[My conscience Kill writes in the brackets and bolded]

    <  My conscience Joy writes in these and  Italics>

~ Grace talks in these and underlined~

         { I respond in these}  

-----------------------------------------------------------

It was halfway through the day already, and once again the teachers' classes were disrupted by an immediate call by Principal ShadowMark.

"Why the buck are we all here now?" Chaser questioned," I'm missing my only lunch break,"

"Ha! What is it ever about?" Cross rhetorically asked with a laugh.

Everypony and draconequis in the room released a sudden sigh and replied in unison, “The budget." *SLAM* And as if on schedule or extremely perfect timing, Shadow Mark slammed through the doors, entering the room with a very calmed expression.

"Holy shit, he's calm," Omnius panicked, “WHY FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA IS HE CALM!"

"Oh buck me sideways! The school must be going to shit!" Anarchy exclaimed.

"Honey, don't worry," Charge placed a hoof around her shoulders and reassured her, "I already bucked you sideways."

"Hey! There is no time for that! The school is going down to shit and this is what you do?" Cross queried their actions.

"Watch it Cross, I'm like those musicians on Titanic, I enjoy my last few seconds," Charge replied.

"Sounds like a good idea! I'm going to get Luna and fu--"

"WOW WOW WOW! Calm down everypony, the school is not going down to shit....Yet. But, what I would like to ask you all is, how are you all dealing with the stress?"

"What stress?" Omnius laughed at the other teachers as he gave Chaser the opportunity to be punch him into a table, "Hey! I'm going to have to fix that!"

"Watch it Chaser! The budget can't afford anymore broken furniture," Shadow warned, "Anyways; I'm getting off track again! Sometimes final exams come and kick the stress levels between teachers a couple of notches, so I have to stay calm so my ponies will stay calm."

"Oh crap, this isn't good! He's too calm about something as serious as this!" Charge exclaimed.

"Wow, the deadlines for the exams must be really short!" Cross pointed out  the obvious.

"Celestia dammit! We are so fucked!" Anarchy snapper her fingers as a neatly piled stack of papers appeared in her hands, only to be thrown midair. "Ah Shit! I got a paper cut!" She sucked her thumb on the cut. (Told you I was going to cut your character.)

"Meh, I don't see the big deal," laughed the janitor not giving a single fuck.

Cloud immediately ran to the closest door, opening and yelled," RUN FOR YOUR LIVES EVERYPONY! THE END IS NEAR! SAVOR THESE LAST MOMENTS WITH YOUR LOVED ONES!"

Havoc, chaos, confusion, discord, anarchy, you name anything related to the phrase 'fucked up' because that's how the school entire school reacted except for the lone Janitor.

"Calm down guys, I just came to ask when you plan to schedule the exams." Shadow Mark calmed the entire room.

Blinking his eyes and with a sheepish smile, Chaser exclaimed to the panicking students, "False alarm! Go back to your dorms."

"Pftch, thanks for nothing," a female Cloud said walking by with Flitter.

"I'm going to fail your ass on spite!" The arts teacher shouted a comeback still wanting revenge on her.

"Oh yeah?! Well, I can sue you and this school!"

"SUE?!" Shadow's ears twitched at the sound of the word pulling back Cloud with a hoof covering his mouth, "I'm so sorry Ms. Chaser, I will talk to Cloud about his little hate problem. Right now."

"Booo! Hater!" Charge shouted from the background with Anarchy.

Muffling through Shadow's hoof, Chaser bit upon it giving him the chance to shout," HEY YOU LITTLE NAME THIEVING BITCH! GO YIF YOURSELF WITH A CACTUS!"

*SLAM* "Chaser! What the buck man! I go all around everyday trying to keep the budget balanced and you nearly cause a lawsuit?"

"Hey! I can sue that bitch for stealing my name!"

"You can't sue shit while I'm around," Shadow warned Cloud,"Maybe it's time we've had another one of 'those' discussions."

"Those discussions?" Cross repeated asking without a clue of what the principal was talking about.

"The budget talk," Shadow said as the whole room went silent.

".........."

"Aw hell no," Anarchy broke the silence's short lived virginity.

