus has to pay for what he’s done.” Raze argued, falling slightly as the pain in his leg continued to take hold of him. “Dang, I don’t have time to be dealing with this....” Raze moaned, dropping to the ground.

“Raze, I’ll get you tickets after you get checked out at the hospital. Trust me, the job’s still going to be there when you get out.” Manson said, staring at the open wound on his back leg. “Let’s get you to the hospital, that’s not looking good.” He said, tearing off a piece of the trench coat with his magic and wrapping the wound with it. He then helped Raze back up to his hooves and they both left, taking one last glance at his apartment.

“That piece of crud Angelus is going to pay for this.” Raze said as they left.

----

Dark and murky storm clouds hung low over Ponyville. Though the weather schedule called for clear and sunny skies for the next few weeks, it took the entire weather pony patrol to keep it from raining. And if that weren’t enough, most of the clouds refused to be moved by any pegasus that tried to do their job.

As everypony gathered around Ponyville Town Hall to discuss the situation one lavender unicorn pony in particular had shut herself up in the library, doing her best to discover what was causing the situation. Twilight Sparkle, out of doing a favor for the ponies of Cloudsdale, had gone through just about every book she could find that would explain unnatural weather patterns and unresponsive cloud patterns. She had just finished, “Cloud Maintenance and Sky Formations for Beginners,” and had not gotten anything from it. After setting the book aside, she stared out of one of the windows in the library and sighed. It wouldn’t be apparent to any other pony at first glance, but the unnatural storm clouds weren’t the only thing on her mind.

There were things that had been happening in the recent past months that had certainly disturbed her, the massed suicide in that mission for young foals that the Princess had investigated. She had also been unnerved by the rumors that had been spread of foals from in town disappearing after entering the Everfree Forest, only to be found with their eyes and mouths sewn shut.

Normally she would have investigated the rumors herself, but she had more trouble with the parents of the foals and their parents than any kind of investigator would have had (that and she was a novice), and tried to focus on her work. But even that was a stretch for her. And there was something else that she had to attend to.

Ponies from all over Ponyville had reports of horrific nightmares that absolutely terrified them. Some described them undergoing excruciating amounts of torture at the hooves of shadows that lurked in pure darkness. Others recounted moments of their own lives happening again only as though they were in a horror story. And others reported that they were being eaten alive by a gigantic row of teeth. Between trying to console the ponies that had the nightmares, and the investigation of the unnatural cloud movements, Twilight was far more stressed than she had ever been.

“Ugh...” Twilight groaned slamming another book, “The Mysteries of the Wild Clouds,” down on an ever increasing pile of books next to her desk. “There’s absolutely nothing in here about clouds not moving at all!” She snapped before smacking the desk with her forehead. There wasn’t a problem that she couldn’t solve without the need of any help of her friends, well save the confrontation that she and her friends had with Nightmare Moon, but there was too much on her plate since the start.

“You okay in there Twilight?” Her most trusted assistant Spike asked from the kitchen.

“No Spike I’m not.” Twilight answered exhaustedly. “There’s nothing in this whole collection that the Cloudsdale Library sent over that could tell me anything about the problems over Ponyville.” She turned, seeing Spike walk in with a small tray of food clutched in his claws. The purple dragon tripped slightly before regaining his balance and set the tray on the small table in the room.

“Well Twilight, I thought that you might be hungry so I got something for you from the kitchen.” Spike said proudly, revealing a sandwich on the plate and a glass of water.

“Thanks Spike.” Twilight thanked, feeling her stomach rumble slightly. “I don’t know what I’d do with out you.” She added affectionately, her horn flaring up as a bright red ruby popped out of a bag that hung around the coat rack next to her front door before dropping into Spike’s hands. She then got up from her chair and stretched, her horn flaring up with her magic as she did so, before walking over to the table and taking a bite out of the floating sandwich that met her halfway.

“I’ve never seen you stumped on something like this Twilight.” Spike commented, watching Twilight take another bite of the sandwich before swallowing. He watched her magic pick up the glass of water and washed the sandwich down as she drank some of it before setting the glass down.

“That’s because I haven’t been asked to help out with this kind of problem before.” Twilight answered, taking another bite of the sandwich. “Dealing with clouds and the weather are the things that pegasi should be concerned about. But they told me that the clouds were off somehow.”

“The clouds... Were off somehow? What’s that supposed to mean?” Spike asked before taking a bite of the ruby and beginning to munch on it. After swallowing he asked, “Is there anything else that they gave you to go on?”

Twilight shook her head, taking another drink of water. “No, they just said that the clouds were off. They seemed normal to me, but I’ve looked at this from every angle that I know how and there’s nothing that I know of that can tell me what’s wrong!” She groaned.

“What about Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash? Didn’t they just get back from their honey moon?” Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. “They already have enough on their hooves getting settled in together, I don’t think that it would be right for me to impose on them especially so soon.” She answered.

“Well they are pegasus ponies, and they would be able to see what’s wrong. Besides, its not like you’ll be asking them to clear the whole sky by themselves is it?” Spike countered, taking another bite from the ruby.

Twilight shook her head. The little dragon had a point, but there was also a manner of decency. Even if she had wanted to ask her friends, they would have probably thought that she was being rude especially after they got back. She was about to say something else when a quick, loud knock came from her front door. Before she could blink Spike was there in an instant, opening the front door and stopping as fast as he did.

“Twilight, dear, is that you?” Rarity, one of Twilight’s other friends asked, walking over the threshold and into Twilight’s study. The all white unicorn’s horn flared up as her magic neatly picked up and removed the bright yellow rain gear that she had been wearing and hung it up on Twilight’s coat rack. “Oh my you’re a near nervous wreck!” She gasped, quickly walking forward and hugging Twilight.

“Oh hey Rarity.” Twilight said, returning the hug.

“Is there something the matter?” She asked, taking a few steps back and giving Twilight a look over. Twilight appeared to be frazzled, almost like when she slipped into almost complete insanity when she was tardy in delivering one of her friendship reports to Princess Celestia. “You didn’t forget a letter to Princess Celestia again did you?” She asked.

“No I didn’t.” Twilight said quickly, setting both the sandwich and glass of water down. “It’s the weather. I was asked if I could help the ponies of Cloudsdale sort the problems with the clouds and I told them that I would give them a shot. It’s been three days, and I have tried every angle to get this problem fixed but nothing’s worked!”

Rarity shook her head. “Well I think that three days is just way too much time to spend on one problem.” She said. “Take a break and relax, you’ve been putting yourself under a lot of stress lately and that really isn’t doing anything for your mane.” Rarity added, watching Twilight blush red.

Rarity was right though, she had been trying to solve this problem for so long that she had almost lost it again. After taking a deep breath, she felt slightly better and smiled for the first time that morning.

“There, now do you feel better?” Rarity asked, seeing some of the color return in Twilight’s face.

“Yeah, thanks Rarity.” Twilight answered. “So, where’s Sweetie Belle? You know about those rumors right?” She asked.

“Oh she’s over at Sweet Apple Acres with Applebloom and Scootaloo. Applejack promised that she would look after them, what with all of this psychotic pony nonsense going around.” Rarity answered calmly. Twilight nodded and watched out of the corner of her eye as Spike had slunk out of the kitchen with another glass of water, this one with ice and a sliced lemon, and placed it calmly on the table. She couldn’t help but smile as Rarity thanked Spike and watched as his cheeks blushed a bright red, before turning back to Rarity.

“So why are you here?” Twilight asked, trying to keep the conversation moving.

“Well, actually I’m here to let know about what’s gotten into Pinkie Pie.” Rarity answered calmly.

“Don’t tell me that she’s been having nightmares too.” Twilight said quietly. It had been at least a few months since Pinkie Pie had first come to her about the nightmares that she had been having and it had been solved, to use Rainbow Dash’s words, in ten seconds flat. Twilight had never seen Pinkie Pie cry like she had after they had managed to solve her nightmare problem; but after a few days with her missing in action she was back to her normal self. Well at least until a couple of weeks ago.

“Actually it’s been far worse than her just getting nightmares.” Rarity explained, seeing Twilight blink a little.

“Wait it’s been worse?” Twilight asked, watching Rarity nod solemnly.

“I just came from the Cake’s house. They’ve told me that she’s absolutely refused to go to sleep now.” Rarity reported nervously. “They said that she told them that she was going to die if she fell asleep again. I don’t know Twilight, she seemed fine to me though if nothing more than exhausted.” She explained.

Twilight shook her head. She hadn’t gotten any reports of nightmares like this before. Especially not from Pinkie Pie, and the last time that she had nightmares they didn’t get to the point of her saying that she would die. Pinkie Pie wasn’t known for hiding things, well unless it was for a game of hide-and-seek or some other party game that she would come up with. But this wasn’t a party game. It wasn’t Pinkie Pie, or a party.

Twilight knew that if it wasn’t something that serious, Pinkie would have just out and told her friends that something was up. They would have even been glad to help her deal with the nightmares and treat it all like some kind of joke afterwards. No this was serious, and she needed help now.

“And is she still at Sugarcube Corner?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, though she’s mostly kept to the back. You should have seen her though, jumping at the smallest shadows, almost like Fluttershy.” Rarity explained.

They both remained quiet for a few moments, until Twilight got to her hooves. “Twilight, what are you doing?” Rarity asked, watching the lavender unicorn head to the front door.

“I need to see Pinkie Pie. She’s probably blowing this whole thing out of proportion and going on a wild limb due to the lack of sleep. Come on she’ll probably be her normal Pinkie-pie self after seeing us, and try to throw us a Don’t Worry About it I’m Fine party or something.” Twilight answered, using one of her hooves to open the front door.

“Twilight, I know that you mean well but I don’t think that she’s in the mood for a visit right now...” Rarity warned, following Twilight to the front door. There was a loud crash from the kitchen which caused both mares to jump, and run to Spike who looked like he had seen a ghost.

“What happened Spike?” Twilight asked, picking her assistant up from the floor while Rarity began mending and fixing the shattered plates that were around him.

“Th-th-th-that!” Spike answered, pointing out the window. Both mares looked outside and saw what appeared to be a pony under a heavy burlap cloak feeding on the corpse of what appeared to be dead rabbit. Rarity and Twilight both gagged, watching as the hood of the cloak lifted upwards, taking a chunk of the rabbit’s flesh.

“How revolting!” Rarity gasped, turning away from the scene as they both set everything they were carrying down. “That’s just something that a pony does not do, it is highly uncivilized and brutish!”

“Come on Rarity, maybe there’s some good reason that they’re...” Twilight gulped, not wanting to acknowledge the actions committed before their own eyes. “...Eating the rabbit.” She finished, turning back around.

“Twilight you can not be serious dear.” Rarity said disgustedly. “You can’t be thinking about going out there are you?” She asked, following Twilight to the front room and out the front door without her raingear.

Twilight ignored Rarity, walking along the side of the library until she saw the kitchen window. To her surprise though, the pony was missing from the scene. All she could see was the side of the library, and the remains of a half eaten rabbit corpse. Rarity gasped from behind Twilight, observing the scene from behind her. As Twilight advanced she could see that the blood from the rabbit was fresh, and she could see some of the organs still fluctuating and pulsing with life which kicked her theory of the rabbit being dead, and made her blow groceries in the process.

“What in the name of Celestia...” Rarity asked, watching the life fade from the rabbit’s eyes. She saw Twilight stagger for a second before catching her. Twilight regained her composure and saw that there wasn’t a trail of hoof prints for either of them to follow, causing her to stamp her hoof angrily.

“What pony would do that?” Twilight muttered, turning to the now dead rabbit and levitating it with her magic. She had read about the wars in the books in the library, about how ponies would take each other’s lives for things ranging from high ideals, to love, to simple psychotic rage, and most of the time they made sense but not this time. This was something more... animalistic. There were plenty of places for a pony to go and eat; all of the restaurants, the markets with fresh produce, and of course there was Sweet Apple Acres if a pony was really down on their luck. She quietly set the rabbit down in the small grave that she had made and finished burying it, before hearing her stomach growl a second time.

“Twilight, let’s get inside. I think you need something on our stomach if you plan on going to Sugarcube Corner.” Rarity said, gagging at the sight as she helped Twilight back into the library.

After another meal carefully prepared by Spike so as to not to upset Twilight’s stomach again, and a few reassuring words from the lavender unicorn Twilight and Rarity had begun to make their way to Sugarcube Corner. They were both unnerved at the sight that they had beheld, and had decided not to talk about it in front of anypony just to get the sight out of their heads. They had surprisingly made it sooner than they had expected, reaching the gingerbread house-esque building in less than an hour. As both mares had gotten to the front steps and knocked on the door, Twilight could feel that something was wrong.

“Rarity, did you notice something off about our trip here?” Twilight asked, continuing to patiently wait at the front door.

“You mean that there’s hardly anypony out and about now?” Rarity answered, turning her attention back to the square that was in front of Sugarcube Corner. While there were some ponies walking from building to building like normal; the whole square, no the whole city was a lot better way to describe it, felt barren and deserted. She nervously turned her attention back to the front door and heard the sounds of somepony walking to the front and opening the door.

“Twilight, Rarity! What are you dearies doing out here when it’s going to rain?” The familiar face of Mrs. Cake had opened the front door, and smiled generously though she did look a little more than worse for wear.

“Hello there Mrs. Cake!” They both greeted, returning the smile. “Is Pinkie Pie here?” Twilight asked, walking forward and into the sweet shop, surprised to find it eerily quiet.

“Well actually you just missed her.” Mrs. Cake answered, closing the door behind Rarity. “She said that she had to go to the train station. Something about how that her Pinkie Sense told her about a new pony that was going to be there.” Mrs. Cake walked past Twilight and Rarity, managing to hear Twilight’s stomach growl. “Oh my dear, you didn’t just come here without eating did you?” She asked, seeing Twilight blush.

“Well not to bore you with the details, but Twilight lost her lunch.” Rarity explained before Twilight could open her mouth. Mrs. Cake grimaced slightly as she walked to behind her counter, and picked out something from the front display.

“No Mrs. Cake, you don’t need to-”

“Oh fiddlesticks dear, you need your strength.” Mrs. Cake said, interrupting Twilight. Rarity’s horn began to flare up as a few gold coins levitated out of her pocket and onto the counter. “What’s this for?” She asked, staring at the money.

“Well it would be uncivilized to just outright and take this thoughtful meal without proper compensation.” Rarity answered, walking up to the counter. “I mean you have worked so hard on it, and you do run a business, so I’m giving you due compensation.”

“Oh okay then, well here is your change Rarity dear.” Mrs. Cake replied, setting the bag with one of the display items inside on the counter with the few gold coins.

“Rarity you know you don’t have to, I have some of my own money.” Twilight commented, walking up to the counter and pulling out some of her own money.

“Nonsense Twilight, you were in need of some assistance. The least I could do was help you with this.” Rarity said, winking to Twilight. It took her a few moments, but Twilight realized that it wasn’t for her but instead for Pinkie Pie when they found her.

“Oh well thank you Rarity, I understand.” Twilight answered, putting her own money away. She then picked up the bag with her magic as Rarity pocketed her change, and both mares left Sugarcube Corner.

----

“Come on.... Come on.... Come on!” Pinkie Pie moaned, standing in the small waiting lobby at the Ponyville Train Station. She had only been inside once, just to explore and welcome some of the new arrivals into Ponyville the only way that she had known how, by throwing them a Welcome to Ponyville Party, but had gotten kicked out by the guards on duty for, “Disturbing the Peace.”

The Lobby of the Train Station was well kept and clean, too clean if you asked her. The laminated wooden floors reflected the light from the small lamps that hung from the ceiling, and screamed to her to be used as a dance floor. There were several rows of green benches that were lined neatly with each other and went down most of the length of the station, leaving enough room for ponies to stand in line for the ticket counter on one side, or use the restroom on the other.

Pinkie Pie could see one of the guards eyeing her suspiciously, as though she were about to explode twice with a storm of partying but that wasn’t Pinkie Pie’s reason for being there. No, she wasn’t at the Ponyville Train Station waiting for the five-fifteen train from Manehatten just so she could throw a party for the ponies that had arrived. She had a purpose, a reason to be there. Her Pinkie Sense had warned her that some dangerous pony would arrive in Ponyville, a combo that involved her tail twitching and her eyes fluttering at the exact same time, which had significantly scared her. Not including the fact that all the terrible nightmares that she had since before Twilight had cast that Mind Delve spell on her had prevented her from sleeping at all, she was nearly ready to snap. And not in a good way.

She nervously stared at the arrivals board that hung above the ticket counter, looking down at the door where ponies were entering and exiting to depart and board trains. My Pinkie Sense hasn’t let me down so far. She thought nervously. Her tail twitched sharply as her eyes fluttered at the same time. I know that there’s a really dangerous pony that’s going to come to hurt my friends, but I don’t know which pony... ooh, if only I were a unicorn, maybe then I could see into the future and see who it was before it even happened and maybe try to stop them! Then they would throw congratulations party for me on catching a really dangerous criminal-

Pinkie Pie felt a hoof touch her back flank and nearly smacked into the ceiling when she jumped. “Ow! What was that for! Don’t you know that it’s not right to touch ponies-“ She immediately stopped, turning around to see Twilight and Rarity standing behind her with a small bag in Twilight’s teeth. “Oh hey guys, what’s up?” She asked, calming down but turning back to the front of the boarding zone doors.

“Well we just got here from Sugarcube Corner, and we have something for you.” Twilight answered after setting the bag down on the bench. Her horn flared up as Pinkie Pie turned around and saw a small cupcake levitate out of the bag and in front of her face.

“We heard that you were here because you’re Pinkie Sense told you about a new pony was going to show up here.” Rarity explained. “Mrs. Cake had told us just as we got inside to check up on you dear. Are you....” She stopped, watching Pinkie Pie turn away from the cupcake and back to the train schedule above the front of her. “...Okay?” She asked finally.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine.” Pinkie Pie lied, continuing to watch the front boarding doors and the train schedule closely. “Thanks but I can’t eat now. There’s a really dangerous pony that’s going to show up here, and I have to see if he’s going to cause any trouble and stop him if he does.” She said nervously, jumping slightly at a small chiming sound that came from the only speakers in the room.

“To all passengers the Five-Fifteen Express from Manehatten has just pulled into the station.” The voice of a mare reported. “We ask that everypony remain in the lobby until all of the passengers have disembarked and that the train personnel have completed unloading their luggage before boarding the train.” Rarity and Twilight watched curiously as Pinkie Pie’s attention immediately went to focus on the boarding zone doors as ponies of all sorts began to flood out into the lobby. They couldn’t see where she was looking specifically, but after a few moments the initial emptiness of the lobby was now filled to capacity with ponies from everywhere.

“Pinkie Pie, sweetie, I don’t think that any of the ponies that are on the train could be dangerous.” Rarity cooed, watching as Pinkie Pie leapt onto the bench and nearly trampled on the cupcake that they had bought her. Pinkie Pie’s eyes had scanned the crowd, seeing nothing amongst the sea of anxious pony heads that were all looking to the front of the boarding zone doors. It was a tense few moments as she continued to wait for the disembarking ponies to appear from the disembarking platform, but she instantly froze up as the first two ponies of the crowd walked calmly around the corner and into the lobby.

The first pony didn’t seem to scare her, he was primarily covered in an all black robe that made him more like a shadow than anypony that she had seen before. She could see a small scar on the shrouded blue face of the pony, but it was the cloaked pony’s companion that made her freeze. There, on his left she could see him, a pale white stallion with a dirty brown and unkempt mane and tail with a grin on his gaunt face that made him look like he had just gotten out of a state prison. She would have wanted not to recognize the stallion, wanted to just pinch herself and wake up safe in her bed with Gummy chewing on her tail, but she could see the three bright red balloons that made up his Cutie Mark and it all came clear.

He was the dangerous pony that was coming to Ponyville.

Twilight and Rarity didn’t have too much time to react, and immediately their horns erupted like a blazing inferno as Pinkie Pie jumped at the pale stallion all with the intent to kill. “MURDERER!” Pinkie Pie yelled angrily struggling against the combined might of her friends’ magical talents.

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight groaned as the pink earth pony continued to make a scene. “Pinkie Pie calm down!” Twilight snapped, doing her best to restrain her friend.

“Heavens, Pinkie Pie what’s gotten into you?” Rarity snapped, having the most trouble with Pinkie Pie as she was being dragged by the pink earth pony who shouted, “Murderer!”, as she struggled to get to the stallion.

The crowd of ponies watched as Pinkie continued to fight against her best friends’ magic, which caused the stallion to turn and grin slightly. “YOU KILLED MY SISTER YOU MONSTER!” Pinkie Pie roared, continuing to struggle with her friends.

Twilight and Rarity couldn’t believe their ears. In fact, no pony in their general vicinity could. “I’m sorry sir. Our friend hasn’t been sleeping too much, and has been really nervous. She doesn’t normally act this way, you understand right?” She explained, seeing the stallion chuckle slightly.

“Oh.... I see.” The stallion commented, chuckling slightly. “Of all of the things that I have been called, “Monster,” and, “Murderer,” seem to be at the top of my list.” He said quietly, before taking a deep breath. His voice sent a chill down Twilight and Rarity’s spines. It was cold and commanding, but it had the sense of a false kind of innocence that really made both mares nervous. Even Pinkie Pie, who had stopped thrashing but continued to glare at the stallion through a mess of tears and sweat, went quiet.

“We’re ever so sorry for the trouble that she’s caused for you sir.” Rarity said, cautiously letting Pinkie Pie go with her magic. Twilight followed suit, and left Pinkie Pie down on the bench next to the cupcake that she and Rarity got for her.

The stallion calmly advanced on Pinkie Pie, remaining a hoofstep away from her. “I see that you like cupcakes... You had better eat up, it would be a shame for it to go to waste.” He said coolly, reeling backwards as Pinkie Pie lunged for his throat.

“YOU MONSTER! YOU MONSTER, YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH THIS!” Pinkie Pie roared, being re-restrained by both Twilight and Rarity, and watching as the stallion chuckled before walking away with the black robed pony.

Meanwhile, still on the train in one of the cars back in coach, Raze bolted awake and hit his head on the bed above him. He had awoken to the sounds of somepony screaming, and began to look around the cabin. There wasn’t anything strange about the inside of the car, ponies were sleeping in modestly sized beds that lined either side. He could also see that there were ponies that were already leaving the train from the window across from his bunk.

“Hey Manson...” Raze whispered, so as to not disturb the other sleeping ponies. “Manson wake up, we’re here.” He whispered again, reaching across the hallway and nudging a sleeping Manson on the other bed. Manson didn’t respond to Raze’s prodding mumbling something about taking Mrs. Manson out on the town, and rolled over onto his belly. Raze snorted before looking up and down the hallway to make sure that no attendants were on the way down to their cabin. After making sure that the coast was clear, Raze ignited a golf-ball sized fireball in his hoof and lightly tossed it into Manson’s bunk, watching it land on top of him.

The result was better than what he had expected as Manson slowly stirred at first, but then immediately jumped as he could feel a small burning sensation from his backside and hit his head on the bunk above him. He immediately turned his head to Raze, who chuckled slightly as the fireball smoldered and finally disappeared on Manson’s back, and shook his head disapprovingly.

“Do you want them to kick us off the train Raze?” Manson asked angrily, gingerly touching the burn on his back.

“You were passed out Manson.” Raze answered quietly. “I couldn’t do too much else, especially since they took my hoof and put it in the luggage compartment below.” Raze pointed with his other hoof at a lock on a small hatch underneath their bunks.

“That’s still not the way to go about things.” Manson snapped. “Pull anymore stunts like that and you’ll be put on the No-Ride List.” He added, concentrating for a second as his horn flared up, his magic resting gently on the spot he got burned on. “Why did you wake me up anyway?” He asked grumpily.

“Well, we’re here.” Raze answered, pointing at the window. Manson chuckled a little.

“Well we are huh?” Manson muttered, looking out of his window and seeing ponies quickly walk into the boarding station and disappear from sight. He then turned his head back to Raze as he began to climb out of his bed and stretch his wings. “You can wait now Raze, it would seem like we’re the next car.” Manson commented.

“Yeah I know that, but I need to walk. After all, I have been sitting in a train for at least five hours.” Raze answered as one of the train stewardesses opened the door beside him.

“For those ponies that are getting off here at Ponyville, we have just arrived. We hope that you enjoy your stay.” The unicorn stewardess reported, calmly walking into the cabin. Her horn then flared up, and began unlocking the luggage compartments below. Raze and Manson were the only ones that got up as she moved down the hall, opening and then shutting the luggage compartments with her magic without any effort.

Raze stretched for a second time, and grabbed his prosthetic hoof with a little help from Manson. After sliding it on, he tapped his hoof and used the claws that went with it to grab a cello case from underneath his bunk(which held his claymore), and set it to the side before putting his solid black trench coat on. He then slung the cello case over his shoulder, using his prosthetic hoof to pick it up and turned to Manson who had already grabbed a small suitcase from the compartment. “Let’s go.” Raze said, walking forward as he and Manson began to exit the train.

After flashing their tickets to the conductor and walking through a small lobby, compared to the one that they had back in Manehatten, Raze and Manson both stepped outside and onto the steps of the Ponyville train station, seeing some of the town’s straw covered roofs from where they were standing, and began to walk forward. At the base of the steps, Raze could see a Pink Earth pony mare sitting on the steps of the train station and crying. Two other mares, A Lavender unicorn with a purple mane and tail with a pink stripe and an all white one with a dark blue mane and tail stood next to her and tried to do their best try and comfort her.

“I wonder what’s her problem?” Raze asked, casually walking past the trio.

“Maybe she has been affected by the nightmares that the Princess spoke of.” Manson said quietly.

“Maybe. But I don’t think that it would be right to ask her right now. She seems to be a mess.” Raze added, turning to get a second glance at the pink mare. Something in the back of his mind told him that he’d seen her before, he just didn’t remember where she was from.

“Yeah, let’s just find the library. Hopefully we can get some information to at least find a hotel so we can at least have a place to rest.” Manson said as they calmly wandered into town.

----

“Pinkie Pie, dear, it’s going to be all right, nopony’s going to hurt you....” Rarity crooned, trying to reassure the normally cheerful mare. She was literally sitting in a small puddle of her own tears, like she witnessed one of her own worst nightmares come to life right before her eyes. She rocked back and forth slightly, the only noises that she made were tiny hiccups and breaths which scared both of her friends.

“Pinkie Pie we can’t help you if you don’t tell us what happened.” Twilight said gently, moving some of Pinkie Pie’s now straight hair out of her face.

“....” Pinkie Pie mumbled, sniffing a little.

“What was that dear?” Rarity asked.

“....” Pinkie Pie mumbled again, rocking back and forth again.

“I’m sorry Pinkie, but you need to speak up.” Twilight said, putting a hoof around her.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Pinkie Pie finally answered, almost as quietly as Fluttershy would have. “Not here at least. Not when there are other ponies around. I don’t want to scare them unintentionally.” She added, getting back onto her hooves.

“Sure Pinkie, let’s head over to the library. Maybe we can get a little privacy over there.” Twilight commented, getting back up.

“That sounds like a splendid idea!” Rarity piped up. “Maybe we can invite Applejack and Rainbow Dash and-”

“No, I don’t want them to know.” Pinkie Pie said, cutting off Rarity. “Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had just gotten back from their honeymoon. I don’t want to worry them all about me.” She said glumly.

“But-” Twilight began to protest.

“I don’t want any other pony to know.” Pinkie Pie said flatly. “You guys are probably the only ponies that can help me with this problem, and can only know about this.” She said, ignoring the two looks of surprise on both Twilight and Rarity’s faces. “And before you ask Twilight, yes I’m sure. I don’t think that our friends, not that I doubt their abilities because I would be like crazy to do so, would be able to help me solve this kind of problem. Also, I need to stop at Sugarcube Corner. There’s something that I’ve forgotten about that I need to go and get first.”

Twilight and Rarity were speechless, they had never seen Pinkie Pie act this way. The closest she had ever come to this point was when she had thought that they had forgotten about her when they set up her birthday party. After exchanging another look, Twilight walked forward. “All right, if it will make you feel better.” She said calmly.

“Yes, I agree.” Rarity added. “If you think that it’s for the best, well then who are we to tell you otherwise?” She said, taking a step towards Pinkie Pie.

“Thanks you guys.” Pinkie Pie said, before walking forward. Rarity and Twilight followed close behind, both feeling great concern for her.

----

Twilight and Rarity had returned to the library at least an hour later, after having Pinkie Pie promise to meet up with them whenever she had gotten what she had needed. They knew that whatever had happened with her and that Stallion had involved their past, but there wasn’t too much to go on right where they were at the train station.

“Spike, I need you to get the photographic census of the surrounding area from the past fifteen years.” Twilight said, seeing her assistant set out another glass of water for the both of them.

“A what?” Spike asked, turning to Twilight after setting the glasses on the table.

“A book that tells what ponies lived where in the past fifteen years that has pictures?” Twilight answered simply. Spike made an “o” with his mouth before dashing to one of the rooms in the back. Both mares remained quiet, listening to the sounds of books flying from the higher shelves and landing on the floor. After a few minutes Spike returned with a stack of books in his claws, panting and groaning all the while, before setting them down on the floor.

“Is... This... –huff- ... What you asked for Twilight?” Spike asked, breathing hard.

“Yes Spike. Thanks.” Twilight answered, using her magic to levitate the top book from the stack. After setting the book down on her bookstand, and opening it she began to view the entries page by page and staring at the pictures of the pony (or ponies) in the frame.

“Twilight, what ever are you doing?” Rarity asked, looking over Twilight’s shoulder as she saw the pictures of the Bladehold family flip on by.

“Well, you did happen to notice that Pinkie Pie was screaming at that Stallion at the train station right?” Twilight asked, continuing to flip through the book.

“Yes... But what does looking through a book have to do with anything?” Rarity asked curiously.

“Well there was something that...” She stopped, in the Darkarts section of the book as she saw a Stallion that bore a striking resemblance to the one that Pinkie Pie shouted at earlier. “Rarity look at this!” She whispered excitedly, staring at the picture closely. Rarity stepped forward, and looked over Twilight’s shoulder as she saw a family of three ponies in the picture. One was a brown stallion with a silver mane and tail. One of his eyes was completely white and signaled that he was a sort of warrior that received the injury in a fight of some kind. They could see that his body was covered in heavy scars, but his cutie mark was strange. It was basically a ceremonial looking dagger that appeared to pierce a pony’s heart. The Mare in the picture was just as tall, with a pale blue coat and a scraggly brown mane and tail. She remained calm, and had a cutie mark that looked like a coffin being buried. The colt in the picture, the only foal of the picture, was sitting down on his rump. He had a dark brown and neat mane and tail with no visible cutie mark so to speak of, but his coat was a pale white.

“Oh my... That must be him!” Rarity gasped, seeing a devilish smile on the colt’s face. Both mares looked down at the description and sighed in despair as it read:

Listed here in the picture:

One Cornelius Alcarett Darkarts, Son of Eugene Alkanet Darkarts mother is currently Deceased, Husband to one Elimareen Diane Darkarts, and Father to one Horace D’artangian Darkarts. Alchemist in the remote settlement of Haystack Grove. Earth Pony, Brown, Silver Mane, Silver Tail, Blind in his left Eye due to the Joustingfall Rebellion. Cutie Mark earned after surviving a bandit raid when a foal ten years ago.

Annual Pay rate: 15 bits/month
Average energy consumption in household: Low to minimal
Current Morale: Indifferent

One Elimareen Diane Darkarts, Parents are currently Deceased, Wife to one Cornelius Alcarett Darkarts, and Mother to one Horace D’artangian Darkarts. Housewife in the remote settlement of Haystack Grove. Earth Pony, Blue, Brown Mane, Brown tail. Cutie Mark earned when assisting the coroner bury several ponies that had died during a similar bandit raid when a foal ten years ago.

One Horace D’artangian Darkarts, Son of Cornelius Alcarett Darkarts and Elimareen Diane Darkarts. No occupation has been taken in the remote settlement of Haystack Grove. Earth Pony, White, Brown Mane, Brown tail. No Cutie Mark has yet been earned yet.

Census taken on the second month of the summer cycle, on the one-thousand and five-hundredth year of the Fourth Era.

“That’s almost over five-hundred years ago!” Twilight groaned, rereading the date a second time. She then slammed the book closed in frustration, shoving it to the side before picking up another one with her magic. After flipping through the page, looking at the Darkarts section in particular, she noticed that the same foal was sitting in a similar position in that book’s picture as the first one. He sat alone, and appeared to be covered in something that neither Twilight nor Rarity could discern from the image, and appeared to be smiling.

One Ignacio DiStanta Darkarts, Parents are currently Deceased, No known family or friends, Butcher and Merchant Trader in the Remains of the Settlement of Haystack Grove. Earth Pony, White, Brown Mane, Brown Tail. No Cutie Mark has been earned yet.

Annual Pay rate: 100 Bits/year
Average consumption in household: None.
Current Morale: Pleasant

Census taken on the third month of the Winter Cycle, on the one-thousand and eight-hundred sixty-ninth year of the Fourth Era.

“Oh, dear...” Rarity whispered, staring at the foal in the picture. “That can’t be a coincidence.” She said, using her magic to pick up the book that was on the floor. After opening it to the page with the Darkarts family, both mares did a side-by-side comparison between the photos and gasped. They were indeed the same pony.

“There’s something really creepy going on here... And I don’t like it.” Twilight commented, using her magic to pick up a third book and bring it to her bookstand. Both mares gasped after seeing the same foal, who was looking more like a demented stallion, posing in front of what appeared to be a simple general store that one would read in a western novel. He stood calmly, facing the camera with a smile and a glance that sent chills down their spines. But what was really surprising was that same foal had three red balloons that had seemed to be his cutie mark, but didn’t really make any sense.

“Isn’t this pony a General Store owner?” Rarity questioned, examining the picture over Twilight’s shoulder.

“Well that’s what the book says.” Twilight answered, pointing a hoof at the page:

Pictured:

Jonathan Cornelius Darkarts, Parents are currently Deceased, No other known family or friends, Butcher and Merchant Trader in the settlement of Applebrook. Brown Mane, Brown Tail, Pale White. Cutie Mark a trio of three, small, hot air balloons. Earned supposedly by supplying entertainment for a travelling caravan passing through Applebrook.

Annual Pay Rate: 1000/bits per caravan of traders
Average consumption of energy in household: None
Current Morale: Pleasant

Census taken on the second month of the Fall Cycle, on the one thousand and nine-hundred and thirty fifth year of the Fourth Era.

“The resemblance is too uncanny...” Rarity commented quietly. “But this can’t be the same stallion that Pinkie Pie was shouting at. Could it?”

“It could be, but the time that it could take for this pony to... No it can’t be right. There has to be another explanation for this. No sane pony would attempt something like this...” Twilight uttered.

“Twilight, is something the matter?” Rarity asked. “You seem like there’s something troubling you about this foal, or er-Stallion I mean.”

“Yes, there is something wrong here. Well actually two things, one he’s an Earth pony that’s just popped up in the past three books that we’ve opened.” Twilight said calmly. “And another thing is that if I’m right, this colt’s able to use a magic that’s been banned from practice for centuries.” She said, looking at the three pictures again. “Forced Reincarnation.”

“Excuse me?” Rarity asked, looking at Twilight’s grim face. “But isn’t that something you can do for rejuvenating a part of the body or something?” She said.

Twilight shook her head. “No Rarity, this is different.” Twilight paused, looking at the three pictures closely. “I’ve only heard of one pony in the history of Equestria who was able to reincarnate himself. He was supposedly searching for the answer of immortality, in a similar way that the Princesses are immortal now but before their time.” She said, walking from the book stand and heading to one of her bookshelves before pulling out another heavy book with her magic. As Rarity moved the other three books to the side, Twilight opened the book and flipped it to the page that showed two unicorns in fierce combat. One unicorn was wearing a heavy blue robe and hat with stars that seemed to swirl around the fabric, and had a small beard that appeared to shimmer like starlight. The other unicorn was wearing a blood red robe, that seemed to have no details at all and seemed to conceal the unicorn’s face save for the tip of it’s horn which sent out lightning at the first pony. “This was the wizard known as Shadowheart. And he was one of the few ponies that wanted to use his powers to recreate ancient Equestria into his own visage.”

“His own... Visage?” Rarity asked.

“Yes, his own Visage.” Twilight repeated. “It says here that Shadowheart wanted to turn Ancient Equestria into a form suitable for his master. But his major adversary in his ambition was Star-Swirl the Bearded. Both ponies were powerful in their arts, Shadowheart in the Dark Arts of magic, and Star-Swirl in the Cosmic Arts of magic. And their ideals would constantly clash.” She paused, using her magic to pick up a glass of water and took a nervous sip. “You see even though Star-Swirl would win most of their confrontations, Shadowheart would always wind up coming back to life a few years later. It’s been recorded that Shadowheart mastered the necromantic art of reincarnation.”

“Necro... Mantic?” Rarity repeated. “That sounds horrid.”

“Well, Necromantic arts involve the dead or dying. And they have been a long forbidden art of study in Equestria since even before the Princesses began to rule.” Twilight explained. “The punishment for studying the Necromantic Arts has been straight up banishment.”

“And you’re suggesting that-”

There was a gentle knock on the door which caused both mares to jump. After quickly closing the books that were open in front of them, Twilight went to the door and opened it with her magic, seeing Pinkie Pie on the other side. Pinkie Pie’s mane was still flat, but Twilight blinked as she saw a red ribbon tying up her mane.

“Hey Twilight... Can I come in?” Pinkie Pie asked quietly.

“Yeah, sure come on in!” Twilight said stepping aside, continuing to stare at the ribbon in Pinkie Pie’s mane.

She wasn’t the only one who noticed though. “Pinkie Pie, what is with that little ribbon in your mane dear?” Rarity asked as Pinkie Pie took a seat at the table.

“Well... It’s for help...” Pinkie Pie began, wiping a tear from one of her eyes with a hoof.

“Help?” Twilight asked. “Help for what?”

“It’s for help in remembering what happened to my sister.” Pinkie Pie answered, listening to Twilight and Rarity’s hoofsteps as they came closer to her. “I also use it when I started having my nightmares to remember you guys and how good friends you are, but they’ve gotten so bad that... Well... you know...” Her voice trailed off, as she began to fight back a flood that was inevitably going to happen.

“You only asked me for that ribbon when I first helped you with your nightmares.” Twilight said, using her magic to grab a handkerchief and wipe Pinkie Pie’s eyes. “What’s been going on now?” She asked.

“Listen... Twilight, your spell helped me remember my sister and I really want to thank you for that.” Pinkie Pie explained. “But these nightmares, they aren’t like the ones that I had the first time. They’re different. And no matter what I’ve tried, I can’t get them out of my brain.” She said, taking the handkerchief with her hooves and blowing her nose. “They’re something that nopony should have to see; something that even the criminals in the Canterlot Dungeons that have done terrible, awful things shouldn’t see.”

“Well, it’s all right Pinkie Pie. They are dreams after all. Aren’t they?” Rarity reassured, jumping as Pinkie Pie slammed her hooves on the table.

“No they’re not! They’re more than just dreams. You know, like a prophecy or something!” Pinkie Pie snapped.

“Okay, okay Pinkie Pie. Calm down.” Twilight said, calming the pink mare down. “And this doesn’t seem like these are ordinary dreams if they can scare you as bad as to have you unable to be able to sleep.” Twilight pondered, walking to another one of her shelves before pulling out another book labeled, “Dreams: Visions of Fantasy or Prophecy?” And set it down on the table. “Well Pinkie Pie, could you explain your dreams? Maybe we could see what the problem is.”

“O-Okay...” Pinkie Pie answered nervously, taking a gulp of air as Twilight opened the book in front of her. “Well... when I start dreaming I’m in my room in Sugarcube Corner. Well at least I think it’s my room in Sugarcube Corner.” She watched Twilight use her magic to flip to a specific page in the book before stopping.

“Okay, you can keep on going.” Twilight encouraged, reading the small paragraph that seemed to only indicate that there was nothing wrong with dreaming about a place that a pony would live in.

“W-well, I’m in my room only it’s not my room.” Pinkie Pie continued, shuddering slightly. “It’s like a huge fire burned everything down and left nothing alone. I can’t even find the picture of us that we took after we beat Nightmare Moon.” She watched Twilight flip to a different page in the book before nodding in her direction. “Well after I can’t seem to find anything, I walk outside of my room and...” Pinkie Pie immediately shut her eyes, using her hooves to snap her ears closed.

“What happened Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked.

“I-I-I can’t...” Pinkie Pie gasped, seeing the visions of a Ponyville that appeared to be burned to the ground inside her head. She could see the ruins of a castle on the side of a mountain in the distance and could hear the moans and groans of extremely injured ponies.

“Pinkie Pie...” Twilight whispered, looking up from her book. “Pinkie Pie, what’s wrong?” She asked, watching her begin to rock back and forth.

Pinkie Pie couldn’t hear her, as she saw a mass of black clouds begin to form above the ruins of the castle. She stopped, petrified with fear as a pair of arms erupted from its sides before pointing in her direction.

“Pinkie Pie! What’s wrong?” Twilight snapped, running to her side, and placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Pinkie Pie shrieked turning to run as shadowy figures in the shape of demonic pegasus ponies began to fly towards her. She didn’t look back, hearing the roaring howl of the cloud and the beat of the shadowy pegasus ponies’ wings behind her. She stopped, gasping in horror as she saw several ponies nailed up on crucifixion poles in the main town square. “N-N-No... TWILIGHT!!!!!!” She cried, seeing the lavender unicorn on one of the poles. She could hear the beat of the wings and began to run, snatching one last glance at her friend before tearing up the pavement.

“Pinkie Pie I’m right here. What’s wrong?” Twilight asked getting really scared as Pinkie Pie had begun to scare her and Rarity. “Pinkie Pie answer me, what’s wrong?”