---

After an entire thirty minutes of catching up to Kill, we finally caught him as Grace beat him shitless as well as, the worst thing a mare can do. She lectured him.

"--AND IF SHADOW HAD KILLED YOU, DO YOU KNOW HOW FUCKED UP WE WOULD BE?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO GRAZE?!"

"I-I'm sorry," Kill actually apologized with blood coming out his snout.

"SORRY'S NOT ENOUGH! WHEN THIS IS OVER, I AM GOING TO FUCK YOU UP!" She shouted while grabbing him by his clothes.

With a wicked smile and through the pain, Kill snickered and replied, "That's incest, wait no, it's masturbation."

"Oh c'mon Kill! Just shut up!" Joy begged, "Why do you insist on putting up with this crap?"

"What other reason is there for anypony else to do it?" Kill asked his brother conscience to whom was dumbfounded of answer," I simply do it for teh lulz!"

"I give up," Grace threw Kill on the floor and walked towards me," You handle him Graze."

"I think he learned his lesson," I said trotting off silently through Light's house. Honestly, the place was a mess, blood everywhere and body parts. It should have bothered me, yet, my mind was still too busy with the Ditzy situation as well as, I've seen worse," Let's keep moving okay?"

Bending her head to the side a few degrees, Grace looked at me and perfectly understood what was going through my mind, basically it was on the lines of how to get Ditzy back and what happens next.

"Really, what would happen if Graze lost one of you all?" Grim asked Joy out of curiosity as he was about to explain.

"Well, it actually depends on which one of us he loses."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, each one of us plays a specific role, depends on the situation."

"Wait, what? I thought you guys just talk freely and influence Graze."

"That maybe true, but! It depends on the situation, say me for example, I represent self-control, I don't talk as much because I am busy unlike Kill who is easily pissed off representing rage or the smallest being Grace who as she told you, represents the smallest fraction, emotion."

"So, how does this influence thing actually work?" Grim asked once more.

Clearing his throat, Joy responded, "Basically, we share one mind but when a situation comes, like yours, you will have to come up with a decision, so we talk and decide upon what to do. Also, when push comes to shove, saying for example, when Graze is pissed off, this leans more to Kill's side as he influences Graze making him curse or act the way he does when fighting."

Kill then entered the chat without any invitation," Basically, without Grace he is an emotionless machine, without me his a pussy and without Joy, he goes psychotic. Comprende?"

"Yeah, but one more question?" Grim asked Joy for another chance to know if he was bothering him.

"Sure, why not?"

"Who made Graze pick the school over someone as important as Ditzy? I mean, he loves her to death but one of you all must have done something."

"Actually, we--"

"Enough," I quickly hushed my conscience and looked at Grim," They gave me the option, I chose to follow, it was my doing," I then sighed," I do love her to death, that's why I rather kill myself doing this than know in the back of my three consciences, that I did not even try to protect her."

"Any more questions?" I dared Grim to ask.

"Urhm, I think I will just hold them for later," he smiled sheepishly and walked to Grace.

"Smart move," she said sarcastically continuing her trot back to me leaving Grim behind with Kill and Joy," Don't worry Graze, everything is going to be--"

"Don't lie to me Grace, you know as much as well as I do, Ditzy is never going to forgive me and you heard her. She doesn't want anything to do with me anymore," Grace then chuckled looking at me, "What?"

"Oh Graze," my conscience hugged me," where there is love, there is a way. Just don't stop fighting, metaphorically might I add, for her..... Stop the physical though, you know she hates that."

"Yeah yeah, I know."

"Good! Make sure this is your last fight and put everything into it okay? We are going to get her back," she finally reassured me and ended the hug," 'kay?"

Actually smiling for the first time knowing there was a chance, I nodded and thanked her.

"Wow, she's good," Grim and Kill said at the same time.

"Yeah, she is the conscience of emotion, we all know what we are doing bro," Joy said as we reached a corridor filled with lots and lots of doors.

"Yo Light! Where are we?" I shouted into space.

"This is the hall of rooms, my entire family used to live here, the second to last room on the left is mine, you should find Shadow there!" His voice bellowed leaving the place quiet once again compared to a few seconds ago.

"Damn, this place is quiet," Grim said.

"Too quiet," Joy replied.