Pinkie Pie hadn’t heard Twilight’s shouts. She couldn’t, only hearing the continual howl of the cloud as she passed the streets of Ponyville and watched in horror as ponies everywhere were either dead on some kind of torture device or experiencing a slow and agonizing torment. She stopped a second time and gasped. “FLUTTERSHY! RAINBOW DASH!” She screamed, watching as both of her friends looked hopelessly in her direction before they were torn in several pieces. “NO! NO! NO! THIS ISN’T REAL!” She screamed, turning away from the scene and running off.

Rarity and Twilight shared a glance with each other, before Twilight tried to shake her again. “Pinkie Pie snap out of it! It’s just a dream!” Twilight shouted, with no effect as Pinkie Pie continued to now violently rock in the chair she sat in.

Pinkie Pie continued to run, seeing huge pillars of fire erupt across Ponyville’s landscape as she headed in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. She continued to hear the groans and sounds of dead or dying ponies until she stopped at Sweet Apple Acres front gates. Instead of the vast and beautiful apple orchard that normally filled the landscape, she could see row upon row of ponies either impaled or being impaled on gigantic sharpened logs. She started shouting, “APPLEJACK! RARITY! WHERE ARE YOU?” continuing to run through the orchard until she stopped at the barn. “No...” She cried, dropping to her knees at the site before her. “They’re gone... All my friends... They Can’t be...” She uttered, staring at the site of both Rarity and Applejack as Rarity were both halfway down on the sharpened logs. She couldn’t move anymore.

“Pinkie Pie, are you okay?” Twilight asked, watching the fur on Pinkie Pie’s coat significantly pale. Rarity walked over close to them both cautiously as Pinkie Pie had stopped moving, while a flood of tears washed down the sides of her face.

“Pinkie Pie, it’s all right. We’re here.” Rarity cooed, placing a hoof on Pinkie Pie’s shoulder. Pinkie Pie blinked and looked up, seeing that both Twilight and Rarity were both standing in front of her. After a few moments of silence, she immediately leapt onto Rarity and grabbed Twilight in the process.

“You guys... I thought- I thought....” Pinkie Pie said miserably, crying into her friends shoulders.

A few moments passed, and Pinkie Pie released the hug before calming down significantly. Twilight walked back over to her book and flipped through it until she stopped on a particular page. After looking through it for a few moments she gasped.

“Twilight, what’s the matter?” Rarity asked, turning to Twilight as her face looked grim.

“This isn’t good. Pinkie Pie, I need to know what you just saw.” Twilight asked. Rarity gasped as Pinkie Pie looked up.

“Can’t you see that Pinkie Pie has just been tormented by some kind of emotional trauma? And you are asking her to relive it?” Rarity snapped.

“I need her to tell me-”

“She’ll do no such thing!” Rarity said, cutting Twilight off. “You can have no sympathy sometimes Twi-”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight snapped. “I didn’t want her to tell me everything; I just needed her to tell me what happened.”

“Oh, and what’s that going to do?” Rarity countered. “For all we know-”

She stopped, feeling a hoof on her back before turning to see Pinkie Pie shake her head solemnly. “I’ll tell you Twilight.” She said calmly. “But it isn’t something that I can stand to see again.” Pinkie Pie explained, watching both of her friends fall silent.

“Are you sure?” Rarity asked. “We don’t want you to scare yourself out of your mind again.”

Pinkie Pie nodded. “Yes Rarity, it’s the only way. Plus I don’t want to see you guys fight. Not with each other.”

After another moment Rarity nodded, watching Pinkie Pie take a relaxing breath. After a few seconds she looked up at Twilight and uttered one thing.

“Ponyville was dying.”

Both Rarity and Twilight gasped, as Pinkie Pie looked away. Twilight looked down at the page in her book and shook her head. After flipping it to another page, she closed the book with her magic slowly.

“Twilight... What’s wrong?” Rarity asked.

“This is far worse than simple nightmares. Especially if they can repeat what just happened with Pinkie Pie on-” Twilight stopped, listening as she heard a quick knock on the door. Spike immediately and quietly as a surprise to both Rarity and Twilight, bolted for the door and opened it.

----

After spending over several hours trying to find their way around town, and getting lost several times over, Raze and Manson had finally found the Library. The rumbling of storm clouds over head didn’t help things and for a town with normally helpful ponies, it seemed like there were few that were open to conversation with them.

“I honestly never expected the Library to be a tree.” Raze commented, walking down the street to the only non-brick, non-straw roofed, non-building like building from where they were. From what he could tell there were already a few ponies inside, and they seemed to be discussing something.

“If you think this is bad, you should see some of the subdivisions in the lesser Fillydelphia area. They’re a lot more backwater than this place.” Manson commented as they approached the place. One of the windows upstairs was opened, which led to a balcony that had a telescope on top. Most of the inside wasn’t visible for Raze to look inside, so he slowly walked up to the front door and knocked with his other hoof.

After a few moments passed the small door opened as a baby purple and green dragon stood on the other side. “I’m sorry,” He said, which caused Manson and Raze to step back. “But we’re closed for today.”

Raze, who was still recoiling from the shock of hearing a dragon talk to him, shook his head. “I’m sorry, but we just got into town. My friend and I are here looking for a hotel here in Ponyville. Do you happen to know about one?” He asked.

The little dragon blinked for a second as another voice asked from the back, “Who’s at the door Spike?” The dragon then turned his head and answered, “A couple of ponies wanting to know if there’s a Hotel that they can stay in.”

Manson and Raze waited for a few more moments as they could hear hoofsteps. The dragon then closed the door as it was opened again revealing the lavender unicorn that they had seen earlier.

“I’m sorry sirs, but there isn’t...” The unicorn stopped, staring at Raze dead in the face. She remained quiet for a moment, continuing to stare in stunned disbelief at Raze. “Raising Shadows?” She asked nervously.

“Yeah that’s me.” Raze answered. “How did you know my name?” He asked, eyeing the unicorn suspiciously.

“It’s me, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight answered, staring at Raze for a few moments. “We attended Canterlot Elementary School together?” She asked, seeing the blank expression on Raze’s face.

“Were you the pony that always got good grades, and got accepted into Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?” Raze asked, continuing to draw a blank.

“Yes, and I was your magical studies lab partner back in the fourth grade. You wanted to make a volcano remember?” She asked impatiently until she saw the lights dawn on his eyes.

“Ohhhhhhh yeah, Twilight, now I remember!” Raze commented, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I just forgot the face. Man, have you changed.”

“Really? Have I changed that much?” She asked, giving herself a look over before turning her attention back to Raze. She glanced at Raze’s prosthetic hoof and gasped. “Raising Shad-”

“Please, Twilight, call me Raze.” Raze said coolly, cutting her off.

“Okay, Raze,” Twilight said, sounding a little surprised at his choice of name. “What happened to your hoof? I mean it doesn’t look like it’s natural!”

Raze chuckled. “I’d be willing to tell you Twilight, but me and my buddy Manson would prefer not to get wet out here. It looks like it’s going to rain badly.” He said, staring upwards at the sky.

“Yeah, uh sorry about that, come on in.” She offered as Raze walked in with Manson close behind.

“Miss Sparkle, it is a true honor to meet a unicorn of your station.” Manson bowed, showing almost the same respect as he would if she were the princess.

“Oh, why thank you...” She said half-heartedly, watching him walk inside.

Raze could hear Twilight as she shut the door behind them. In front of them was a small table set out that was set out for the pink earth pony mare and the other white unicorn mare that they had seen earlier. The pink mare was silent, not looking up as Raze set his cello bag against the wall. He could see that she didn’t get any sleep in the past few days, the light from a few candles that sat in the center of the table showed that dark circles had begun to form under her eyes, and her face was sullen.

“Twilight, who is this?” Rarity asked, eyeing Raze and Manson suspiciously.

“Oh sorry Rarity,” Twilight apologized. “This is Raising Shadows. He was a classmate of mine in elementary school.” She answered as Raze bowed politely.

“You can call me Raze ma’am.” Raze answered calmly. “And this is my partner Manson. He and I were wondering if the Library had a map to the hotel, we need a place to stay after our trip here from Manehatten.”

“You’re from Manehatten?” The pink mare said quietly.

“Yes uh...” Raze answered, grasping at straws to guess at her name.

“Pinkie Pie.” The pink mare finished for him. “My real name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but everyone just calls me Pinkie Pie.” Twilight and Rarity turned to Pinkie Pie, who had looked up and stared at Raze in the face.

“Yes, thank you Miss Pie.” Manson said. “Like my friend was saying, we need a place to...” Manson stopped talking in mid sentence as Raze and Pinkie Pie continued to stare at each other.

Everypony waited nervously as both Raze and Pinkie Pie looked each other over. The tension was so thick that nopony wanted to move, or set something off in either pony. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Raze asked quietly, continuing to stare into Raze’s eyes.

“Yeah, you were found at the edge of my family’s rock farm.” Pinkie Pie answered. “Just after...” She cringed before looking away, the memory too painful to bear.

“I’m sorry about what happened. He just happened to be too strong for me then...” Raze apologized, staring at the floor. Twilight and Rarity nervously looked at each other then to Manson who was just as shocked as they were.

“I know you tried Raze,” Pinkie Pie said quietly. “But just apologizing to me is not going to bring her back.” She started crying again, looking away from where Raze stood.

“Uh, do you happen to know what’s going on?” Rarity asked Manson.

“I’m sorry miss, I don’t happen to have the faintest idea.” Manson explained.

A few moments passed in silence until Spike entered the room, with a map of Ponyville clutched in his claws. He stopped, seeing Rarity trying to comfort Pinkie Pie as Twilight stood with the pegasus and the unicorn he had seen when he entered the room. “Uh... did I miss something?” Spike asked, loosening his claws as Twilight’s horn flared up and used her magic to pick up the map from them.

“It’s fine Spike, don’t worry about it.” Twilight answered, passing the map with her magic to Manson who took the map with his own Magic. She then turned to Raze and Manson suspiciously.

“Why are you here exactly?” She asked, watching Raze pick up his cello case with the claws that came out of his prosthetic hoof.

Raze turned, facing Twilight. “Well, that’s actually classified.” He answered flatly.

“Sorry, but I have to know.” Twilight snapped. “You disappear for eight years without so much as a letter, and now you just happen to show up on my doorstep and ask for a map? What do you play me for?”

Raze shrugged and turned to leave. “I don’t play you for anything Twilight. I just say that it’s a confidential matter only to be discussed between me and my client.”

“Your client huh?” Twilight asked. “Look Raze, nopony just shows up in a town just to grab a map and stay at the hotel during a crisis situation. So why are you here?” She took a step forward, watching Raze stop in his hooves.

“Well actually if you must know, I’m a Supernatural Bounty Hunter on a contract from Princess Celestia herself.” Raze answered flatly again.

“A Supernatural... What?” Twilight asked, seeing Manson plant a hoof in his face.

“A Supernatural Bounty Hunter.” Raze repeated. “I handle supernatural events that threaten the lives of ponies in Equestria when it would seem to be too small for the Princess herself to deal with.” He turned back to face Twilight.

“You know that there’s a thing called subtlety.” Manson commented.

“Well if she’s that curious, she has to know what I do.” Raze answered. “I was sent here by Princess Celestia to investigate all of the rumors that have been floating about here in town. You should have heard them; the missing Canterlot Officer, foals getting their eyelids and mouths sewn shut, and unnatural nightmares.” Twilight stepped back.

“Princess Celestia contracted you?” She asked, sounding hurt by the sound of the statement. The Princess would have sent Twilight and her friends to investigate, not some random pegasus off of the street claiming to know what he was doing.

“Twilight is something wrong?” Rarity asked, looking up from Pinkie Pie.

“No... everything...”Twilight paused, nervously going over the ideas in her head. “Everything’s fine.” A half-a-dozen questions raced through her mind, all leading to one. Why?

“Miss Sparkle, I can see that this news certainly disturbs you. After all you are one of the wielders to the Elements of Harmony.” Manson began, taking a step forward. “But you must understand. The Princess has her reasons for hiring us instead of allowing you and your friends to investigate this matter.” He said in an attempt to reassure her.

“Besides, all we’re really doing is just investigating.” Raze reported. “If there really is any danger, we’ll report it to the Princess and she can decide what to do then.” He watched Twilight nod and smiled. “We’re not here to steal your guys thunder.” He said, getting kicked in the side by Manson. “What? It’s true isn’t it?” Raze asked.

“You know that was a little rude right?” Manson asked.

“All right, well if there’s anything that we can do to help you gentlecolts with your investigation please ask.” Rarity said quietly, in an attempt to change the subject.

“Well actually, I’d like to ask Miss Pie a few questions if that’s okay with her.” Raze asked, looking at Pinkie Pie nervously. She looked up, and glanced at Raze before staring back down at her hooves.

“Uh, I don’t think that she’s-” Rarity began.

“It’s fine.” Pinkie Pie answered, cutting her off. “I don’t mind, I mean if it will help.” She said, hearing Raze set his cello case down.

Raze smiled, walking to the table and past Twilight before taking an open chair. Manson set the map down with his Magic, pulling out a small note pad and quill from his suitcase after opening it, he then stood next to Raze as Twilight took a seat next to Pinkie Pie.

“All right, first off we’re going to need you to repeat your full name dear. Just as a formality, as kind of a way to get familiar with what’s been going on.” Manson said calmly. He smiled as a small ink bottle was levitated over to where he stood, thanks to Twilight’s magic, and got ready to write as Pinkie Pie spoke.

“Okay.” Pinkie Pie began, taking a deep breath. “Well, my full name like I said was Pinkamena Diane Pie, but my friends call me Pinkie Pie.” She stopped, seeing Manson’s magic guide the quill across the blank notepad page.

“Okay and we know that you were at one point a rock farmer, but what do you do now?” Raze asked.

“I help the Cake’s with their business some of the time, but I primarily spend my time throwing parties for my friends.” Pinkie Pie answered.

Raze nodded, cracking his neck slightly. “All right Miss Pie. Do you happen to know what’s going on here? I mean to put it in a better way, when was the first time you started seeing the occurrences of the foals going missing, or ponies having nightmares?”

“Well actually, the nightmares didn’t seriously start until a few weeks ago. But it wasn’t the first time that I had them.” Pinkie Pie began quietly. “A little over six months before that, I had very terrible nightmares. Like the kind of nightmares that somepony in a horror flick would have, you know?” She asked.

“I don’t follow.” Raze said. “Could you explain what you mean for me?” he asked.

“Well the nightmares were really bad; I don’t really feel like talking about it.” Pinkie Pie answered. “I went to Twilight about the nightmares, and she cast this spell on me... I can’t remember what it was called, Mind.... Mind Bevel? Mind Twist? Mind Journey?” She answered, watching Twilight pull a book out of one of the shelves behind them with her magic. Raze and Manson watched as she turned to the page in the book, a hard bound black leather book titled, “Dreams: A Psychological Understanding”, and pointed to the page with her hoof.

“Here, this is the spell that I used on her.” She said, pointing to the page in the book. Manson and Raze looked at the center of the page where she pointed at, and saw a small paragraph in the center of the page with a spell titled, “Mind Delve.”

“I haven’t heard of that one before... hmm... That’s not something you see everyday.” Manson commented, reading the paragraph.

“What’s wrong Manson?” Raze asked.

“You know that my cutie mark was earned when all I wanted to do was read up about spells and those who cast them right?” He asked, flashing his flank which depicted a book opening under a cloud of mystical energy.

“Yeah, well what’s that got to do with anything?” Raze asked.

“I’ve read virtually every book in the Manehatten Library System, and have seen some of the Royal Canterlot Library’s magic section. And in my readings, I haven’t heard of a spell like this.” Manson answered. “I dunno, but something about this spell seems off to me.” He said, rereading the paragraph again.

“Well getting back on topic; What happened? Did this spell help with your nightmares?” Raze asked, seeing Pinkie Pie nod.

“Well, the spell helped. It really did, but it made me think of my little sister.” Pinkie Pie answered. “And I thought that I was fine for a while, especially after going back to the farm. But...” She stopped, looking away again.

“But... What?” Raze asked.

“I was wrong.” Pinkie Pie answered quickly. “After I’d gotten back I had found out that one of my friends, Fluttershy, had been having extremely bad nightmares. She tried everything that could be done that she knew how, even having her marefriend Rainbow Dash sleep over, but that still didn’t work.”

Marefriend? How does that work? Manson and Raze thought together.

“What happened then?” Raze asked earnestly.

“Well Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash went to Twilight about getting help from her for Fluttershy’s nightmares.” Pinkie Pie explained. “They’d found out that she used the Mind Delve spell on me, and I had told her not to use the spell on anypony, and wanted Twilight to use it on her but I just got there in time to tell them no and-”

“Hold on a second Miss Pie. You told Twilight not to use the Mind Delve spell on anypony?” Manson asked. “Why did you do that?”

“Because she told me that the spell was dangerous.” Twilight answered for her. “I promised her that I wouldn’t use the spell on anypony because she told me right after that the spell was way too dangerous to use on anypony, not at least with her around just in case something goes wrong.” She added, watching Raze and Manson exchange looks.

“Okay then.” Raze said, nodding to Manson as if signaling him to write that down. “Then what happened?”

“Well Twilight used the Mind Delve spell on the three of us and it helped Fluttershy with her nightmares, but I still had to face mine. I didn’t want to, I wanted to get out of there as soon as I could, but they didn’t let me leave...” Pinkie Pie stopped talking, fighting back tears as she looked away from Raze and Manson.

“Who didn’t let you leave?” Raze asked, sounding concerned.

Pinkie Pie shook her head and shuddered, her sobbing beginning to get out of control for the second time that day. Raze let out a sigh and rubbed his head with his hoof. “All right, well never mind that right now. What about just recently? What’s been happening recently?” He asked gently, watching her take a napkin from Rarity and wiping her eyes.

“Well after the second incident, ponies have been coming to me for answers for the nightmares.” Twilight reported in place of Pinkie Pie. Raze turned his attention to her and nodded slightly. “Most seemed normal enough at first, stuff that they were scared of like heights or spiders or something of that nature. But... Afterwards, they seemed to be more...” She stopped, gulping nervously.

“More what?” Manson asked.

“Menacing.” Twilight said, sending chills down everypony’s spine. “They were all about them facing some kind of torture, or being eaten or something.”

Raze’s ears perked up, and walked from the table before opening his cello case. After retrieving a small piece of paper from it, the front page of the pamphlet that he had received from Angelus, he walked back to the table. “Those dreams wouldn’t happen to involve a seal that looked something like this, would it?” He asked, passing the pamphlet to Twilight with his prosthetic hoof.

As Twilight looked over the seal, Pinkie Pie froze with pure terror. She saw the small golden seal, and began to tremble violently.

“Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked, seeing her best friend shudder unnaturally. “Pinkie Pie are you okay?” She asked, turning her attention to the small seal on the piece of paper that was in front of Twilight.

“W-w-where d-d-did y-y-you get t-t-th-that?” Pinkie Pie stammered, continue to stare at the seal.

“A very bad pony gave it to me before destroying my home a couple of days ago.” Raze answered. “Are you okay?” He asked, watching Pinkie Pie’s face pale.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Pinkie Pie shrieked, using her back legs to push herself away from the table and knocking herself in the corner.

“Pinkie Pie what’s wrong?” Twilight asked, setting the pamphlet piece down on the table and running to her side.

“KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!” Pinkie Pie shouted, curling up into a ball and beginning to rock back and forth repeatedly. Raze immediately reached across the table and grabbed the pamphlet page with his hoof before stowing it away in his pocket and from Pinkie Pie’s sight as she continued to rock back and forth, crying uncontrollably.

“It’s all right Pinkie...” Rarity crooned, getting down on the floor with her. “It’s okay, that horrid thing is gone... Shhhh... it’s all right now.” She said, holding Pinkie Pie in her hooves.

“I think that’s all of the answers that we’re going to get here.” Raze mumbled in Manson’s ear as both Twilight and Rarity continued to watch over Pinkie Pie, who was crying uncontrollably.

“I think that you’re right.” Manson agreed, putting the notepad and quill away in his suitcase.

“Well, thanks you guys.” Raze said, getting up from the table a second time.

“Yeah, your welcome...” Twilight said somberly, getting up from the floor and watching as Raze and Manson headed to the front door to the outside.

“I apologize for...” Raze paused, staring at Pinkie Pie who was still crying hysterically on the floor with Rarity. “Well for what just happened. If I had known, then maybe-”

“It’s all right Raze. She’s going to be fine.” Twilight said quietly. “I hope.” She watched Raze slide the cello case over his shoulder with his prosthetic hoof and turn towards the door. “I’m sorry that we couldn’t be anymore helpful. It’s just... this has been a really trying time for us right now, with all of the weird stuff that’s been going on.” She said quietly.

“That’s all right.” Raze said quietly, turning to Twilight and giving a small smile. “If we need anything else, will it be okay if we asked you for some assistance?” He asked, watching Twilight nod. “All right. Well then I guess we’ll see you guys some time.” He said, waiting as Manson opened the door with his magic before walking out before him. Manson bowed again to the three mares, before disappearing behind the door.

Twilight turned back around to Rarity and Pinkie Pie who were still on the floor. Was it really okay for them to be here? She thought, walking closer to her friends. “How’s she doing Rarity?” She asked, seeing her stand.

“I’m fine.” Pinkie Pie answered before Rarity could answer.

“Are you sure dear? I mean, you were just crying like somepony close to you died just now.” Rarity said.

“Yeah, that wasn’t normal Pinkie.” Twilight said calmly. “Maybe you should sleep here tonight. You know, see if that works.” She offered, watching Pinkie Pie shake her head.

“No Twilight, I can’t. I can’t go back to sleep until this whole thing settles.” Pinkie Pie said firmly. “Besides, I can’t really sleep with knowing that those two are still in Ponyville.” She said, shocking both Rarity and Twilight.

“Why not?” Rarity asked.

“Because...” Pinkie Pie paused, thinking about her next words carefully. “Because something about that pegasus, Raze, doesn’t seem right.” She said.

----

After some significant calming down, and a bath for the three of them, Twilight Rarity and Pinkie Pie were all sitting down at Twilight’s table. The three mares weren’t saying too much, just in case Pinkie Pie had another freak out, and had become eerily quiet as the darkness of the night began to take to the town.

“Uh... Pinkie Pie?” Twilight began, trying to break the silence. “How do you know Raze?” She asked, looking up from her book and watching Pinkie Pie shudder.

“I don’t want to talk about it...” Pinkie Pie whispered, bundling herself up in a heavy blanket that Twilight had gotten for her in the closet.

“You can just tell me. I said that I knew him from school when I was a filly. How do you know him?” Twilight pressed.

“Ugh Twilight if Pinkie Pie says that she doesn’t want to talk about it, she doesn’t have to.” Rarity countered.

“But this is important. Besides, this may have to do with her nightmares.” Twilight said, watching Pinkie Pie look at the both of them. “Look, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But it may come up sooner or later, and you’ll have no other choice. I don’t want to sound harsh, but-”

“I understand Twilight.” Pinkie Pie finally said, smiling a little. “You can only help me if I help you right?” She asked, watching Twilight nod.

“Yeah, and I didn’t mean to sound so harsh just now.” Twilight apologized.

“It’s okay.” Pinkie Pie said pulling up the part of her mane and flashing the bow that was tied neatly inside. “Well like you heard, we had found Raze just outside our Rock Farm. My little sister hadn’t come back for several days and my parents had gotten worried.” Pinkie Pie began calmly, watching both Rarity and Twilight as they began to pay attention to her. “I had just set everything up for my Super Duper Awesome Welcome Back From Being Lost Party for her when she had gotten back, but my mom and dad said that she wouldn’t be ready for a party after being gone for so long. As I was putting the party stuff away for until she came back, a green pegasus had somehow staggered onto our field.” She had smiled, but it wasn’t for something like a happy memory, Pinkie Pie had smiled in a hopeful way.

“What happened next?” Rarity asked curiously.

“Well, the little guy was hardly able to stand let alone fly.” Pinkie Pie answered. “He looked like he fell from someplace very high up, and managed to save himself from getting too terribly hurt. But he wasn’t in good shape I can tell you that. So, being good ponies like they were, mom and dad took him in and treated his injuries faster than anypony could blink.” She continued smiling, tracing a circle on the table. “He had heard that my little sister had disappeared, and as a way to repay my mom and dad he decided to go out and look for her. But I mean, what was he going to do? He just had a little wooden sword and didn’t know how to fly. But he insisted that he was going to help mom and dad find her...” Pinkie Pie’s voice had trailed off; she had stopped smiling and fell silent.

“What happened next Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked.

“He found her...” Pinkie Pie answered, a small tear streaking down the side of her face. “Raze found her, and the monster that had took her away from us. He said that he tried to save her, which we all knew was the case I mean he wanted to help us for helping him, but he said he wasn’t strong enough...” She shuddered again, watching as Twilight walked over to her calmly.

“I’m sorry Pinkie Pie... If I had known that was the case I...” Twilight apologized, finding herself at a loss for words.

“And Pinkie dear, I apologize for my rude behavior as well. It was certainly unladylike of me to start a fight in front of you with Twilight.” Rarity apologized, getting up from her chair and heading over to where Twilight and Pinkie Pie were. “And I also wanted to apologize to you Twilight; I didn’t know that you weren’t going to force any information from her especially after what happened earlier.” She said.

“It’s okay Rarity that went way two far anyways. And I want you to know Pinkie Pie, if there’s anything that you need us to help you with that involves your sister, let us know.” Twilight offered.

“Yes I agree. I think that barbarian deserves a thrashing. Though, I don’t want it to mess up my mane.” Rarity said, hearing a small giggle from Pinkie Pie. “What? Was it something I said?” She asked.

“No.” Pinkie Pie answered, drawing both Twilight and Rarity into a hug. “But thanks anyways.”

----

“Well now this is cozy.” Raze said, walking into the hotel room that he and Manson were staying in. It was small, built in the appropriate size for two ponies, and it over looked the center of town from where they were. The two beds were sitting against the wall onto his left, and had a small nightstand that sat in between them. The window that was on the wall in front of him was covered by bright blue curtains, but even beyond them he could see ponies still walking in the middle of the square like they had important dates to go to. Raze walked deeper into the hotel room and saw a door that led into a smaller bathroom off on his right that seemed to come well stocked with anything that anypony could have ever wanted in the first place. He could hear Manson file in behind him, and close their hotel room door with his magic. Raze set the cello case down next to a small mirror to the right of the bathroom door and groaned.

“What’s eating you?” Manson asked, watching Raze take his trench coat off.

“Well, we’re here.” Raze answered, taking a look at himself in the mirror.

“Yeah, we’re in Ponyville. Is there a problem?” Manson asked, setting his suitcase down next to one of the beds.

“Well, I half expected the ponies here to be friendlier than what we were treated to. And don’t even get me started on what happened at the Library. That Pinkie Pie seemed to be a nervous wreck after seeing that seal.” Raze answered, turning away from the mirror and flopping on the bed next to the window.

“Well, I’ve actually never saw a pony react that way when they saw the seal.” Manson answered.

“Well how would a pony react in seeing the seal when your dad was still in that organization?” Raze asked.

Manson waited for a few seconds, watching Raze roll onto his side and stare at him. “Well most of the time they would just sit there and stay speechless.” Manson answered. “As if they had met someone who had been favored by Princess Celestia, you know?” He added, picking up his trunk with his magic and placing it on the bed before opening it.

“Do you think that it was bad timing to show her that seal?” Raze asked, watching Manson look through his belongings before closing the suitcase and moving it to the closet that was behind him.

“Well, you were a little pushy with that.” Manson answered. “I mean, you should have warned them before grabbing the pamphlet page.” He added, letting out a yawn before getting in his own bed.

“All right, well the next time you can ask the questions. I mean, I didn’t expect Miss Pie to react the way that she did.” Raze said calmly. He rolled onto his back and took off his prosthetic hoof before setting it on the floor. “Anyways, we’ve got a busy day tomorrow. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to catch some z’s. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow and I want to get it done as best and as fast as possible.”

“Okay Raze, but don’t let this first day go to your head. After all we did just get here. Lets try to enjoy some of the scenery while we can; I mean after all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull colt.” Manson commented, crawling under the covers in his bed. Raze nodded, and stretched before putting out the lights in the room.

The next day was not much better for Raze. He had spent most of that night trying to get to sleep, only to have the same dream about the classroom and the seal on the chalkboard. Manson seemed to have no trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, and had enough energy between the two of them.

Raze quietly sat down at one of the tables out in the front of a small restaurant in the town square. He rubbed his head with his hooves and stared at the small cup of coffee that he had ordered in front of him. It was the only thing that gave him really any reassurance for the day ahead, Manson was busy reading the Ponyville Times and didn’t say a word since they got out of their hotel room earlier this morning.

“So, what scene do you want to head to first?” Manson asked from behind the paper.

“Well we could always check the church, but we should get permission from the Mayor first.” Raze answered, taking the cup of coffee with his hooves and taking a swallow of the bitter drink. “I mean, the Mayor should have jurisdiction that far away from the city right?” Raze asked.

Manson huffed from behind the paper. “Well actually that may not be the case.” He answered. “The Everfree Forest is just outside Ponyville’s city limits, and this church that we’re going to look at is just outside of that.” He said, setting the paper aside and taking a drink out of his own cup of coffee. “And I don’t know about you, but I don’t know any of this area at all so if we head that way we’d get easily lost.” He added, taking a look at Raze’s skeptical face.

“Yeah you’re right.” Raze said quietly. “Maybe somepony here knows the way over there.” He thought aloud, hearing Manson chuckle slightly.

“Hmm, yeah and your hoof will grow back in less than a week.” Manson joked.

“Hey! I thought we wouldn’t joke about that!” Raze snapped.

“Easy there hot shot. I meant no offense.” Manson said quietly, taking another swallow of coffee. “I was only making a comparison. If you notice, there’s hardly anypony around out here. What makes you think that somepony’s going to just walk up to us and help us get over to this church?”

“Well hey, I was just being hopeful.” Raze said, taking another swig before stopping. He could see a pony in a heavy burlap cloak standing in between the shadows of two buildings across the square. It didn’t move anything, the pony just stood there and watched as a pair of foals were racing off in a wagon that was being pulled by a pegasus foal on a scooter. “Manson, look, at your eleven-thirty. Somepony’s watching those foals.” Raze uttered, seeing Manson nod slightly.

“Yeah I see them.” Manson said quietly, glancing at the pony out of the corner of his eye. “We’ll need to keep an eye on him too. If six can put you down for a couple of days, imagine what kind of harm that would come to them.” He added, watching the pony disappear from sight.

“That’s because it was six on one.” Raze commented, getting up from the table. “Come on, this case won’t solve itself.” He said, picking up his cello case and leaving some money on the table. Manson followed suit, only taking a final swig from his coffee cup and following Raze.

They both had made it to the Mayor’s office faster than they had expected, it was quite literally in walking distance from their hotel, and had managed to walk inside without too many problems. After talking with a few of the security ponies that were in the building, Raze and Manson had climbed to the second floor of the cylindrical structure, and stood in front of the Mayor’s personal office in less than ten minutes. Manson politely knocked on the door to hear a very cheerful sounding, “Come in!” before opening the door and walking in.

The mayor was sitting in a leather chair behind a desk that was similar to the one Raze had back home in Manehatten. She had a quill in between her teeth, and was signing what appeared to be a very important looking document that lay on her desk. A small window sat behind her head and let her tan body glow with the sunlight that was filtered from the curtains.

“Hello gentlecolts, how may I help you?” She asked with a very friendly smile.

“Hello, allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Stone Manson, and my friend here is the Supernatural Bounty Hunter Raising Shadows.” Manson introduced. “Would I be right in asking that you would be the Mayor of Ponyville?” He asked, giving a polite bow.

“Well... Y-yes,” The Mayor said, staring at Manson and Raze nervously. “I am the Mayor of this fair city. Well, it would be if those storm clouds would just leave all ready.” Her smile returned and she looked at Raze and Manson. “How can I help you gentlecolts today?” She asked, watching Raze and Manson take the seats that were in front of her desk.

“Well actually Miss Mayor, we’re actually here because Princess Celestia contracted us out to find out about what’s going on with the problems here.” Raze explained calmly. “I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions.” Raze asked, watching the Mayor nod.

“Why of course, anything that could two gentlecolts that were given a contract from our fair Princess.” She replied, watching Manson pull out his notepad and a quill with ink. “What would you like to know?”

“Well, lets start off with the basics. When did you know about these problems that started occurring a few weeks ago?” Manson asked.

“Well actually I was one of the first ponies to get those horrid nightmares.” The Mayor answered, shuddering slightly. “I originally blew it off, thinking that it was just a natural cycle of life in a pony until it happened again.”

“What did you do then?” Raze asked quietly.

“Well, after this nightmare I consulted the town psychologist who reassured me that nothing was too terribly wrong.” The Mayor answered. “But after a few days, I had another nightmare.”

“Could you describe the nightmares?” Raze asked.

“Well the first one was innocent enough, I was dreaming that I was at a town assembly and had forgotten my notes on a speech that I was going to give. And then the crowd would boo me off of the stage, and after wards I would wake up. But the ones that followed after, I would always be experiencing some form of ancient execution.” She stopped, trying to remain calm but even that was starting to prove difficult. “I won’t go into details, but there were times that I thought that they were real.”

“It’s okay. We understand.” Manson replied. “What did you do afterwards?” He asked, writing down everything that the mayor just said on his notepad with his magic.

“Well after the second straight week of constant nightmares, I had heard a rumor that Twilight Sparkle had solved not one but two of her friends nightmare problems with a spell.” The Mayor answered. “I went over to the Library to ask her how she did it, and if she could do it again but she didn’t think that she had the ability to help me.” She said quickly. “She said that the spell she used to help her friends was very dangerous, and that she wasn’t going to put my life in danger should she cast it.”

“Was the spell called Mind Delve?” Manson asked quietly.

“Why... Yes, of course it was.” The Mayor answered. “I would assume that you two gentlecolts have met Twilight and her friends?” She asked.

“Yeah, you can say that.” Raze answered calmly. “Anyways Mrs. Mayor, did Twilight give any reasons as to why that particular spell was dangerous?” He asked.

The Mayor shook her head. “No, it was just that her best friend Mrs. Pinkie Pie was adamant against Twilight using it without her being there.” She put a hoof to her head and thought about it for a second. “I wouldn’t see why, I mean it only had the effects of making the one that had it cast on face their nightmares. I know that I’m only a mere earth pony, but it didn’t seem all that dangerous to me.” She said, watching Manson and Raze stare at each other. “Is there something wrong gentlecolts?” She asked.

“No Mrs. Mayor.” Manson answered. “We do have a few other questions though, if you would be willing to answer them.” He asked, watching the Mayor nod slightly.

“Of course gentlecolts, what else could I answer for you?” She asked.

“Well we were also sent here to investigate the disappearance of Officer Shining Mirrorcoat. We were hoping that you would happen to know what happened with him.” Manson asked, watching the Mayor rub her temples with her hoof.

“I’m sorry sirs, but I’ll have to tell you what I told the Canterlot Guards and the Princess. I don’t have the slightest idea on what happened to the Officer.” She said, now sounding frustrated. “If I did I would have reported it all ready, but he seemed to just disappear in thin air.”

“We’re sorry ma’am, just trying to cover all of the points of our contract.” Raze replied. “You wouldn’t happen to have a copy of the case file? It will greatly help with the investigation.” He asked, watching the Mayor’s face brighten up a little.

“Well we do have it, just not here.” The Mayor answered. “You would have to go down to the Police Department to get that sorted out.” She opened a drawer from her desk and began to search for a particular paper for a few minutes until she found what she was looking for and pulled it out. After signing it quickly, she passed it to Manson who took it with his magic and looked it over. “This should give you access to the case file with no problems, and if the police chief should give you any problems let him know that this comes directly from the mayor. Now, is there anything else that I can assist you with?” She asked.

“Yeah, actually we were hoping to get a good look at the scene that had the massed murder suicide at the church.” Raze said earnestly. “Is that a problem with you?” He asked.

“Actually, that is a problem.” The Mayor answered. “Nopony is allowed to leave the city during this time of crisis. Especially when we have a mad pony on the loose preying on our fillies.” She added, watching Raze and Manson nod in understanding.

“Well then, thanks anyways ma’am.”Raze said, shaking hooves with the Mayor before getting up. Manson did the same thing and the Mayor began to escort them both out of her office.

“Don’t mention it you two. If there’s anything else you need, you just let me know.” She said happily, watching Raze sling his cello case over his shoulder before leaving.

“Well that was a bust.” Raze commented, as he and Manson stepped outside.

“What are you talking about?” Manson asked. “We found out plenty of what we need to know right now, we know that they at least have Officer Mirrorcoat’s case file and that we can use it to find out what’s going on around here. Plus, we know that we’ll have to wait if we want to examine the scene at the church so there isn’t too much to do right now but wait.”

“Yeah we know that much, but why do we even bother waiting. Something bad is going to happen. I know it.” Raze commented.

He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Just then a trio of screams echoed throughout the square. Raze and Manson looked around and saw the three foals from earlier, an orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail a white unicorn with a pale pink and purple swirled mane and tail and a pale green earth pony filly with a red mane and tail with a pink bow in her mane, back away from the pony in the heavy burlap cloak. Raze immediately threw his cello case open and grabbed the claymore from the inside, before charging the cloaked pony as it removed it’s hood. “Manson, you get those foals outta there!” He shouted seeing the decayed face of the pony advancing on them, roaring and snarling as it advanced.

“You got it!” Manson shouted, his horn flaring up as he charged, firing a blast of energy at the foals and knocking them away from the cloaked pony. Raze leapt up as high into the air as he could before bringing the blade down on the beast, watching it harmlessly pass right on through it. He swung several more times, with each strike getting more and more ineffective as the pony turned on him. Raze backed up gulping nervously as he could hear the dull thunk of horseshoes on the pavement and hearing a dull growl emanate from the pony’s hood as it continued to advance. Raze looked around for something, anything that would be something where it could hit the pony until-

FWEEP! FWEEP! The sounds of a loud whistle blew across the central square for Ponyville. The cloaked pony looked up before running off, leaving Raze at a loss until he saw several earth ponies dressed in blue uniforms. One of them carried a whistle as two more each had batons in their teeth. Raze stopped and relaxed, sheathing his claymore and slinging it across his back as the police officers approached.

“All right, what in the hay’s going on here?” One of the officers asked, advancing on Raze. “What d’you think your doing, drawing a weapon in public? And in front of children no less?”

“Well, I was chasing off that thing there before it tried to hurt those children.” Raze answered, pointing at the cloaked pony as it continued to flee. The three officers turned to where Raze was pointing and shook their heads.

“I don’t see anything.” One of the officers commented.

“I think the guy’s been hitting the salt pretty hard.” Another officer remarked.

“All right buddy,” The first officer said, reeling back on Raze. “What really happened here?” He asked, still trying to remain civil.

“I told you, there was something that was going to attack those kids! I chased it off, and they are safe because of it.” Raze snapped as Manson walked up behind him, carrying his cello case with his magic.

“Is there something the matter officers?” Manson asked, seeing the three officers turn towards him.

“Well it would seem here that we have a sword wielding maniac in our town.” The officer explained, turning to Manson. “And you are?”

“Sword wielding maniac? I’ll show you a-”

“Stone Manson. Manehatten Metropolitan Police Department.” Manson answered, kicking Raze in the side and using his magic to summon up a badge from thin air. And floating it towards the officer in charge. “This is Raising Shadows, and he’s the supernatural bounty hunter from Manehatten.”

The officer nodded, watching as the badge vanished in front of the officer’s eyes. “Your Cutie Mark doesn’t look like it has anything to do with law enforcement though.” He said suspiciously.

“Well, I am a part of the supernatural branch of the MMPD. I make sure that those that can use magic use it well within the boundaries of the laws of both Manehatten and Equestria. Raze here is usually my partner when I get caught up in a case.” Manson answered. Two of the officers put their batons away as the first officer nodded, continuing to eye Raze as he continued to rub his chest painfully.

“Hmm... I see.” The officer thought, taking a deep breath. “Well you understand that we have to take you down to the station, police procedure and everything. Especially after what just happened.”

Manson nodded. “Why yes, we’re willing to cooperate. Besides, we need to talk to your police chief anyways. You know, to hammer out any details of this case that we’re currently working on.” He said calmly.

“Manson, what are you doing?” Raze asked quietly.

Manson smiled. “Well, we need to know what happened at the church right? There’s something there that somepony doesn’t want us to find out about. Maybe if I can talk with the Police Chief here in Ponyville, then we can see about getting some answers. After we smooth things over with these guys.” He whispered back, watching the police officers closely. “Besides, they seem like reasonable stallions. Who knows, maybe they can take us to that church?”

“All right, if this will really help the investigation Manson.” Raze said quietly. “All right sirs, lead the way.” He said walking with Manson as the police escorted them away. Raze turned back only once, watching as the orange pegasus foal got up and stared back at him before running of with the other foals past the Mayor’s office and out of sight. Raze turned his attention back to in front of him, and yawned.

“Tired Raze?” Manson asked coolly.

“No, I was just about to get fired up and well... They chased that thing off.” Raze answered. Though I’m kinda glad that they did. I don’t think that I would have won that fight if they hadn’t shown up. He thought nervously.

“Hey, it didn’t look like you were winning though.” Manson commented, getting smacked by one of Raze’s wings.

“Well, I didn’t see you do anything to help me.” Raze countered playfully.

“I was busy keeping those foals safe from harm. What else could I have done?” Manson asked. “And watch where you’re swinging those wings. You’re liable to hurt somepony.” He scolded.

“Okay daddy.” Raze said in a teasing manner, sticking his tongue out at Manson.

They continued talking for a few more minutes as they headed down to the police station. It was probably the biggest building on the square, well save for an equally huge gingerbread-styled house across the way. The building looked to be about two stories, which was small compared to the skyscraper that housed the Manehatten’s finest. This building also had a straw roof like the other buildings that were on either side, and he could see light shining from the topside of the top most window dance with the shadows on the ceiling as it showed a very angry pony shouting at some poor soul.

They could see two more Ponies, one bright red pegasus pony and a simple brown earth pony, standing guard out front each wearing a whistle around their necks, but had simple brown shirts that read, “TRAINEE,” across the front of them. They both stopped, staring at Raze and jumping slightly after seeing the claymore on his back and his prosthetic hoof that he stood on.

“Wonder what’s eating them?” Raze asked, seeing Manson chuckle.

“We’re sorry. Freshies that just signed up not a few weeks ago.” One of the police ponies said calmly, watching as one of them saluted while the other one opened the door. “You understand right?” He asked as they were led inside.

“Yeah, we all were at one point.” Manson answered, chuckling a little as he and Raze walked into the station.

----

The inside of the police station was just as small, as compared to theirs back home, and cozy inside as it was outside. Raze and Manson were made to sit out on a bench in front of the receptionist as the officers took Raze’s claymore to the back to run the numbers on it. Raze could easily see that he appeared to be the toughest looking pony in the station as he could see that some of the criminals behind the bars of the station were eyeing him suspiciously, most likely staring at his prosthetic leg. Some of them only seemed to be in their cells as a way to cool them down, while others seemed to be locked up inside because they appeared to be deemed too dangerous to be walking the city streets, but didn’t have any form of transporting them to a much larger prison.

Raze could see several officers doing routine protocol, or at least that was what Manson had called it. They searched the criminals’ saddlebags for illegal contraband, used a magic scanning spell to reveal items that some unicorns had hidden away in their magic, and had even spread some of one pegasus pony’s belongings out on the table before questioning her fiercely. Raze wanted to jump up and protest against their treatment of her but saw a small bag full of a brown, powder-like substance and stopped before Manson could say anything.

“It seems that even small towns have their problems.” Raze commented, watching as hoofcuffs were slapped on the pegasus pony’s hooves. She didn’t seem to struggle at all, walking slowly as she was carried away to a jail cell in the back of the building. Raze could see that a fellow officer, a sunny yellow unicorn pony, had then followed up behind the first officer and began using her magic to place the pony’s magic in an evidence bag.

“What did you expect Raze?” Manson said calmly, adjusting his position on the bench slightly. “If there is a sense of civilization anywhere in this world, there’s going to be a need for crime and punishment. Some ponies just can’t handle being civilized.” He said calmly, looking past the receptionist’s desk and at the stairs that led up to the second floor. “I can kind of understand what’s going on now. Well at least here. I mean there really isn’t too much in the form of modern technology.”

Manson was right though. While most of the Manehatten Police Department had telephones that could call just about anypony that could be reached within the city, the Ponyville Police Department didn’t seem to have any. There wasn’t even a metal filing cabinet based on what they could see, most of the filing cabinets that were in the office were actually made of wood.

“Huh, yeah. You’re right.” Raze commented, continuing to look around at the scene. He began to tap an impatient hoof on the floor until a strong and burly white earth pony with an all black mane and tail with a cutie mark that looked like a pair of boots walking down a sidewalk came down with a pink unicorn pony with a red mane and tail with a cutie mark that looked like a unicorn horn shooting sparks at a criminal in the distance that carried his cello case with her magic. “Ugh... Finally.” Raze groaned, getting up from the bench.

The pair of ponies both stopped as Raze and Manson met them both at a long table halfway, and set down Raze’s cello case on the table. Raze tried putting a hoof on his cello case but was stopped halfway by Manson as they all remained quiet.

“Well, your story checks out sir.” The earth pony said, taking a deep breath. “You probably heard it from our guys on patrol, but they were just doing their jobs.” He explained.

“Yeah, I understand Officer...” Manson said, looking over the earth pony for a name tag.

“Police Chief Walker. Beat Walker.” Police Chief Walker answered, seeing Manson sweat a little.

“Thank you sir.” Manson said politely. “I apologize for my friend here, especially for causing a disturbance the day after we entered your jurisdiction. He hadn’t gotten too much sleep last night, and well he was just seeing things.”

Police Chief Walker nodded, eyeing Raze suspiciously. “Hmm... I don’t know, but you seem to be nice enough ponies. So if you could be so kind as to explain what a Supernatural Bounty Hunter and an officer of the Manehatten Police Department is doing here in Ponyville during a time of crisis, maybe I’d be willing to look the other way.” He stopped, watching Manson chuckle a little.

“Sure, but I’d rather give up my badge than tell you a lie.” Manson said calmly. “Basically, Raze and I are partners. I scratch his back and he scratches mine. You know how it is when your guys get stuck on cases right?” He asked seeing the Police Chief nod.

“I can understand that.” Police Chief Walker said calmly, turning to the unicorn pony who immediately walked away after whispering something in his ear.

“Well anyways, this is one of those cases where I scratch his back. Only because this is a big one that we’re working on.” Manson said quietly. He then looked around, seeing that there were no ponies who were really listening in on the conversation before continuing. “This case is one that’s been given by Princess Celestia herself.” He said, watching the Police Chief nod.

“You mean to tell me that you’ve been assigned to that missing Canterlot Officer case?” Police Chief Walker asked.

“Yes sir.” Raze answered, watching the Chief twitch his ear nervously. After a few seconds the chief chuckled, shaking his head for a moment before giving Raze and Manson a serious glare.

“Look, you may have heard it different from the Mayor. No doubt that she couldn’t possibly know what’s going on around here so long as the city’s safe but, if I were you I would drop the case entirely. There’s some very bad things that’s come up with this case that I wouldn’t want to see more honest city-folk like you getting involved in.” Police Chief Walker said calmly. “Not that you two don’t look like you can’t handle yourselves, I mean I really don’t think that I’ve heard about a pegasus pony with a prosthetic limb able to swing a full-sized claymore like a stick like that. Plus you two aren’t the only ponies who are seeing things that aren’t really there.”

Raze and Manson blinked. “Could you explain that please?” Raze asked, taking the Police Chief by surprise.

“Well, I’ve been hearing things from the men about them seeing long dead bodies come back to life in the morgue. Plus, there’s that church outside of the Everfree Forest... Ugh, just thinking about it gives the fresh recruits a nice jump.” Police Chief Walker said calmly.

“What happened at the church?” Manson asked.

The Police Chief shuddered nervously. “Well, I don’t want to go into too much detail but... Things that are liable to get a pony banished from Equestria if they’re lucky. I never saw her highness that pale before. But she looked more furious than anything. I’m going to level with you two. It would be in your best interest to stay away from there.” He said calmly.

“Well sir,” Raze began calmly looking at Police Chief Walker in the eye, “We kinda make it our business to get into something that seems dangerous and something that isn’t in our best interest.” He watched the Police Chief calm down slightly before taking a deep breath. “We would like to have a look see through the church if you don’t mind. You know, to find that missing officer if he’s still there.” Raze said, getting lightly hit on the side from Manson.

“I’m sorry sir; Raze is not on good terms with the Police back in Manehatten. Especially when he had a few close calls before I got into working with him.” Manson explained. “But he does have a point. Just by looking at you, a pony could tell that you’ve been through a lot of meetings and reassignments because of the events going on down around town, and the crackdown on entering the Everfree Forest by blocking off all entrance and exit points.” He pointed out, which caused the Police Chief to smile a little. Manson was right; he did look a little stressed out up close. His mane was more or less disorganized and seemed to make the Police Chief a lot more exhausted looking than what he could have been. Raze could also see that his eyes were slightly bloodshot, and that also he had heavy bags underneath his eyes that clued Raze into a lack of sleep.

“Well you do have a point. And there are a few other ponies here that could look at it from every angle and still not come up with anything.” Police Chief Walker said calmly, turning away from the both of them. He tapped his hoof once and immediately a sky blue unicorn pony wearing an all blue officer’s uniform came trotting over to him. “Get me the missing ponies’ case of the Equestrian Officer Shining Mirrorcoat. And also get me a couple of exemption cards.” He ordered, watching as the unicorn saluted him before dashing off.

“I’m going to take this as an acceptance to our help?” Manson asked calmly.

Police Chief Walker shook his head. “Not exactly.” He said, turning on Raze and Manson. “You’re doing your job and I’m letting my guys do mine. However, if you do find anything we need it to be turned over to the police. I don’t want to lose my job because of this.” He said calmly.

Manson nodded. “Of course. We’ll let your ponies know if we find anything.” He nudged Raze slightly, who nodded quickly in agreement.

“Yeah, anything that we find that can help you guys here will be given straight to you.” Raze said calmly. He watched as the unicorn reappeared with a small case file and two card-sized slips of paper levitating with his magic. After a few moments the case file was set down on the table and the two slips of paper followed, which Police Chief Walker took in his hooves immediately before turning around and stealing a quill and ink bottle from the table behind him. after a few moments he signed on a small line on the slips of paper and passed them to Manson along with the case file.

“Here, this should let the guys at the forest and the church know that you’re investigators. I know that I may catch some heat from the Mayor from this; after all she did trust me with keeping some untrustworthy ponies out of this situation... But I don’t know. Something about you seems different.” Police Chief Walker said, nodding in both Raze and Manson’s directions. “I mean, under normal circumstances I wouldn’t even have to come down here. I’d have Hunter, or Floréz deal with this sort of thing. But, you two seemed like an odd enough case in the first place.”

Raze nodded. “Thank you sir.” He said, watching as Manson’s magic levitated both slips of paper and vanished them both with his magic. He then pulled the case file towards him and opened it, only seeing a few pictures of bodies of recently dead ponies and a handful of autopsy reports. Manson looked over and shook his head in concern, taking a look at the open case file.

“Is there something wrong?” Police Chief Walker asked.

“Well... I’d hate to sound rude but... Is that it?” Raze asked. Police Chief Walker nodded.

“Well unfortunately we’ve had no leads here.” He said, watching as Manson levitated some of the pictures with his magic and getting a closer look. “There was no murder weapon, no I.D., we couldn’t even so much as find out what started the fire in the first place.” He explained as Raze continued to stare at one picture in particular.

The picture that Raze was staring at seemed like it was taken right from a big production horror movie set. Two foals hung crucified on either side of an all onyx black altar that appeared to be covered in blood. The foals were draped in burlap cloaks, and appeared to be at one point unicorns but had their horns cut off as the Seal of the Three Times were in their place. A pair of blood red banners with golden versions of the seal sat burned behind the foals as crimson letters appeared to glow against the wall in the room. A sentence appeared to be burned into Raze’s Mind’s Eye as it read:

“The sins of the past lie within the realm of the Tainted King. To retrieve that which you seek, a sacrifice of blood and mind must be paid for the answers to be revealed.”

Raze dropped the photo and took a step back, shaking his head as it began to ache painfully. “Raze...” Manson said, setting the other photos down on the table with his magic. He then looked at the photo that Raze dropped and saw nothing on the photo before looking back at Raze. “Raze what’s wrong?” He asked, watching Raze put a hoof to his head.

“Nothing... It’s nothing.” Raze lied, shaking his head a final time as the pain subsided before standing up straight and smiling as both Police Chief Walker and Manson stared at him. “I’m okay. Honestly I am.” He said reassuringly to Manson before turning to the Police Chief. “You don’t think that it would be okay if we could borrow this photo would it?” He asked, pointing at the photo of the altar.

Police Chief Walker shook his head. “Sorry, but that’s a part of our evidence. I’m already bending the rules for you, I can’t break them.” He said, watching as Raze nodded.

“Well you can’t say that I didn’t ask.” He said, pushing the case file to Manson quickly. Manson set the other photos from the file back inside before closing it shut and passing it back to Police Chief Walker.

“Thank you for the help sir.” Manson said politely. “I believe that my colleague and I have a church to investigate, and if we do turn anything up we’ll let you all know.” Manson said watching as another unicorn pony, one in a dark gray t-shirt with a whistle, walked up and picked up the file with her magic after being the first to make it to their table before walking off with it.

“Your welcome.” Police Chief Walker said calmly. “But let me tell you something, this goes for the both of you, I don’t want you to do anything that interferes with our business. You find out what you need to find out, and stay out of our way and we’ll let this slide like I said. Is that understood?” He asked.

“Yes sir.” Manson said.

“Crystal.” Raze answered, extending his claws on his prosthetic hoof and grabbing his cello case before slinging it over his shoulder.

“All right now. I guess it’s time to turn you guys loose. And lemme know what you find if you do find anything.” Police Chief Walker said, shaking hooves with both Raze and Manson.

“We will, and we’re sorry about the trouble that we may have caused for your officer’s just now.” Manson said, watching Raze nod his head in agreement.

“Oh boy... I need to really get a vacation after this whole crisis situation blows over.” Police Chief Walker said quietly, watching Raze and Manson leave through the front door.

----

As Raze and Manson stepped outside of the station and walked down the steps that led to the front door, Raze stopped and took a deep breath.

“Whew... Well isn’t it good to be out of that stuffy old office?” Raze said, stretching his wings for a second.

“Stuffy?” Manson questioned. “I thought that the place was rather charming. You know something that does the same thing as the office back home but without all the hustle and bustle of the big city.” He smiled and turned back to Raze who had stopped stretching his wings and appeared to be deep in thought. “What’s the problem Raze?” Manson asked.

“Well, that picture I was staring at. It was really weird... I can’t explain it, but it seemed to speak into me.” Raze said, looking up at Manson.

“What are you talking about? A picture speaking into you? That doesn’t even make any sense.” Manson said calmly, watching Raze’s face look serious. After a moment Manson sighed, staring at Raze nervously. “What did the picture say?” He asked.

“Well it wasn’t what it said, more or less the sentence that it showed me.” Raze answered. He turned, and looked at the storm clouds that hung above Ponyville. “It said that, “The sins of the past lie within the realm of the Tainted King. To retrieve that which you seek, a sacrifice of blood and mind must be paid for the answers to be revealed.”, I don’t have a clue what it means but I need to get a look at that wall behind the altar in that church.” He answered.

Manson shook his head. “There wasn’t a sentence on there Raze. Heck, there wasn’t anything that resembled a word on that picture Raze. Maybe you need to just lie down for a bit and-”

“No can do Manson. We have a job to do, and I know what I saw.” Raze said quickly, cutting Manson off. “Sorry but we need to get to that church. I need to see that altar up close and personal. You know?” He said, seeing Manson shrug.

“All right Raze, but I tell you that you’re just seeing things.” Manson said.

As they both turned to leave the station they heard a foal shout, “It’s them! It’s them! It’s the ponies who saved our lives!” They both looked around, watching as the three foals from earlier raced towards them on a small scooter and wagon combo. The pegasus foal was driving the scooter, fluttering her wings as fast as they could go to get them moving. The unicorn and earth pony foal were sitting in the back as they approached, and they all wore blue helmets that made them seem to stand out in a crowd.

“What in the world?” Raze asked, watching them pull up and skid to a stop. The pegasus foal leapt off of the scooter as the other two foals clambered out of the back and walked up to Raze and Manson before wowing at them. “Uh... heh heh, how are you guys doing?” Raze asked, looking at the three foals nervously.

“Ohmygosh, do you guys see that! One of his hooves looks like a griffin talon!” The pegasus foal whispered quietly. “He still isn’t as cool as Rainbow Dash though.”

“Scootaloo, don’ be rude. He’s saved ahr tails once ahlready. Ah don’ think that he’d like it if we insulted him in his face.” The earth pony foal whispered, shooting a look at the pegasus foal.

“You’re one to talk. I mean, look at you, you’re whispering about what’s rude or not in front of him!” The pegasus foal shot back.

“You guys, stop bickering! You remember what happened the last time?” The unicorn foal snapped, which caused the other foals to immediately stop bickering.

“Okay... Not that I don’t mind the hero worship and everything, but could you explain who in the hay you little ones are and why you’re here right now?” Raze asked, looking to Manson as he shrugged his shoulders.

The three foals grinned sheepishly, with the earth pony foal smacking her head. “Oh, Ah’m sorry. We jus’ plum forgot ahr manners!” She said, looking to the other foals who nodded. “Ah’m Applebloom.” She said, extending a hoof to Raze who shook it awkwardly. “And this here’s mah friends.” Applebloom said, pointing at the other two foals.

“I’m Scootaloo!” The pegasus foal said excitedly, jumping in Raze’s face which caused him to step back and nearly drop his cello case. “And one day I’m going to be just like my hero Rainbow Dash!” She said, getting kicked gently in the side by Applebloom. “What? It’s the truth, and you can’t deny it.” She said before getting kicked again.

“Anyways, I’m Sweetie Belle.” The unicorn foal said innocently. “And we wanted to thank you for saving our lives from that monster earlier. Isn’t that right girls?” She asked firmly, watching as Applebloom and Scootaloo nod.

“Yeah, that’s right we wanted to thank you.” Scootaloo said.

“O’course we wanted ta thank ya.” Applebloom agreed.

Raze smiled a little. “Well okay, it wasn’t a problem guys. Just stay out of trouble okay?” He said, turning to leave.

“Wait don’t leave! We wanna help you out!” Scootaloo said, watching Raze stop.

“Help me out? Why?” He asked.

“Because, we’re tha’ Cutie Mark Crusaders! And we don’ let a debt go unsettled!” Applebloom said which caused both Raze and Manson to stop.

“Cutie... Mark... Crusaders?” Raze repeated, trying to make sure that he didn’t miss a word. “Hey Manson, did you hear what I think I heard?” He asked.

“Yeah, I heard them.” Manson said quietly. “You did say that you were the Cutie Mark Crusaders right?” He asked.

“Uh yeah... Did you not hear her?” Scootaloo said quickly before getting kicked again by Applebloom. “What?” She asked.

“Anywho, we’d jus’ like to know if there’s anything we could do ta help you? You know especially if it could help us get ahr Cutie Marks.” Applebloom explained.

“Well, thank you little ones.” Manson said politely. “But I think that we can handle things for now.”

“Yeah, what he said.” Raze said calmly, turning to walk a few steps away from the Cutie Mark Crusaders only to see them pop up in front of him instantly.

“Aww, come on mister. There has to be something we can do for you?” Sweetie Belle moaned.

“No, not really.” Raze said, walking around the Crusaders and closer to Manson.

“You want us to carry your case?” Scootaloo asked, watching Raze stop.

“No, I’ve got it. Thank you.” Raze said calmly.

“What about givin you a tour of Ponyville?” Applebloom asked.

“I’m sorry but we have a map.” Manson said calmly.

“Well what about-”

“Raze! Mr. Manson! There you guys are; I thought I would never catch up with you guys!” Twilight exclaimed which caused them to turn to her direction, watching her run up the street from where the Library was.

“Oh, hey Twilight. What’s up?”Raze asked.

“Oh Miss Sparkle, how nice to see you!” Manson said politely as Twilight stopped and panted a little. Twilight stopped and blinked, seeing the Crusaders stand near Raze.

“Um... Raze, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, watching Raze shrug.

“Oh well I saved their lives, and now the Cutie... Cutie Mark Crusaders want to pay me back.” Raze answered.

“Well it was the both of us.” Manson said. “I shoved them out of that cloaked pony’s path and Raze drew it away from them.”

Twilight blinked. “A cloaked pony?” She asked nervously. “It didn’t happen to have a burlap cloak did it?” She gulped nervously as both Raze and Manson nodded.

“Yeah, we could hear it all growlin’ and snarlin’ and-”

“And you could have been seriously hurt or killed!” Twilight snapped, cutting Scootaloo off. “You three are lucky enough that Raze and Mr. Manson were there!” She stopped, staring at Raze for a second. “Where did it happen?” She asked.

“Well actually we had just gotten out of the Mayor’s Office when it happened.” Raze said calmly. “Why?” He asked.

Twilight shook her head. “This doesn’t make any sense...” She uttered before looking at the Cutie Mark Crusaders, seeing their heads fall slightly in disappointment. “Listen, you guys need to be more careful now. It isn’t safe around here going out and around on your own.” She said.

“Who dun’ what now?” A simple, but pleasant voice asked from behind Twilight. Raze, Manson and Twilight looked up as an orange earth pony with a cowpony hat yellow braided mane and tail walked up curiously. “Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle? What in tarnation ahr you all doin’ here? And with... ponies like them two?” She asked, eyeing Raze’s prosthetic hoof suspiciously after glaring at the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Ah’m sorry Applejack, but we were only trying to thank Raze for savin’ ahr lives.” Applebloom answered.

“Savin’ your lives? What in the hay for?” Applejack, who went from anger to concern in seconds flat, asked.

“It was a pony in a heavy burlap cloak.” Twilight explained. “I saw one eat a rabbit at the Library yesterday, and well I don’t think that it wasn’t going to go for seconds when I chased it off.” Twilight explained.

“Ahll right now, so you mean that yer tellin me that there’s a crazy pony out there that’s trying to hurt other ponies?” Applejack asked.

“Twilight when you saw it eating the rabbit, did you hear a grinding sound?” Raze asked, watching as everypony stared at him.

“No... not that I know of.” Twilight answered before turning to Applejack. “Well, I was just as surprised as you are Applejack when I heard about it.” She said, watching as Applejack immediately got nervous.

“Ahlrighty then, Applebloom you and yer friends ahr comin’ with me. You ain’t gonna git outta mah sight until those ponies ahr found.” Applejack said immediately.

“What?” Applebloom moaned.

“Aw come on!” Scootaloo griped.

“That’s not fair!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, kicking one of her hooves into the dirt.

“Ah’m sorry, but until those ponies ahr caught, you ain’t goin’ anywhere without some kinda supervision.” Applejack said in a semi-commanding manner. “Is that clear?” She asked.

“But-”

“Ah said, is that clear?” Applejack said with a little more force than necessary.

“Yes ma’am...” Applebloom said, turning to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sadly. “Come on girls, we have to go now...” She said, as everypony heard an Aww from both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

Once the three foals were back and ready to go, Applejack turned to Twilight calmly. “Listen Twi, Ah’m sorry but Ah can’t get to that party Pinkie Pie’s planning for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy tonight. Granny Smith gone and dun’ broke her hip so ah have to look after her. Big Mac’s fillin’ in for me now, so ah could look for someponies who like gittin themselves into trouble.” She said, watching Twilight nod quickly.

“That’s fine; I’ll let Pinkie Pie know what’s going on and how she can prepare for it. Rarity’s with her right now so she doesn’t have a daymare again.” Twilight explained.

“Uh Twi, don’t you mean nightmare?” Applejack asked, watching Twilight shake her head.

“No, I actually mean daymare only because she hasn’t been sleeping. It would seem that not many ponies have been anyways.” Twilight said, hearing a snort from Raze. “Yes Raze? What is it?” She asked.

“Well I’m sorry if I’m interrupting your party plans, but could you answer my question please?” Raze asked impatiently, watching Twilight shake her head again.

“Well the cloaked pony was on the dirt outside the library, so its steps must have seemed normal to me.” Twilight answered before turning around to Applejack. “Sorry, Applejack but I can let Pinkie Pie know what’s going to happen after I talk with these guys. Tell Granny Smith that I send my regards.” Twilight said, watching Applejack nod before eyeing Raze suspiciously.

“Thanks Sugarcube, but listen...” Applejack paused and walked close enough to begin whispering in Twilight’s ear. “Ah don’ know, but somethin’s tellin’ me that you shouldn’t trust these fellers. They jus’ look down right suspicious to me...” She said, hearing Twilight chuckle a little.

“That’s kind of how I felt yesterday, but I know what I’m doing AJ. Thanks for the warning.” Twilight said, watching Applejack give her a reassuring smile.

“Ahll right, but if something happens, lemme know.”Applejack said calmly

“I will.” Twilight replied.

“Well I guess Ah’ll see you around Sugarcube.” Applejack said before turning around and walking off, the Cutie Mark Crusaders following close to her. After taking another calming breath, she turned back around to Raze and Manson who continued to remain quiet, but one continued to lose their patience.

“What was that about?” Raze asked, watching as Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders rounded the street corner and disappeared from sight.

“It seems that she shares the same sentiments as everypony else in town.” Manson commented, watching as a small blue unicorn filly was scooped up by her parents after pointing at Raze.

“What Applejack?” Twilight asked. “She was just looking out for her little sister and her friends is all.” Twilight said calmly.

“The way she was whispering to you said otherwise.” Raze said. “It would seem that I’m a bit more intimidating than I thought.” He said with a sigh.

“Well you did draw a weapon in front of the Mayor’s office.” Manson said quietly. “But I don’t want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t.” He added.

Twilight smiled weakly before regaining her composure. “Well, you did manage to chase that thing off of them. The whole town’s going to be talking about it for a while.” She said.

“Heh, yeah. That I had a weapon out in front of a bunch of fillies. The cops didn’t even see the thing.” Raze said. “It made tracks as soon as the police showed up.” He said, shaking his head for a second. “But what am I saying; Twilight what are you doing here?” He asked, watching Twilight chuckle a little.

“Well actually I wanted to see what was going on with you guys. You know, see if I could help you with your investigation and everything.” Twilight answered.

“Well that’s awfully nice of you Miss Sparkle, but what about your friends? Shouldn’t you be helping Miss Pie with this party that she happens to be planning?” Manson asked coolly.

“Actually Rarity’s helping Pinkie Pie with that right now.” Twilight began. “I wanted to help out, but they actually knew that I wanted to find out what’s going on here.” She explained, watching Raze and Manson nod. After a few moments, Twilight turned her head to the police station and back to both Raze and Manson before blinking. “Well, is there anything I could do to help?” She asked.

Raze remained silent for a few moments as Manson used his magic to pull out the map that they had gotten from the Library yesterday. “Well yes actually, we’re actually trying to head to the church that Princess Celestia investigated when all of this recent mess started. And we actually need a guide to get us there if you wouldn’t mind.” Manson said, watching Twilight nod.

“Of course! I’d be glad to help you guys get there.” Twilight said happily, using her magic to pick up the map as Manson was pulled away from her by Raze.

“Hold up now, what’s the big idea?” Raze questioned.

Manson stared blankly at Raze before shrugging. “Raze I thought you were a little better than this. We’ve been met with good luck here with Miss Sparkle actually offering to take us to the scene with Officer-”

“No, it’s not happening.” Raze said firmly. “Who knows what kind of stuff that’s wandering around that forest let alone the church? Besides, she has friends who would be very upset with us if she got herself hurt in there.”

Twilight blinked, staring at Raze strangely. “I can handle myself in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight explained, watching both Raze and Manson look back up at her. “I know plenty of self-defensive spells that I practiced back when I was in Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Plus, there is a section with plenty of spells that I can use to help you guys if you get in a pickle. Trust me; I know what I’m doing.” She said confidently.

“Hmm, someone seems very confident.” Manson said calmly, watching out of the corner of his eye as Raze smacked his head. “Look, we need a guide to get us there. And you are the wielder to the Element of Magic; you really don’t need to prove yourself.” He said calmly.

Raze shrugged, looking away from them both. “Look, if you say you can defend yourself then by all means lead the way. But, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He said before getting a light blast of magical energy from Twilight.

“Don’t worry about me. Now, come on.” She said, levitating the map in front of her and walking off. Raze rubbed his snout with a free hoof and followed her as Manson chuckled a little, following close behind.

“This is going to get interesting.” He said finally, catching up with them both.

----

After getting to the edge of town down by a small cottage with a house made of clouds seemingly built around and above it to make it look like a mansion, which Twilight explained was Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s house; they encountered a little resistance with the police ponies standing guard at the only easily accessible entrance into the Everfree Forest according to the map and Twilight. After explaining that Twilight was their guide through the Everfree Forest, and flashing the slips of paper that Police Chief Walker gave them, the three ponies finally managed to enter the forest. After getting out of the forest in what seemed to be the longest hour ever; Raze, Manson and Twilight could see the burned out top of the church that Princess Celestia had mentioned in her meeting with Raze. It looked like it was far enough away, but that was only because of the hill that was in the way of the church. Twilight explained that the church itself sat in a crater that appeared to have been made by a magical event several centuries before Princess Celestia and Luna were old enough to become the ruling body of Equestria.

As they approached the top of the hill and looked down into the crater, Raze could only marvel at the sight his eyes beheld. The building wasn’t a church, at least not a church that he had ever heard of. It looked more like a prisoner’s compound than anything that he had ever seen before. A lone tower sat in the middle of a squared off building that looked like a fortress. The roof that was on most of the top of the surrounding building was slanted in a heavy angle, and was colored like blood which made them all nervous. One section of the building was completely collapsed in on itself, and appeared to have the most activity surrounding it as they could see ponies wander here and there around the grounds of the church.

“They called this a church?” Raze asked unbelievably. “It looks more like a prison.” He said, watching as several ponies walked the perimeter of the red-brick wall that surrounded the church.

“Yeah, unfortunately at one point this used to be the prison that Princess Celestia had built when the dungeons in Canterlot got over-crowded.” Twilight explained. “All of the Prisoners were moved from here into Foalsom County Maximum Security Prison after it was completed a few years ago. Though I did hear some stories of several ponies attempting to escape from here, there hasn’t been an escape from that prison that I know of.” She smiled. “A group known as the Seal of the Three Times took it over and renovated it after the prison left, and turned it into a church and an orphanage until... well... that was several years ago.” Her voice trailed off quietly.

“It may as well have been a prison sentence for those kids who were in there.” Raze said coldly, staring bitterly at the grounds. He stretched his wings for a moment and turned to Twilight. “Thanks Twilight, we can manage from here.” Raze said, watching Twilight blink.

“I’m sorry?” She asked, sounding surprised.

“What, did you actually think that you were going to come with us?” Raze asked, seeing Twilight nod.

“Well of course! I told you that I can handle myself in there, and I have every right to know what happened in there just like you do.” Twilight snapped.

“Miss Sparkle, I apologize for Raze.” Manson said calmly, glaring at Raze for a second. “But if its okay with him, I can stick with you should you need any assistance inside.” He said calmly.

“Oh, so you’re taking her side now?” Raze said, watching Manson nod calmly. “Fine, do whatever makes you feel secure. But you have to stick with Manson.” Raze snapped, turning right around and glaring at the church before heading down the slope.

“What happened to you Raze?” Twilight uttered, watching Raze’s back disappear as he continued to descend down the hill and towards the church. She heard Manson sigh before turning to him. “Is there something wrong?” She asked him as Manson reached the top of the hill.

“Raze just isn’t a big fan of orphanages. That’s something that I never could understand myself.” Manson said calmly, staring down at the church.

“Well he never acted that way back when we were foals.” Twilight said quietly. “I remember back in class when he spent most of the field trip playing with the foals that were in the orphanage that was sponsored by Princess Celestia when we went there, this is actually a first for me.” She explained.

“I’ve always asked him why he acts this way when orphanages are involved Miss Sparkle.” Manson said. “He never really gives me a straight answer though.” He sighed, watching as Raze turned back around and looked up at them both impatiently. Manson nodded and turned to Twilight, waving her forward. “I think that we need to get over there. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” Manson explained, as Twilight walked forward before following him down the hill. They both had managed to catch up with him a few moments later, but hung back as he turned back around and continued to head towards the church.

The church grounds looked a lot more intimidating up close than it did from a distance. They all could see that most of the ground was scorched black, with some of the grass turned into patches of ash and dirt as the realization of the scene set in. The sidewalks, one of the few things that received minimal damage, was cracked and worn due to several roots of what were left of the trees that lined the sidewalk. There were also several piles of debris that seemed to gravitate towards the collapsed side of the church. As Raze, Twilight, and Manson stared at the scene in silent awe, a bright orange pegasus pony wearing a police officer’s uniform approached them and eyed Raze suspiciously. Her white mane and tail fluttered nervously in the small, occasional breeze that would pass through the otherwise cold and dead scene.

“Who in the hay are you guys?” The pegasus pony said, staring at the three ponies as they continued to survey the scene. “And what are you doing here, wandering into a crime scene like this?” She asked, watching as Raze set his cello case down quickly.

“I’m Raising Shadows, and I’m the Supernatural Bounty Hunter Investigating this area.” Raze said, extending his hoof.

“I’m Stone Manson, and I am his partner part-time. Most of the time I work for the Supernatural Office for the Manehatten Metropolitan Police Department.” Manson’s horn flared up as the slips of paper appeared with a small pop, before floating over and showing them to her. “And with us is somepony that I think you-”

“Yeah Twilight Sparkle, the wielder of the Element of Magic.” The officer said. “I’m Detective Sunrise. Beautiful Sunrise.” The pony said, finally taking Raze’s extended hoof and shaking it. “I’m actually glad that you’re here. I mean, we haven’t even begun to find out what happened here let alone who did it.” She said, turning away and beginning to walk off. Raze picked up his cello case as they followed her to the side of the collapsed part of the church. “All we know is that there wasn’t a pony that survived, and that a fire happened here.” She explained, walking into a small tent.

As they followed her inside, Twilight nearly vomited as she could see the burnt remains of a small foal lying on top of what appeared to be an autopsy table. Another unicorn pony looked up, a sea foam green pony with a brown mane and tail in a doctor’s coat, before turning to Detective Sunrise.

“Well Doctor, what do you got?” Detective Sunrise asked calmly as Raze approached the table. Twilight and Manson stayed back as the three ponies continued to stare at the body.

“Well unfortunately we don’t happen to have anything at all.” The unicorn pony answered, placing a set of operating instruments in a sink behind him. “Anything that could tell us about this poor soul had been destroyed in the fire just like the others. I couldn’t even find anything that I could use to tell if this pony had been a pegasus or a unicor-”

“It was a unicorn.” Raze said, staring at the head of the pony’s remains and saw what looked like the base of a horn slightly jutting out from the forehead, which caused both the Doctor and Detective Sunrise to look up.

“E-Excuse me sir?” The Doctor asked, watching Raze gingerly run his prosthetic hoof across the pony’s face.

“I said that this pony was a unicorn sir.” Raze said, looking up and watching the dumbfounded looks on either pony’s face. “I’m sorry sir but I’m Raising Shadows, Supernatural Bounty Hunter.” He said, seeing the Doctor nod nervously.

“A-a-and how could you tell that our victim here was a unicorn pony?” He asked nervously.

“Well,” Raze began, feeling Manson and Twilight’s eyes stare at him from behind him as he started his explanation. “You see at the forehead here?” He asked, watching the doctor walk up to the side of the autopsy table where he was standing. “Normally a unicorn’s horn would be there. But, if somepony were to cut said horn off and sand it smooth properly; it would make the unicorn look like an Earth Pony to an undiscerning eye. That and I’ve seen a few of these things happen.” Raze explained somberly.

“Wait, somepony took a unicorn’s horn from them?” Detective Sunrise asked.

“Yeah, though that somepony had to be crazy nuts to take off a unicorn’s horn. I mean, it’s the source of magical control for a unicorn pony. I’d imagine that pony would have probably been liable to have been hurt or killed during the process, especially after the horn was successfully removed.” Raze explained, watching as the detective shook her head.

“That’s horrible...” Twilight said quietly, planting one of her hooves on her horn.

Everypony remained silent for a few moments as Raze looked away and set his hoof down. “You know that this is how we found everypony that was here. To think that there’s several unicorn ponies here...” Detective Sunrise uttered, looking at Raze. “Why would a pony want to do something like that?” She asked.

“It’s an art of forbidden alchemy.” Raze explained. “Manson can explain; he’s my partner in this after all.” He said as Manson walked up to Raze’s right.

“Well, Raze is right. Using another unicorn’s horn in alchemy is an extremely punishable offense.” Manson explained. “Unicorn horns are very volatile elements of activation, and can add more energy than is able to be controlled by an average alchemist. Not only is the practice of using another unicorn’s horn in an alchemical process banned out of respect for the dead, but the Princess herself said that it was to be banned out of safety for alchemists everywhere.” He then took a deep breath as he let the information sink in.

“Okay, well then...” Detective Sunrise blinked, still not able to believe what she had just heard. After regaining her composure she walked over to the Doctor and whispered something in his ear before turning to Raze. After the Doctor left, she calmed herself down and stared at Raze. “Now that we have a quiet place to talk, and an enlightening turn of events, why are you here?” She asked, looking Raze in the eye.

“We’re here to investigate the disappearance of Officer Shining Mirrorcoat, and what’s happened here.” Raze answered, watching Detective Sunrise nod slightly.

“Okay... but I assume that you know that you aren’t going to find anything right?” She asked, watching Raze shake his head.

“No, Not really ma’am.” Raze said calmly. “I honestly believe that there’s something here.” He said, watching Detective Sunrise chuckle a little.

“You really think that you can find something that the police can’t? Kid you’ve gotta be kidding me.” She said, shaking her head.

“It’s happened on more than one occasion.” Manson said quietly, watching Detective Sunrise stop. “Trust me; I didn’t believe it when I first met him either. But there are things that Raze can find that we can’t.” Manson said calmly, watching the detective nod.

“I see...” Detective Sunrise said calmly. After a few moments, she shook her head and groaned. “Well, you really are putting me in a pickle here.” She said, flapping her wings frustratedly. “But you did point out that our dead pony here was a unicorn so, I might just let you have a look.” She said, staring at Raze calmly. “But you have to let us know what you find if you find anything.” She ordered, watching as Raze nodded. “Oh, and the tower is off limits to everypony. It could collapse at any moment, and we don’t want anypony to get hurt.” She said watching Raze, Manson and Twilight nod.

“We understand Detective.” Raze said, turning to leave the tent. “Come on you guys, let’s go.” He said, watching Twilight eagerly get up and follow him out as Manson politely shook hooves with Detective Sunrise before following them out.

After a few moments of making sure that nopony was outside of the tent and that nopony was listening in, Detective Sunrise stopped and closed her eyes. After a few moments she could feel the cold presence of another pony staring at her from behind and turned to see a pony in an all black cloak. “It is done Triumvirate.” She said quietly, bowing low.

“Excellent. You have done well initiate, continue to serve me well and you shall reap the rewards of basking in our creator’s loving light.” The pony replied; his voice commanding but firm. “Our brother has been waiting in the depths, getting the trial ready for its first phase. Our creator cannot be brought back without him being the one to remove the seal.” He said.

“Triumvirate forgive me, but I must ask why did you try to have him killed back in Manehatten?” Detective Sunrise asked.

“It was necessary to test his abilities. Unfortunately he was indeed rather skilled against our creator’s children. But my dear, it is not necessary for you to worry about unnecessary matters. Just continue to carry out The Creator’s will and all will be answered.” He said, quietly walking over to Detective Sunrise and gently patting her on the head with a hoof. After receiving a kiss on said hoof from Detective Sunrise, the robed pony disappeared and leaved her alone. She felt sorry for the fools looking around the church now, but really had hoped that they survived for her master’s sake. After smiling devilishly, she turned and left the tent with a skip in her step.

----

“Man is it dark in here.” Twilight commented as she, Raze and Manson stood in the main hall of the church. It was pretty large, able to at least house several ponies standing side by side going from both lengths of the all before getting crowded. The wooden floor that they happened to be standing on was worn and faded in some places, but it was also black and had huge spots where fire burned through it. The walls were a pale white, and looked almost ghost-like in some places. All of the lights that were above their heads weren’t working at all, which meant that the only light that came from the grimy windows that were on either side of the door that they stood in front of. Twilight took a step forward and stared down into the darkness in front of them all, before shuddering.

“What’s the matter Twilight? This place give you the creeps?” Raze asked almost in a teasing manner.

“Well, yeah...” Twilight answered as she looked at Raze and noticed that he appeared to be significantly unnerved. “What about you?” She asked, watching Raze chuckle a little.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t.” Raze answered, taking a nervous gulp of air before walking forward. He didn’t have a solid reason why, maybe it was the fact that both Twilight and Manson were with him, or maybe it was the fact that an orphanage was put in the place of a prison. After a few moments, he watched as the dark veil was pushed back as Twilight and Manson stepped forward, their horns flaring up with light.

“I think that Miss Sparkle and I should take point.” Manson said calmly. Raze nodded and followed closely as both Manson and Twilight walked on down the hall. After a few moments they stopped; coming on a huge and dimly lit room that appeared to be the inner chapel. They all immediately grimaced as the light that filtered in from the windows on the end furthest from where they stood revealed a grim scene. Depicted in front of them, carved surprisingly in brilliant marble, was the strangest looking pony that they had ever seen. The torso was completely muscular, but showed the ribs underneath the surface of the statue like a starved pony. The pony didn’t have hooves; they were more like claws that seemed to grip the edge of the gigantic throne it sat on. It had a huge pair of dragon-esque wings that on their lower ends seemed to end in feathers they curled around and rested on the back of the throne like a cape of some sort. The statue of the pony seemed to have more horns than what a unicorn, or even the Princesses would, forming a sort of crown on top of its head before tapering down into spikes onto its back. The tail also seemed to be more lizard like, coiling around the base of the throne after descending from the chair at least once. Halfway down the length of the tail, it seemed to split off into two and coil into hoof rests where the front hooves of the pony. After a closer inspection, they could see that the throne itself appeared to be made of bones.

“What in the hay kinda sick joke is this...” Raze thought aloud, continuing to stare at the statue. Twilight remained silent as Manson quietly said, “Great Celestia...” as they stared at the statue. They continued to stare at the statue until something starting moving at its base. Raze didn’t notice it at first, but he could see a dark and huddled mass sitting at the base of the statue. “Hey, you guys see this?” Raze asked.

Twilight and Manson looked up as the mass started moving. From what they could see, it appeared to be a pony under a blanket but the light wasn’t bright enough for them to see what it was. “I can see it, but what is it?” Twilight asked, watching Manson and Raze shrug. After a few moments, Twilight began to concentrate harder as the light of her magic began to take out most of the darkness in the room.

Raze immediately tensed up, and glared at the mass. It started moving as the light shined on it and turned what appeared to be the top of itself to stare at them. The mass then started moving as the top of its body appeared to be the hood of a cloak. Raze immediately threw open his cello case and drew his claymore from the inside before charging at the mass as it took the shape of the pony that he couldn’t hit with his sword earlier that day. The mass, realizing that Raze was a threat immediately turned and leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding Raze’s attack before landing on an unreachable catwalk that lead to a pair of doors. The cloaked pony stepped aside, avoiding a fireball that was thrown by Raze, and walked calmly and opened the right most door on the catwalk. Raze cursed mentally, watching as the cloaked pony disappeared from sight, before putting his claymore in its sheath.