"So quiet, you can hear a butterfly fart," Kill added randomly.

"I prefer not to hear my butterflies flatulate," Grim spoke the truth behind all of the minds unwilling to say it.

"Why must you guys kill my joy?" Grace then facehoofed, "Wait, don't answer that."

Chuckling to myself hearing my consciences go at it, we ventured through the halls seeing signs marked in blood.

'Kill Graze' We passed one.

'Skin his friends alive and force feed him' Passed another.

Would you kindly? Wow, Shadow must be really bored.

"You're handling this pretty well," Grim announced to the four of us.

"Yeah, we get a lot of threats and death sentences," Joy shrugged off," Honestly, these aren't half as bad."

"Hahahaha, oh yeah! Remember that one from Fleur?" Kill laughed at a memory," Bitch be crazy."

"Oh yeah," Grace laughed and then mimicked Fleur's voice," Break up with me or I'll stick a straw in your eye and suck out your cornea!" She then laughed once again and wiped a tear from her eye, "Bitch was psychotic."

"Remember that other one? The gay threat? I was actually so scared that I prayed to Celestia!" I laughed once again. It was actually quite funny how we were laughing before this one way battle against Shadow." Graze! If you don't fuck me, I am sending my gay friend to come to rape you to death!"

Grim then laughed as well joining the conversation," Hahahaha, so it was to fuck or to be fucked?"

All of us then stayed quiet looking at Grim bemusedly, "Yeah, don't laugh at our jokes, you weren't there," Kill said like a douche and laughed again, "I'm kidding man! Hahahaha!"

"Well, it looks like we're finally here," I said standing in front of the door.

"The doooooooor!" Kill's voice echoed as he pointed to the door.

"The doooooooor!" Joy copied bowing before it as if praising his mentor.

"The door?" Grim asked a bit confused," Why don't we just enter?"

"Because, the door is everything!" Kill answered.

"Because the door is all that once was and all that will be!" Joy announced.

Laughing, Grace played along," The door controls time and space! Love and death! The door can see into your mind! The door can see into your soul!"

"Really, the door can do all that?" Grim said amazed and dumbfounded by the abilities of a door.

"They are just bullshitting you Grim," Light randomly announced with a chuckle," But it does control Death."

"Alright guys, we had our fun," I said," How do we plan to get this done?"

"It's quite simple actually," Joy laughed, "We kill the Mare-Do-Well." And then he got smacked on the back of his head by Grace.

"I have an idea!" Kill shouted standing on his hindlegs," LLEEERR--OOF!"

"NO!"I tackled Kill, "No screaming, no battle cries and no shrieking! Understand?"

"Mmhm!"

"Good, we are going to do this my way!" I said relieving him of my hoof.

"Which is?"

-------Thirty minutes of planning later--

*BAM* We kicked open the door and straight off its hinges with a powerful buck," Catch phrase.....Wow, what the fuck?" Kill said looking at the room which was completely black except for the ponies inside it, "Where are we?"

"We are in my mind, of course," Shadow said appearing before us a few metres away," Care to join me?"

"We're not falling for any of your tricks Shadow," I said, "We're ending this today."

"Oh Graze, you've said that so many times, you even thought you did so many months back, remember?" He then stifled a laugh as the entire area before us brightened with a flashback, "C'mon Graze, don't tell me you've forgotten this, haven't you?" I closed my eyes not wanting to relive that again, "Open your eyes and answer me Graze! Do you remember?!"

I wanted to forget this for what had been showing was our re-encounter in the desert, me and him alone without any interference. But that wasn't what he was focusing on, it was much worse to watch as he completely skipped our fight and moved to where I lost control.

"Tsk Tsk, just look at yourself Graze. You even threatened to harm your friends, and this is the pony who is going to save the school?" Shadow taunted me.

"Shut up," I was falling for it.

"Oh, and look here, your little marefriend just stood and watched."

"Shut up!"

"How pathetic, you call that love? I could imagine why she would just stand there and--"

"SHUT UP!" I finally fell for it and rushed him head on immediately backed up with my consciences beside me ready to fight.