“What just happened?” Twilight asked, running over to Raze.

Raze shook his head and used the claws on his prosthetic hoof to make a fist. “That was the pony that attacked the Cutie Mark Crusaders. And it got away again...” He said angrily, grinding his teeth.

“Well why didn’t you go after it?” Twilight asked, watching Raze shake his head.

“I’m going to; I just have to find a way up there.” Raze growled, glaring at the door above them.

Twilight blinked, obviously missing something as her magic light slowly went back down to its previous levels. “What do you mean you just have to find a way up there? Can’t you just fly up there?” She asked, watching Raze shake his head.

“I never learned how. Besides, it doesn’t matter when I catch up with that pony so much as I catch that pony.” Raze answered, calming down. He stopped and turned around as Twilight stared at Raze as Manson caught up and brought his cello case with him. “Look, it doesn’t matter if I can fly or not. What matters is that we have a job to do, and we need to do it.” Raze said finally, grabbing his cello case with his prosthetic hoof and slinging it over his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get started.” He finished, turning to another black door that sat beneath the door that the cloaked pony entered.

“Something that you should know about Raze Miss Sparkle,” Manson began, quickly walking over to her. “He knows it’s a bad thing that he’s a pegasus that can’t fly. So if I were you, I wouldn’t bring it up.” He whispered, walking past her and following Raze to the door.

Twilight remained quiet, following Manson and Raze as they both slipped through the door. Raze doesn’t know how to fly? But I thought that all pegasus ponies could easily learn how to fly... I mean isn’t what the flight school in Cloudsdale is for? She thought, opening the door with her magic. She filed into the proceeding hall with Manson and Raze and felt a little sorry for him as he looked up and down the hall. I can’t imagine what that must feel like... An adult pegasus that can’t fly... She watched as Raze nodded and looked down the hall confidently.

“All right you... Where are you hiding?” Raze growled, briskly walking down the hall and kicking open one of the doors that was in the hallway. After staring inside a barren and extremely dark classroom, Raze pulled his head back and continued to repeat the process like a pony possessed. Twilight and Manson looked inside the classroom, and didn’t seem to find anything that appeared to be useful as Raze continued to, “look,” for the cloaked pony in other rooms as they both stepped inside. In the light they could see as dust gently floated around from the air as the whole room was eerily quiet and vibrated slightly as Raze continued to kick doors open on down the hall.

“Raze is frustrated isn’t he?” Twilight asked, walking deeper into the room where she assumed where the teacher’s desk would be.

“In what way do you mean?” Manson asked, watching as Twilight drew a line in the dust on the floor where she stood.

“Well, he’s a pegasus that can’t fly. That’s like if either of us couldn’t use magic, I can’t imagine what he’s feeling right now.” She said, looking at the chalkboard in front of her.

“Well, he’s been fine for the time you haven’t seen him.” Manson commented, watching Twilight walk over to the chalkboard. “You should have seen some of the contract’s he’s been assigned where he had to take down a flying target. It was like he knew magic or something with the way Raze handled it.” He said, watching Twilight turn back to him. “Look, don’t worry about Raze Twilight.” Manson said calmly. “He’s just gotten excited, especially when that pony’s managed to escape from him twice.”

Twilight nodded, but jumped as the vibrations stopped and the sounds of hooves hitting the floor stopped happening. She and Manson ran out of the classroom and watched as Raze stood in front of a doorway that seemingly led into another classroom. They both ran over to where Raze stood and gasped, not believing what they saw.

A small, rusted key lay in the middle of what could be considered a massed pony homicide. Or at least it that was what they could tell from most of the bodies. Blood seemed to run in a circular pattern on the innermost edge of the piles of corpses that surrounded the key. All three ponies recoiled at the smell of death that flooded the hallway, covering their noses as Raze shut the door in a vain attempt to keep them from continuing to inhale the vile smell.

“What... What in Equestria would do something like that?” Twilight asked before taking a deep breath and coughing as the smell that came from the classroom still flooded their senses.

“What ever it was, it didn’t seem to like ponies all that much.” Manson said calmly, shuddering a little before staring at Raze kicked him lightly.

“You think so?” Raze asked quickly, taking a couple of deep breaths before calming down and regaining his senses. “I’ve checked the other rooms, there’s not a damn thing in any of them.” He reported, watching Twilight cock an eyebrow at him. “I can generate my own light two you know.” He said, holding out his other hoof and igniting a small fireball with it before putting it out.

“Okay, well what are we going to do?” Twilight asked. “The thing that could have made that mess could still be in there.” She said, watching as Raze turned to the door and left his cello case out with them. Manson picked up the cello case, watching as Raze opened the door again with his prosthetic hoof and recoiled as the smell refilled the hallway. He shook his head a second time, shutting the door and blinking slightly.

“Is there something wrong Raze?” Manson asked, watching as Raze turned away from Twilight and Manson and looked down the hallway.

“No, I’m just hoping that there isn’t going to be someplace where we need that key.” Raze answered. He took several steps forward and gagged, wobbling slightly before regaining his composure. “There’s a stairwell down this hallway.” He said, pointing down deeper in the hallway. “The path into the basement is blocked off by rubble, but there’s a clear path up to the next floor.” He reported, turning back to Twilight and Manson. Manson used his magic to give Raze his cello case, who took it with his prosthetic hoof. A few moments later they had made it to the top flight of stairs, only to be stopped by a door in front of them. Raze cracked his neck a couple of times, setting the cello case down before turning away from the door and kicking it as hard as he could, cringing afterwards as the door refused to move. Twilight and Manson watched as Raze kicked it a second time, falling down on his face as the door refused to move. “It seems like we need that key.” Raze grumbled, hearing Twilight and Manson both groan slightly. After another trip back downstairs, they all stood back at the foul smelling room as Raze reopened the door. The key that they thought would bring them up into the second floor sat innocently enough in the center of the room and remained motionless as Raze stepped into the room filled with gore.

“Raze be care-” Twilight said before stopping. Everypony froze, listening closely as they could hear the sounds of metal grinding across the floor. Raze immediately drew his claymore and watched as a pony similar to the ones he fought in his apartment just days ago was now walking in the room around the key. Twilight gasped, putting her hooves to her mouth as the pony stopped and spotted them before letting out a roar. It advanced on them slowly, growling and snarling as Raze drew his claymore and got ready for the pony’s attack. Immediately the pony stopped its advance on Raze and immediately reeled back, exposing a much larger gash on its underbelly than the ones that Raze had fought previously. Twilight could only watch with horror as Raze then plunged the blade deep into the pony’s injury, causing it to roar out in pain as the blade exited out of its back.

“I’m sorry...” Raze said somberly, quickly withdrawing the blade and causing the injury to erupt all over the place. The pony fell backwards, letting out a final death wail as Raze sheathed his claymore and calmly waded through the remains of the deceased to the center of the room. After picking up the key and staring at both Manson and Twilight’s faces, he shook his head.

“R-R-Raze... Why?” Twilight asked, watching as Raze waded back through the dead pony remains and past her and Manson before walking into the hallway.

“Because... Because it’s my job.” Raze answered, not looking at Twilight.

“You think that justifies killing another pony?” Twilight snapped, watching Raze wheel around and glare at her.

“You say that’s a pony?” Raze asked, staring at Twilight dead in the face as she was trembled in front of him. “You say that... That thing is a pony, after it tried to attack me using the things that were done to it as weapons?” Raze asked, laughing a little. “You wouldn’t make a really good Bounty Hunter you know.” He said.

“And what’s that supposed to mean Raze?” Manson asked. “You were just like Miss Sparkle when you first started.” He said, watching Raze nod.

“You know your right. But seriously, Twilight, you should have seen this coming. I mean I have a claymore for a good reason. And it’s not to show off for a bunch of fillies.” Raze said before turning to her. “I’m sorry that you had to see that, but it’s what I do.” Raze apologized, watching Twilight turn away.

“But, you could have helped the pony... You didn’t have to kill it...” Twilight uttered, feeling Manson’s hoof on her shoulder.

“I don’t think that there was anything that we could have done to ease the poor thing’s suffering.” Manson said, calmly trying to reassure Twilight. The lavender unicorn didn’t say anything, remaining quiet as he turned to Raze. “Take it easy next time Raze.” He said, watching Raze nod. “I don’t think that she could handle something quite as brutal as what just happened.” Manson added.

----

Twilight didn’t say anything as they all filed into the second floor with relative ease. Manson stayed relatively close to Twilight as she and Manson continued to light the way for Raze as they continued to take a look around. Just like the first floor, there wasn’t anything for them to examine let alone a body to see. And in some cases the doors on the second floor just simply refused to open regardless of what Raze tried to do. After finishing their exploration of the second floor, they all climbed another staircase that led into the third floor.

The smell of death that was in the classroom on the first floor hung heavily in the air of the third floor. Raze could see that the third floor was in a worse state of repair of the first two floors, as holes seemed to riddle the walls of the hall and boards in the floor were either loose or missing. As they began their exploration of the third floor, Raze immediately saw an all black door down on the right end of the hall.

“That door must lead onto that catwalk that cloaked pony escaped to.” Raze uttered, getting a closer look as a combination lock on a chain that blocked the door. As Raze stared at the door, he blinked and saw a slip of torn paper that was taped on the door. “Hey, you guys get a load of this.” Raze said, picking up the piece of paper with his hoof after setting his cello case back down. The torn piece of paper read:

On the first day, the world was plagued with chaos and despair. Nothing was happy and God wasn’t happy.

Twilight blinked at the paper as Raze flipped it over and stared at the back side confusedly. “Is that all the paper says?” Twilight asked, watching Raze nod.

“Yeah, that’s everything.” Raze said, passing the paper over to Twilight who looked it over and shook her head.

“I don’t think so.” Twilight said, watching Manson and Raze give her a nod that looked like they were slightly amused. “Look, there’s something else here.” She said, pointing out strange markings on the bottom of the page. “It looks like somepony tore this paper up and is making us go and find the pieces. It must be a riddle we need to solve.” She said, watching Raze and Manson nod.

“All right then, let’s go and look for these pieces.” Manson said, turning on down the hall as he, Twilight, and Raze walked back down the hall that they came.

It took them less than a few minutes to search the rooms that had unlocked doors in the third floor. After a few moments of rest in a room that sat across from the stairwell that led back down to the second floor, Raze looked up. In the edge of the light of Twilight and Manson’s magic, Raze blinked and took a second look. He could see a clock hanging on the wall, but it was missing both of its hands. Another piece of paper was taped to the middle of the clock and it got Raze’s attention.

“Hey Manson, Twilight, maybe that’s a piece of the riddle that we’ve been looking for?” Raze asked, pointing at the paper on the clock. Manson and Twilight looked up and saw the clock before nodding.

“I assume that it might be. Let me get that down.” Manson said, using his magic to pick the clock up from the wall and bring it down to where they stood. Raze then picked up the piece of the paper and skimmed it over as it read:

The ponies cried out to God, “Please, give us a place to live out in peace, a place for our children to grow up happy.”

The following day, the ponies that followed God woke up and were amazed as they had been given a place where everything was as they had asked, and free of chaos. It had been when the sun was beginning to rise when the ponies gave thanks to god.

“What does this have to do with a clock?” Raze asked, passing the slip of paper to Twilight, who took it with her magic and attached it to the first piece of paper.

“I don’t know Raze... But they seem to have something to do with each other.” Twilight answered, vanishing both pieces of the paper with her magic. “Maybe we can get more clues out of this paper if we find the other two pieces.” Twilight said, watching Raze and Manson nod.

They spent another minute of searching the rooms, stopping as Manson found what appeared to be the clock’s minute hand impaling another part of the riddle. Raze wasn’t the only one scratching his head as Manson read the writing out loud;

The ponies lived in peace for two days, giving thanks to God each morning and each night. On the third day the ponies cried out to God, “We would like to build a temple to worship you, please show us where you would like it built so that we may please you!”

The following day the ponies looked to find where the sun had risen only not to find where it normally was. It was until God’s light had shone down on a hill what was underneath the sun that the ponies understood, and built God a temple to worship him more.

“I still don’t get what this has to do with a clock.” Raze snorted, rereading the torn piece of paper as it was attached to the other two pieces.

“It seems to be a lot of religious propaganda saying that ponies need to worship some nameless god more.” Manson commented.

“I don’t think so.” Twilight said rereading the torn paper again as Manson and Raze stared at her. “Maybe this does have something to do with that clock. And maybe it could be the clue for that combination lock that we saw earlier.”

“What makes you so sure Miss Sparkle?” Manson asked.

Twilight shrugged, making the still incomplete page of paper vanish with her magic. “I don’t know; you can call it a gut instinct or something. I may be right, but I could also be wrong.” She stated, seeing Raze nod.

“Well, let’s follow this gut feeling for now and find that last piece.” Raze said before leading them out of the room. They all began to search harder now, looking for the last piece of the torn paper. After another couple of minutes spent looking in a room that was next to the locked door, Twilight had found the last piece of paper as it was being impaled on what they assumed was the clock’s hour hand.

“Well, this must be the last piece.” Twilight said, removing the hour hand with her magic and grabbing the paper. Something clicked inside her head as she finished reading the last piece of paper which said:

A full day had passed after the ponies constructed their temple to God. They were happy, and God was happy. Until the Chaos plagued them again. The ponies cried out to God, “Please God, we have loved you and believed in you, please send to us a sign so that we may drive the Chaos away from the lands that you have given us.”

It was then that a beam of God’s light shot straight from the heavens as the sun began to set, casting the wicked form of the Chaos into the depths of Hell. And the ponies praised God and loved him and only him until the end of days.

“Damn... That’s pretty harsh.” Raze said quietly, rereading the paper. “But I still don’t get what this has to do with the hour and minute hand on a clock, and a combination lock on a door.”

Manson nodded, watching Twilight reattach the torn piece of paper to the others before grinning. “I agree with Raze, what’s this have to do with what we’ve been given?” He asked, watching Twilight set the clock and the minute and hour hands on it.

“It has everything to do with the paper you guys.” Twilight said. “The clock is our clue that will let us translate the number code, just give me a few moments and I’ll explain everything.” She said excitedly, beginning to work at the clock. After making a full rotation with the hour hand on the clock, she stopped and nodded in understanding.

Manson and Raze continued to watch as Twilight made two more rotations with the clock’s hour hand in full reverse, stopping at another point and smiling as she seemed to understand what the paper was getting at. After another clockwise rotation on the clock, she stopped, nodding and taking another look at the paper as the clock stopped at just before the two on its face.

“So, did the paper tell you anything special?” Raze asked Twilight.

“Yeah, and I think that I have the combination to that lock on the door.” Twilight answered. “You see, most of the story is a load of nonsense right? But when you put the clock into the picture it should start coming in clear.” She explained, watching Manson take the paper and read it again.

“I still don’t get it.” Raze said, rereading the paper over Manson’s shoulder. “I mean, I’ve heard of cryptic stories and puzzles before but this is beyond me.”

“Well that’s because the story’s throwing you off Raze.” Manson said, passing the paper to the pegasus.

“What do you mean?” Raze asked before rereading it. After a few moments he shook his head. “I mean, seriously. What am I missing?” He asked, letting go of the page.

Twilight smiled and pointed at the clock. “Okay, pretend that clock is the world in the story.” She said, watching Raze nod. “It looks like the combination lock right?” She said, watching Raze nod a second time.

“All right, well that kind of explains it. But what were you doing with the hour hand on the clock? What does that have to do with anything?” Raze asked.

“It’s a representation of the sun in the story.” Manson explained, watching Raze closely. After a few moments, Raze nodded and grabbed the story again and read through it. He smiled, looking at the paper and then the clock before chuckling a little.

“Well now, isn’t that something?” Raze said, looking at the clock. “Wherever the hour hand is on the clock is where that part of the combination on the lock is. I see where this is going.” Raze said, watching as Twilight took both items and vanished them with her magic. “Let’s get over to that combination lock then and test it out.” He said, leading Twilight and Manson out of the room.

After everypony was situated into a position where they could see lock comfortably, Raze turned to Twilight. “All right Twilight, I’m ready when you are.” Raze said, grabbing the combination lock with one hoof as his prosthetic one got ready to turn the dial.

“All right, well whenever the story says something about a day it means that you have to turn it a full rotation.” Twilight began watching Raze start to turn the dial. “But the first mention of the day cycle is a red herring, it’s meant to throw the reader off. You only turn the dial once and match it up with this position here.” Twilight’s magic rotated the hour hand to the halfway point in between the nine and ten on the clock and stopped as Raze matched it.

“On twenty eight right?” He asked, watching Twilight nod.

“Right.” She answered, checking over Raze’s work. “Now, we need to rotate it backwards twice.”

“Why backwards?” Raze asked.

“Because combination locks go both ways; plus it explains that the sun is rising in a place that wasn’t normal to the ponies in the story.” Manson explained. “One can understand that they were used to seeing the sun in their faces as it rose to the east. Then they moved to face their creator who can be assumed to be in the other direction, and were not used to the sun at their backs instead of it being in front of them. Plus the sun was beginning to rise, so that would make the next number-”

“Fifteen.” Raze said, cutting Manson off.

“No Raze. That isn’t right.” Twilight said, using her magic to make the hour hand fall in between the eleven and the twelve on the clock. Raze made an o with his mouth and turned the dial to thirty-five on the combination.

“Now the last part is an easy one.” Manson said, watching Raze nod.

“Yeah, I see where you guys are going with this.” He said rotating the dial to the left until the ten was in position. After a gentle click, the combination lock released itself from the chain and fell to the ground.

“How did you get ten from that?” Twilight asked.

“Well, the story said that the sun began to set.” Raze explained, using his prosthetic hoof to move the hour hand on the clock to just before the two on the clock face again. “On the clock the hour hand looks like it’s going to set if you imagine the three and the nine on the clock as the points for the horizon.” He added, watching as Twilight and Manson nodded.

“Okay then, well we have a pony to catch up to.” Manson said, watching Raze grab his cello case from the other room.

“You're right Manson. Let’s move.” Raze said, before walking behind Twilight through the now opened door. He followed Twilight closely as she walked out onto the catwalk that hung above the center room of the church and opened the other door that the pony fled into. As everypony was safely across, Raze closed the door behind him and blinked as the pony sat in a huddled mass in front of a pair of black double doors that stood behind him.

“Raze... There he is...” Twilight whispered.

“Yeah, and he’s not getting away from me a third time.” Raze answered, charging forward at the pony. It looked up and began growling again as the double opened behind it and led into a dark room.

“Raze wait up!” Twilight shouted; chasing after him with Manson as Raze drew his claymore.

“Raze! Please, we can’t keep up!” Manson added as the pony disappeared into the dark room. They both watched as Raze charged after them, before stopping as the black doors slammed shut on them both immediately. “Raze! Raze, are you okay? Dammit Raze, answer me!” Manson shouted, banging on the door.

“Mr. Manson, step back. I can handle this.” Twilight said immediately, concentrating as her horn flared up with more magic before causing the door to radiate with energy before them. After a few moments she was knocked back, all of the energy from the door dissipating all the while.

“Miss Sparkle are you okay?” Manson asked, setting Raze’s cello case down with his magic and helping Twilight to her hooves.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Twilight said calmly, staring at the door. “But I hope Raze is.” She said, staring at the door.

----

Raze continued to follow the cloaked pony down the hall as it continued to run, making the gap between them significantly wider as it came to the corner of the building. Raze was determined to stay on the cloaked pony’s tail, and didn’t notice the decay that started forming as he chased the pony down several flights of stairs and into what seemed to be a basement area. He could hear the grinding of his blade against the floor and slowed down to get a better look at his surroundings. He could hear the sounds of active machinery toiling away at work as he could see several pipes blow steam out of a few holes that they had. He could see that he was standing on chain link fencing like what he stood on at his apartment, but that wasn’t what unnerved him.

On the other sides of some of the walls he could see several bat-like creatures crawling around the pipes to some of the valves. He watched as a pair in particular fought over one valve that was closest to him, and fell off of the side into a vast abyss of pipes alone. Far down below, Raze could see a faint glow of light that seemed to change between a vibrant sunny yellow to a deep blood red. Raze looked around, watching as none of the creatures paid the two that fell over any mind and continued to fight over any available valves that were there.

As Raze continued to look around in his surroundings, he wiped some sweat from his brow with a free hoof. The air was thick and heavier than what it was outside, and seemed to him that no normal pony could stay there for long. He turned around, and jumped as the stairwell that he had come down there from had disappeared and left only a blank wall. “Horsefeathers...” Raze said, turning back around and looking at the path that was laid out in front of him. “Well, I guess that this is the only way out.” He added, walking forward.

Raze put his claymore in its sheath, looking around as there was no sign of the cloaked pony anywhere. The only other living things that Raze could see were the bat-things that continued to fight over the valves that were unoccupied by their fellows. He could also feel the heat of the area slowly begin to decrease as he made it to an intersection that seemed to lead down towards the glow of light beneath him. Raze shook his head in frustration, trying the two other doors as they refused to open for anything as he almost tried kicking them down again. He continued onward, coming on another black door that would easily open for him after just touching it, and entered the next room.

The inside of the room appeared to be a racetrack of sorts, something that he could see the Wonderbolts race on. It was significantly longer than normal, being at least bigger than a skyball arena, and had several doors on either side of the room. Raze could actually see that there was only one dividing wall in the middle of the track, and thought it was weird only because it was the only wall in the center of the track. Wouldn’t ground racing tracks have two walls instead of one? Raze thought, walking down the steps that led onto the track. On a closer look he could see that even though the wall was painted black, he could see that it was covered in something that looked like blood. He looked around at the track from where he stood and saw that several of the doors that were down on his level were completely boarded shut, leaving only three of them for him to look into.

“Well, it would seem that somepony wants me to see something.” Raze said, turning to the only door that wasn’t boarded shut on his side of the wall and walking to it. After staring at it curiously, Raze could see that it had the Seal of the Three Times blazoned on the door with the words, “Mind Delve Participant #225,” Plastered on it. As Raze opened the door with his prosthetic hoof, he shielded his eyes as his vision was enveloped in a bright light.

----

“Sister, I don’t think that this is the right way to do this... We are endangering the foals under our care by continuing these experiments.” A blue unicorn in a nun’s robe said, cringing as an older unicorn turned on her. They both stood inside a very clean, and well kept room with a brightly colored bed and a tiled floor that seemed warm and inviting. A small lantern filled the room with light as both unicorns stood on either side of the bed, the Seal of the Three Times behind the bed.

“Sister Wall Flower, you do realize that this is God’s will?” The older unicorn asked. “Sacrifices must be made as we find the suitable candidate for the spell to reunite the foal we seek with God.”

“I do realize that sister... But can it not wait until they are older?” Sister Wall Flower asked, watching the older unicorn shake her head.

“No, it’s the only way.” The older unicorn said somberly. “Bring in the next foal.” She said, watching as Sister Wall Flower bowed before walking away.

----

Raze shook his head as the light and the vision faded away. What he saw in front of him was a small bed like one would see in hospitals, only with the straps ripped off as it sat within a very dirty and broken tiled room. He walked inside, staring at the only thing that caught his eye, a small amulet with an opal in the middle. As he went to touch it, the amulet disintegrated in his hoof, leaving nothing left behind. Raze continued to look around the room for something that could help him find out what happened, but after no such luck he turned and walked calmly out of the room.

“What was that about?” Raze said calmly as he stepped out into the track again. “Did they really cast that spell on foals?” He asked, shaking his head before walking across the track and leaping over the dividing wall. He stared at both doors, walking to the one on his left first and stopping. It too had the Seal of the Three Times blazoned off in the middle like the first door, but instead it had the words, “Mind Delve participant #1,036. First Successful Transfer results.” Raze got ready the second time as he opened the door and closed his eye momentarily as he was enveloped in a bright light.

----

“Well done my son! God has shone upon you on this blessed, blessed day!” A dark blue earth pony said, looking down on a pale white colt with a scraggly brown mane and tail. The colt looked up at the earth pony and grinned. They both stood at the end of an extremely long table, which was literally filled to capacity with every kind of food imaginable. Other foals seemed to be enjoying themselves as they continued talking.

“I’m glad that I could do what I could to help God come back.” The colt said playfully, though it had a sense of bitterness that sounded like he resented it. “It’s too bad that I have to leave the orphanage in a few weeks. I wanted to play with the other fillies and colts some more.” He said with a sense of pride that made the earth pony smile.

“You have been a light into our home young one. If you are ever in need of some assistance, we would only be happy to help.” The earth pony said. “To our hero, the first pony to stay within God’s loving embrace!” He shouted, hearing all of the other ponies cheer at the same time.

----

Raze blinked as the images faded away. He now stood in a grimier and dirtier version of the dining hall that he had just seen. The table was missing, and down on the end where the colt and the earth pony stood, Raze could see a small round shield sitting on the chair that the colt sat in. He walked up close to it and saw that the seal wasn’t emblazoned on it, and decided to pick it up. Raze stamped his hooves in frustration as the shield crumbled to dust in front of him just like the amulet. Something’s not right here. That shield looked like it was perfectly good, and it just falls to dust? Something else is going on here, I can feel it. Raze said, turning around and leaving the room.

He stopped, turning to the only door he hadn’t checked, and looked at it. It had the Seal of the Three Times blazoned in red on the door just like the others, but unlike the others it had nothing else on it. Raze felt something different on the other side of the door, something dangerous as he reached out and turned the handle. As he opened the door, Raze was once again enveloped in a bright white light but it didn’t seem to feel like the others.

----

“Stop, in the name of Princess Celestia!” A golden brown unicorn pony with an orange mane and tail shouted, chasing a pony in an all black robe down the halls of the third floor of the church that Raze had explored at least an hour ago.

“You mean that cur that rejects our creator?” The black robed pony shouted back. “Please, your Princess means nothing to me. God is my only ruler.” He snapped, running down the hall that led to the double black doors. The unicorn pony charged the doors as the robed pony ran through them. As the second pony entered the room, he could see the black robed pony stand in front of an all onyx black altar that was flanked with two crucified foals on crosses that were on both of its sides.

“What in Equestria... What did you do to these children?” The pony asked, mortified at the scene.

“The same thing that’s going to happen to you.” Another voice said from his side, which caused the pony to turn. Another pony with a pale white coat and scraggly brown mane and tail stepped forward and smiled. “He’s all yours Triumvirate.” The pony said with a grin, pointing at the floor beneath the unicorn pony.

“What the... Let me go!” The unicorn pony snapped, beginning to struggle as his legs slowly began to get sucked into the floor. He looked up, and watched as dark energy began to form around the robed pony’s feet as it began stamping its hooves on the floor. The unicorn pony continued to struggle, watching as he sank even further into the floor and eventually disappeared underneath the surface.

“Thank you my son... You have served God well, and you have been doing so since you have left our humble orphanage. Or at least that’s what I hear.” The robed pony said, calming down as droplets of blood went down his face and formed a small puddle of blood on the floor.

“Well, I can’t do any of the magic that you can Triumvirate. But I believe that I can give God all I can if I send as many foals to him as I can.” The pony answered coldly, looking at the spot on the floor where the unicorn pony once stood.

“That’s all that our creator asks of you. Now come, we need to get prepared for the coming of the chosen foal. He needs to be tested, well before his true trials can begin” The black robed pony commanded.

“Yes sir. I’ll have just the party ready for the chosen foal. But may I ask you something Triumvirate?” The pony asked, watching his black robed pony turn on his heel towards him.

“What is it my child?” The black robed pony asked.

“Can I rough him up a little? I mean, he did leave a couple of bruises the last time that I saw him.” The pony said calmly, watching as the black robed pony nodded.

“Why of course my child. Whatever makes it a true test of his abilities.” The black robed pony said finally.

----

Raze remained silent as the images of the room faded away. He stood in an empty room, and blinked a little as the cloaked pony stood in front of him. At least he thought it was the robed pony. Raze could see that the cloak was lying on the floor underneath its mangled hooves. He could see the deep, midnight black coat pulse and throb under the heavy plated armor that it wore. The pony didn’t have a mane or tail that Raze could see, but instead could see a heavy wound in the middle of it’s back that seemed to be bleeding slightly. The pony’s black eyes saw Raze which caused it to roar, reeling back on its hind legs as it charged at him with full speed. Raze ducked over to one of the walls outside of the room as the pony charged forward, skidding to a stop on the ground and let out another painful roar.

“So that’s what you are under that mask.” Raze said, drawing his claymore with his prosthetic hoof. He jumped back, watching as a pair of bladed lances shot from the room and speared themselves into the ground on either side of the pony, which caused it to roar a second time.

“Oh... it seems like we have a challenger!” A cold, but commanding voice said happily as Raze began looking around. He immediately glared as he saw a stallion stand on the top most part of the stairs on the other side of the arena, with a megaphone in his face. He was a pale white, and had a scraggly brown mane and tail with three blood red balloons that had served as his cutie mark on his exposed flank.

“You!” Raze snapped, immediately getting angrier.

“Well... That certainly isn’t a way to greet a friend that you haven’t seen in years. Then again, we never were friends in the first place.” The stallion sneered, looking down on Raze with a smile.

“You do realize that I’m a lot stronger than what I was.” Raze countered. “And I’m bringing you in alive, you can count on that.” He snapped, pointing his claymore at the stallion.

“What? You, bring me in? Now? But we have so much to catch up on! Especially how you failed in your promise to the Pie’s, and how it made you really feel.” The stallion said, touching another one of Raze’s nerves.

“Sorry, we can catch up when you change your ways.” Raze snapped. “But seeing as how you’re here and you happen to be working with the pony that destroyed my house; that’s not going to happen.” He said, watching the stallion chuckle.

“Oh... Well is that all?” He asked coolly. “I mean, here I have this wonderful Renaissance party all set up and you want to ruin it by doing your job.” The stallion stopped as another roar pierced through the room. Both he and Raze watched as a hatch opened up from the ceiling directly over the armored pony. After a few moments the heavily armored front half of another pony was lowered from the hatch. Raze stared with shock as he couldn’t tell what kind of pony it was from underneath all of its heavy black armor. The pony let out a horrifying scream as the bladed lances pierced through both of its hooves as it set itself down on the injury of the first pony. They both watched as metal wires erupted from the ground around the first pony and sewed both ponies together as though it were thread. “I assume that you are thinking about what kind of monstrosity my friend here is.” The stallion said quietly, smiling as both ponies turned to face Raze menacingly.

“No, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do with the bits that I’ll get when I deliver your broken body to the Canterlot Dungeons personally.” Raze snapped, rushing at the stallion past the ponies. He was stopped halfway when one of the lances went underneath his legs and caused him to trip up and fall into the wall, dropping his claymore in the process.

“Heh... I think my friend here says otherwise.” The stallion said, nodding in the ponies’ direction. “Sorry, but I’ll give you a chance to party with me... But you really have to deal with your guests now. I’ll be seeing you... That is if you aren’t partied out by the time we meet again. If you aren’t, the party will be in the world of God. And please dress for the occasion... After all it is special.” The stallion said, turning and walking through another door at the top of the stairs.

Raze growled angrily, turning to both ponies as they backed up enough for him to grab his claymore. “I really don’t have time for you guys now!” Raze snapped, grabbing his sword and glaring at the combination angrily. He jumped aside as the pony on top thrust the lance in his right hoof directly at him. Raze only had seconds to act as the blade of the other lance came down on him and forced him to block. Raze skillfully turned the blade aside and began sidestepping around the ponies, ducking and blocking its attacks as they came. I can’t get close to it... Raze thought, staring angrily at both lances. Not while those sticks are still at full length.

The pony on the bottom reeled back, roaring angrily before charging at Raze with the rider thrusting his lance and looking to impale him. Raze narrowly avoided the incoming charge, watching as the pony on the bottom carried the rider to the other side of the track and stopped. Raze blinked as he saw where the rider and the pony were sewn together and formed an idea in his brain. He watched closely as the rider smacked the pony in the back with the bladed end of the lance in its right hoof before ordering it to charge at Raze again. Raze tensed up a second time, placing a second hoof onto his hilt and stood firm as the ponies continued their charge at him. After they got within striking distance with the lance, Raze leapt to the side a second time, narrowly avoiding the opportunity to bring his claymore down and through the lance.

The rider let out another painful roar, striking the pony on the flank as it turned around a second time. The second half of the lance fell from the rider’s hoof as it thrusted the other lance. Raze, who had thought he had successfully dodged the attack, cried out in pain as he felt the blade quickly run down the left side of his body and leave a nasty gash on his chest. Raze clutched his side, limping off to the barrier as the rider swung his lance a second time and narrowly avoiding another hit.

“Damn... That was stupid...” Raze groaned, looking at the injury as he took cover behind the barricade. He ducked and rolled to the side several times as the rider continued to repeatedly thrust the lance after Raze, missing every time. Raze looked at the injury and saw that it was smaller than what he had first thought, an inch and a half long cut into his side, and groaned. “You aren’t getting me with that thing again!” Raze snapped, picking up his claymore as the pony was forced to leap over the barrier. He dodged another lance thrust, much to the protest of his injury, and brought his claymore down on the lance and splitting it in half again. Both the pony and the rider roared at the same time, as the half of the lance it was holding dropped to the ground and disappeared, leaving both of the rider’s hooves exposed. Raze charged, leaping into the air and swinging at the rider as it held it’s arms to try and defend himself as Raze managed to make a dent in the rider’s armor and a huge gash in it’s arms. Raze leapt up a second time, and prepared to split the rider’s hooves in half, only to be stopped as the pony reeled up on its back legs and kicked him back.

Raze got to his hooves after a few moments, watching with disgust as both blades from the lances stuck together and formed a double edged sword in the left hoof. In its right hoof Raze could see as the shield appeared out of thin air and seemed to cover most of the rider’s body. As the rider began bashing its shield with its sword, Raze could see the amulet from behind the wall that the rider put up, and made a mental note as he saw a ruby instead of the opal he saw earlier.

The rider struck the back of the pony it was riding, forcing it to advance as Raze began backing away from it. Raze immediately parried, narrowly avoiding a lethal hit from the double edged sword as it swung down on his head. Raze pushed the blade away, and recoiled as he got a face full of the rider’s shield. Raze was dazed only for a moment, but ducked as the rider’s sword cut through the air at him a second time. Raze grinned as he saw that the rider had over extended in his attack and revealed the place where Raze could attack. Raze quickly brought his claymore over his head and closed his eyes as the rider’s blood began to shower him as his blade cleanly passed through the second time. The rider let out a painful roar as the pony it rode on bucked Raze backwards, knocking him unpleasantly on his back. He rolled out of the way of the pony’s rampaging hooves as they began to repeatedly stamp where he had been previously lying. Raze got to his hooves and wiped his face with his other hoof, seeing some of his own blood come off of his face along with the riders and got on his guard.

The pony violently charged Raze, roaring and snarling as Raze rolled out of the way and avoided them. The rider did its best to try and regain control of his mount, smacking its flank in a desperate attempt to reestablish dominance. The pony let out another roar and charged Raze a second time, and tried to stop as he avoided the charge a second time. Raze used the opportunity and began his own charge at the rider, heaving the claymore over his head and bringing the blade down into the wood of the shield and getting it stuck in the process. Raze held onto his sword for dear life as the rider and the pony tried to do their best to throw him off. When Raze found his footing, he yanked hard on his claymore, hearing a sickening gush as his sword was freed from the rider’s shield. He watched his handiwork, watching as both the rider and the pony got into synch as the rider attempted to bash Raze a second time with the damaged shield. Raze blocked the attack, pushing the shield away before bringing the blade over his head and into the shield a second time, cutting it cleanly in half. Both the rider and the pony roared in stereo as the other half of the hoof fell to the ground in a huge puddle of blood.

The pony was absolutely furious at this point, slamming its hooves down on Raze as he made a move to block them. The pony continued its assault before finally kicking Raze in his chest and back several feet. Raze coughed up a bit of blood, getting to his hooves and seeing the amulet in the near-dead rider’s chest before grinning. He planted his hooves firmly in the ground and smiled, as if daring the pony to come at him. The pony took his challenge willingly, charging blindly at Raze as he held his claymore out to his side. The pony leapt into the air, like a lion or any other jungle cat that was fighting out of pride and not for food.

It didn’t even have any time to stop.

Raze had rolled out of the way in the last second and thrusted his claymore deep into the amulet that the rider wore. “Gotcha.” Raze said confidently, watching as the rider and the pony both let out a scream in extreme pain. He removed his blade, watching as the pony collapsed, letting out another death wail as the stab wound began to gush forth furiously for a few seconds. The rider’s body forced the pony to fall sideways as it stopped moving, before lying in a puddle of its own blood. Raze advanced on the rider and pony, removing the helm and seeing the remnants of a dark gray earth pony’s face underneath before closing it’s eyes along with the pony’s eyes. “Thanks for that. You were worth the chase...” Raze said respectfully, sheathing his claymore and turning away. “May you rest in peace...” He said before heading to the door that the stallion disappeared into.

----

Raze expected to find the stallion in the room behind the door, but instead found that he was standing in the room that he had seen in the photo. The crosses were still there, though there weren’t any foals hanging on them, and on the onyx colored altar Raze could see a dark colored liquid swirling in a bowl on the top of the altar. Raze stepped forward, looking in the bowl and not seeing anything on the inside of it other than the liquid. He immediately got a splitting headache that caused him to reel backwards, but feeling it subside as he could see the message that he had seen on the photo earlier.

“The sins of the past lie within the realm of the Tainted King. To retrieve that which you seek, a sacrifice of blood and mind must be paid for the answers to be revealed.”

“I figured that would be here.” Raze said, looking at the wall that had the message on it written in blood. He blinked however as he looked around, watching as three more doors appeared on the other walls in addition to the door that he had came out of. As Raze looked around, the door that he did come out of disappeared before his eyes. Raze walked past the altar and made a grab for a handle that wasn’t there and saw that instead there was an indentation of a very fancy necklace that seemed to act like a form of a door handle. Raze turned to the other door to the left of the altar and saw that it too had an indentation, only it was in the shape of an extremely wide-bladed sword that pointed to the top of the door. Raze drew his claymore, and groaned in frustration as the blade on his sword was hopelessly too small. “Damn... And I thought that was going to work too.” Raze said, sheathing his sword quickly before regretting it as his injury reopened slightly. He clutched the slash on his side with his right hoof, turning right around and finding the only remaining door that looked like a real door and walked over to it slowly. After placing his right hoof off of his injury, and using the claw on his prosthetic hoof on the door knob, he opened the door and walked outside.

“What?” Raze shouted, looking around and seeing the backside of the throne on the statue in the main room of the church, looking perfectly normal.

----

Twilight looked up from the black door, hearing the sound of Raze’s voice coming from behind them. “Manson, did you hear that?” She asked, watching Manson nod. Both unicorns immediately turned around and ran down the hall as they heard Raze shout their names. Twilight immediately threw open the door that led into the hall and looked around, seeing Raze sitting down on the base of the statue and clutching his chest.

“Raze!” Manson exclaimed, looking down and staring at Raze. “Raze what in the hay happened to you?” He asked.

Raze chuckled, looking up at Twilight and Manson before smiling. “I won a jousting match.” Raze said jokingly. “Believe it or not, that pony we were chasing looked like a knight from ancient Equestria.” He said, watching as Manson nodded.

“Any damage?” Manson asked, looking down at Raze with concern.

“Yeah, the rider got me really good in the side. But it wasn’t enough to slow me down. I’m still breathing aren’t I?” Raze said, laughing a little but regretting it as soon as his injury began acting up again.

“Don’t worry Raze, we’ll be down there in a second!” Twilight said, turning around and entering the other door. Manson nodded and followed her in, disappearing from sight. After a few more minutes, Twilight and Manson appeared from out of the doors on the base floor and rushed over to him.

“Took you guys long enough.” Raze commented half-heartedly, continuing to clutch his injury. He watched as Manson ignored him, and pulled out a roll of medical tape from his cello case as Twilight gave him a look.

“So what really happened?” Manson questioned, looking at Raze’s injury and watching as the injury was closing on it’s own before he began to wrap the injury up.

Raze smiled as he watched Manson continue doctoring him, unwrapping the medical tape and rewrapping it to keep it straight. “Well, I met the guy who... Well... You know...” Raze said, watching as Manson looked up.

“You mean the guy that got away from you during your first couple of days out on your own?” Manson asked, watching Raze nod.

“Yeah.” Raze answered. “The guy that got away at the rock farm case. He said something about having a really good party set up, and that he wanted me to dress nicely if I happened to be there and survive his little, “friend.” Raze commented. “That pony that we were chasing was actually a war horse of some kind, and it seemed like it was the brains of the dynamic duo as it did most of the fighting even after its partner was... Well...” He watched as Twilight stared at him earnestly, before trailing off. “Anyways I got it, and he won’t be bothering anypony for a long time now.”

“I see...” Manson said, finishing his patch job on Raze and backing off. Raze stretched slightly, getting up onto his hooves before grabbing his cello case and slinging it over his shoulder. He cringed in pain slightly, and felt Manson’s magic lift the case out of his hoof’s claw and over to where he stood. “Let me carry that. You don’t need to be using that hoof for anything other than walking right now.” Manson said, watching as Raze nodded.

“Was there anything else?” Twilight asked curiously. Raze and Manson stared in her direction, watching as Twilight gave them both a serious look.

“Well, I did find out that our stallion friend was a member of this orphanage when it was first founded. And I also found out that they used the Mind Delve spell on foals.” Raze said calmly, watching as Twilight’s face paled slightly. “Plus our pale and lanky friend is one of the only foals to have survived the spells effects.” Raze said, looking at Twilight.

“What do you mean survived?” Manson asked.

Raze shrugged. “I don’t know. They just said that he was one of the only foals to have survived the spells effects. But I can tell you that Angelus was happy when it happened.” He said, watching Twilight closely. “Is there something wrong Twilight?” Raze asked, watching her shake her head.

“No... I’m fine.” Twilight answered as though she were thinking about something else. “Is that it? Are we done here?” She asked suddenly, watching Raze and Manson nod.

“Yeah, we’re finished here.” Raze answered. “I mean, we can’t explore the right side of this place because it caved in due to that fire, and I don’t know about you guys but this statue gives me the creeps.” Raze said, turning to leave. Manson and Twilight nodded, following Raze out of the center of the church and outside.

----

After telling Detective Sunrise that they didn’t find anything, and reassuring her that they didn’t; Twilight, Manson, and Raze had made their way back to Ponyville. None of them said a word as they continued to walk through the Everfree Forest. By the time they had gotten back, it was almost dark which had caused Twilight to panic.

“Oh gosh I almost forgot!” Twilight exclaimed, jumping in the air and startling both Raze and Manson. “I’m sorry you guys but I have to go. Big plans and everything you know?” She said excitedly, watching as Raze and Manson nodded.

“Sure, go on ahead Twilight.” Raze said.

“Of course we understand Miss Sparkle. Go on ahead and enjoy yourself with your friends.” Manson said calmly. Twilight smiled a fake smile, waving at them both before running off in a mad dash, uttering something about, “Rarity’s going to kill me...” before disappearing around the corner.

“Well that was interesting...” Manson uttered as Raze continued to walk down the street in the opposite direction.

“Yeah it was.” Raze commented, hearing Manson follow close behind him. “But she didn’t even expect to hear me say that somepony could get seriously hurt with the Mind Delve spell. I honestly think that she doesn’t know what she’s doing when she uses the spell.” Raze said.

“Well what do you suggest we do?” Manson said quietly, watching Raze stop calmly. He smiled as they both heard his stomach growling and chuckled. “You’re hungry aren’t you?” Manson asked.

“Yeah, I am. But also, we need to go and bug Twilight about that Mind Delve spell.” Raze said.

“Why?” Manson asked, watching as Raze gave Manson a look.

“Well for a few reasons. One is to see how really dangerous this spell is. I mean, if it is supposedly that dangerous, why not check it out to see what really happens?” Raze said, watching Manson immediately shake his head.

“And you really expect me to say yes to this plan? The spell clearly stated that only one pony can be the recipient of the spell!” Manson snapped. “I have a wife and foals to look after, and you have your whole life still head of you yet!”

“Yeah, that’s why I’ve already thought you would say that.” Raze said, looking Manson in the eyes now. “I have to go into the spell. Supposedly something’s wrong with it, and it’s not doing what it supposedly does. Like you said, you have a wife and kids to go back to. I really don’t have too much to go back to. Especially after what happened back hom-”

Manson immediately walked up and whacked Raze in the head with one of his hooves. “Like hay you will! You have plenty to come back to, especially seeing as how you’re my daughter’s godfather!” He snapped. “What am I going to say to her, when she graduates from flight school when her godfather couldn’t show up because he got killed by a possibly dangerous spell?”

“You won’t have to worry about it, because I won’t get killed.” Raze said coolly.

“You’re being over confident.”

“No, I just have a feeling that I won’t.”

Raze and Manson stared at each other for a few moments, each pony neither giving an inch until Raze’s stomach had growled a second time. They both looked away, laughing slightly as it had rumbled in an inappropriate time.

“Besides, I have a job to finish. I still owe it to the Pie’s that I get the stallion that killed their little one.” Raze said quietly, watching Manson nod.

“Is that the real reason?” Manson said after a few moments. “You want to get revenge for some family that you hardly know; Especially when that case happened over eight years ago by my count?” He watched as Raze nodded.

“Yeah, that was the plan. Definitely because of that reason.” Raze said sarcastically before getting whacked in the head again by Manson’s hoof a second time.

“You know, you’re a bad liar sometimes.” Manson commented, taking a deep breath. “All right,” He said finally, taking a deep breath and patting Raze on the back. “You’re going to need your strength. Come on, let’s get you fed.” Manson said as they both began walking down the street again. “But I’m going to let you know,” Manson began, with a threatening edge in his voice, “If you happen to die because of that spell, I am going to find a way to bring you back to life so I can kill you myself.” Manson said calmly, watching Raze laugh a little.

“All right, it’s a deal.” Raze said finally, shaking hooves with Manson before walking down with him to one of the restaurants in Ponyville.

----

Twilight had only just made it in the back before the party guests arrived. After a quick and relaxing shower, well as relaxing as she could get it, Twilight got herself cleaned up and headed downstairs as Rarity shot her a look of disappointment as she sat down at the table.

“Well, the trip was um... Nice.” Fluttershy explained, sitting down in front of Twilight’s table in the Library next to Rainbow Dash. Both Pegasus mares had just gotten back from their honeymoon after the marriage, and were both just eager to get on with their new life together.

“Well tell us about it!” Twilight said in a half squeal. “Somepony told me that you were almost nabbed by a sweet stallion, and had to wrestle Dash away from him!” She said, trying to keep her best happy face on. Pinkie Pie was still in a slump but she seemed better now that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were back from their honeymoon, she even threw them a party for them to celebrate.

“Yeah, well I told that stallion keep his hooves off of my wife twice before Ka-Pow! I bucked him in the place that apples wouldn’t grow.” Rainbow Dash said proudly.

“Yes, and it was very... Nice. I mean, I felt sorry for the stallion afterwards but Rainbow Dash did warn him.” Fluttershy said, placing her hoof on Dash’s.

“Well what about the sights? Did you see any famous ponies there? Were any of them wearing my latest fashion designs? Tell Me please!” Rarity begged.

“Well, there wasn’t too much to see other than the beach. I mean, what else would a pony go there for?” Rainbow Dash asked hypothetically. “And I mean seriously, if there was a pony that wore your fashions Rarity, we would have told you about it. No offense, but some of the stuff you make really isn’t meant for something like the beach.” She explained, watching Rarity’s face drop slightly. “But I did keep an eye out for them I swear!” Rainbow Dash said quickly.

“That’s enough dear, you think that we should tell them the news?” Fluttershy asked happily.

“What news?” Rainbow Dash asked, before seeing Fluttershy’s serious face. “Oh, that news. Yeah, I think that we can tell them.” She said, grinning from ear to ear.

“What’s the news?” Rarity asked.

“Come on you guys, tell us!” Twilight begged.

They all stared at Pinkie Pie, who hadn’t even touched the cake on her plate, who looked up and smiled. “Oh yes, please tell us!” Pinkie Pie said, as though she were trying to hide something.

“Well... oh well this is a little embarrassing but...” Fluttershy began to blush furiously, as her friends all moved in closer to hear her. “Well I’m pregnant.” She said, watching as Twilight sat slack-jawed, Rarity fell over, and Pinkie Pie waited for a second. Everypony watched Pinkie Pie, who continued to look like she was thinking about something until it finally registered in her head, which caused her to fly backwards unexpectedly.

“YOU’RE PREGNANT?” The three mares shouted at the exact same time.

“How along are you?” Twilight asked.

“How did it happen?” Rarity questioned.

“What’re you going to name it?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Well, I’ve just started according to the doctor; I honestly don’t want to answer that question; and we haven’t decided yet” Fluttershy said happily.

“Yeah, but hopefully the baby’s going to be a pegasus like us! So they can train to be the fastest flier in all of Equestria like yours truly.” Rainbow Dash said proudly.

“Now Dashie, you remember what we agreed on.” Fluttershy said, gently scolding her.

“Yeah yeah, if the foal or filly isn’t a pegasus we’ll love it still the same way.” Rainbow Dash said, sounding miffed slightly.

The mares continued to enjoy each other’s company, listening to the happy couple’s stories of what they did during their trip. Spike was busy sleeping upstairs, so they kept their noise down to a minimum.

Just as Twilight was going for another round of food for her friends, there was a gentle knock on the door that caused her to stop everything. “Now who could that be?” She asked aloud.

“Don’t they know that this is a Mare’s only party? I mean sheesh, some ponies.” Rainbow Dash snorted.

“Now, now Rainbow Dash, you know that isn’t the polite way to say something.” Rarity scolded as Twilight went to get the door. “After all, you know that soon you’ll be having a filly or colt of your very own, and you want them brought up in the right way am I right?” She asked.

Twilight nodded, before using her magic to open the door. Out in the front she saw Raze and Manson from the other day calmly standing outside as though they were neighbors or something.

“Raze? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, eyeing the claymore that he had on his back.

“Well Twilight, I’m actually here to ask you a few questions about that Mind Delve Spell.” Raze answered. “You know, what happens when it’s cast or maybe even get a live demonstration?”

“Sorry Raze, but my friends have just gotten back from getting settled together.” Twilight explained. “Maybe you can comeback tomorrow or something?” She asked.

From the back Raze could hear the sounds of a very timid mare say, “Oh no Twilight, that wouldn’t be any trouble at all. I mean, it shouldn’t take too long for you to do a demonstration right?”

“But Fluttershy, this is your party. I can’t be doing work on your party.” Twilight said to the mare behind her.

“No... its alright, I don’t mind. After all, it is just a demonstration right?” Fluttershy answered from behind Twilight.

“Go on and do your demonstration Twilight, you shouldn’t be too long right?” Another mare’s voice asked from the inside room.

“Well... Okay if you and Fluttershy insist, you’re right Rainbow Dash I shouldn’t be too long.” Twilight said, stepping back and letting both stallions in the front room.

Raze smiled nodding slightly to both Rarity and Pinkie Pie before seeing the two other mares, which he assumed were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, and moved out of the way as Manson and Twilight stepped into the front room.

“I’m sorry Twilight, but we need you to use the Mind Delve spell.” Raze said, watching Pinkie Pie sit up in her chair and Fluttershy make an eeping noise.

“Could you repeat that?” Twilight asked, the hairs standing back on her neck.

“I said that we need you to use the Mind Delve spell. And I would prefer it that you used it on me.” Raze repeated, getting a weird look from Rarity.

“Didn’t you hear us yesterday?” Pinkie Pie snapped, immediately glaring at Raze. “That spell is dangerous! You’re liable to get hurt or killed!”

“Miss Pie, I’ve had worse things happen to me.” Raze said. “Why do you think that I have a fake hoof?” He asked, seeing Pinkie Pie’s face redden.

“P-Pinkie Pie is right...” Fluttershy mumbled. “That spell is way too dangerous. You can’t cast that spell on them Twilight...” She said, looking earnestly at Twilight in the face.

“We’ll can you explain what you experienced when the spell was cast on you my dear?” Manson asked politely.

“I-I’d r-rather not....” Fluttershy stammered. “I’m just t-t-trying to keep another p-p-pony s-safe.” She said, gasping as Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around her.

“Why in the hay are you in the need to get a spell like that cast on you? If they told you that the spell was dangerous, then it probably is dangerous!” Rainbow Dash snapped.

“Look, every pony that we’ve asked said that the three of you-” Raze pointed at Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, “-got helped when Twilight cast the Mind Delve Spell on you. And you all could sleep a lot better because of that. I’m just here to find out, why is it so dangerous? And mind you, I have a huge-bucking sword on my back in case you haven’t noticed.” He snapped, watching Fluttershy jump a little.

“Well that won’t matter. Especially since nothing that you could kill in that world would stay dead anyways.” Pinkie Pie mumbled.

“Wait, what did you say?” Raze asked.

“What? The fact that everything in that world doesn’t die if you could kill it here?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Raze and Manson shared a look. “You never told us that spell sent you into another world Miss Pie.” Manson said after a moment.

“Yeah, I didn’t because I didn’t want to remember. It’s all just...” She stopped, shuddering slightly. “It’s just too painful to remember...”

Raze shook his head. “I may not know too to much about magic, but that spell didn’t say anything about sending the recipient into another world did it?” He asked, watching Manson shake his head.

“No, I don’t believe that it did not.” Manson said quietly.

“Well that’s what the spell does. It sends a pony into a place that looks like Ponyville, but it’s not Ponyville. I can’t actually explain it because I don’t know about magic like Twilight, but it’s not right.” Pinkie Pie explained.

Everypony fell silent, hearing Pinkie Pie’s words until Raze shook his head. “Look Miss Pie, everypony, we appreciate your concern but I knew the risks of what I was getting into when I volunteered to play the guinea pig for this spell. If it’s any solace, my friend Manson’s going to be here to monitor the situation on this end. You know, in case anything goes wrong.” Raze explained as Manson bowed.

“Of course, if that’s okay with Miss Sparkle.” Manson said, watching Twilight look to both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

“Well, I can’t say that I didn’t warn you.” Pinkie Pie said quietly. “But if something does go wrong, you’re getting pulled out like that. You get it?” She clopped her hooves together. Raze nodded, and watched Fluttershy who looked red in the face.

“I-I guess that its okay with me...” The yellow pegasus mare reported.

With the okay of both of her friends, Twilight’s horn flared up as her magic picked up the black book from the top shelf and opened it to the page with the spell. “Raze, if you could stand here I’ll need some room. Mr. Manson, you can stand here so I can have room to concentrate.” She instructed, pointing to the center of the room for Raze and off to her left and closest to Rarity for Manson as she set the book on the stand. After looking at the paragraph with the spell, she turned to Raze and took a deep breath. “Are you ready?” She asked him.

“Hey, let’s do it to it.” Raze commented, hearing Manson chuckle slightly before drawing his attention to Twilight.

“All right, I need your complete concentration. Focus, and stay focused or the spell won’t work.” Twilight explained, watching Raze close his eyes. After a few moments, Her horn flared up and began to glow a very bright purple light. She then calmly walked up to Raze, with the light on her horn focusing into a single point, and lightly touched his forehead.

The result wasn’t what Raze expected.

Raze did his best to continue to focus for the spell, but the room around him seemed to start spinning at blinding speeds. He wanted to take a step, but didn’t dare, trying to keep still as he heard a loud wind generate and blow all around him. He couldn’t keep his focus for much longer, and felt his legs start trembling like rubber before they gave out from underneath him. With the force of getting hit by a train, Raze fell to the ground and everything went still.

He remained motionless for a few moments, feeing the cold earth underneath his body reassuring him that he was still alive. After making sure that everything on his body was still in tact, Raze got up and looked himself over.

“Right, I still have everything with me.” Raze said quietly, stretching his wings against his jacket and feeling his feathers touch the edge of his claymore. Raze then looked around, blinking at the scene. He knew without a doubt that he was in the library a few moments ago, but now the place around him was different.

A cold wind blew around him, sending a chill down his spine that was unnatural for this time of year. He could also see that he was standing in a street of some kind, but couldn’t tell where due to the thick and heavy fog that surrounded him in all directions. Raze didn’t take too long to be convinced after viewing his surroundings.

He wasn’t in Ponyville anymore.

Chapter 1: Lost Happiness

Silent Ponyville: The Crimson Bond

Chapter 1: Lost Happiness

WARNING: This story is a grimdark horror survival scenario, with extreme amounts of violence. This story is also an Alternate Universe to another fan fiction that has already been completed: Silent Ponyville. This Story also has a few completely Original Characters, and will explain everything as time goes on. Any one who does not like this sort of story should please go view something else for their own safety.

----

“Hello?” Raze called out, staring into the dense fog that carried off into the distance. Something in the pit of his stomach warned him that this was no place to be, but he knew that there wasn’t too much else for him to do. “Heeeeellllloooooo? Is anypony out there?” He asked, looking around and hearing nothing but deafening silence.

He shivered, the temperature of the area had gotten significantly colder as he got his bearings and made it so that Raze could see his own breath. Raze didn’t pay it any attention as he was more focused on getting his bearings more than the surrounding area. After looking around and seeing the dense fog surrounding him on all sides, Raze took a deep breath and calmed down.

“Easy there... This isn’t your first time being in a place with heavy fog.” Raze said to himself. He stamped his hooves, taking a closer look at his surroundings before looking skyward. “This fog kinda makes me wish that I learned how to fly.” He said, sighing slightly. “Oh well; I’m not going to find anything by just standing around and not doing a thing.” He said before lifting up his prosthetic hoof and spinning around in a circle with his eyes closed. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and watched as his prosthetic hoof pointed in a random direction and nodded. “All right, it looks like we have a winner.” He said, walking forward.

As Raze quietly wandered through the fog, he could see shadows and dark blobs of what seemed to be ponies off in the distance in directions that he wasn’t heading. He stopped a few times, tensing up out of instinct as they all seemed to run off and away from Raze. What’s their problem? Raze thought, relaxing a little before pressing onward. He could hear some growling from the shapes in the distance, but it wasn’t loud enough to discern where they were or if they were an immediate threat to his safety. But that was one on the many growing list of concerns that he had to address later.

It wasn’t long until Raze stumbled across something that resembled a structure, well at least one that had seen better days. In front of him, off to either side, were a pair of buildings that were built with the same design scheme to Ponyville. In fact, they looked exactly like the buildings that led to the Library from the Mayor’s Office in Ponyville with the exception that the windows and doors were boarded shut. He could see what was left of a sign above and between both buildings, but it was so worn out and faded with age that Raze couldn’t tell what it said.

“Now what in Equestria would make a pony board up their house?” Raze asked, walking over to the building on his right and looking it over. He couldn’t see anything from beyond the boards over one of the windows, and the door was also a no-go as it too was completely shut. As Raze turned to leave, he noticed that the thing he thought was a sign was actually a wall of what remained of a room bridge that connected the two houses. He looked to where the wall connected the pair of houses and saw that both sides were completely boarded shut. He looked along the ground and saw that there wasn’t a sign of any kind of debris and scratched his mane with his hoof.

“Where’s the rest of it?” Raze asked to no one in particular. “There’d be some kind of debris or something, wouldn’t there?” He said, looking around and not seeing anything that indicated that a connector would even be there. After a few moments he shrugged and continued to walk down the street.

There was a certain chilling factor to actually seeing the buildings on either side of the street that he was walking on as opposed to walking in the fog. Like the first two buildings that he came across every building had some signs of damage and age, but they also had boarded their windows and doors up and even some went so far as to put barbed wire fencing around their front stoops to keep intruders away. Raze could see that there were several burned out holes in the straw roofs that made the buildings look like the ones back in Ponyville, but they were more intimidating than the originals.

Raze silently wandered into an intersection, stopping when he got to the middle. He looked to either side of him, and shook his head. I don’t have too much of a choice. Raze thought as he stared at a huge black mass in the fog in front of him. That direction looks too dangerous for now. And I don’t think that it would be too smart to keep going that way. He thought, turning to his left. It doesn’t look like I can go that way either. He thought, staring at a huge and crudely constructed wall that went to both ends of the intersection. He felt that there was something over on the other side of the wall, but it seemed to him that going that way was more of asking for trouble than what it was worth.

Raze turned away from the wall and didn’t see anything that immediately looked dangerous down the path directly behind him, and ultimately decided that it was the safest route. He shivered a little before beginning to move, heading down the path before him. Man, this had better be worth it. Raze thought, calmly walking into the fog. As he started to walk down the path on the intersecting street, he listened closely as he heard something that threw him for a loop. “That can’t be... Can it?” Raze thought, stopping as he heard the sounds of young foals laughing together. It was faint but he could hear plenty of it, and he could hear it clearer than the growling that he heard earlier.

Raze’s pace quickened. There can’t be foals here? He thought, continuing to head down the street as a building loomed in front of him in the fog. Raze could hear that the laughter was getting louder as he approached, and he could also see that the building he was running towards didn’t look like something a pony would see in Ponyville. Raze immediately stopped running, and stared in stunned disbelief as the building came into complete focus.

It stood tall, three stories at Raze’s best guess, and had the looks of a building in Canterlot more than anything else. The small front walk of the building was in significant disrepair as it swept down into a front lawn that made it look more like an insane asylum than anything Raze had seen. The roof appeared to be a once beautiful shade of purple, but was in such a state that made it look more like a brighter shade of black than anything else. Raze could see that several parts of a few decorative columns were both fallen and shattered on the ground, or missing all together. The front lawn was almost devoid of life, looking like a desert where things went to die than a place for foals to play. Sitting in the middle of the front lawn was a sign that would have told anypony what building stood there, but was also in a heavy state of misuse like the rest of the building.

“All right!” Raze snapped in spite of himself. “What in the hay is going on around here?” He asked, not receiving a response. He could still hear the sounds of foal’s laughing, but he couldn’t see any foals around the front of the building. He took a nervous step forward, continuing to look for a sign of any foals as he advanced on to the front lawn. This building can’t be here. Raze thought, keeping his guard up all the while. I mean it should be-

Raze immediately looked up, hearing a quiet giggle from a foal that sat on the top steps of the building. The foal was a similar coloration to the one Raze had seen in his dream several nights ago, a pale white coat with a bright green mane and tail. Raze had to rub his eyes several times as he could clearly see through the foal. The foal smiled at Raze, before turning its back away from him and walking through the door it stood in front of. “Wait don’t-” Raze shouted, stopping in mid-sentence as the foal’s tail disappeared on the other side of the door. He stared at the building nervously before shaking him self.

“What in the buck am I getting so nervous for?” Raze snapped, calming down. He fumed a little, walking up to the front door of the building and snorting. “I’ve been in scarier places than this before.” He snapped, using his claw to grab the door handle and fling it open. A blast of stale warm air slammed into his face like a gust of wind, causing him to recoil for a split-second before staring into the dark halls that were presented in front of him.

Raze heard another giggle of a foal from within the building and tensed up, walking over the threshold of the door and into the darkness in front of him. He closed the door quickly, feeling a wave of warm, but dry air wash over his body and reinvigorate him to the core. That feels better. He thought, looking around the pitch-black hallway before shaking his head. After a few moments, Raze concentrated and held out a hoof before making a small fireball pop out onto it. The light of the fireball filled only a small portion of where he was standing, it was nothing to the light that Manson and Twilight produced with their magic, but it was better than nothing.

From what Raze could see in the light, the inside of the building was in just as bad a shape as it was on the outside. The tile floor was colored a dark and grimy brown, and seemed to look like something or somepony was killed and dragged off somewhere. There were small pages of paper still attached to the walls, some with hardly visible writing and others with faded images. He could see small lantern posts where lights would be if electricity went to power the building, and could see a doorway that led into an opened room. I wonder what’s in there. Raze thought, cautiously walking into the room.

The room itself had the same state of disrepair as the hallway, the tile floor a darker shade of brown while the walls were a pale white. Raze could see what was left of the receptionist’s desk on the side of the room that was furthest away from him. As Raze walked closer to the desk, he could see a small lantern and a rectangular object resting on its surface. He walked closer, gently picking up the lantern with his mouth and placing the fireball inside. Great, I have a good source of light but I can’t expect to fight with it in my mouth. Raze thought, looking around the desk. After a few moments Raze found a decently sized piece of rope dangling out of one of the drawers in the desk. This’ll work. Raze thought, setting the lantern back down on the desk and grabbing the rope with his prosthetic hoof.

After several failed attempts of trying to attach the rope to the lantern, Raze managed to get it worked in such a way that he could wear it like a necklace. After throwing the rope with the lantern over his neck, Raze took a second look at the rectangular object. It looked like one of those speakers that were littered throughout the Manehatten Police Department. He could also see a small knob underneath the speaker on the bottom side of the box, and a clip on the bottom end of the box. He picked up the box suspiciously and flipped it over with his prosthetic hoof. Is this a radio? He thought, standing the box on the bottom end and looked it over. After a few seconds, he grabbed it with his hoof. Using the claws on his prosthetic hoof, Raze twisted the knob on the top half of the box and listened in for a sound. He waited patiently for a few moments, and cringed as the sounds of loud and screeching static fuzz echoed throughout the room. He jumped, scrunching his face as he turned the knob back down and listened down as the screeching fuzz died down to less than a dull roar.

As Raze continued to examine the strange device, a low roar emanated from the only other doorway in the room. Raze clipped the radio to one of the pockets in his jacket and turned, grabbing his claymore and unsheathing it nervously. Raze walked towards the source of the sound, hearing the static fuzz on the radio get louder and even more furious as he entered the room. The room inside looked just like a standard office, if a standard office were to the point of being unsafe for ponies to work inside due to the rank smell, with a pair of empty bookshelves standing haphazardly behind what appeared to be the remains of a pony sitting in a chair, but that wasn’t what got Raze’s attention.

Great, more of you guys. Raze groaned mentally watching as another pony, similar to the ones that destroyed his apartment, relatively ignored him and continued to eat the carcass. Raze did his best to step backwards without being seen, but froze as the pony stopped and immediately wheeled around on him. Raze could see the blood and flesh that dribbled from its mouth as the pony began its advance on him, closing the distance in seconds. Raze had barely enough time to react, moving to block as the pony reeled back and brought its blades down onto Raze’s sword. Both combatants held their positions for a few moments, before Raze shoved the pony backwards and onto the floor.

Raze immediately charged forward, doing his best to compensate for the lantern dangling around his neck, and brought the blade down on the pony in its exposed gash. The pony let out a fierce roar as Raze removed the blade from his adversary and watched as it let out another croak before lying still. As Raze sheathed his claymore, he could hear the static fuzz from the radio fall silent and nodded calmly. Oh, that’s cool. I’m actually glad I picked this up. Raze thought, looking at the radio closely as it fell completely silent. He then turned to the corpse of the pony and shook his head. Poor bastard... He didn’t have a chance. Raze thought, looking over the corpse. Against all of the blood that slowly oozed out of his wounds, Raze could see that the pony had a stone gray coat with a red mane and tail. Raze could also see that the Seal of the Three Times was emblazoned in red in the place of where a horn would be. Raze continued looking over the body and blinked, seeing a crumpled piece of paper clenched in between one of its hooves and the hoof rest of the chair. “What’s this?” Raze asked, using his prosthetic hoof to grab the paper. After smoothing it out, it read:

My love, my dearest love, I have searched high and low through this accursed town and have not had any assistance to your location except your letter. I have however, a better understanding to how this town works and why some things are the way they are.

First, the life of our heartbeats will guide us through the darkness. It is a signal that guides the weary onto the path of joy and through the sea of despair.

Second, the sounds of the dangers that roam this place are not heard by the normal ear. However, the breath of our love shall reveal the harshness of the storm.

And finally, the minions of hate that linger here are as restless as the tides. The strength and forces of Equestria pale in comparison to our combined love, and are necessary to survive in this place.

I am sorry my darling, I was not able to find you. It pains me to say this as I draw upon the last few breaths of life. You were the center of my galaxy, the sun to my moon, and with out you-

Raze blinked, staring at the bottom of the page as it was completely covered in blood. Is it a riddle? He thought, looking at the paper and shaking his head. “If it is, it’s not a very good one.” He said, looking over the paper again before setting it back down on the corpse. He took a closer look around the room and stopped at the bookshelf. In the middle shelf he could see another piece of paper, neatly folded up and surprisingly free of any blood that seemed to splatter throughout the room. After grabbing the piece of paper with his prosthetic hoof and unfolding it with his other, Raze was actually staring at what appeared to be a map of the area. He had to close his eyes and reopen them at least twice as the top of the map read in bold black letters: “Canterlot Elementary School First Floor.”

Raze stared at the title for a few moments before shaking his head. So this building is supposed to be the school I went to... He thought, looking around the room a bit. He quietly walked back into the first room where he found the radio and the lantern and nodded. It really takes me back though. Especially back to before then...

----

-Twelve Years ago-

A loud trumpet blasted out from the skies as Princess Celestia’s golden Chariot descended. A huge crowd of ponies were gathered for her arrival, and the fillies that were outside at the front of Canterlot’s finest Elementary School did their best to not stare in awe as she dismounted the chariot.

“Presenting her Royal Highness of the Dawn, Princess Celestia!” One of the soldiers that didn’t pull her chariot declared, bowing low as the Princess passed him. Everypony followed suit, some coming close to kissing the pavement as she stopped several feet away from the chariot.

“Holodwyn?” Princess Celestia asked turning her head and seeing a sea foam green pegasus colt curled up in a ball in the chariot. “Holodwyn, what’s the matter?” She asked, turning right around and walking to the chariot.

“.....” The colt mumbled, shuddering a little as he shook his head.

“Holodwyn what’s the matter?” Princess Celestia asked gingerly, walking back over to the chariot and nuzzling the colt gently.

“The ride was too scary mommy....” The little colt answered, looking back up to the Princess with beady eyes.

“Was it really that bad?” She asked gently, watching the colt nod. “Well how about this, we can walk back home when we’re done here. Is that okay with you?”

The colt smiled, nodding at her. “You promise to stay with me?” He asked. “I don’t want to be all alone.”

“And why would you think that I would leave you all alone?” Princess Celestia asked, eyeing the colt curiously. “You know that I love you, and I will always be there for you no matter what you do.” She said, watching the colt’s face beam as he got off of the chariot. “Now come on, let’s go meet some new friends.” She said encouragingly as they both turned to face the crowd.

----

Raze took a deep breath, looking at his surroundings. “Wow, this place looks like Nightmare Moon had a field day with it.” Raze said finally before folding the map up and looking around. He stepped out into the hallway and began walking down the hall. He stopped only once, hearing the sounds of foals running down the hallways upstairs and shook his head. I heard that this place got closed for a while... But why would foals be here? Especially with those extremely dangerous things out. He turned to the left and walked over to a door that led into a classroom. He could see several foals inside the room, dancing and wrestling with each other, and tried to go in the room only to find that the door handle wouldn’t turn. He focused his attention on the door and groaned as it refused to move no matter how he wiggled it. Horsefeathers... He growled; looking back into the window and shaking his head as the foals were no longer there.

“Where in the hay...” Raze said, scanning the empty classroom for any sign of the foals. There wasn’t a desk for them to hide under, or any form of table that would serve the same purpose. The bookshelves also weren’t any good for hiding as there wasn’t anything shielding the shelves themselves, and there wasn’t anything on the saddle bag rack for the foals to hide in or behind. Foals don’t disappear on their own. Raze thought, looking up from the door as he heard a small giggle from his right.

Raze turned and saw the foal from earlier watching him closely. “Hey there little one, what are you doing in a place like this?” He asked, watching the foal giggle again before turning around and running off. Raze immediately gave chase, following the little foal climb up a flight of stairs and pass through another door that led to the upper floors. He followed the foal, staring at the door and grabbing the knob. Hmm... This doesn’t seem to be jammed... Raze thought, staring at the relatively new doorknob and giving it a twist. After a few attempts to turn the knob on the door, and ultimately not making it move, Raze snorted. Darn, it looks like I need a key. He thought, seeing a key hole in the center of the door knob. He turned away from the door, descending the reasonably aged stairs back down to the first floor and began to look around. There was a hallway to his left that seemed to look more dangerous than the hallway he was standing in.

Raze stood in relative silence, trying to figure out what to do until he heard an extremely loud flush coming from further down the hallway. Raze headed towards the sound, passing another empty classroom in the process as he rounded the corner and stopped at a pair of restroom doors that had obviously seen better days. The door on his right had the picture of a stallion, but the door looked like it was going to fall apart if he touched it in the wrong way. The door on his left was in just as bad a shape, with the picture of a mare barely clinging on to the surface of the door while it took on a warped shape as water leaked out from underneath the door and formed a puddle in the floor. Raze walked forward and knocked on the door with a hoof, hearing the sound of flushing again.

“It’s occupied.” A voice said on the other side.

“Excuse me?” Raze asked.

“I said that it’s occupied. You can wait until I’m done in here.” The voice repeated, in a commanding tone.

Raze scratched his head with his prosthetic hoof. “Excuse me, but are you the only one here?” He asked, hearing the sounds of a hoof stamping on the ground.

“Ugh... Do you mind?” The voice snapped, the sound of another toilet in the bathroom being flushed started ringing Raze’s ears. “Didn’t your parents teach you that it’s impolite to talk to a mare when they’re doing their business? Sheesh, some ponies...”

Raze clenched his teeth. “I’m sorry, but I’m actually trying to figure out what happened here.” He said in his best polite voice.

“Yeah, and I’m trying to use the restroom here.” The voice answered. “I can’t do two things at once, so buck off buddy.”

Raze was about to say something else before deeming that it wasn’t appropriate. He turned away from the bathrooms and headed back further down the hall. What a... Ooooh that was really messed up... He fumed, looking down both ends of the hall. Raze turned to his left, hearing the splitting sounds of static that began to buzz on his radio. Raze tensed up, his eyes darting every which way as he calmly advanced down the hallway. The buzzing was low, and as he continued to head down the new path the radio slowly fell silent. That’s strange... Raze thought, looking down at the radio calmly. There has to be something extremely dangerous here, but why did the radio shut off? He said mentally, looking around and seeing several classroom doors on either side of him. Directly in front of Raze was a sign that indicated where the door to the Gym would have been but the doorway was bricked off letting him know that he couldn’t go that way.

“All right, let’s try door number one.” Raze muttered, walking to the classroom door that was closest to the gym. After grabbing the doorknob with his prosthetic hoof and giving it a twist, Raze was unable to move the doorknob beyond its staring position let alone open the door. He began pushing on the door several times, but realized that the door wasn’t going anywhere and stopped messing with it. Well, that’s one down and two to go. He thought, doing an about face on the door and walking over to the other two. After testing both doors and getting the same results, Raze snorted. Well that got me no where. He thought, turning back around and heading down the hallway.

Raze immediately got on his guard as he entered the intersection as the static fuzz began blaring from the radio. He drew his claymore and continued to advance as the fuzz began to blare to the point where anything in the school building could hear it. There’s something here... Raze thought, holding his claymore level and taking several nervous steps forward. Off to his right he could hear the sounds of some ponies having a fight and stared at the solid wall next to him. Just barely from behind the wall paper, Raze could see the outline of a door with a window and could see light that filtered through it. He advanced cautiously, resheathing his claymore and pressing himself flat against the wall. He couldn’t hear anything being said, but could hear the dull sounds of metal scraping the tile floor and the sounds of hoof steps that sounded extremely labor intensive.

What is that? Raze thought, continuing to listen to the sound as it got closer. His radio was quite literally going berserk, rapidly emitting sounds and fuzz as the grinding and hoof steps got closer. And closer. And closer. And closer. After a few moments, Raze could have sworn that the sound of the metal grinding had stopped before realizing what was going on. With the speed of a lightning bolt, Raze jumped away from the wall, watching as a crooked and curved blade forced itself through the door with a shattering, “THWACK.” Raze could see that the end of the blade was heavily worn and looked as though it had seen better days, but it was the fact that it was stuck about a half foot outwards to where he was standing and covered in fresh blood that made him wary. He could hear a deep almost gurgling sound come from the other side of the wall as the blade was dragged back into the room, and saw a piercing red eye in the light glare maliciously at him from the hole the blade made with the light of his lantern.

Raze knew that whatever was on the other side of that wall wanted him dead, and immediately turned away from the gaze of the eye and ran further down into the corridor. After stopping dead at another boarded off door in front of him, Raze turned to the right and made for the door faster than a wild fire and opened it quickly. After bolting into the room and slamming the door shut, Raze slid down the door and began breathing hard. He stopped, as he heard the dull sounds of hoof steps of whatever was in that room and the grinding of the metal blade against the floor. Raze immediately moved away from the door as the sounds of the grinding stopped and flung himself to the other side of the room as nearly half of the door exploded when the tremendous blade crashed through it. Raze knew that whatever this pony was, reasonable was far from it. He could see a pair of heavy, black iron horse shoes stand cold from underneath an all black cloak that covered most of the ponies features. He could see the end of what appeared to be a gray tail sit calmly from underneath the cloak. Raze nearly gagged from the smell of fresh blood that emanated from the creature, and seeing what appeared to be the end of a griffon-made double-bladed scythe rest nonchalantly on the creature’s shoulder, made it seem more like a monster than what it really was.

Raze and the pony, if you could call it that, remained where they were for a tense few moments. Raze never made a sound he knew that one wrong move would be the end of his life, and yet at the same time the scythe that the creature had seemed to be positioned in such a way that he could at least try to do some damage before the end. After another minute of silence the creature turned and slowly walked away, dragging its scythe with it.

The static of the radio died down as the creature’s hoof steps seemingly disappeared. Raze didn’t dare move however. His body trembled sure he’s stared at undead dragons and monstrous demons from the abyss itself, but even when they came to mind there was always a way out of it. That thing was carrying a scythe. Raze thought, continuing to tremble as he set the lantern off of his chest. Sure, I have a claymore but that thing had way more reach on me than I did on it. He thought, wiping the sweat from his brow before staring at his hooves. Whatever angle that Raze played in his head, it would always wind up with him lying on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. Griffon steel was the best kind of steel in all of Equestria, and those who knew how to wield scythes were nearly doubly effective on the battlefield, more so than the Princess’s Personal Knights and Advanced Guard.

Raze got to his hooves and examined the room that he tucked into. It was extremely small not the best of places for him to fight, but it wasn’t the best place to be swinging a full-sized scythe either. He also had to contend with the fact that there was a small desk in the way. Raze could have shoved the desk into the pony and used it as a diversion to escape, but to where? There wasn’t any place else to go, and the pony would have came after him and eventually have found him. There was the other side of the school; but there was the possibility that there would have been others that were allies to the pony, and he could have been walking right into a situation to where he would have been outnumbered. And just fighting the pony would have been a bad idea even if it didn’t have the scythe in the first place; the boots were an indication that it was completely covered in armor and appeared to not take defeat for an answer.

There was the door on his right though but, much to Raze’s dismay as he got up to check it, it was completely and totally jammed. There really wasn’t a way out of that situation... He thought, lowering his hoof and falling slightly. I was going to die, and there wasn’t a damn thing that I could do about it... Raze looked back outside and saw a part of the trail of blood that led to the room he now stood in. I guess he knew that too. Raze thought, looking quietly at the bits of shrapnel that were scattered throughout the halls. Raze wanted to say something, to scream or shout or do something to vent but couldn’t find anything. His life was spared by some form of principal or honor code or something that the pony had.

Raze ran one of his hooves through his mane. No, I can’t think like that. He thought, walking to the remains of the door. After touching it with one of his hooves, Raze stepped back as it fell to the ground with a loud thunk. Raze then carefully looked out into the hall and checked to make sure that the coast was clear. The radio at his side was silent as he checked it before walking cautiously out into the hall. Raze breathed a sigh of relief and stared at the lantern around his neck. The flame was significantly smaller than when he first lit it up, but it surprisingly gave about just as much light. He nodded calmly, looking down the hallway and staring into the darkness in front of him. I can’t be moving like that and expect it to stay perfectly lit. Raze thought, taking several steps forward.

Raze calmly followed the trail of blood, watching as it disappeared further down into the darkness in the direction of the Gym. As he remained where he was, Raze focused his attention to a second trail of blood that had veered off of the first trail and had ended up heading underneath a door. Raze blinked, examining the door as it had no damaging marks on it at all. It was simply an all black door with a silver doorknob that was level with Raze’s face. Raze approached the door and grabbed the doorknob with his prosthetic hoof only to find it locked. Raze stamped his hooves in frustration, and turned away from the door angrily. I guess I need to find a key. He thought, heading back down the hallway.

Raze stopped at the restrooms, still hearing the sounds of something being flushed down a toilet in the fillies restroom, but ignored it as he didn’t want to get into a shouting match with whoever was on the other side and attract anything to his location. He continued into the central hallway of the school and headed to the other hallway that he hadn’t explored to yet.

As soon as he was halfway in the hallway, Raze jumped as the radio immediately began to blare with static fuzz. He heard a dull growl come from around the corner and drew his claymore in anticipation of whatever it was that wanted his blood. Raze tensed up watching as another pony advanced on him, dragging the blades that made it’s hooves across the tile floor with a dull screech. Raze clenched his teeth, trying to remain focused against the sounds of the pony’s movement combined with the sounds of the static that came from the radio and began to position himself in a way that would let him score a hit on the pony. The beast seemed to be tracing Raze’s movements as he followed Raze’s positioning and let out another growl.

Damn... What in the hay’s wrong with me? Raze thought, trying to get into a better position to strike, but watching as his adversary moved out of his striking zone. Raze backed up slowly for a few seconds, and stopped as he felt a door on the wall behind him. He looked over his shoulder, and gulped, but reacted too slow as the pony had already begun his attack. Raze cried out in pain as one of the blades on the pony’s hooves slashed down the side of one of his legs and carved shallowly into his flesh. Raze retaliated with a slash of his own which sent the pony reeling backwards and skidding to the other wall. Raze then grabbed the claymore with his injured hoof and charged, zeroing in on the gash on the underside of the pony. His strike was deadly accurate as the blade pierced deeply into the gash of the pony and into the wall on the other side. The pony let out a high pitched wail into the building as Raze removed the sword from its body before collapsing onto the ground, lying dead in a puddle of blood.

Raze took several steps back and slid along his side of the wall with the door. Raze looked over to his right leg and saw that it was steadily oozing out blood from the knee to about half-way down. He never made such rookie mistakes before in all of his years of being a Supernatural Bounty Hunter, so why was this so different?

Raze groaned as a fire of signals shot to his brain and immediately began tearing off strips of his jacket to wrap the hoof with. After getting some sizeable pieces, Raze set out to work in binding the injury before he lost anymore blood. After a few minutes, and at least one try per strip, Raze could safely say that his hoof was bound. I’m not out of the woods yet though, I need to get this cleaned up and closed if I want it to heal. Raze thought, unsteadily getting to his hooves and doing his best to not put too much weight on it.

Raze nearly let out a scream as an even stronger rush of pain shot to his head. He staggered forward a little, and groaned but gingerly put the hoof back down on the floor. I know that this is going to hurt for a while, but I have to fight through this... Raze thought, turning around and staring at the door. It didn’t have anything on it, and there was nothing about the doorknob that made it look out of the ordinary but it seemed odd to Raze. He limped over to the door and grabbed it with his prosthetic hoof, fighting the urge to let out another scream as he did so, and turned the knob on the door until it opened.

Raze stepped into the small room and closed the door behind him. He could tell that the room he was in appeared to be a medical closet of some kind as it was lined with enough supplies that would last a nurse in any school a life time if the conditions were right. Raze looked around, seeing that most of the supplies in the closet weren’t exactly the freshest and easily usable of what was offered. Some even went so far as to only provide instructions for how to treat the injuries of a unicorn or a pegasus. Just as soon as Raze was about to leave the room, something caught his eye.