Shadow smiled, "Perfect," and opened out his hooves gratefully to accept the future blows. I literally ducked under his hoof and punched his chest with all my rage sending him flying like a ragdoll bouncing upon the floor reaching Grace who roundhouse bucked him to Kill.

In that split of a second, Kill front flipped a kick continuing the combo upon the floor as Joy grabbed him midair and dropkicked him directly to Grim who openly accepted Shadow stabbing him with his dragon's claw.

"That was a bit too easy," I stated honestly.

"Ha....Haha....Haahahahahahaha!" Shadow built up a maniacal laugh.

"What's so funny?!" Kill shouted in demand.

"I wanted this! Hahahaha! I've seen everything you've done through Light's eyes and now. Now, I'm going to kill everyone," he warned seriously as his body slowly vanished into thin air.

The floor shook violently as Shadow finally disappeared. "EVERYONE! YOU NEED TO GET OUT NOW!" Light informed us, "IF THIS PLACE GOES DOWN! AND YOU'RE STUCK HERE; YOU WON'T HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE AT SHADOW!"

Oh fuck, hearing that was never something good. Not being told twice, we all galloped to the door exiting the room. Now all we had to do was escape the fucking house that was going to kill us.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING?!" Grim shouted as we galloped through the halls.

"IS THIS REALLY TIME FOR QUESTIONS?!" We all shouted in unison.

"OH BUCK! SLIDE!" I commanded as a piece of ceiling crumbled down leaving a slight gap perfectly to fit under. Kill, Joy and Grace, made it by their necks as Grim easily teleported to the next side.

"FINE!" Joy shouted, "WHEN A PONY'S CONSCIENCE GOES DOWN, SO DOES THE MACHINATIONS OF HIS MIND! JUMP!" He quickly shouted as more pieces of concrete fell not too far from us.

"WHY IS EVERYTHING SO FUCKING COMPLICATED WITH YOU CONSCIENCES!" Grim complained.

"SHUT THE BUCK UP MAN! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" I shouted going down a flight of stairs seeing the exit to the house.

And with all the bad luck ever, the floor before us crumbled apart leaving a fissure which might I add, did not go well with the furniture.

"Oh fuck man! What do we do?" Joy panicked. I looked at him and smiled trotting backwards, "No way Graze! That's suicide!"

"What the fuck you talking about?! We have wings!"

"Oh yeah," Joy smiled sheepishly and flew across with Kill and Grace, "Now it's your turn Grim!"

"HE DOESN'T HAVE WINGS!" Kill shouted to Joy and then to Grim,"FUCKING HOP SKIP AND JUMP MAN!"

"THAT SHIT NEVER WORKS!" Grim replied and then took two steps back since he no longer had a choice. Clasping his hooves together, he prayed to Celestia without the choice of flight, "If I die, I'm coming for you." And with his last prayer sent, he took a leap of faith.

"He's gonna make it! He's gonna make it!" Grace said watching his body midair and then drop like a Tom, "Nope he's dead."

Instinctively, I leaned over the edge of the fissure grabbing his hoof with mine, "Gotcha buddy!" I quickly pulled him up mustering what strength I could have and exited Shadow's crumbling mind.

---

With a blinding flash of light, we were back in our bodies once again. Grim and I quickly got upon our legs and galloped over to our friends in shock to what they had been seeing. Through Light's mouth leaked or more preferably exerted a black gas which had slowly taken form of a familiar pony, Shadow. Something was different though, his eye was a shining blood lust red as well as his coat emitted an unnatural black gas, blowing in the wind like a reaper’s cloth, tattered and damaged.

Acting quickly on her hooves from a safe distance, Vinetion  controlled her trademarked vines to wrap quickly around Light bringing him towards safety before Shadow had taken full form.

"Hello Graze and company," Shadow greeted under his calm breath taking a step forward. His voice had spoken representing the messenger of Death himself sending chills down my spine.

"RUN LEGIT! CALL THE TEACHERS!" I quickly shouted in fear starting step two of our plan.

When I had told Legit that he was the most important part of our plan, I was not lying. It was well understood that we needed all the help we could have gotten and I planned to use all of it….No matter the risk.

Pray Celestia we hold Shadow off until they arrive.

Next Chapter: The Perfect Offense and Defense is Balance! Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 21 Minutes