On a metal shelf, sitting the furthest away from the door, was a small bottle with a green medical sign painted on its face. Raze walked closer to the bottle and saw that it was full of a dark pink, almost red liquid and appeared to be capped off with a blue lid. Raze grabbed the bottle and looked it over, rotating it in the claw of his prosthetic hoof. Health Drink huh? Raze thought, looking at the label above the medical sign. He set the bottle back down on the shelf before unscrewing the cap and taking a whiff from the smell that slowly wafted out of the bottle. Smells like drugs and... Strawberries? Raze thought, getting a second whiff from the bottle. It did indeed smell like strawberries, and after a few seconds Raze could feel his entire body start to relax a little. “Well, it doesn’t look all that bad.” Raze said, looking at the bottle before grabbing the bottle again and bringing it to his mouth. Down the hatch I guess... Raze thought, taking a swig of the liquid in the bottle and nearly gagging.

The taste of the contents of the bottle was like a mix of Strawberry juice and ground up pain-killers. He wanted to spit the liquid out, and almost did, but fought the urge and swallowed. Raze staggered a little, setting the bottle down and gulping down air in a futile attempt to rid his mouth of the drink’s foul taste. He stopped however, and remained calm as the burning signals from his leg immediately began to cease. That’s some good medicine. Raze thought, as the pain from his recent injury began to ebb away into nonexistence. It doesn’t taste very well, but I’m taking it with me. Raze thought, grabbing the cap from the shelf and screwing it back onto the bottle. After placing the Health Drink into one of his jacket pockets and making sure that it was secure, Raze immediately turned around and opened the door before leaving the room.

Raze walked calmly back into the hallway and scrunched his nose at the smell of the dead pony lying against the opposing wall. “You got what was coming to you, you know that right?” Raze asked, looking at the pony before turning away. “Bucking get me in the leg. Why did that happen?” He grumbled before stopping. He turned away from the dead pony and looked down deeper into the hall. It was that other pony. Raze thought. I was too focused on how I could have survived my encounter with that thing that made it nearly impossible for me to focus. Raze shook his head and stared at his injury. Well, I can’t afford to make any more of those kinds of mistakes. I could get killed if anything else like that happens again. He took a calming breath before pressing onward.

Raze headed around the following corner and down another hallway, in almost complete silence, keeping an ear out if the radio that he was carrying began buzzing again. He stopped only once, drawing his claymore at the sound of an extremely loud crash that erupted from somewhere behind him, and immediately regretted it as a dulled but extremely sharp pain shot to his brain from his leg and caused him to slow down. After a few moments of waiting in the dark and not hearing another sound, Raze sheathed his claymore and relaxed himself before continuing on. He came on another set of doors about halfway down the hallway, and checked them both. Locked, just like anything else in this place. Raze thought angrily, walking away from both doors and growling in frustration.

Raze stopped, staring at another door as he came across another corner that led deeper into the building. It too appeared to be barred off from entrance as he could see several wooden boards nailed in place over said door that would have prevented him from getting in unless he really wanted to. He ignored that door and rounded the corner and passed the barred door from with out a second thought.

Raze took several steps before stopping seeing a sign that read Nurse’s Office but saw that the door itself was nowhere to be seen, a wall having taken the place of the door instead, and nodded. Okay, so I can’t go down this way. He said, turning and blinking as a pair of completely unassuming and normal, but rotten, doors stood side by side to his right. Raze walked over to the first door to his left and checked the doorknob before looking in the room. All right! Raze thought excitedly as he saw the doorknob turn over and open the door in front of him. He peeked inside the window of the door, seeing a small desk sit innocently in the middle of a very barren and desolate classroom. Raze opened the door all of the way and coughed as the dry and dust-filled air blasted him in the face and stunned him for a second. After waving the dust away and stepping into the classroom, Raze walked over to the desk and saw a belt that looked like it could carry several bottles. He could also see that there was a key ring attached to the belt, and that a small pouch for holding anything else that wasn’t bigger than a book hung on the other side of the belt. Raze looked around, checking to see if there was an owner of the belt but instead saw a note hanging on the chalkboard of the classroom.

Raze walked over to the chalkboard, grabbing it with his prosthetic hoof and pulling it down. After running his free hoof through his mane, and groaning slightly, Raze took a second look at the paper as it read:

Teacher says that this isn’t an appropriate thing to bring to school. Mommy says that this isn’t something that I can bring to school. Daddy says that he wants to get rid of it.

But I don’t want to get rid of my saddlebag. What if the other students get hurt on the playground? I can fix it right up with one of the potions that I brewed back home! But, the grown-ups say that my potions are very dangerous and that I can’t use them... So If I can’t use my saddlebag, I’ll let someone else use it. That way it gets the same attention that it got from me.

Raze turned back to the, “saddlebag,” and looked it over. It sure looks better than stuffing everything that I have in my jacket. Raze thought, mulling what the paper said over in his mind. And it sure beats having to waste time in looking through my jacket for stuff. But on the other hand, it doesn’t look like it can’t carry too much in the form of supplies. Raze thought about the other option that he had, and shook his head. I know my leg’s going to kill me, but I have a golden opportunity to put my stuff where I need it. He thought, walking back over to the desk and setting the letter down.

After taking everything he owned save his jacket, off and placing the Health Drink in one of the potion pouches on the belt and the note in the bag, Raze put everything he had back on and looked back around the classroom. The Radio still remained in his jacket pocket where he could hear it easily, but everything else seemed to fit all together almost perfectly. After taking another quick look around in the classroom, Raze calmly walked out and back into the hallway that he came from.

Raze stepped cautiously out into the other hallway and looked down both sides before heading to the other door. He grabbed the doorknob and watched as it too wasn’t jammed or locked and opened after and easily opened before him. The second room was just as small as the room with the Health Drink, and much to his surprise there were two more Health Drinks waiting for him on a smaller shelf on the opposing side of the room. This must be a coincidence. Raze thought, grabbing both Health Drinks and putting them in two of the three remaining pouches in his belt. However as soon as Raze turned around he heard a set of low growls rumble from outside the room he stood in.

The radio that Raze had immediately erupted into a flurry of static sound and fuzz as another pony stepped forward into the light of Raze’s lantern. Raze drew his claymore, glaring at the pony as it made the already crammed space even smaller. Great, I can’t fight that thing in here. Raze thought, stretching his wings out and touching the walls on his sides. After closing his wings and taking another deep breath, Raze concentrated and watched as the pony reeled itself onto its back legs and prepared to strike him with the blades it called hooves. Raze charged forward, thrusting the blade of his sword deep into the gash that the pony had and ran him right out of the room. With a powerful yank, Raze removed the blade from the pony and swung the blade around in a near full spin and blocked an attack that came from a pony at his side. Raze looked over his shoulder and saw that two more ponies advanced on him from behind the pony that he protected himself with his blade from, and shoved the pony off with a heavy push from his claymore.

Raze immediately turned to face the three threats head on, getting on his guard as the pony’s compatriots continued their advance. Reacting as quickly as his injured leg would allow, Raze charged at the recovering pony and swung his claymore deep into the gash in its chest. The pony let out a stifled roar as it choked on its own blood and collapsed as the other two continued their advance on Raze. Raze remained calm, backing up slightly as both ponies stepped over their fallen ally and closed the distance on him. The pony directly in front of Raze let out a roar and went to buck him with its blades only to be blocked by Raze’s sword. Raze threw the pony backwards, exposing the injury on its belly before slashing at it with another quick move.

Raze took a deep breath and watched as the remaining pony began sidestepping Raze and moved away from its fallen comrade. Well well well, it seems like these guys are getting a little smarter. Raze thought, watching as the last pony backpedaled into the hallway that led away from where Raze stood. Raze shook his head as the pony then broke out into a sort of hobbling run at him, leaping at him with both blades aimed at his throat. Without any other reaction from anything else, Raze impaled the last pony on the end of his claymore. He gulped a little as the beast let out a gurgling squelch before dying on his blade, and set the sword down before removing the pony. Then again, I could be wrong. Raze thought, wiping the blood on his claymore clean before sheathing it.

After taking a breather, and taking another swig from the Health Drink that he had gotten first, Raze calmed down and stretched for a second. He immediately took the map of the school from out of the bag on the belt and looked it over as he could see that several doors that were on the map were colored over for him. Well, it seems that I looked at virtually everything on this floor of this place. Raze thought, staring at the only things remaining on the map that hadn’t been touched at all. I can’t get beyond that black door over here... Raze thought, looking at the room that was the furthest from where he was standing on the map. And I haven’t been in the bathrooms at all, but I don’t think that I’m going to find anything in there anyways. He said mentally. But whoever was in there should have been done in there by now right? I mean, how long does one take to use the mare’s restroom? Raze thought before closing his map. He took one last look at his surroundings and nodded, moving on.

It took only five minutes to make it back to the main hallway, and back to the bathrooms from where Raze was in the school. He remained on his toes however as he wasn’t going to let anything get the jump on him. The radio remained silent, and continued to do so as Raze wandered into the hallway with the bathrooms and into a huge puddle of water.

Somepony’s been busy... Raze thought before grabbing his nose and clenching it. A putrid stench now began to flow through the entire hallway, and seemed to be coming from the filly’s bathroom itself. “Ah... Sweet Celestia...” Raze mumbled, walking up to the door and gagging as the smell got even stronger. “Hello?” Raze said, knocking on the door. “Is somepony in there?” Raze asked, hearing no response.

Raze noticed that the door to the filly’s restroom was in extremely bad shape now, worse than when he saw it the first time. The entire door was soaked from top to bottom, with the bottom half of the door looking grotesque and swollen. It was surprising to him that the door still stood. He gently knocked on the door again, hoping that it wouldn’t be knocked down just by touching it. “Helllllooooooo? Is somepony in there?” Raze asked, watching the door slowly swing open. He looked inside, seeing water gush out from the sinks that lined the wall on his right. On his left, several stall doors hugged the wall and seemed to be in the same condition as the door that guarded the entrance to the filly’s restroom. It doesn’t look like anypony is in there... Raze thought, taking several steps into the flooded bathroom. He quickly walked over to the sinks in the bathroom and shut them off, before turning to the stalls in the bathroom. He could see that most of them were clean, save for one.

If there was any indication, the source of the smell was coming from the fifth toilet in the bathroom. Raze nearly blew groceries at the sight, seeing that it was covered in a brown substance that looked like chocolate ice cream that had gone bad. Raze could also see that there was also a dark red substance that floated within the toilet bowl and made it unappealing to look at. What in the buck... Seriously, that’s just not right... Raze thought, doing his best to ignore the toilet and leave. He turned to go, walking towards the door and jumped slightly as he heard the sounds of a door slam behind him. Raze wheeled around, blinking as the stall door to that toilet was closed. Raze, regretting his actions as he made them, walked back over to the fifth stall and opened the door. He lifted an eyebrow as the foul smelling toilet was completely clean and free of any forms of debris in the bowl. Above the toilet were the words, “Mares only. Check the Colts Restroom,” in bright red.

Raze turned to leave the girls bathroom, only to clutch his head in pain. He closed his eyes, shaking his head and staggering a little before opening them and blinking. The bathroom appeared to return to its former pristine glory as transparent fillies of all kinds appeared before his eyes. Raze rubbed his eyes and stared as the memory came back to him.

----

Ten Years Ago

Several unicorn fillies were staring at the flank of another one as a picture of a set of stars was depicted on its surface. Others seemed not to pay any notice, only sneaking glances at the mark on the lucky filly’s flank.

“Wow Sparkler! You got your Cutie Mark!” One of the unicorn fillies, a navy one with a sky blue mane and tail exclaimed.

“Ooh! Ooh! What’s it mean? What’s it mean?” Another unicorn filly, a bright pink one with an all black mane asked.

The unicorn filly known as Sparkler, a pale red filly with a pink mane, flipped some of the hairs of her mane out of her face. “I don’t really know. I got it while helping out at the Summer Sun Celebration’s Fireworks display.” She answered, grinning.

“But Sparkler, isn’t putting on fireworks kind of unnecessary?” The navy blue pony asked, hearing Sparkler giggle a little.

“Well we didn’t do it during the raising of the sun silly.” Sparkler answered. “We did it be-”

She was cut off as a loud bang echoed throughout the hallway. Every filly turned as a sea foam pegasus colt was thrown into the bathroom by several stronger looking pegasus colts. The pegasus was looking pretty beat up, and immediately curled up into a ball.

“Heh serves you right for not payin’ up.” One of the colts, a dark red pegasus with a white mane snapped.

“B-b-b-but wh-wh-what did I do?” The sea foam pegasus answered. “It was my money that my mommy gave to me.”

A dark blue pegasus chuckled a little. “Aww... Is the little baby gonna cry for his mommy now? What’s the matter, if you want it; take it from us if you can.” He challenged fiercely.

Everypony remained quiet as the sea foam pegasus refused to move at all, crying a little as the other pegasi continued laughing. “Come on guys, let’s get outta here.” A dark green pegasus with a black mane said calmly. “We don’t need to waste our time with this chump.” He said, as the other ponies nodded in agreement.

“We’ll see you around loser.” The red pegasus colt snapped leading the other pegasi away from the filly’s restroom, laughing all the way.

Everypony watched quietly as the sea foam pegasus staggered to his feet before limping out of the filly’s room, continuing to cry the whole way. Sparkler stepped forward, feeling sorry for the pegasus before chasing after him. “Wait!”

----

Raze shuddered, watching as the images of the memory faded from his vision and left him standing back in the cold and damp bathroom. That’s right... I was a poor excuse for a pegasus. Raze thought, walking over to the spot where he saw himself get thrown. He shuddered a little before calming himself down. He turned to go, walking to the door before hearing the sounds of something refusing to be flushed down a toilet. Raze turned back around, following the trace of the sound and stopping back at the fifth stall in the bathroom. The toilet in the stall was now back to the same condition as to when he first found it, but Raze could see something glinting in the pale light of his lantern. “What’s this?” Raze commented, holding his breath and looking into the vat of putrid liquid that swirled on the inside of the bowl.

Floating on the surface of the disgusting liquid was a small key on a small chain. Raze could see that on the other end of the chain was a tag that labeled the key as, “2nd Floor Key.” Raze groaned, wishing that he was a unicorn instead of a pegasus before reaching in and grabbing the key with his prosthetic hoof. Ugh... what the buck mare... Raze thought, hearing a disgusting squelching noise as he withdrew his prosthetic hoof from the toilet and held the key between his claws. After resisting the urge to hurl, and shaking the key a little, Raze put the key on the chain on the belt he had.

Raze quickly walked out of the filly’s bathroom before he actually threw up, and stared at the door to the colt’s restroom. He walked calmly over to it expecting either the door to be locked or jammed, but as he touched the doorknob it appeared to open gently. Raze stepped back a little bit, staring at a blood trail that led from the entrance of the restroom to the decapitated body of a pegasus pony on the opposing wall. Raze quickly walked over to the body, seeing that the pony’s body was a dark green underneath the layer of blood that covered its coat. Raze could also see that the Seal of the Three Times was drawn on the wall above where the pony’s head would have been and on the stall doors of the bathroom. Raze clenched his head as another headache rocked through his body, but quickly passed as he staggered backwards. Raze turned his attention to the sinks on the right hand side of the bathroom before shaking his head. Who would do something like this? Raze thought, walking over to the dead body and closing his eyes. Whoever you were, may you rest in peace. He thought, remaining silent for a few moments before turning away.

Raze found himself at the door at the top of the stairs that led to the second floor moments later. The door itself didn’t appear to be any different than any of the other doors in the building, and as Raze reached for the key he could feel he didn’t feel that there was anything dangerous waiting for him on the other side. Raze slid the key into the doorknob and unlocked the door without any problems, pulling the door back and stepping into the second floor.

Unlike the first floor which seemed warm and slightly comfortable to Raze, the second floor seemed to have the heater turned up a notch as sweat ran down the sides of his face. He immediately walked into the hall of the second floor and turned to the stairs, seeing rubble blocking his way from going up any further, and stamped his hooves. Well, I guess that I can’t go up any further. Raze thought, taking a closer look at his surroundings. The floors were just as dirty as the first floor, and seemed to take on a more reddish color than that the first floor had. The walls were barren, and didn’t seem to have any color to them except for a dark grey. The light from his lantern seemed to brighten the walls up slightly, but didn’t appear any better than the walls down stairs. A long hallway extended out in front of Raze and seemed to dare him into taking another set of steps forward.

Is it me or is it bucking hot in here? Raze thought, adjusting his equipment before walking down the hallway that led to the right. After a few paces Raze stopped seeing a hastily cobbled fence of desks, shelves, and other objects one would find in a school building. Raze nodded, seeing the barricade and turned around. Well, it looks like I can’t go that way. He thought, turning around and heading back to the intersection in front of the stairs. Raze looked down the long hallway now on his left. There was something about it that made him want to stay back, but there weren’t any indications for him to keep him back. I just hope that thing doesn’t show itself... Raze thought nervously, remembering the armored pony that he saw down on the previous floor.

Raze calmly wandered into the hall; his eyes constantly moving as he saw that the doors that were immediately on either side of him were all locked shut or had broken locks. Raze maintained his visual sweep of the area, looking around and listening for any sign of trouble as he passed two more sets of doors and stopped at another intersection. Raze turned to his right, looking down the hallway as it too didn’t seem to be dangerous and started to walk down it only to be stopped by another barricade.

“Aw come on!” Raze said, stamping his injured hoof by mistake before clutching it in pain. Come on now Raze; use the brain that was given to you. Raze said mentally, setting his hoof down and grabbing the used Health Drink from his belt and opening it. After taking another swig and feeling the pain subside, Raze looked at the bottle and saw that it was half-empty. I still have two more bottles of this stuff... but I guess I can take a little more. Raze thought before taking another swig. After feeling completely satisfied that the pain had subsided; Raze closed the Health Drink bottle and stowed it back in his belt before scratching his head. I wonder if this entire area’s going to be closed off... That would be pretty dumb if it was wouldn’t it? He thought, walking back into the main hallway. And my map only has the area of the first floor... I’ll need to find one of this area. Raze thought before hearing a rustling noise behind him. Raze turned and headed in the direction of the sound. He stopped; a small paper began rustling on the other side of the barricade that was in his way and tempted him into getting it. What in the hay’s that? Raze thought as he watched the paper move. He couldn’t get a good look at the page, and shook his head. I would say that I would have to go around, but both ways to get in there are blocked off... What in Equestria would make a pony do that though? He thought, walking back to the main hall.

Raze immediately turned right and headed down what was left of the hallway, and stopped as he saw a gaping hole that led into an empty classroom. Raze cautiously stepped inside room, keeping his eyes and ears out for any hostile activity. He could see that the room had obviously been fully equipped to handle a large class of foals for a long while, but as he continued to look around, there was no sign of a desk or chair to be found. He could see huge slashes in the floor that went all the way to the walls in the direction that they faced, and he could also see splinters where a teacher’s desk would have been. Raze couldn’t see any blood of anything that could have been hit by any of the strikes, but shuddered as visions of the armored pony from downstairs entered his brain.

There’s no way that a pony could swing a big enough scythe to make slashes like this... Raze thought, using his injured hoof to follow along one of the slashes to the chalkboard. A pony would need more power than both Princesses combined to lift and swing a scythe this big. Raze looked up from the carnage, feeling uneasy. He looked up to the only door that was in the room and saw a precise strike in the dead center of the door. He shuddered, trying to remain calm as he walked over to it. The hole in the door was at such an angle that made it point down to the floor on the other side of the door. He could see a small puddle of blood that was in his immediate line of sight from the door, and shook his head. That doesn’t make any sense... Raze thought, continuing to look around the room. All of this carnage and only a small puddle outside, something doesn’t feel right here. Raze thought, seeing the shadows of the room dance on the walls. He turned back to the door and grabbed the doorknob with his prosthetic hoof. He gulped nervously, twisting the doorknob and opening the door with relative ease. He calmly stepped into the hallway behind the barricade and gasped.

There wasn’t anything there. Raze looked around and saw that there wasn’t any more blood, let alone a body, of anypony to be found. Just what in the hay’s going on here? Raze thought, stepping over the puddle of blood and looking around. He shook his head; looking at everything from the walls, to the ceiling and the floor, and found nothing. Whatever happened, that couldn’t have been a lethal blow. Raze thought, looking down at the puddle. Plus, Scythes aren’t totally precise in an amateur’s hands. This could have been done by one of those creatures skulking around here. Raze thought about it for a second and shook his head. No it couldn’t have. Those creatures cause a lot of damage, and they aren’t necessarily the best on cleaning up what they’ve done. He thought, scratching his head.

His thoughts were broken by the sounds of foals giggling behind him. Raze turned around and walked towards the barricade as several foals ran past where he stood and out of sight. Raze wanted to say something but decided against it, remembering his previous encounters with the foals in this place. He turned away from the barricade, seeing the piece of paper that taunted him from earlier hung up on the wall.

Let’s see what you say... Raze thought, picking up the paper from the wall and reading it. “Check your map dumb-dumb...” Raze read, seeing it written out on the page in red crayon. Raze blinked and set the paper on the floor before grabbing his map. After opening it he could see that it was changed. Instead of saying that it was the first floor the map now read, “Canterlot Elementary School Second floor,” in place of the first floor. He could also see that the layout of the map had significantly changed, showing the floor plan of the second floor as opposed to the first floor. He nodded, picking up the paper from the floor after putting his map away and stowed it away for safekeeping.

Raze looked back down the hallway that he was standing in before beginning to walk down it. There wasn’t anything that screamed at him to be looked at, and as he stopped at the corner, he could feel that the heat of the building was starting to climb slightly. Raze wiped the sweat from his brow with his prosthetic hoof, walking down the following hallway a little bit faster than the other hallways that he had been through already. Most of the doors that were down the hallway either had the locks on their doorknobs broken, or weren’t able to be forced open due to something blocking the door. After finding the other end of the hallway and testing the last door to find it was also locked, which didn’t seem to surprise him, Raze turned corner and saw the first barricade that he encountered when he first arrived on the floor.

“Well, let’s hope that this whole trip wasn’t a bust.” Raze thought, grabbing the doorknob with his prosthetic hoof and twisting it. The door opened easily, as Raze walked into a relatively cooler room than what was outside. He could see a table sitting in the center of the room that took up most of the room’s space. Raze could see that the windows on the wall that sat on the opposite side of the room were completely non-existent, and that an all black safe sat on the left-most side of the table that was furthest away from him.

Raze walked over to the safe, seeing that there was a sort of keypad that sat underneath a latch that opened the safe. The keypad wasn’t anything like Raze had seen before, instead of having numbers like the ones that the Officer Lockers had in the Manehatten Police Department, the keypad had letters A to Z where the numbers would be, and a small enter button on the bottom. Raze could also see that there were four blank slots above the keys on the keypad that seemed to display the letter that was input on the keypad.

Raze nodded, punching in several combinations on the keypad and hearing an angry buzz that emitted from the speaker its side. “Stupid safe...” Raze fumed, glaring at it. Raze turned on his heel, hearing the crinkling of paper from underneath his hooves and looking down. Under his injured hoof looked like one of the grading sheets that a teacher could use during a test. Raze moved his hoof and picked up the sheet with his prosthetic hoof and looked over it curiously. Hmm... It looks like the scores of a sort of major test or something... Raze thought, looking at the scores closely which read:
Standard Final Exams, Canterlot Elementary School, Mrs. Perfection’s 3rd Grade Class

Student 1 Score:

Student 2 Score: 72

Student 3 Score: 96

Student 4 Score: 16

Student 5 Score: 25

Student 6 Score: 100

Student 7 Score:

Student 8 Score: 94

Student 9 Score: 70

Student 10 Score: 71

Student 11 Score: 87

Student 12 Score: 82

Student 13 Score: 30

Student 14 Score: 96

Student 15 Score: 80

Student 16 Score: 76

Student 17 Score: 77

Student 18 Score: 40

Student 19 Score:

Student 20 Score: 89

Student 21 Score: 79

Student 22 Score:

Student 23 Score: 88

Student 24 Score: 90

Student 25 Score: 100

Student 26 Score: 74

Student 27 Score: 55

Student 28 Score: 69

Student 29 Score: 27

Student 30 Score: 30

Scoring system is as follows:

A 100 – 90
B 89 – 80
C 79 – 75
D 74 – 70
F 69 and Below

Raze looked over the grade sheet curiously. Four students’ final grades haven’t been taken down. Raze thought, looking over the sheet. Raze turned to the safe and scratched his head with his prosthetic hoof. “Is this some kind of hint or something?” Raze asked, looking at the keypad then to the grading sheet, then to the keypad again. “I might as well keep it for later. There really isn’t a need for this now.” Raze said to no one as he put the grading sheet in the bag on his belt. After checking the room for anything else that could help him find the code to the safe, Raze shrugged and calmly walked out of the room.

Immediately when he stepped back out into the hallway, Raze heard the sounds of static fuzz erupt from the Radio, Raze immediately jumped on his guard. He could hear the sounds of growling come from down the other side of the building, but he could also hear the sounds of metal grinding on the tile floors of the school floor. Raze looked to his left and headed towards the barricade and saw that at least two of the same kind of ponies that attacked him at his apartment were standing in front of the stairs. A third pony lay in a puddle of its own blood as Raze could see that it was filled with several well placed holes around where its gash was exposed. Both of the living ponies turned to face where Raze stood and let out an ear splitting roar before striking at the barricade with their hooves. Raze stepped a few paces backwards, hearing the dull thunks of the ponies bladed hooves against the wood that made some of the desks and chairs. After feeling that the ponies weren’t going to make it through the barricade to get at him, Raze turned around and walked as calmly as he could away from the barricade.

Raze’s guard was still up as the Radio continued to sound filled with static, even when he rounded the corner that led to the second barricade on this side of the hall. He heard a loud crash coming from the end of the hall as he opened the door with his prosthetic hoof, and jumped at the sound just as two more ponies appeared in the light of his lantern as it lit up the classroom. Great, I have at least two on my tail and I have you guys to deal with. Raze cursed mentally, drawing his claymore from its sheath.

The pony that was closest to Raze reeled back on its hooves, bringing the blades down on Raze with near-deadly efficiency. Raze blocked the attack, gritting his teeth as his hoof burned in protest, throwing his attacker off balance before thrusting the blade deep into the exposed gash that was in its chest. Raze had little time to revel in his small victory as the other pony was already to attack him as he removed the blade. Raze stepped out of the way, crying out a little as the edges of the pony’s blades shallowly slashed into his side. Raze turned to face his attacker, stepping over the slain body of the first pony to give himself room to maneuver, and brought the blade of his claymore down on his attacker to prevent him from striking him a second time.

It was the pony’s turn to throw Raze off using the blades that it used for hooves to stagger Raze backwards, but it wasn’t enough to knock him off of his hooves. Raze used the exact moment to swing his claymore downward and through the pony’s defense, scoring a vertical cut on its gash and causing it to roar in pain. The pony took several steps backwards, clutching the injury before returning to walking on all hooves and advancing on Raze. The pony got within striking distance to Raze and reeled back a second time, with the intent to kill. Raze saw the opportunity, grabbing his claymore with both of his hooves and swinging the blade at the exposed injury. The pony staggered, showering Raze in a splash of blood after the hit before collapsing.

Raze sheathed his claymore, and looked at the injury that he was dealt. That doesn’t look so bad. Raze said, staring at the two cuts that went almost perfectly parallel to each other. They didn’t look too bad either, just like Raze had estimated, looking smaller than they actually were. I still need a thing of bandages though. I can’t keep walking around with these injuries and without something to treat them. Raze thought, looking nervously at the small drops of his blood that were falling to the ground. He looked at his jacket, which was already torn from being used as a form of a bandage, and not to mention the newest additions in the forms of tears and cuts that were in the right hoofed sleeve and the left side of his jacket. Raze groaned, trying to stretch out his wings only to find that a sharp pain ripped through the left wing. Ah, hay... The damn thing got my wing too. Raze thought, closing his wings back up. He looked around for a few moments, for something to show his reflection, and shook his head as nothing was to be found.

I guess that I’ll have to let the injuries close up on their own. Raze thought, grabbing the half-empty Health Drink Bottle and opening it. After taking a swig and feeling the pain of his newer injuries closing up, Raze closed the bottle and put it back into the pouch on his belt. It’s almost empty, but I can’t think about that now I have at least two more of those things to deal with. He thought, calmly walking out of the classroom while fighting through the extra pain of his injuries.

Raze entered the main hallway of the building and headed towards the stairs, continuing to hear the sounds of the static on the Radio. Raze remained on guard, and drew his claymore carefully, watching as both ponies were still trying to get through the first barricade to where he was originally. Both ponies turned, hearing him take a step forward and roared in his direction. Before anypony could react however, the sounds of gunfire rang out through the hallway. Raze watched with stunned disbelief as both ponies immediately dropped to the ground after a pair of bullets entered their temples, dropping them both instantly. Raze turned as the sounds of a gun clicking could be heard in the darkness. Raze looked down, seeing the shine of a stronger light as a voice commanded, “Whoever the hay you are, drop your weapon and let me see your hooves.”

“Excuse me?” Raze asked, setting the claymore down and staring at the light. He recognized the voice as the voice from the bathroom down stairs and glared. “Who’s there, trying to order me around?” He asked, watching as a light blue unicorn pony stepped into the light, with a bright red braided mane and tail stepped into Raze’s lantern light. The unicorn wore what appeared to be a heavily armored police pony’s uniform, and she seemed to carry a standard issue handgun and a flashlight with her magic which seemed to take on a green aura.

“Lisa. I am Lisa Montblanc from Canterlot.” The unicorn pony answered, continuing to hold the gun with her magic. She looked down, seeing that a small puddle of blood was forming underneath Raze, and that his front right hoof was completely bound by what appeared to be the same material that his jacket was made from. “What in the hay are you doing in here? And how did you get those injuries?” She asked, lowering her weapon.

Somepony’s got some of her priorities mixed up Raze thought. “I got here because I was investigating several incidents in Ponyville at the request of Princess Celestia. I’m the Supernatural Bounty Hunter Raising Shadows.” Raze answered, watching Lisa’s weapon return to the holster that she carried.

“Incidents in Ponyville?” Lisa asked, remaining calm but ready to draw her weapon. “What kind of incidents?”

“Well actually that’s kind of between me and her.” Raze answered politely. “I have confidentiality to keep towards my clients. You understand right?” He asked, watching as Lisa nodded.

“Well that’s something that I can respect. “ Lisa said. “I’m hear trying to investigate what happened to a family’s little girl if you can believe it. I’d tell you more, but really I have the same rules to follow.” She watched Raze pick up his claymore and immediately went for her handgun.

“Easy... Easy...” Raze said, slowly putting the sword back in its sheath. “I’m just putting my weapon away... I’m not going to do anything terrible.” Raze watched as Lisa carefully put her handgun back into its holster before calming down.

“Okay, but do you think that oversized butter knife is going to keep you protected?” Lisa asked.

“Actually, this oversized butter knife’s been doing me plenty good for how long I’ve been here.” Raze answered. “What about you? That pea-shooter of yours good enough to protect you from the things here?”

Lisa chuckled a little. “This pea-shooter is able to cut through that illusion those things have. Unlike you, I’m able to get at them without the need of endangering myself to one of their attacks.” She said.

“Oh, I see.” Raze said quietly. “You do realize that there’s a lot more of those things lurking around here.” He said, watching Lisa nod.

“Yep, but there’s something that I have that you don’t.” She said, concentrating as her horn erupted with a green light a second time. Raze stepped back and watched as a stream of green energy erupted from her horn and enveloped his body. After a few moments, Raze could no longer feel the light sting from the injuries on his wing and the side of his body. Raze looked, seeing that they were all closed up, and looked like they were scarred over. Raze could also feel that the injury on his hoof was feeling better, but it wasn’t exactly back to perfect health either.

“Restoration huh? Nice.” Raze commented, looking at his injuries before looking at Lisa. “You know that I have to pay you back right?” He said, watching Lisa chuckle again.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said, turning around and heading to the stairs. “I’m sure that we’ll meet back with each other a second time. If we do, you can pay me back Mr. Shadows.” And with that she passed beyond the door at the bottom of the second floor stairs and stepped out of sight.

Lisa Montblanc huh... Something seems off about you. I don’t think that there’s a pony with that kind of name in Equestria, but really I can’t really judge her right now. She did just heal some of my injuries. Raze thought, turning down the hallway where Lisa had come from. After stretching his wings out a little and feeling that his left wing was extremely sore, Raze calmly began to walk down the hall.

Lisa was still on Raze’s mind as he began to explore the hallway that Lisa came from. It wasn’t really easy for Raze to forget her, with him bumping into the first door that was completely unmovable for any reason. Raze shook his head, and glared at the wooden door that was in front of him. That was dumb of me. Raze thought before testing the door. Even better, I walk into a locked door. Raze thought, turning away from the door and continuing down the hallway. After coming across two more doors that were completely locked, Raze decided to put Lisa out of his mind and continue with his exploration of the school.

Raze turned down another corridor at the first intersection he came across after trying the last locked door down the hall and was met with surprisingly an unlocked and un-jammed door. Raze opened the door calmly, Taking a step into what appeared to be a supply closet for a science class and walked calmly through the hole in the wall that was in front of him.

“Now isn’t this something.” Raze said quietly, looking around the room. The classroom appeared to be a sort of science lab, with small lab tables that were almost perfectly aligned with the teacher’s desk. The desks sat in rows of 4 with the exception of the last row with only having two rows. Four stacks of chairs sat in the back of the classroom, covering the door that actually led into the classroom and seemed to be the only thing other than the teacher’s desk that was in decent condition.

Raze walked over to the teacher’s desk and saw a piece of paper on its surface. Raze picked up the paper with his prosthetic hoof and began to read, remaining quiet as he tried to absorb it all:

Of Thirty students, twenty three passed the final exam. Of those twenty three, four sit in the very front. Six Students passed with flying colors, five got good scores, four students got average scores, and four barely passed.

Intelligent students don’t necessarily sit in the front, nor do students with poor scores. Average students sit in the middle, but tend to sit towards the front of the class, and only two students sit in the back.

School is about to start for next term. Where did everypony sit?

Raze looked around the desk, and the room before nodding his head. Part of this thing is talking about the class’s scores during the final exam. Raze thought, setting the piece of paper with the riddle down before dragging out the grades sheet that he found earlier. After setting down the grades sheet on the table, Raze looked at both papers closely. So, we have a riddle involving a class’s grades, and where the students will sit for next year based on where they stood on the final. There’s still a bunch of things missing though. He thought, looking over at both pages. And there’s those 4 students whose scores are actually missing. That complicates things. He thought, looking at both pages.

Raze looked up, staring at the chairs at the back of the class and looking curiously at them. I wonder if those have anything to do with this whole thing. Raze thought, walking around the desk and heading towards the chairs. He looked at them closely, and blinked as he could see something carved in on the bottom edge of the chairs. What’s this here? Raze thought, standing on his hind legs and looking at the carvings at their bases. Seventy-six? What’s that supposed to mean? Raze thought, getting back down on all fours and racking his brain for an answer. He stared at the other chairs underneath the topmost chair on the stack, and saw that only one of them had no carvings on them whatsoever. Do they reflect the grades of the students on the final exam? Raze thought, continuing to look at the chairs. They must have to, but there’s still something missing from this place here. Raze turned to one of the desks in the back of the class room. He looked over the desk on his right and began searching it. If my hunch is right, then this puzzle should be a cinch... Aha! Raze thought, finding another carving at the base edge of the desk.

Raze set his lantern down on the floor to where he could see it and nodded. So, this means that I need the grade sheet and the chairs here to solve this riddle... Hmm less than thirty, but its bigger than fifteen. Raze thought, picking his lantern up and walking back over to the teacher’s desk. He picked the grade sheet up and looked down the list. I’m assuming that they’re talking about the grades themselves, but let’s check to be sure. Raze thought, beginning his search of the marks on the desks that were in the room. His hunch was right on the first desk, requiring that a chair with the mark of seventy-seven to be placed in that spot. He continued looking down the rows, finding the carvings on all but four spots on the desks and nodding when he got to the last desk on the back. I’ve got it now. The chairs need to be put in their appropriate places so class can start. Raze thought, getting back on both of his back hooves and grabbing the top chair with the number seventy-six carved on its face. After walking over to the spot that had another comparison clue, less than eighty but greater than seventy five, Raze set the chair down and heard a gentle click come from the desk.

Raze looked at the desk and opened it finding nothing inside, and nodded. I see what’s going on. Let’s get to work. He thought, turning back to the chairs that were behind him.

After some time working around with the chairs in the classroom, and finding nothing in a good majority of the desks that were in the classroom, Raze was left with a completed classroom and a set of four cards that came from the chairs that had no carvings on them. He had them laid out across the teacher’s desk and looked at them closely, seeing that they each had a letter in bold black ink: S, G, V, and A respectively. Well, there’s at least 24 possible combinations here... but what’s this really getting at? Raze thought, repositioning the cards a couple of times before shaking his head frustratedly. No combination of letters made a coherent pattern, and it wasn’t until Raze was about to throw up his hands that he saw something.

It was faint, but Raze could see the outlines of a circle that appeared to be drawn in a very faint red ink. He organized the cards in a two by two pattern and nodded, staring at the cards in understanding. I see... So that’s the proper order. AVGS, that’s supposed to be short hand for averages if my guess is correct. Raze thought, wiping the sweat from his brow and taking up the cards and putting them together. He took one last look at the classroom and smiled a little, staring at the middle left seat that was closest to the teacher’s desk. Huh, it takes me back...

----

-Eight years ago-

“Come on Raising Shadows!” A young lavender unicorn moaned, stamping her hooves a little. “Let’s make a diagram of the stars in the sky!”

“Well... I don’t really want to make a diagram though...” A younger version of Raze uttered. The lavender unicorn gave Raze a curious look.

“Those colts beat you up again because you can’t fly didn’t they?” The lavender unicorn asked, watching Raze look away from her. “You know that I can get my cousin Sparkler and we can get those guys to stop-”

“No Twilight... I don’t want to get you or your cousin involved.” The Little version of Raze mumbled, looking away from Twilight. “I don’t want to get anypony hurt...” He said miserably.

“But why though?” Twilight asked. “Why don’t you want to stand up for yourself? You know that you’re only just going to get hurt even more.” She blinked, seeing a bruise from underneath one of Raze’s eyes. Twilight slid her chair over to Raze, moving a part of his mane from his face and seeing that his left eye was heavily blackened, and that a bruise was beginning to form underneath the eye. “Raising Shadows... Why didn’t you tell anypony? You need to take care of yourself... No, this needs to stop right now.” Twilight said firmly, glaring at the three pegasus colts that sat in the back of the classroom and continued to laugh and joke with each other.

“Twilight... please don’t get started with them...” Little Raze said quietly, feeling Twilight turn towards him.

“Well why not?” Twilight snapped. “Something has to be done; you could lose your eyesight if this keeps up!”

Little Raze shook his head. “It’s not about me.” He said, turning towards a heavily freckled white unicorn with a red mane sitting right across from the pegasus colts in the back alone. “That’s Morning Dew, and he got most of their attention last year because nopony did anything. He’s not really good with magic at all from what I hear, but he doesn’t deserve to get beaten up over something he can’t control.” Little Raze explained, turning to Twilight. “If you get anypony involved, Morning Dew won’t hear the end of it. Not only is he going to get beat up here at school, but he’s going to get hit at home. His father’s one of the recruit trainers for the Equestrian Army and from what I hear he doesn’t take to well to actually hearing that his son got beat up at school.”

Twilight shook her head, some of her purple mane moving out of her eyes as she stared at Little Raze quietly. “But you wouldn’t be able to fly if you lose that eye...” She mumbled, watching Little Raze shake his head.

“I don’t care about that. I could lose both of my eyes and the ability to fly and it wouldn’t matter to me so long as he’s happy.” Little Raze said. “It’s my job as a defender of this world, and I’m going to have to make a sacrifice if I’m going to one day be a true Knight.” He said proudly.

“A true... Knight?” Twilight said skeptically. “You know that’s nearly impossible. Princess Celestia hasn’t knighted anypony since the last Great War over a hundred years ago.”

Little Raze shook his head. “I know what momma’s done in her past; and I also know that I can become a true Knight, you just watch.” He said firmly. “Besides, there’ve been ponies out there that have done really, really good works for Equestria.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Nuh-uh times infinity.” Twilight said, watching Little Raze shake his hoof.

“Uh-huh times infinity.” Little Raze countered, hearing an audible gasp from every foal in the classroom.

“Raising Shadows, Twilight Sparkle, both of you need to be concentrating on your science projects. You can continue your discussion at Recess after lunch, and not during my class.” The teacher said, causing everypony to freeze and look up at her.

“We’re sorry Mrs. Fit. It won’t happen again.” Little Raze and Twilight replied, looking up at the bright orange pegasus that walked up to their table. Mrs. Fit smiled and nodded, gently brushing the side of Little Raze’s chair with her wing as she walked past them both.

“So, what do you want to do for the science project?” Twilight asked again, watching Little Raze smile.

“Well what about a volcano?”

----

Raze chuckled a little, staring at the classroom once more before turning away. Silly fillies were we both. He thought, walking towards the supply closet and through the door on the other side.

Raze turned to his right and looked further down the hall. There still was the matter of getting that safe open, and he assumed that there wasn’t anything else that could be down in that direction; something nagged at him to go that way. He sighed, getting the feeling that something was going to happen if he went down in that direction, but began walking down it anyways. It’s not going to hurt if I just take a quick look is it? He thought, listening for anything on his radio that might indicate danger.

Raze found several doors as he went down the hall, checking as most of them were either sealed shut, or had broken locks on the doorknobs. He had taken several steps towards the corner that, at his assumption led around to the actual entrance to the classroom, when a wave of unfriendly hot air had blasted into him and knocked him to his back. What in the hay... Did it just get hotter in here? Raze asked, looking around and looking as the doorknobs were starting to become a bright white with heat. It’s not going to hurt I say... Sheesh, I feel like I’m in a sauna that was left on for a second. Raze thought, walking over to the door in front of him and grabbing the knob with his prosthetic hoof. After taking note of how unpleasant the door would have felt if he had grabbed it with either his mouth or his other hoof, Raze opened the door and felt a soothing rush of cold air blast into him.

As he entered the room, it looked like the many classrooms that filled the school, with a round table that students could sit down at on Raze’s right, and what appeared to be an extremely large globe of the world right in front of him. Raze looked at the globe curiously, seeing that the only continent on the globe had Equestria and it’s major cities on it’s surface plus any other outlining islands that would make up the surrounding area. I think that would make any non-pony’s parents pissed. Raze thought, spinning the globe and only seeing a huge amount of blue oceans on the rest of its surface. Raze turned his attention to the table and saw that there was another page of paper resting calmly in the middle of the table. Raze walked over to the table and looked over it. It read:

We love our world; it’s so nice and green. We love our world, and love to keep it clean.

North from Canterlot, one day’s run.

We love our world; from the forests to the trees, and from the Dragons to the bees.

West from Point A, Seven days run.

We love our world, and all of it’s creatures, from the Dragons in the mountains to the Beasts with nameless features.

South from Point B until Point A is at an angle from Point C.

Raze blinked, staring at the writing on the page. Is it referring to a specific point on the globe? He thought, turning around and staring at the globe curiously. He took several steps towards the globe and followed the obvious directions on the globe, putting the claws on his prosthetic hoof on the specified points on the globe. I think that’s right. Raze thought, looking at the indentations of his claws on the globe’s surface. What’s it mean though? Raze thought, staring at the globe before looking at the surface of the globe curiously. “What’s this?” Raze thought, looking at the globe and seeing a faint indentation on its surface. He tapped the indentation, hearing a small tinkling sound from the other side of the globe’s surface and nodded. I see... Those were the clues on the globe for something on the inside. Clever I guess... Raze thought, running one of his hoof’s claws down a separation between the indentation and the rest of the globe before opening the indentation and revealing a small hatch with a dirty key inside the globe. Hmm... Wonder what this opens? He thought, picking up the key and holding it in his prosthetic hoof. 1st Floor Art Room Key huh? He said mentally, reading the label on the chain that it was attached to. There wasn’t an Art Room downstairs was there? He thought, closing his eyes and mentally retracing his steps. Unless that pony was guarding the Art Room, and was in the middle of taking care of business when I came on it... Raze thought, shuddering a little. He shook his head and put the key on the chain. Raze looked around the classroom a second time and sighed. He wanted to say something, but decided against it and walked to the door and out into the hall.

Raze ignored the heat of the hall as he stepped inside. Raze turned to his left and looked down the hall and felt that he wasn’t supposed to head down that way. He immediately did an about face, meeting another door along the wall of the intersecting hallway. Raze walked to the door, grabbing the doorknob and giving it a twist as it opened just as easily as the last one. He couldn’t see anything wrong with the inside, only seeing that it looked like a normal classroom like the others in the building, and as Raze stepped inside he turned as he heard another giggle from one of the foals that was inside the building. Raze took a step towards the foal, watching as it turned in his direction and smiled before turning around and running through the wall. Raze groaned, looking to where the foal disappeared and shook his head. Figures that would happen. Raze thought before walking over to the spot where the foal disappeared. After finding nothing that would have been of any interest to him, Raze eventually left the classroom and closed the door.

The trip back to the safe went a lot shorter than how Raze actually felt it went as he stepped back into the relatively cool room. He approached the safe carefully, keeping his guard incase any more ponies were to show up in an ambush. After stopping and feeling that the room was relatively secure, Raze pulled the four cards out from the bag on his belt and looked at the keypad. Okay, so the answer to this passcode must be A, V, G, and S for averages. Raze thought; punching in the code and pressing enter on the keypad. After hearing a friendly click sound from the inside of the safe, Raze watched as the latch twisted on its own to open the safe door in front of him. He looked inside, spotting a small key on the bottom shelf of the safe and grabbed it with his prosthetic hoof. He looked it over, reading the small inscription that read, “Toolbox Key,” and nodded, attaching it to the keychain on his belt. I haven’t seen any toolboxes around here yet though... Maybe I will. Raze thought, cracking his neck slightly. In any case, there is that other key that I just got. And there’s only that one locked door on the first floor... Raze thought, looking back at the safe before closing it. Well, let’s check it out. He thought calmly, walking towards the door and opening it.

----

The trip back downstairs was surprisingly a quiet one, too quiet if you asked Raze. But no matter how many times he checked his radio, it didn’t make any sounds at all. Raze made it back down to the first floor and passed the bathrooms quickly as the smell was really unpleasant, before stopping at the door to one of the only rooms that he hadn’t explored. Raze reached for the key to the door, feeling an unnatural chill down his spine as he looked up and saw the hole where the pony’s scythe was earlier. Raze tried to shake himself back into his senses and reached for the key hole with the key. Without a second’s hesitation, Raze slid the key into the hole and heard a satisfying click as he turned the knob. Raze then withdrew the key from the hole as he took a couple of steps into the room, recoiling a little as the smell of blood hung in the air and emanated from a huge puddle in the center of the classroom.

What in Equestria... Raze thought, looking at the puddle as it seemed to take up most of his attention in the classroom. He could see that splinters of desks were what was left of the class, some floating in the puddle of blood while others were embedded into the walls and bookshelves, and any other thing that could have been hit by what seemed to be an explosion. Raze looked around, the puddle leaving his attention as more and more of the gruesome scene assaulted his eyes. Several shelves that would have held art supplies were reduced to nothing more than a gruesome form of psychotic torture device; several mangled body parts were left hanging and dangling on the edges of some of these shelves. He could also see that there was blood not only on the floor, but on anything that would make a psychological Neighponesian Nann-ga seem like a fairy tail. Raze nearly lost his lunch, seeing feathers and scraps of skin dot the room every which-a-way.

There were a couple of things that Raze could tell from the scene right away. The mess that he was quite literally standing in couldn’t have been made just from killing one pony. Raze had quite the number of encounters with having to, “Deal,” with psychotic ponies that threatened the public safety of the citizens of Manehatten, so he didn’t have too much of a problem to know how many versus how many. The particular spot that Raze stood on however seemed to have less blood than the whole rest of the room combined, though it wasn’t saying anything at all; in fact it was really only proving the fact that whoever did this was particularly skilled in combat. This doesn’t bode well... But one pony couldn’t have done all of this. There has to be enough blood in here to account for at least eight or nine ponies all together! Raze thought, surveying the scene. And it does seem like that they all tried to stay to the other side of the room, though really I don’t know how that would have helped based on the carnage.

Cringing a little, Raze took a step forward and saw the remains of a hoof lying across a piece of blood-soaked paper. He moved the hoof off of the paper and grabbed it with his prosthetic hoof, watching it as it threatened to fall apart in his claws. He could barely make out what most of it said, but could see that one sentence was still legible. It read:

...Our team leader in this place has been taken down by that thing, but the last thing said that the cards from the safe were a form of a short hand word...

That would have helped earlier... Raze thought, looking over the page again and letting go of it. He watched it calmly drop back into the puddle of blood and continued to look around, his curiosity of the aftermath getting the better of him. He checked the room, and stopped on the only thing besides the door that looked completely untouched: An all black, wardrobe sized bookcase. He walked quickly over to it, hearing a light splash as his hooves stepped into and through the puddle. It didn’t look any different than the ones he was used to seeing in hotels and in rich ponies places when he was on other assignments; but he felt that there was something else to the wardrobe that met the eye. He opened the wardrobe and found nothing that would come out to have him for lunch, but something caught his eye.

Down at the base of the wardrobe, where its bottom touched the floor were a set of four nuts that were attached to four bolts that appeared to be holding it down. Raze made a grab at it with the claws on his hoof, but was unable to move the nuts at all. He snorted, making a second attempt to move the nuts and grumbled as they didn’t move an inch. Well it seems like I’m going to need a wrench or something... Damn, I haven’t found one yet. Raze thought as he stared at the nuts that seemed to taunt him.

Just then a loud and very noisy crash came up from the floor above Raze. He looked up after jumping, staring at the ceiling calmly. Something must’ve broken through the upper floor... Raze thought, turning back to the nuts at the bottom of the wardrobe. Hopefully there’s something up there that I can use... Otherwise I’ll be stuck here on this for a good long while. He thought, before turning to go. Let’s just hope that I’m right, and not a foal on this... He thought, walking back to the door he came from and opening it.

----

Just like his trip back downstairs, Raze’s trip upstairs was quite literally uneventful. There weren’t any dangerous ponies trying to show up on the Radio, and there wasn’t anything really for him to examine a little closer as he had already gone through most of the Second Floor.

Raze rounded the corner on his right and continued to head to the room that was directly above the one downstairs. He felt a little nervous, doing another wipe from the sweat on his brow and heading towards door to the empty room. There’s something weird going on around here... And I don’t like it. Raze thought, walking into the room and looking around. Unlike the last time he was inside, there was a small pile of rubble that led to a ladder that led upwards. The classroom itself was covered in dust, and Raze could see that everything behind the teacher’s desk was virtually left untouched.

Well, this is a new development... Raze thought, walking over to the ladder and looking up into the floor above. He didn’t hear anything from the Radio that would warn him from any sort of dangerous pony that was around, and the ladder really wasn’t going to climb itself in his mind, so Raze grabbed hold of one of the steps and began to climb.

That was surprisingly easier than I thought it would be. Raze thought, climbing off of the ladder into what appeared to be a small choir room. He looked around seeing that it didn’t resemble a choir room all too much, several regular school desks were where seats for the choir would sit, and several chairs looked like they had been taken apart all together. The teacher’s desk had been flipped over it’s end, as the rest of the room was covered in trampled school supplies by something that wanted to get out of there.

Raze took a deep breath, walking towards the only door in the choir room and opened it, feeling a rush of even hotter air blast him in the face. Raze immediately shut the door and shook his head, taking a couple of breaths of the cooler air and shuddered. Man... Is there a dragon in the building up here or something? Raze thought, letting go of the door and shaking his head. I can’t go out there, I could get killed! He thought angrily, kicking some of the supplies to one of the music rooms walls and watching it hit a piece of paper. Raze opened the door and was met with another angry blast of hot air before shutting it again. He then turned back to the music room and groaned. There wasn’t anything back down stairs that could solve his heat dilemma, and this was the only floor in the building that he hadn’t explored yet.

Raze looked through what he had on him, checking everything until he stopped at the Health Drink bottle Labels which read:

Tired of feeling unhealthy, miserable, and just too weak to stand up for yourself? Are you trying to beat the heat, but can’t find anything that can cool you down fast enough?

Well then dear survivor have we got the new hot product for you! Introducing the new Sub-Zero Flavors to the Health Drink Family!

Use them for Parties, Adventuring, Yard-work, and Anything that could involve strenuous hours of activity!

Cheap imitations will claim to give you the boost you need to get you through the day, but not us. We know that you’ll be exhausted, and need that extra boost to get you through even the hottest of temperatures.

We guarantee that you will be safe in extremely hot climates, that we’ve tested them in Volcanic Climates! Now that’s hot!

And if you think that we’ve forgotten about the quality of products to push this new innovation out onto the masses, you are sadly mistaken. We still keep the same quality control on these as we do all our products!

Now come on, what are you waiting for? You’ll have all of the energy you need, plus all of the refreshing taste of an ice-cold beverage when you drink Health Drink Sub-Zero! Now Available in Strawberry and Blueberry Flavors!

Raze looked at the bottle then looked to the door. The other bottle was still opened and almost gone from the last encounters of those ponies that wandered the schools halls, but he was really going to need to explore the hallways of this floor. I guess that I have no other choice. He thought, opening the bottle with his prosthetic hoof. After getting an extremely minty smell from the bottle, Raze took a swig from it and somehow managed to swallow without spitting it back up.

If the other bottle of the health drink was too chalky, this bottle was way too minty. It drinks like someone put toothpaste and mixed it with table mints and a bunch of strawberries... Raze thought, closing the cap on the bottle and shuddering. Almost instantly he could feel that his body was getting significantly colder, and felt like he was actually walking in a regular conditioned room as opposed to a malfunctioning sauna. Raze then walked back over to the door and opened it, feeling the blast of hot air wash over him like it was a refreshing breeze. Well, the stuff works at least. He thought, stepping outside.

The hallways were in a worse condition in the third floor than the second or first floors. Raze could see that there were several holes in the walls, and that said walls appeared to be covered in soot. Raze saw that there were several doors around the area, all of which were locked or jammed in some way, and immediately walked into the main hall. The main hall was in just as bad a shape as the hallway that he had came in from. He could even see the insides of several classrooms and the fate that they shared with the halls outside. Raze could see that there were several things that were stuck into the wall, like pencils and rulers and anything that had a sharp enough edge, daring him to come anywhere near some of the classrooms that were in front of him. The doors that Raze could go near were completely shut, like every other door that he figured he wasn’t allowed into, and refused to budge open no matter what he tried to do to the door. Aww heck, I don’t have time for this. Raze thought after failing to open one of the four doors that stood in his way. The toolbox probably wouldn’t be in there. He thought, turning away from the doors and continuing on down the hall.

Raze stopped when he got to the only intersection in the hall that he assumed led to what was left of the stairs. He could see that the set of stairs that was closest to him was missing, and immediately thought of the rubble that blocked his way up here. Well imagine that... This place is liable to fall apart at any minute... He thought looking closer and seeing that they had appeared to be in a declining state of repair even before he had gotten there, and saw only splinters of some of the supports in the casing itself.

As Raze was looking at the set of stairs, he could feel a pair of eyes staring at him from behind. He turned, and immediately drew his claymore at the sight of the black cloaked pony from downstairs staring at him from behind a metal barred fence. The pony’s scythe rested on its shoulder casually, and Raze noticed that it along with the pony’s metal boots were stained with fresh blood. Raze could see that an all black horn was poised to activate and swing the scythe right then and there, but he could see that the pony was just staring at him curiously. He couldn’t tell that there was too much going on with the pony; the blood red eyes just seemed completely lifeless.

They both stood on opposing sides of the fence for a good couple of minutes until the pony’s horn began to flare up. Here it comes... Raze thought, watching as a dark purple aura began to surround the pony’s horn and its scythe. Raze couldn’t believe his eyes however as the pony turned around, wrapping one of its hooves around the body of the scythe and began to drag it away. He could see the grey tail swish calmly few times as it and the pony it was attached to disappear into the darkness of the intersecting hall. Raze waited for a few moments, continuing to hear the loud grinding of the metal against the tile floor and shook his head. Okay... What was all that about? He thought, carefully sheathing his claymore and looking out into the direction of the armored pony. Why didn’t it attack? Was it because of the fence in the way? Raze asked mentally before shaking his head. No, that blade could have cut through those metal bars with no problem, especially with magic backing the swing of the scythe. He thought, walking over to the metal bars and looking them over and seeing that they were less than an inch thick. Raze turned away from the fence and shuddered, feeling that this also wasn’t the place for him to fight that pony. It must be waiting for an appropriate moment. Otherwise that would have been the second time that I could have been killed in here. He thought before moving on.

The left side of the third floor wasn’t in any better condition than that of the right side. One might have even gone so far as to say that they were in a worse condition than what might have happened on the other side of the school, all of the holes in the walls were in a much larger spread than what was on the opposite side of the school. A huge puddle of what Raze assumed was water leaked out from underneath the door on his right, and just like the others it too was locked shut. Raze came to the end of the hall after a few moments of walking through the puddle and feeling the heat of the floor coming back to him. He turned to the only door that was left on the main hall and walked towards it quickly, grabbing the doorknob and twisting it as he felt the temperature start to skyrocket. He felt a little relief as the doorknob easily turned opened, and stepped forward, feeling that the room inside was significantly cooler if not the coolest room on this floor.

It was simple, looking more like an average Janitor’s closet than anything else, and had a slight white wash underneath all of the age and damage that seemed to go with everything else on the third floor. Raze looked around, seeing a bright red toolbox that was well beyond familiar to him, and walked over to it. This looks like the box that Morning Dew had... He thought as the memory came to him.

----

-Eight Years ago-

“Oh wow Morning Dew! That looks really amazing!” Little Raze said, looking at a bright red toolbox that looked to be almost as big as he was. He and Twilight were standing with the unicorn at the most secure place that they could find, the janitor’s closet where Morning Dew supposedly was getting his tools for his magical science project.

“Not really... It’s just a few broken things that my dad doesn’t use when he’s off on weekends.” Morning Dew answered, grabbing a smaller wrench with his mouth and setting it in his school bag. “Because of what you were doing for me Raising Shadows, My dad let me use his tools for the science project.” He said half-heartedly.

“That’s great news!” Twilight said happily, looking at Morning Dew as he looked away. “Morning Dew?” She asked, looking at him closely. “What’s wrong?”

The little unicorn shook his head, looking away from Little Raze and Twilight. Little Raze put his hoof on Morning Dew and smiled, watching the unicorn look at them both. “It’s because of me isn’t it?” Little Raze asked, watching Morning Dew closely.

“Why?” Morning Dew asked, shuddering a little.

“Why what?” Twilight asked, watching Morning Dew tremble.

“Why do you have care so much Raising Shadows?” Morning Dew asked with a whimper. “Nopony’s ever been so nice to me, nopony’s stood up for me before so why did you do it today?” He asked turning to Little Raze, who smiled.

“I care because if I don’t, who will?” Little Raze answered, smiling at Morning Dew. “I saw that you needed help, and I didn’t want to see you get picked on. And if that makes you smile, that’s all I need to keep up with those bullies.” He said, watching Twilight and Morning Dew closely. “Besides, its something that momma would be proud of me for if she found out. But that makes me feel even better even if I don’t tell anypony, especially if you get into any trouble.” He answered, moving some of his mane out of his face and showing that his right eye had significantly healed but was still bruised.

“You know that this can’t be kept up forever.” Morning Dew said quietly.

“And?” Little Raze asked. “I don’t care if it can’t be kept up forever; I’m still going to do it anyways.” He said proudly. Everypony heard a gentle knock on the door and turned as the door opened and revealed Twilight’s older cousin Sparkler.

“What are you foals doing in here?” Sparkler asked, giving them all a stern look.

“We were just helping Morning Dew get some tools for his Science Project.” Twilight answered, watching her older cousin nod. “I’m being honest.” She said, watching her cousin nod again.

After a few seconds she smiled and nodded. “All right, well you need to get outside. Recess is half over, and it isn’t good nor is it safe for you all to be in here.” Sparkler commanded, watching as the three foals nodded before grabbing a few more tools before heading out of the closet. Sparkler planted one of her hooves in Little Raze’s way, watching him stop before looking down at him.

“Is there something that you wanted Sparkler?” Little Raze asked looking up at the unicorn, who nodded calmly.

“Yes actually.” She answered, watching Little Raze remain quiet. “I’m glad that you and my cousin Twilight are friends, its really good to see that somepony is interested in the things that she likes too.” She said.

“Uh Sparkler, you sound like one of the adults.” Little Raze said calmly, watching Sparkler chuckle a little.

“Oh, well I’m sorry.” Sparkler said, watching out of the corner of her eye as Morning Dew and her cousin stood waiting for Little Raze at the top of the stairs. “Anyways, I’m counting on you to protect her. I’m not going to be around all the time for her, and I want you to promise me that she’ll be in safe hooves.”

Little Raze looked up at Sparkler and tilted his head to the side slightly. “What, are you going away somewhere Sparkler?” He asked

“Promise me Raising Shadows.” Sparkler said firmly, but gently looking down on the sea foam green pegasus. “You have to promise me that she’ll be fine.” She said, watching Little Raze nod.

“Sure Sparkler, but why do you want me to promise you to protect Twilight?” Little Raze asked.

Sparkler remained silent, smiling at the Little Pegasus gently. After a few moments of silence she turned away from him. “Thanks Raising Shadows...” She said quietly. She then turned back to him and grinned. “Now why don’t you go out and play, it’s a nice day to be outside with your friends right?”

----

The memory seemed to hit home for Raze. As he sat in the closet and stared at the toolbox, his senses came back to him slowly and reminded him of why he was there in the first place. He walked over to the toolbox, pulling the key from the key ring on his belt and unlocking the lock on the box. He stopped, staring at a small claw wrench in the bottom of the toolbox. Without a second thought, Raze grabbed the wrench and smiled as he stared at the inside of the now empty toolbox. Heh, that was easy. Raze thought, grabbing the bottle of the Health Drink Sub-Zero and opening. After taking a swig and putting the bottle away, Raze opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

Raze headed down the hallway directly in front of him, in his mind he was doing a mental cover of the entire third floor before heading back down stairs, and checked the two doors that were down the hall. It figures. Raze thought, as he tested the one closest to the corner and found it to be jammed shut. He immediately went down to the end of the hall and tested the door there and got the same result before stamping his prosthetic hoof. Well that’s bogus. Raze thought, turning around and heading back to the main hall.

----

The trip back to the first floor was almost as smooth as his trip back down the first time. He almost slipped on the ladder before catching himself quickly and getting to the floor faster than what he thought was possible. Raze had also went down the wrong hallway on the second floor, and saw the real door to the classroom with the desk puzzle that he had solved earlier. He still had to go through the rotten smelling cloud that seemed to now fill out the area that surrounded the bathrooms, and ran through it as fast as he possibly could and into the room with the huge puddle of blood.

Raze stared at the wardrobe at the back of the classroom, seeing the bolts still fastened to its bottom as he approached it. Raze pulled out the wrench from his bag and began working on unfastening the nut from the bolt. After at least a full minute of grunting against the nut, Raze could feel the nut move slowly, but surely, off of the bolt. He worked at it for another few seconds, feeling the nut getting progressively looser as he worked at it. After close to two minutes of working at the first bolt, Raze began to undo the nut from the bolt with the claws on his prosthetic hoof before pulling the bolt out of the slot.

Raze continued the process for several minutes, undoing each of the bolts in sequence until he had gotten the last one freed. After putting the nuts and bolts back into his bag with the wrench and stared at the wardrobe calmly. He could still feel that something was hiding behind it, and that there was obviously something that he needed to see. Raze took a deep breath, walking over to one of the sides of the wardrobe and began to push it away. He stopped slightly, staring as a hole that would have been big enough to fit a pony his size appeared from behind the wardrobe. Raze looked into the hole, seeing that the room inside had nothing in it save a few bits and pieces of garbage that seemed to be left and long forgotten by a foal somewhere.

He returned to pushing the wardrobe out of the way, the gap wasn’t anywhere near wide enough for Raze to crawl into the other room; and after a few grunts and groans the wardrobe was far enough out of the way to where Raze could crawl inside. Well, here goes nothing. Raze said in his mind after taking a breather and taking a step through the hole and into the other room. Using his prosthetic hoof, Raze slid his claymore into a straighter position before taking another step into the room. After managing to get his back hooves through the hole, Raze looked calmly inside and shook his head.

I went through all of that bull crap for an empty room? Raze thought, looking around and seeing the edge of a huge table through a pair of knocked out walls to his right. He walked towards the table, watching as the light from his lantern began to reveal more and more of the table until he saw a tiny golden key and the hardcover spine of what appeared to be a heavily worn-out book. Raze walked closer to the table and picked up the key with his prosthetic hoof. Ponyville Library? Why would the key to the Library in Ponyville be here? Raze thought, looking it over. He put the key on the key ring for later, hoping that she was going to be in the Library with everypony else that was there.

What’s this here now? Raze thought, turning his attention to the book spine that sat alone on the edge of the table. He pulled it closer to himself, seeing that there were several indentations on the surface of the book that formed a sort of ring on it’s cover. Raze could also see that the cover was at one point covered in gold, and appeared to have seen better days. He could barely make out the title which read, “The Legend of the Knightmare. The True History of Equestria Volume One.” Raze opened the spine of the book, looking at the inside of the book as quite literally the whole thing was missing. This seems important, though I don’t really need to carry it with me... Raze thought, closing the spine of the book shut and looking in his bag. He still had plenty of room inside the bag, and there really wasn’t too much in the form of weight for him to be worried about, so Raze stuffed as neatly as he could inside.

Just then Raze lurched forward, a huge blast of pain seared through his forehead. He clutched it tightly with both hooves, letting out a scream as his head began aching even worse than before. He looked around, watching as the room seemed to decay and age faster than anything that he had seen before. Raze staggered backwards, leaning against one of the walls in the room as he continued to clutch his aching head. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the sounds of a horn blaring out a warning sound, but it didn’t matter as the pain in his forehead forced Raze to black out.

----

Raze woke up several moments later, his forehead was still very sore and throbbed as he got up and looked around. What in the hay... Where am I? He thought, taking a look at his surroundings.

The room that he stood in was drastically different in almost every way. He could see through what was left of the ceiling into the floors of the school that were above him, and could see that the sky above had taken on a darker turn. Raze looked around and saw a huge splash of blood thrown across the wall behind him as a pair of chains dangled from the center of said wall. The walls themselves took on a pale fleshy color, which looked yellow that came from the light that was being emanated from some source of light that was far beneath him. The flooring that Raze stood on reminded him of some form of factory, with metal grating that seemed to have seen better days most of the time. He could see pipes that were similar to the ones that he saw while he was in the church, and saw the strange bat-like creatures fighting over some of the valves on those pipes.

That wasn’t the only thing that got his attention though. Almost immediately, Raze opened the Health Drink Sub-Zero and swallowed a good bit of it. The room he stood in before the Health Drink took effect was significantly hotter than anything he could have experienced so far in this place, and Raze wasn’t about to take any chances at all. After feeling that his body had significantly cooled down, Raze could see that the table in the room he was in was still largely in tact. He could see that there was a newspaper article lying next to a very beat-up looking face mask that fire ponies would use in the middle of a rescue during a fire. Let’s see what this says... Raze thought, picking up the newspaper article and reading it.

STORY OF THE LIFETIME! WHEN TRAGEDY STRIKES!

Here in the charred ruins of what was once Canterlot Elementary School, families mourn for the passing of young life.

Two fourth grade foals, whose names will not be disclosed to protect their names by their parents’ request, were among the bodies found in the ruins of what was once the place that some foals called their home away from home.

“The teachers and staff here are wonderful.” Says one Sparkling Wine, a parent whose eight-year old daughter had just entered the third grade, looking on what was once a marvel of unicorn and pegasus engineering. “I had hoped to let all of my foals learn their fundamental magic here. Now I’m just glad that she’s out of that deathtrap safe and sound.”

The fire was reported to have started on Thursday, just before lunch when most of the fourth grade class was in the cafeteria at the back of the school. A fifth grade hall monitor had discovered a fight between two fourth graders and went to break it up when the fire started.

“I was just doing my duty to the school, making sure that nopony would cause any kind of trouble here then boom. I was running from classroom to classroom telling everypony I could that a fire had broken out, and that we needed to get out of there.” Bold Faced, the hall monitor in charge at that time reported to us after getting an okay from his parents. “I didn’t even see it coming. I don’t think any of those foals did. It was like was a volcano that just blew its top or something. And I know that no pegasus pony’s able to start fires. My pa tells me that we can move clouds and start rain and stuff, but nopony’s been able to start a fire that weren’t a unicorn.”

The pony that is accused of starting the blaze, one Raising Shadows, is the Princess’s adopted son, and was found in the epicenter of the fire. While we did try to question both the Princess and Raising Shadows himself, we were unable to speak with either of them due to the Guards that were on duty.

One of the few foals that managed to survive the blaze, Morning Dew, had this to say in Raising Shadows’ defense, “He didn’t mean to. Raising Shadows did what he did to protect me. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a hero in my book.”

“Hero? Murderer? A ten-year old pegasus with obviously no control over his own actions and powers is what Raising Shadows is.” Morning Dew’s father, Onslaught, tells us. “That boy’s been a bad influence on my son ever since they met. I don’t care if he’s the adopted son of the Princess; no son of mine’s going to be a weak-hearted pansy.”

While some parents share Onslaught’s sentiments, several ponies feel differently about the situation.

“He was doing the right thing. Morning Dew needed somepony to be a friend and help him when he needed it.” Mrs. Twinkle, the mother of one of Raising Shadows’ friends Twilight Sparkle, and aunt of one of the deceased foals explained to us during a candle light vigil. “From what Twilight told us, Raising Shadows is more of a pony than any of us put together. It’s no wonder why the Princess took him in.”

While Raising Shadows is still under the legal age to be placed in juvenile hall, local law enforcement has told us that he will be removed from the school system and will be given an examination of his mental stability. Reports say that the pegasus has been forbidden to leave Canterlot Castle, and only time can tell when he will be allowed to return.

Several tears formed in Raze’s eyes as he finished reading the newspaper article. He had heard that Morning Dew had to be hospitalized and put under close watch in the intensive care unit for several weeks due to the extreme burns that he had suffered through Raze’s power. He had also not seen the Princess so angry, and remembered that there were times when he just needed her to hold him and to tell him that it would be okay.

Raze heard a quiet sizzle from the floor as his tears struck the ground. Gotta stay focused here... He thought, stowing the article away in his pocket. Raze turned to the face mask and picked it up, looking it over closely. He nodded, seeing a peculiar set of white runes on the inside of the mask that he couldn’t read but had an idea of what they meant, and put it on, taking several breaths of air and feeling his body cool down. Hmm... It seems to me that I’ve actually found my own air-conditioner. That’s pretty cool. He thought, taking another deep breath. He looked around the room a second time, seeing a door directly across from him and nodded, walking around the table and towards it. He grabbed the door handle, testing it and checking to see if it wasn’t locked, and smiled a little as it turned easily. He then quickly opened the door and proceeded to the room beyond.

The room that Raze stepped into had the same design as the Secretary’s room for the Principal’s office, but everything that was in there was completely missing. Instead Raze could see that the walls of the room were also colored in such a way that made them look like flesh instead of ordinary walls. Raze looked around the room and saw that there were pieces of what appeared to be the ponies that Raze seemed to encounter the most, scattered all over the place like somepony else’s waste. On the wall across from him Raze could see that somepony had something to say as a sentence appeared to be painted in blood on its surface. It read:

To seek the way forward, thou shalt find the key to the gate. God watches those lost on the tides of despair, and guides them back to the seas of hope with his grace.

Raze blinked, staring at the cryptic clue ahead of him. There’s some ways to say things, and there’s other ways. He thought, looking at the sentence ahead of him. This would fall under the category of being those other ways. Raze thought, turning to the other door in the room. Looks like that’s going to be my only way out of this room here. Raze thought, walking to the door and grabbing the handle with his prosthetic hoof. After it too opened, Raze stepped out into the hall and gasped at what he found.

Raze blinked, staring at what appeared to be a wall of pulsating flesh. He could see that there were several veins that went from the top of the hall, all the way to the bottom of the hall in a fashion that was similar to a river. Raze could also smell something through the mask that appeared to be a cross between rotten eggs and a lot of gunpowder. He choked a little, taking a deep breath and exhaling as he breathed in a little purified air. He could also see that, even though there was a need for his lantern, it wasn’t as great as it was before as the light from down below was plenty good enough to see at least around his general area.

He walked over to the wall and put his real hoof onto its surface. Whoa, this actually feels like it’s alive. Raze thought, setting the hoof down and looking around. The area he was in seemed to be familiar, and he knew that there was a door about right where he stood but as he looked up and down the wall, there was none to be found. Great, now I’ve got to watch out for doors that really aren’t there too? He thought, pulling out his map. He looked it over, watching as it read, “Canterlot Elementary School 1st Floor,” like it did the first time but in red letters instead of black. Raze looked up from his map to the solid wall, shaking his head as the door that was depicted on the map was still nowhere to be found. Great, I can’t even rely on my damn map. This is just bucking perfect. He thought, turning away from the wall in frustration. After stowing it away, he headed further down.

After finding another instance of a wall where his map said that a door should have been, Raze did an about face and walked past the door he had entered the hallway from. He could hear his radio flare up with a little bit of static as he approached an intersection of the hall, but as he continued onward, Raze could hear that it had fallen silent again.

As he had gotten to the other side of the intersection, Raze could feel that his entire body began to get significantly hotter again and that the mask had significantly seemed to wear off its effects. He immediately began to search the hall and found an all metal door that appeared to be carved into the fleshy wall and quickly walked over to it, grabbing the door handle and walking inside.

As Raze stepped into the following room, he could see that the tile floor had somehow managed to keep up through the session of decay of the rest of the building and that it was significantly darker due to that effect. He could also feel that the temperature of the room was also significantly cooler than what was outside as he could feel that it was at least livable in consideration of the room temperature.

The room itself was a drastic change from the classrooms that Raze had encountered previously. He could see a huge, dark brown table sitting in the center of the room with the Seal of the Three Times drawn in the center and like the room he woke up in, he could see foal-sized chains that lined the classroom’s walls. Raze stepped forward, watching as the light from his lantern immediately shined on a key that was on the farthest end of the table, but that wasn’t what got Raze’s attention.

Just barely above the top of the table Raze could see a pale pink mane tremble and quiver in what he assumed was fear. Raze immediately removed the face mask, thinking that it might scare the source of the mane off, and approached cautiously against his inner sense of danger. “Hello?” Raze asked, looking in the mane’s direction. “Is somepony there?”

There was silence as Raze continued to approach, nothing made a sound except for Raze’s hooves hitting the tile floor. “Hello? Are you hurt?” He asked, getting no response at all. All right, Raze thought, getting about halfway across the room before stopping. This is getting me nowhere. I didn’t think that there would be another pony here in this hell-hole, but once again this place begs to differ.

“Stay back...” A quiet voice said on the other side of the table. Raze nearly did a double take on how young the voice was as it almost sounded like the owner wasn’t older than eleven.

“Excuse me?” Raze asked. “I’m not going to hurt you, why did you just tell me to stay back?” He watched the mane as it bobbed from side to side before hearing another whimper from the voice.

“I want my mommy...” The voice whined, which caused Raze to feel an extreme pang of guilt. “The nice stallion said that if I went with him, my mommy could come back...” It said through a fit of sniffles. “But it all hurts now, they kick me and hit me and call me names, but I just want my mommy...”

“What nice stallion?” Raze asked, taking another step forward and continuing to hear the voice sniffle.

“The nice stallion Angelus...” The voice answered. “He told me that if I followed him, my mommy could come back...” The voice stopped, and Raze could hear a shuffling of hooves from the floor. As he listened, he couldn’t hear the sounds of somepony walking on the floor. Instead he could hear the sounds of a sort of grinding shuffle, and immediately jumped on his guard as the owner of the voice slowly walked around the table to face Raze.

The sight of the creature that Raze beheld was almost unbelievable. He could see that the foal was at one point a unicorn, only though it was now without its horn and had the Seal of the Three Times in its place. One of its front hooves was completely missing, appearing to have been torn or slashed off by something extremely sharp. He could also see that on the other hoof was a smaller blade that looked more like a heavily bloodied axe than anything else. The mane of the creature was extremely disheveled, covering most of the scars that it bore, and Raze could see that one of its ears was missing. The creature’s flank was also heavily scarred, which almost appeared to Raze that it wouldn’t ever be able to reveal its special talent to the poor thing.

Raze took several steps backwards as the creature advanced, his conscience getting the better of him, and backed off in front of the door. His radio began to blare loudly with static as he continued to fall back. That bastard... Raze thought angrily, trying to keep a straight face as the creature continued its advance. Using foals as a part of his plan? What the buck is that son-of-a... Never mind, I have to stay focused here. It’s just another monster right? He thought, drawing his claymore. From where the creature easily stood, Raze could run the blade through its body with out it coming anywhere near him. But something held him back as the creature continued its advance.

“I don’t want to be alone any more...” The foal pleaded, continuing to advance well into Raze’s weapon’s effective range. “I just want to be with my mommy... My friends do too...” It said, remaining unflinching as Raze’s Radio speaker exploded with static.

Raze looked out from the corner of his eye and saw that several more foals began to slowly appear from some of the gaps that were in the walls that were behind him. He dodged, narrowly avoiding a brutal swipe from a dark blue foal and continued to remain on his guard. He counted at least eight of the foals, and nervously held his ground closely to the table and glared at them all as they continued their slow advance, saying that they, “Wanted to see their mommy,” and that they, “Just wanted to be loved,” all the while continuing their advance on him.

Damn... I can’t attack these things! Raze thought, finding himself backed into a corner. It doesn’t matter if they’re monsters now, they were once foals and I can’t kill a foal.

Raze blocked a hit swung by one of the creatures that had formed up on his right and pushed it away. He quickly went to block another attack, throwing another foal off with ease as they continued to close their semi-circle on him. Raze took several steps backwards trying to think of something, anything to keep him from fighting back but nothing came to him. He was going to have to do it.

I didn’t want for it to be this way... He thought, closing his eyes somberly. In one quick move, without thinking at all, Raze swung his claymore with impressive speed and felt the blade sink into and through the necks of the eight foals that almost did nothing to prevent the attack from happening. He turned his head, looking away from the carnage as he dropped his claymore from his prosthetic hoof and began breathing hard.

----

Ten Years Ago

“Ease up on your grip!” One of the Soldiers to the Princess’s Army, True Strike, said in a commanding, but gentle manner. “If you grip too hard on your sword, you won’t be able to feel the flow of blade rushing through the air.”

“I’m trying Commander True Strike, but these helmets are too weird.” Little Raze moaned, his face covered in a copy of one of the smallest guard helmets available. “It still doesn’t fit right. And why can’t I hold the sword with my mouth? It’s the same as holding it with magic isn’t it?” He asked.

The Commander shook his head, removing his helmet to reveal the face of a battle-hardened steel gray pegasus with a blue mane and black eyes. “Silly Filly, if you hold the sword with your mouth, how are you going to talk to your friends? And how is anypony going to understand what you’re saying if there’s a hilt stuck in your mouth.” True Strike said, giving a warm smile to the sea foam green pegasus. “Plus we don’t use our mouths out of respect to our weapons.”

“Respect to our weapons?” Little Raze asked as another soldier walked up to him and helped the colt remove his helmet.

“Yes, just like respecting everypony and every living thing on Equestria, we must respect the weapons that protect our lives.” Commander True Strike explained. “If we treat our weapons the way that we ourselves would want to be treated, then they would provide us with the means necessary to come back home from the battlefield.” He smiled as Little Raze made an, “o,” with his mouth and stared at a little wooden sword that was lying next to him. “I’ll explain more of this when you’re older.” The Commander added, watching Little Raze grab the sword with both hooves before it slipped out of them.

“Well it seems silly to me.” He said, trying to pick up the sword again and dropping it again.

“Well, you’ll learn to understand it when you’re older.” Commander True Strike said calmly before walking over to him. Little Raze looked up, seeing the Commander tower over him and immediately stopped trying to pick up the sword and began to pay attention. “Holodwyn, there’s something I need you to promise me.”

Little Raze opened his mouth, nopony except Princess Celestia called him by his real name. They all just referred to him by his mane that she had specifically picked out for him. “Yes Commander?” He asked quietly.

“I need you to promise me that you will never use the sword on any innocent for what ever reason.” Commander True Strike said, being as gentle as he could. He could see that the foal was trying to understand what he had just said and smiled.

“Why would I wanna do that?” Little Raze asked, staring at the Commander innocently.

Commander True Strike chuckled a little before getting serious. “Because, there are times in your life that will make you want to use the sword on somepony so much that it could seriously hurt or even kill them.” He explained. “I want you to promise me that no matter what anypony says, be it me or some other pony that makes you go down that road, you will not use the sword unless you absolutely have to. And that you will not use it on any of your fellow ponies.”

Little Raze remained quiet for a few moments before getting up on his hooves and putting one of them over his heart. “I swear that I will keep my promise to you no matter what!” He said, seeing Commander True Strike smile.

“All right then, let’s get you cleaned up. You don’t want to be smelling like you just came from here when your with your mother right?” Commander True Strike said, smiling as the little foal nodded and grabbed the sword before scampering off. Commander True Strike then turned to the few soldiers who were out in the practice field and cleared his throat. “The same goes for you meat bags! If I catch you breaking this promise, I will personally see to it that you are sent to the dungeons of Canterlot for as long as its physically possible! Do I make myself clear?” He roared.

“SIR, YES SIR!” The other ponies shouted as they jumped.

----

The room was deathly quiet as Raze turned to the carnage. There’s no way any pony could justify this... Raze thought, staring at the bodies of what were once eight foals that were misled by Angelus. Even Nightmare Moon wouldn’t be able to find a reason to force eight foals to be treated this way... Raze sighed, picking up his claymore apprehensively before cleaning the blood off with his jacket. This is just... Beyond what a pony is capable of. He sheathed his claymore and stared at the foal’s bodies quietly. He turned away from the bodies after a moment longer, unable to look at their broken forms, and headed to the key on the table. After picking it up and putting it on the Key Ring on his belt, Raze turned back to the foals and shook his head. Commander True Strike... I’m sorry, but this is one injustice that will keep me from my promise to you. Raze thought, heading to the door that was across from their bodies.

Raze pulled the face mask from his bag and looked at it before opening the door. The runes that were on the face mask had changed from white to black. He remained calm for a few seconds, thinking about what it meant and nodded after seeing that the runes seemed to look like Sub-Zero. He placed the mask back into his bag and grabbed the bottle of the Health Drink Sub-Zero before taking another swig. After replacing it and grabbing the mask, Raze could see that it had changed back to its original white color as the Health Drink Sub-Zero began to take effect. I thought so. Raze thought, putting the face mask back on before turning back to the bodies of the foals from earlier. I’m sorry... I hope that all of you find your parents soon, in a better place than here... He thought, another guilty tear slipping from one of his eyes and onto the floor. He turned back to the door and opened it, walking back into the hall quietly.

Raze did his best to return his attention back to the matter at hand, and quietly walked further down the hall, stopping as another flesh colored wall ended his progress forward. Raze turned to his left, finding another door just like the last door he entered, and walked towards it. He reached out and opened it, finding another room that was similar to the classroom only smaller. He could see that there was another bottle of the Health Drink Sub-Zero on the opposing side of the table, but approached it cautiously in case there were more of the foals from earlier.

After grabbing the bottle and looking around, Raze waited silently for a few moments before placing the bottle of the Health Drink Sub-Zero in the remaining spot on his belt. He turned to leave the room, stopping as he thought he heard the sounds of a foal crying somewhere, and nervously shrugged it off before returning to the hall.

Raze followed the hallway back down to the intersection, and turned to face it. Light seemed to emanate from deeper down the hall, but it wasn’t the warm or friendly kind. He could also feel that the heat was extreme even as he stood on the furthest end of the hall, but could also feel that something was off with the hall on its own. Raze stepped out of the intersection, feeling the temperature change significantly, and turned around to find another door behind him.

Unlike the other doors that Raze had previously encountered, the door that Raze stood in front of was a bright emerald green. He could see that there was a slot for a hard-bound book in the middle of the door, and that a set of six depressions surrounded the book slot. Raze stared at the door curiously before blinking a little. This wasn’t here when I first walked past here... Raze thought before digging around in his bag before pulling out the hard bound book spine. Raze placed the spine of the book into the slot and stepped back. The metallic flooring beneath Raze’s hooves began to tremble and shake as the door began dissolving around the book spine until there was nothing left but the book spine.

Raze picked the book spine up, seeing that it had taken on the colors of the door. He could also see that the spots on the spine where the gold was missing had been fixed, and it almost looked brand new. Raze then felt a refreshing breeze that was completely unnatural for the area and looked up from the book spine, finding what appeared to be an all dark room in front of him. What in the hay is this? Raze thought mentally, walking into the room and looking around.

The room that Raze stepped in was completely pitch-black. He could see what was in his general vicinity, but Raze was unable to get any detail from the room that he currently stood in. Raze immediately jumped and turned on his heel, staring as the door that had dissolved had reappeared as though nothing had happened. The room then began to tremble and shake violently, forcing Raze to turn back around and watch as a handful of pages that rested on a pedestal rose from underneath the floor on the opposite side of the room. After a few minutes, Raze could see that the only light that wasn’t his own was a light that seemed to emanate from the floor around the pedestal.

“YOU WHO SEEK KNOWLEDGE! PRESENT THYSELF AND BE COUNTED!” A loud and booming voice echoed throughout the room, making it feel larger than it already was. Raze hesitated, looking around the room for the voice’s source and jumped as the voice said, “COME NOW, THOU WHO WISHES TO SEEK THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST PRESENT THYSELF AND BE COUNTED!”

Raze shuddered. After staring at the pedestal for a few moments, and letting the ringing in his ears subside, he calmly took a deep breath before beginning to speak. “I am the Supernatural Bounty Hunter Raising Shadows.” Raze said calmly into the darkness.

The room was deathly silent as the only thing that Raze heard was the sound of his own breath. He could feel the room tremble and shake, and stopped as sections of the floor gave way in front of him until it revealed an all white path leading to the pedestal in the middle of the room. Raze could see an unnatural golden glow echo from beneath the path before him that also reflected its light onto the stone that held up the pedestal.

“SO... A SELL-SWORD SEEKS THE TRUE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PAST...” The voice boomed, causing Raze to jump a little. “SO BE IT. TO OBTAIN THE TRUEST TREASURE OF EQUESTRIAN LORE, THOU MUST BE READY TO MAKE A SACRIFICE OF THINE OWN. LEAVE THINE PAINS OF THE SOUL BEHIND SELL-SWORD, AND ADVANCE.” The voice challenged before falling silent.

Raze remained quiet, taking a step towards the pedestal before being stopped by a golden wall of flame. “THE ARTIFACTS OF THIS WORLD. THOU NEEDS NOT BRING THEM, AS THEY WILT DISTRACT THINE MIND FROM KNOWLEDGE. LEAVE THEM WHERE THOU STANDS, AND RETRIEVE THEM WHEN THOU’S THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN SATIATED.” The voice ordered as the wall of flame faded away. Raze nodded as if he understood the voice, before removing the facemask and the belt he carried and set them aside. He also placed the lantern close to where he set his other gear down and nodded before taking a step forwards. He remained as calm as he could, but cringed slightly as he thought that the flame that shot up earlier would roast him alive, only to find that it didn’t come. Raze continued to remain calm, taking several steps forward, looking over the side only once to see a mass of golden energy far beneath from where he stood. After looking back up to the pedestal, Raze could feel himself walking closer and closer to it. Within less than a minute Raze had gotten to the pedestal itself and stared at the pages on its surface. He watched it closely for a few seconds, jumping to his guard as the front of the sixty or so pages began to radiate the same golden energy that was flowing beneath him, before cringing as a the pages blasted him with the force of a hurricane.

----

Millennia ago....

“The world that thou knowest of, Equestria as thou hast come to call it, was not the home that thou wouldst recognize it.”

“A vile being, more terrifying than any that thou hast heard of in thine nightmares, ruled the land with a most foul and horrible reign. He ruled the land for centuries, claiming it as his own. This land that was under his control was to be known as the Dead Zone.”

Raze found himself lying on his back, getting to his hooves and looking around an area that seemed to be where Ponyville would have been. He could see that there wasn’t any signs of life however, and that the skies were nothing but dark and ominous clouds.

“Ponies everywhere were frightened, at the fear caused by the foul tyrant’s deeds. High above the Dead Zone, the tyrant ruled the land with an iron hoof and commanded an army of even more terrible Nightmares to aid in his conquest and domination of the ponies of his lands.”

Raze instantly felt a shuddering chill down his spine and turned, looking up and seeing an all black tower that seemed to be the only thing that dominated the landscape. With a loud bang of thunder, and a huge flash of lightning, Raze watched in unexplainable terror as several streams of what appeared to be black clouds began to form from the sides of the top most point in the tower. Raze went to draw his claymore, only to find that it wasn’t there. He looked nervously back up to the clouds as they then began to form a ring around the topmost part of the tower, getting bigger before Raze’s eyes, until he could no longer see the top. Raze thought about trying to run, but some part of his body wanted him to stay and see what was going on.

He watched with awe as hundreds of tendrils immediately began to shoot out from the gigantic cloud, each one twisting and writhing like a serpent, until they hit the surface of the earth around Raze. The sight that Raze beheld was beyond impressive. He could see that after one of the tendrils hit a spot on the ground directly in front of him; a group of what could only be described as demonic ponies stood boldly in front of him in all black armor. They all seemed to have black, bat-like wings, and the horns on their heads were more dangerous than what a normal unicorn would have. The manes that were visible on some of the ponies wildly danced around on their own accord like fire, and seemed just as dangerous as the rest of their bodies. Raze could see that one of the ponies had no emotion in its eyes, only appearing to see everything in solid red.

“The Nightmares were the tyrant’s heralds, following his orders without question, killing all who opposed his will. Each one spent their lives following in the service of the tyrant, and some even took pleasure in torturing his enemies.”

Raze watched, looking from the group of ponies to the tower and saw that what was left of the cloud began to form in the shape of a body. Raze immediately recognized the form, watching as two elongated claws exploded out of its sides before pointing out in a commanding manner. Raze froze up, looking back down as the demonic ponies charged forward towards his position like a pack of hungry wolves.

“This trend of violence and killing hath been recorded to even long before the great sorcerer Star-Swirl the Bearded had come onto the planet. However, not all of the tyrants minions were as vile, and black-hearted as he was known to be.”

Raze shielded his eyes as a blinding light consumed everything he saw. After a few moments he reopened them to find that he stood inside what was now the ruins of a destroyed town. He heard the sounds of somepony crying and turned, seeing a unicorn and her foal running from several of the demonic ponies that he had seen earlier. Raze took a step forward only to stop, watching as a wave of all black energy cut the unicorns pursuers off and prevented them from taking a step forward. The demonic ponies turned glaring fiercely as one of their own, only wearing a suit of shiny metallic armor and wielding an impossibly huge sword in what Raze assumed was both of his front claws, stepped forward to challenge them.

“There were few who actually went against the tyrant’s nightmares, and those who did were struck down on the spot without his notice. But one was able to quell the tide and seek justice. And it was one of their own, and he went by the name of Telemicus.”

Raze watched as the pony in armor charged, but before he could see the results of the initial clash, another bright white light began to consume everything around him and caused everything to disappear.

----

Raze blinked, looking at an all black ceiling from where he was. What in the hay... Raze thought, sitting up before climbing to his hooves, looking around and finding himself back in the room he was in and back on the opposite side of the bridge. He placed his prosthetic hoof on a random spot on the floor and felt that the book spine was out right in front of the other stuff.

He looked down, staring at the spine of the book and blinked as it looked to be in a lot better condition than when he got in there, and saw that several pages were now inside the book as well. Well that’s interesting. Raze thought, looking up from the book and to the pedestal. Hmm... It seems that this book and this pedestal are connected. Raze thought, opening the book and only seeing that most of the book was still missing. I wonder if there are more rooms in this place that are like that. He thought before stowing the now partially completed book back into the bag on his belt before putting the belt back on. Raze then replaced the lantern back from around his neck, blinking as the flame was back to the size it was from when he had first gotten it lit, and nodded before putting the face mask back on. That was an interesting lesson. Raze said mentally turning to the pedestal and nodding. “Thank you.” He said, giving a short bow to the pedestal before turning and leaving from the room through the now open door that was behind him.

It was only a short trip for Raze to return back to what was once the secretaries office. He could still see the message that was on the wall, but underneath it was a small key hole. Something inside Raze’s subconscious clicked as he grabbed the key that he had gotten from earlier and placed it in the hole.

It took a few seconds, but Raze could hear a gentle clicking sound. The room then began to tremble as dust from a huge section of the wall began to fall from it. After the clicking stopped, the section of the wall slid under a slot in the floor as did another one on the left wall of what Raze assumed was the world’s twisted version of the bathroom, making a grinding sound all of the way down until it fully disappeared. Raze felt lucky that he still had his face mask still on as a blast of hot and stale air slammed into him, that would have seriously hurt him if he hadn’t been monitoring his body heat and had the face mask to breath in.

Wow, that’s hot... Raze said, taking a step forward into the bathroom and freezing. Amongst the heat Raze could feel an extremely cold presence and turned, staring at the heavily armored pony from earlier as it stood from the other side of a bridge that appeared to cross a huge chasm. He could see that the pony’s face was concealed behind a fully-faced helm, and that the eyes were still completely obscured by the visor. Raze could also see that the black horn was built into the helmet which clued him into thinking that the pony wasn’t a unicorn at least.

Before Raze could speak a word he could hear the sounds of metal grinding on the tile from behind him. The radio began to sound out with static which caused him to tense up. Raze turned around and drew his claymore as several ponies that were similar to the ones that attacked him at his apartment appeared with at least ten or so foals from behind them. Raze took several steps backwards, feeling the heat increase significantly, but stood firm as the ponies and foals advanced on him. A pony that was closest to him lifted itself on its hind legs and brought them down rapidly, forcing Raze to block the hit.

After throwing the pony backwards and retaliating with a thrust of his own into its gash, Raze turned to see that the armored pony was leaving, and that it dragged its scythe in a non-chalant manner. Raze heard a dull growl and turned away from the pony, he immediately began blocking and throwing the attacks of several foals that were directed at him. Raze sidestepped another foal that charged at him, watching as it unfortunately was unable to stop itself before falling into the chasm. Raze ran to the edge and saw that a huge river of bright red and yellow lava had formed a river that seemed to split the school across. He turned a second time, narrowly avoiding an attack from one of the ponies that had gotten closer to him without him paying attention, and glared at the crowd of things that were closing in to try and kill him.

This is a fine mess that I’ve gotten myself into. Raze thought, blocking an attack from another pony and pushing it into several of the foals. He did a leaping dive into the pony and thrust his claymore into its injury before ripping it out. That bridge seems to be my only way out of here... Raze thought, taking a deep breath and feeling that the air had gotten hotter. Great, now I have the heat to worry about. He thought, feeling the temperature get significantly hotter again. Raze turned his attention back to the fight at hand and nodded, blocking another attack from another foal before sheathing his claymore and making a run for the bridge.

He could hear the growling and groaning of the foals and ponies that were behind him, but Raze didn’t care. He could also feel the heat of the lava that was far below him as he began to cross what was in a sense a bunch of rotten planks tied to a pair of ropes in between the two edges. Oh boy... Raze thought taking a quick, but nervous step out onto the first segment onto the bridge. After feeling that it was secure, Raze proceeded to walk out onto the bridge, carefully putting one hoof in front of the other while staring into what was an even larger pool of lava than what he originally thought.

Raze had gotten about three-quarters of the way across the bridge when he heard a loud, but pained roar. He turned, watching with shock as the foals and ponies began advancing out onto the bridge behind him. This is great... Raze thought, hurrying along as fast as he could with out trying to break the boards that he stood on. He was only several steps away when he heard a loud, SNAP, from one of the ropes holding the bridge, and immediately leapt to the side of the crevice, getting both of his front hooves on the edge. Crap, crap, crap, crap... Raze thought, struggling to pull himself up for a few minutes before hearing the other rope snap. He wanted to look back and see what was happening to his pursuers, but didn’t dare as he dangled from the side of the crevice. On three then... Raze thought nervously, hearing the screams and roars of pain from the ponies and foals that had fallen in.

One... Two... Three! Raze thought, swinging his back hooves over the edge and feeling them hit solid ground. Raze then immediately began to slide back to the wall on the other side of the hallway, and took several deep breaths. After a few moments Raze grabbed one of the Health Drink Sub-Zero bottles and removed the facemask he wore just enough so that he could take a swig. “That... Huff... Was too close...” Raze said, placing the facemask back on and feeling the temperature decrease on his body before getting up. He walked back over to the crevice and watched as the bridge had begun to catch fire, and shook his head. The things I get into for bits... He thought, turning away before following the path where the armored pony went.

Raze shook his head in stunned disbelief at what he saw next. He was staring at, well in the best definition, the ruins of the stairs that led to the second floor of the school or lack thereof. He could only see a set of chain linked fencing that blocked off empty air that was an obvious trap from where he stood, which led into the lava pit below. Oh for buck’s sake... Raze thought, staring at the empty stair-less case before stamping his prosthetic hoof. Now how am I supposed to get up to the next floor? He thought, turning away from the crevice and staring into the hall. He could see that the walls on this side of the chasm were covered with just as many veins and the same flesh color as the other side. He could also see that instead of metallic bars and remnants of a school floor, Raze was actually standing on a path made entirely from chain link fencing. This doesn’t bode well at all... Raze thought, walking over to one of the two doors that appeared to only be there to serve as decoration and touched it. He could feel an unnatural cold that resonated throughout his body and backed off, feeling the jingle of the fencing from underneath his hooves. Raze immediately continued to walk down the hallway, hearing the radio start up with static again before dying away after he got a safe enough distance away.

The second that Raze got around the corner, he could feel that the temperature had died down to almost normal levels. Well as normal as they were when he was away from the lava crevice. He could hear a quiet drip from one of the rooms that was on his left and immediately followed the sound to a black door that was several paces away from him. After testing the door and finding it unlocked, Raze stepped in and felt a refreshing blast of cool air that had made its residence inside.

Raze looked around and saw that he was in a different room than what he expected entirely. He thought that it was going to be a sort of classroom that would have followed the same looks as the previous rooms that he visited. Instead he was standing in would have gotten the Manehatten award for the most disturbing doctor’s office in Equestria.

The tile floor that Raze stood on was covered in blood and dirt, which immediately made his stomach feel queasy. He could see a lone sink that sat across from him, and that its faucet was spewing a vile looking brownish liquid that over filled the sink and spilled onto the floor. The walls were splashed with blood, as though a surgery that had gone horribly wrong had taken place, and even the ceiling of the room was covered in drying blood. An all glass mirror sat calmly above the sink, and showed Raze’s sweaty and exhausted form as he approached a heavily damaged operating table.

On the table’s surface lay several bolts that were similar to the ones that Raze had on him at the time. More bolts? What am I, this place’s handy mare? Raze thought, grabbing the bolts with his prosthetic hoof and examining them. He shrugged, placing the other bolts in the bag with his first set before turning to go. He heard the sounds of a loud crash from behind him and turned to see that the floor in the room’s reflection had collapsed, as the walls and ceiling took on an orange glow, with Raze staring at his reflection with worry. Okay... Raze thought, taking several steps towards the door and feeling significantly unnerved. He turned, placing his facemask back on his face.

Raze stepped out into the hall, turning back to his left and seeing the other door that was closest to where he stood. It too was black, and had the Seal of the Three Times painted in the dead center. He could see the heavily bloodied handle that threatened to fall from the door if he touched it, but walked over to it and grabbed it gingerly with his prosthetic hoof. After twisting the doorknob and opening the door, Raze stepped into a much larger room than what was next door. Immediately to his right he could see that there was a wheel with a lever that appeared to be heavily rusted over, but was attached to an extremely well-oiled but very brittle-looking gear and pulley system. He could see that at least two columns were lined perfectly together, and looked up to see that a platform that led to a door directly above him was in the same alignment.

Raze looked down at the floor and saw several rises in the tiled floor, each of which he assumed was a bridge that would help him get across to the other side of the room. Raze could also see that there were a bunch of bodies scattered all across the room’s tile floor like ragdolls that made it seem that this was something not to take lightly. Okay now… He thought, taking a step forward and seeing that the raised platform sank under his weight. Raze removed his hoof and stared at the platforms for a second before looking at the column. Hmm… Raze thought, looking at the column and taking a step out onto the tile floor. He could see that there were several holes that appeared to be drilled in the sides of the column. He could also see that directly on the left side of the room was a page of paper that seemed to be barely hanging on to the wall by a piece of tape. Raze calmly walked over to it, grabbing the page with his prosthetic hoof before reading it. He could barely make out the writing; it looked more like simple chicken scratches and loops, but the message could be read as:

We are not one of The King’s chosen… We have failed in our divine mission, and as such have brought disgrace to the Organization. However, each of us has brought one clue that can help the pony lucky enough to read this.

Eight anchors have been received, Eight anchors that lead to heaven…

All signs point to purity of the anchors in one of the holy marks…

The weakest of the anchors cannot hold heaven, and will cause the collapse of the world…

To ascend to the heavens, embrace the darkness and endure. The light of the wicked shall give no solace…

The sum of the order is the first two positions of the anchors.

Only foals believe the hints of the unholy.

Holy hints are the first and holy prime number. Unholy hints are the next number in line.

Two truths sit together side by side. As does two lies. These will lead you unto the path of heaven…

Up to the heavens, down to hell. Right and left are irrelevant, as the truth of glory will not escape this night. Let the full circle of the Wheel of Fortune resound this night, and beware the power of Cigam’s Light.

Raze stared at the paper and rubbed his temples as it started getting really confusing really fast. What in the hay… Raze thought, looking at the paper again. I could be standing here forever… He thought, looking over the page a second time. He put the page in his mouth, opening his bag and pulling out all of the bolts that were inside and looking at them all closely. Could the anchors of heaven mean these bolts here? Raze thought, looking at the bolts again. He blinked, seeing that the smaller bolts appeared to have a number two ground deep into them that he hadn’t noticed before. Okay, that’s interesting. Raze said mentally before looking back to the letter. This still is a lot of mumbo-jumbo non-… Hold on a sec! He thought, looking back over to the paper and reading it over. I think I get it… though they could have been a lot vaguer with the clues that they were giving me. In any case… Raze turned, stuffing the page and the bolts back into his bag before walking over to the central column and giving it a closer look. He nodded as his suspicions were confirmed, seeing that several holes were drilled in and spaced out in such a way that it made the column look like the bolts would be installed to secure the support to the top platform. He circled it several times, making a note of every deviation in size before pulling the page out again. Raze nodded, looking from the page to the holes that were drilled in the page and back again before placing the paper on the central column and dragging out the bolts and the wrench.

All right… You go here… Raze thought, taking one of the larger bolts in a hole directly underneath the page of paper. He then walked to the next hole which was directly across from the third column and placed another large bolt in the hole there and nodded. You go there… He said in his brain, walking to the back side of the column and staring at two more holes that appeared to be wide enough to be the positions for the widest bolts that he had left. And you two go here and here at parts six and seven… Raze thought, grabbing the wrench from the floor that he had left on the side of the column that he had started on.

Raze spent several minutes, tightening the larger bolts down until they were to his satisfaction, and grabbed the smaller bolts and proceeded to place them in the remaining four spots. You guys go in spots two, three, five, and eight… He thought, tightening them down with the wrench before nodding. Now all that’s left is the Wheel of Fortune. Raze thought, turning to the wheel that sat closest to the door. Raze quickly grabbed the clue sheet before walking over to the wheel and stared at it closely. If I think about it, this should be an easy one now. Raze thought, looking at the wheel handle before grabbing it with his prosthetic hoof. From where he stood, Raze would have to rotate it a few times from the right to the left if it worked properly, and after grunting and groaning on the handle for a few seconds he could feel the wheel start cranking easier as he continued moving it.

Raze then looked over his shoulder watching as with every revolution on the wheel that he completed, the raised tiles got higher and higher. Raze smiled confidently at the sight, continuing to go faster and faster until he heard a clunk and couldn’t move the wheel any more. Raze looked up, seeing that the platforms were now level with both columns in the room and smiled. Well that will make things a heck of a lot easier when I get up there. Raze thought, checking the wheel and finding that he was unable to move it either way. Well that’s great. Now I should be able to get up there without it falling back to the base floor.

As Raze turned to leave, he immediately felt a reverberating shock of pain pound all throughout his chest. He dropped to the ground, groaning as his body continued to ache and twitch all over. The pain that Raze felt was agonizing, and to add to his misery, his body temperature began to increase significantly as the attack happened. He cried out in pain, feeling the surge of heat grow all throughout his body for a few seconds before dissipating. Raze could feel that his body was still aching, but felt that he stopped twitching.

Ugh… what in the hay… Raze thought, trying to get to his hooves but falling to the floor. He continued to tremble, reaching for the nearly empty Health drink bottle and opened it before chugging the contents down until there was nothing left. Raze could feel the pain slowly ebb away, but could see that it wasn’t keeping his body temperature down. He threw the empty Health Drink bottle aside and grabbed the partially full Health Drink Sub-Zero from his belt and opened it before chugging it a little. After feeling that his body had significantly cooled down to almost normal temperatures, Raze got to his hooves unsteadily. That was too close… He thought, panting a little before taking another swallow of the bottle’s contents. I’ve gotta pay more attention to the heat around here… I could have been killed just now… Raze thought, taking a few gulps of air before closing the Health Drink Sub-Zero and putting it back on his belt. That cost me what was left of that Health Drink… I think that I need a break before moving on… Raze thought, walking over to the right of the room’s door, before sitting down.

Raze remained where he sat for several minutes before getting back on his hooves and grabbing the facemask from his bag after taking another swallow from the now half-empty Health Drink Sub-Zero, and placed it over his face. Raze then turned to the doorknob, grabbing it with his prosthetic hoof and opening it and stepping back into the hallway.

After walking around the corner, and seeing that there were no doors that he could even try, Raze immediately did an about face and headed past both the pillar room and the doctor’s room and headed to the only other unlocked door on his side of the crevice. He couldn’t feel the same icy-cold presence on the other side of the door from before, so he opened the door in such a way as to keep him from anything that might have been dangerous and nervously walked inside. He could see a rusted and very bloody ladder that led up to a hole in the floor above him. Raze could also see that behind the ladder was the Seal of the Three Times, painted several times on the back wall and glowing like fire.

Crap… Raze thought, feeling another headache coming on. Quickly Raze grabbed onto the ladder and began to climb, feeling extremely weak as he did so. This is foal’s stuff Raze… He thought, egging himself on through the headache. You can do it, just a little more… Raze said, pushing himself to the top of the ladder and onto the connecting floor. He immediately rolled away from the ladder, clutching his head with his hooves and lying in a heap. After a few moments, Raze stood up and stretched his wings a little before breathing deeply. What’s the deal with these things? He thought nervously as the headache was now gone, but the nervousness of what he had felt wasn’t. Is it a warning of some kind? Raze thought, looking to the only other door in the room he had entered and saw that it was something that one would see guarding a fenced off area, looking more of like a chain linked gate than a door.

Well there’s only one way forward… Raze thought, grabbing the Health Drink Sub-Zero and opening it before taking a swig. After closing the bottle and placing it back on his belt, Raze resecured the facemask to his face before walking to the gate-like door and opening it.

The second floor of the school had taken a much different look to the area than what the first floor had. While the first floor looked like an elementary school that had seemed to be in extreme disrepair that hung over a huge pool of lava, the second floor felt more cage-like than any school hallway that Raze had walked through before. To his left Raze could see that there was a huge chain link fence that was covered with several flesh-colored metal planks not several paces into the connecting hall. He could also see that the faint glow that made most of the previous floor illuminated brightly, all of the pipes and planks that held the ceiling together made the glow almost non-existent.

Raze looked down at the lantern that was around his neck and saw that the flame was also non-existent, before holding up a hoof and concentrating. After a small pop, Raze held a sizeable fireball in his hoof and smiled before passing it into the lantern and making it bigger. After feeling satisfied that the light that the lantern gave off was an appropriate size, Raze looked around and gasped.

The floors that he stood on were nothing more than chain link fencing, and were covered in blood. He could see several chains dangling from the ceiling, and in some cases the walls, all either covered in blood or bound a part of a foal. The ceiling in particular was covered in feathers, and as one dropped gently from one of the links in the ceiling he could tell that they were pegasus feathers. This isn’t a school… Raze thought, grabbing the feather and clutching it. He could feel his blood boiling, and tensed up as the Radio began to blare with static a second time.

Raze looked up seeing several more ponies advance on him, their blades grinding across the chain link fencing what was under Raze’s hooves. He could feel the fencing underneath his hooves shake a little even as he drew his claymore, and glared angrily at the five or so ponies that were closing in on him. Raze could feel his anger continue to accumulate, charging directly at the group of ponies and catching them all off guard.

The pony in the center of the group immediately threw its blades up to defend itself against Raze’s reckless charge, only to expose its gash to Raze. He thrusted deep into the defender’s injury and knocking it to the ground, the pony’s roaring cries echoed throughout the hall before it fell silent. Raze removed the blade from the corpse of his first target, swinging at one of the ponies at the wall who moved out of reach from Raze’s attack. Raze cursed himself for the careless mistake and calmed down before advancing on the pony, who seemed to back away slowly.

Raze heard a loud growl behind him and turned, narrowly avoiding another pony from slashing its front legs into his back flank. The pony, who was obviously trying to get an extra chance to strike Raze, reeled back and began to bring its hooves down on the pegasus only to be met with another thrust into the gash of its chest. The pony let out a gurgling scream as its blood began to leak all over Raze’s sword. After a few tugs, Raze removed his claymore from the pony’s corpse and turned to his side as the remaining four ponies blocked his path back to the ladder. Raze watched, hearing as they all began to roar in sequence, and took several steps back as he could see the walls around the gate began to bulge slightly.

That’s not good… Raze thought mentally. Raze watched the walls behind the four ponies, and jumped as several axe-like blades began to punch holes into the walls. Raze tensed up and charged at the roaring ponies, picking one out from the bunch and diving at it. The pony on the furthest from the left didn’t seem to notice, as did none of the others until its roaring stopped. Raze’s claymore was buried deep into the pony’s body, running through the center of it and seemingly vertical with the body. With a heave and a roar, Raze threw the now dead pony into its compatriots, knocking them all into a heap on the ground. The next sound that he heard however chilled him to the bone.

“That pony hurt mommy…” Raze could hear the voice of a foal from one of the holes in the walls and turned to the now heavily damaged wall.

“That’s a mean pony…” Another voice moaned.

“We should do something…” Another foal said calmly.

“Angelus would give us our mommies back if we did…” Another foal droned.

Raze could hear the muffled sounds of something bashing against the walls around the door. This is definitely not good… Raze thought, sheathing his claymore nervously and taking several hoof steps backwards. His thoughts matched the scene as several sections of the walls broke off, revealing several foals all crawling through the holes that were made and forming around the larger ponies. In less than a few seconds Raze could see that there were at least twenty or thirty of the foals around the ponies, each all ready to attack at a moment’s notice and with more trying to claw their way to him.
Oh buck this… Raze thought, turning to run. He could hear the sounds of roaring from behind him, and felt the hooves from the foals doing their best to keep up with him as he raced down the hall. Raze could see a door to his left and immediately made a break for it, seeing the entrance to the puzzle room on the floor beneath him. Quickly, Raze grabbed the handle and threw the door open and jumped quickly inside, hearing the stampede stop directly in front of the door and begin to beat it down as he locked it. Raze turned, seeing that the platforms from the room below were still in place, and that he still had a somewhat safe place to run to until they knocked the door down and found a way across.

He jumped, nearly falling from the catwalk platform as one of the many axe-like blades pierced the door, and turned his attention to the door. It’s not going to last too much longer… Raze thought, turning back to the platforms that were now his only method of escape. He looked down and saw that he was a lot higher up than what he had first imagined, and shied away from the edge of the platform that he stood on and gulped. This is really nuts… Raze thought, hearing another whack from the door behind him and jumped a little. There’s a horde of those things on my tail, and I have a jump that I can make. I can do this. Raze thought, hearing the cold droning sounds of the foals saying that he, “Hurt mommy,” and that “He’s getting away,” as he got ready to cross. Raze could hear another loud bang and closed his eyes, in an attempt to shut everything out. After taking a relaxing breath, Raze ran to the edge of his platform and jumped the next one in sequence, his wings beating at his sides wildly as he landed and began to jump a second time. Raze landed somewhat clumsily on the second platform, but recovered, and made a short hop across to the next platform in the sequence. Raze heard a final bang from the door and turned, watching as the door shattered to pieces, and hurriedly jumped across to the fourth platform while listening to the growls and groans of the ponies and foals that were behind him.

Raze leapt to the central column, turning around as one of the foals tried to leap after him but fell short of the jump and fell to the floor below. Raze tried to hide his joy at being in a place where his pursuers couldn’t reach him, but didn’t focus on that now as the other ponies and foals remained where they were, growling and hissing at them. Hah! Serves you right. Raze thought turning his back to the horde of creatures that were unable to get him. Raze relaxed, crossing the platform on the central column and jumped to the next platform on the sequence with ease. After jumping across the last gaps in the platforms and turning around, Raze could see that the ponies on the opposing side seemed to break off from their chase, leaving several foals to their own devices. Raze nodded confidently, removing the facemask from his face and grabbing the half-empty Health Drink Sub-Zero and drinking from it lightly. He checked the runes that were on the back of the mask; their color was a dark brown but instantly changed to a bright white as the feeling of a gentle cold washed over him.

After placing the facemask back on his face, Raze looked around and saw that another ladder was folded up and positioned on the platform of the column in such a way that would have made it impossible for somepony to see it from the bottom floor. That’s interesting. Raze thought, grabbing the ladder and standing it up. He could see that it could extend, but he also noticed that it was so badly rusted that it looked like it would fall apart if more than one pony would have gotten on it.
Raze tested the ladder with his prosthetic hoof nervously, hearing it creak under his weight but not so much as to force him to use something else. After climbing on the first set of rungs on the ladder, and felt that it was secure enough for him to climb on, Raze got off of the ladder and began to extend it to another hole that was cut into the ceiling. As he saw the end of the ladder touch and finally over-shoot into the hole, Raze did his best to spin the ladder around to face the wall without falling off of the platform. It took several minutes of working, but he managed to get it up to his desired position without much resistance. All right… Up and up I go, where I stop… Raze thought, grabbing the ladder nervously. Nopony knows.

Raze’s climb up the ladder was even more nerve wracking than the first climb, and made it so that he took each step carefully. He heard a loud groan from halfway up and sped up on his climb, quickly making it to the top of the ladder and into the following floor before it shattered and crashed to the floor beneath him. Whew… I’m glad that held until I got up here… Raze thought, looking down at the floor below him. Raze looked up and remained speechless, his eyes not believing what he saw.

The room that Raze stood in was completely opposite of what a classroom in an elementary school should have been. The walls were heavily stained with blood, and were also covered in heavy burns. The ceiling was completely missing, and gave way to extremely black and heavy storm clouds that seemed to be pushed around in a circular motion. Raze returned his attention to the room and saw that there were two doors that were on the adjacent walls, one of which was covered by heavy boards and planks, while the other door didn’t seem to have any other obstructions to it. The décor of the room wasn’t the thing that disturbed him though.

Raze could see that several crosses dotted the room’s space, each with the dead remains of a pony hanging from nails that were driven into their front and back hooves. What in the… Was all that Raze could say at the sight, walking to a crucified pony and staring at it closely. This is far beyond cruel… This is animalistic. Raze thought, seeing that the exposed pony’s chest had been ripped open with the insides missing. He could see that several bodies were just tossed off to one of the walls on the side, ranging from pegasi to unicorns without their horns and earth ponies. He could see that some of the flanks had the mark of the Seal of the Three Times over what at one point had been their Cutie Marks, and blazoned red with fire.

Raze turned away from the scene, the control of his rage nearly reaching a breaking point. He quietly walked to the door on the wall to his left, grabbing the handle with his prosthetic hoof and opening it to reveal another room that was just like the first room in every way except that there was a broken wall that led out into the proceeding hall. Raze quickly walked into the hall, feeling his body shiver as a stairway that appeared to be blocked off by several wooden planks met his sight. Raze could see that the stairs in the stairway were made of metal that glowed white with heat, and turned to his right and stared at a long corridor that was ahead of him.

This feels familiar… Too familiar… Raze thought, taking several steps and hearing the laughter of a little foal. Raze looked and saw that a little sea foam green pegasus foal ran past him, followed closely by a red unicorn filly with a pink mane and tail and a heavily freckled unicorn colt with a red mane and tail. Raze followed them, the hairs stood on the back of his neck as they seemingly disappeared behind an all-black door in front of him. Raze remained nervous, taking several steps closer to the door and reached out to grab it.

He jumped, hearing the crinkling of paper to his right and saw that a piece of paper was dangling from a knife that was buried halfway down into the wall that was blade first. Raze walked over to the paper, grabbing it from where it was on the wall and yanking it from the blade. Hmm… It looks like a note. Raze thought, reading the page closely. It said,

I know that you have been following me.

You cannot escape the things that you have done Raising Shadows. And it’s time that you knew who I was.

Meet me at Sugarcube Corner. And please don’t be late. We both have appointments to keep up with.

Anonymous

Raze blinked at the letter, staring at it nervously before reading it a second time. Is this a threat? He asked mentally, expecting the paper to give him an answer. After not receiving one, Raze stuffed it into his bag and turned back to the black door nervously. He could hear the laughter of the foals that were inside, and walked up to the door before grabbing the handle. An ice-cold chill shot through his spine, forcing him to let the door go, and caused him to tremble. He shook himself out of the trembling and grabbed the doorknob, feeling nothing but dread as he opened it, taking several steps inside.
He remained quiet, closing the door behind him, but could feel his heart shatter as a memory he thought that he had buried long ago had begun to play before his eyes.

----

-Eight Years Ago-

“Wow! That’s amazing!” Little Raze exclaimed, staring at Morning Dew as the picture of a wrench twisting a bolt was on his flank.

“Dad’s proud of me, and Mom’s throwing me a party to celebrate!” Morning Dew said happily.

“All right you two. We need to get this stuff moved out of here. After all, You are all going to set the example to the younger foals.” Sparkler said, watching as both Morning Dew and Little Raze began to get to work cleaning up the once empty janitor’s closet that Morning Dew used as his own private lab.

“It’s kinda sad…” Little Raze began, holding a wrench with both of his front hooves before putting it in Morning Dew’s toolbox. Both Sparkler and Morning Dew stared at Little Raze curiously.

“What’s wrong Raising Shadows?” Morning Dew asked.

“You can tell us, we’re your friends after all.” Sparkler added.

----

Little Raze remained quiet; and as he was about to speak the memory seemed to fast forward, so much so that the little foal was surrounded by four other dead foals, and a severely hurt Morning Dew clutched in his hooves.

----

“No… No, no, no, no, no!” Little Raze screamed, his body was covered in burns as a fire continued to rage all around them both. Morning Dew was fading fast, and he wasn’t in much better shape either.

“Raising… Shadows… Why?” Morning Dew asked weakly. “Why did you hurt everypony? Why did you… Hurt me?” He asked, coughing up a little blood.

Just as Little Raze was about to answer, a beam of white light shot into the burning room, and surrounded both foals. Little Raze looked over his shoulder and cringed as Princess Celestia was standing firm in the connecting hall, her face a mix of anger and disappointment as she stood with a team of fire ponies that began to put out the fires that were around the ponies. Her magic lifted both foals off of the ground and into a stretcher that was made out for them, and in an instant they all disappeared. Little Raze didn’t see the look on her face as they teleported out of the burning building, but could tell that she was more than ashamed of him.

----

Raze was silent, the room before him was just like what it had turned into on that day. He could see several foal-sized bodies in the center of the room, charred and unidentifiable by the look of how the fire was. The shelving in the room was reduced to ashes and splinters, and the only thing that was left in the room that was recognizable was a huge cross with a unicorn pony that Raze recognized.

“Sparkler!” Raze exclaimed, walking over to the left side of the room and seeing the red unicorn hang dejectedly from the cross.

The unicorn made no sounds; she didn’t even seem to be breathing let alone alive, and that as the pegasus got closer he could feel that something was wrong.

“Why…” A quiet voice asked. Raze looked around and blinked. “Why did you do it?”

Raze looked up and saw that Sparkler’s head rose, showing nothing but all black eyes as they stared at each other. Raze took several steps backwards and trembled.

“Why did you take me away from my cousin?” Sparkler asked angrily, glaring at Raze with her cold and dead eyes. She continued staring, watching as Raze was unable to give an answer, and growled. “I said, why did you take me away from my cousin? From my Family? From the life that I had!”

Raze took several steps backwards, unable to answer Sparkler’s questions. Sparkler laughed a little, but it was a cold, baleful laugh that chilled him to the bone.

“Don’t bother answering.” Sparkler said before Raze could answer. “I knew that you were jealous. Jealous of me and Morning Dew, and of all of those other pegasi who didn’t get to see their families again on that night.”

“That’s not true.” Raze countered, staring at Sparkler. “I didn’t mean to-”

“You didn’t mean to?” Sparkler snapped, cutting Raze off. “HA! You really expect me to believe that? After what you did to us?” She continued to glare at Raze, who fell silent. “I don’t expect somepony like you to care. You never really did, I mean after all you killed four foals. Why not kill some more?”

“I didn’t kill any foals!” Raze shouted.

Sparkler rolled her eyes. “Oh of course you didn’t. You’re Celestia’s perfect little angel. You couldn’t do anything wrong if you tried.”

Raze stamped his hoof. “That’s not true!” He shouted, his anger rising. “I may have been adopted by the Princess, but I was by no means perfect!”

Sparkler shook her head. “And? Heh, you were probably commended by what you did to us.” She scoffed. “If you don’t believe me, why didn’t she say anything to you when you left us there to die?”

Sparkler’s words hit Raze home. He remained silent, all of his anger disappearing at the sight of his adoptive mother’s face glaring at him against the blaze as he held Morning Dew in his hooves. He didn’t know what she felt, she didn’t say anything to him after they had left for the hospital and that he was completely isolated from the whole rest of Equestria.

A tear dropped from his eye as Sparkler’s words echoed from within Raze’s brain. She was right, he had committed an unspeakable act, something that would have been straight up exile for another pony, and had gotten away with it.

That’s not entirely true. A voice, somewhat gentle and somewhat comforting said in his brain. You knew that what you had done was wrong. You carried out a punishment that she wasn’t able to do on you because you knew it was wrong. And that you knew that if she wasn’t going to do it, somepony else was. And the whole of Equestria would have been put into chaos. The voice said, in such a way that sounded like a cross between apologetic and assertive. A true knight wouldn’t have let Equestria fall just because of some disagreement between the Princess and her subjects.

“You shouldn’t even exist. You are nothing but an insignificant pile of filth that shouldn’t be here. Especially when the world changes.” Sparkler snapped.

“When the world changes?” Raze asked, looking at the unicorn copy of his friend. “What in the hay are you talking about?”

Sparkler smiled, nodding as though she was listening to a joke that ran in her brain. “Why the coming of the Dead Zone, and the one true king of this world.” She said, looking at Raze with malice. “You can’t stop it. I mean, look around you. By the time you’re done here, the Dead Zone will take the place of your precious Equestria, and the King of Thestrals will walk the land once again!”

Raze shook his head, staring at the psychotic mare as she began to laugh maniacally. He turned to leave, walking to the door and grabbing the doorknob. He twisted the knob, finding that it was unable to be opened, and wheeled back onto Sparkler who had stopped laughing and fell silent. “What in the buck did you do Sparkler.” Raze said, walking over to the silent unicorn and receiving no response.

As Raze tried to talk to Sparkler, a fire burst off to his right and began to grow bigger by the second. Oh shoot! Raze thought, stepping back towards the door. He jumped after turning to see that another flame had burst alive right behind him, in front of the door that appeared to be his only escape.

Raze hurriedly looked all around the room for a sign of a way out, his options of survival looking less and less as the seconds passed. Another flame exploded from underneath the cross that Sparkler was attached to, and began to consume her body. “Sparkler!” He shouted, staring at the body as it continued to be consumed in flames. He reached out to the corpse, but reeled back as some of the flames threatened to lap up onto him. Come on now Raze… Think! There has to be some way out of here! Raze thought, looking around.

Suddenly, as if somepony was looking out for him, a window slowly faded in from non-existence. It wasn’t too much, but he could see that it was opened to reveal the world outside of the school before he entered, and Raze ran over to it.

He could see on the other side of the window a huge patch of open and burnt ground, but there wasn’t too much for him to land on that would break his fall. He turned, watching as the room behind him was quickly running out of space, and nodded before returning his gaze back to the open window. Well it sure beats being burned alive… Raze thought somberly, climbing onto the window sill before looking down. Yeah, this is totally safe. Celestia help me… If I make it out of this thing alive, I’m personally going to escort Angelus and his gang of hoodlums to the moon. He thought, looking back at the room one last time before jumping.