On a large log Shannon sat, slowly moving his hands back, and forth over the medium sized flames while he stared up into the sky. The moon was bright tonight; it's surface much more visible, and even more detailed than Earth's moon ever could be. Many times on his home world did he look up towards the Moon there, and many times did he just view it as some lump of rock that was unfortunate enough to get stuck in the gravity of Earth. Here however, it was something of great power; a symbol that filled him with pride, and reverence. With him looking up at it, and him knowing that somewhere in this world was the living embodiment of this Moon; the Night, and Darkness itself. It made him feel wondrous, and empowered; though it also made him feel a little sad. While he had enjoyed this outing in the name of his Worship, and Goddess. He could admit to himself that he missed her, and wanted to be in her presence again. While the thoughts of his beautiful Moon Goddess were at the fore front of his mind, it was the person, or thing creeping around in the trees behind him; that had the most of his attention.

   He knew they had been there for at least ten minutes now. He wasn't sure how they were able to sneak up on him, and get this close. All he knew is that they were now in the bushes; no more than twenty feet away. He ran a multitude of scenarios through his mind in an instant of what could be lurking there. Minotaurs were much to large to slip through the under brush of the small tree patch he rested in now. A Gryphon would have easily been heard flapping through the sky, and making it's descent. He had not yet even come close to seeing a Dragon. It had to be something small; something capable of moving without detection. This stalker had to be able to not only mask it's approach, but be able to hide the sound of it's steps as it tried to inch closer, and closer to him with each long passing minute. That's when he took a long sigh as he looked down into the flames. At the same time, reaching up to place his hood over his head, and reach into his inner coat pocket, and remove the mask; placing it over his face. He then became still as a stone, waiting to hear the sound to which he deduced would be their method of attack, and he did not have to wait long.

   The noise that a Unicorn's horn made to him could only be described as a 'twinkle.' It was the sound that accompanied the use of magic every time a spell was being cast, or an object was being manipulated. This was the sound he heard from behind him in the dark; then the sound of a fallen tree being picked up, and tossed through the air like it weighed no more than a crumpled piece of paper. With a blinding dash; Shannon moved to the side. He placed all his strength into his legs, and threw himself to the side of the campfire. He spun mid stride, and was able to glance for just a second the glowing shimmer of the Unicorn's horn in the darkness. He then had to once again do a large leap backwards, into the shadowed tree line as the once tree; now lethal projectile came just mere inches from taking his head off with ease. Another set of quick side steps, and a roll up onto the trunk of a thick standing tree were the steps Shannon made to ensure his new position could not easily be found. He then ever so slightly poked his head from around his cover, to see if he was able to make out the location of his attacker, hoping they weren't as adept at cloaking oneself in the local shadows as he.

   Chaosia cursed to herself silently as she watched her attack sail perfectly through the air. Only to watch her target simply dodge it as if it were moving in slow motion. She could not understand how Shannon could move so fast, how he could completely take in the situation at hand within just seconds, and then react as if he had all the time in the world to prepare for it.  She saw were he moved to, but she couldn't see more than just a few feet into the brush in which the Human fell into. She knew he was there, he couldn't have moved far, or else she would have heard him, she would have saw the shadows move as he tried to evade her. That is when she decided to let her red eye start to glow, to let it show her what was hidden in the darkness before her. It was the same technique she used to track Shannon to this place; her eye could show her remnants of paths taken, or paths to be taken.

   There she saw him, hiding behind a tree. Though much to her surprize, he was now spinning out from behind it, his arm cocked back in a throwing position. Once again she cursed herself, her eye gave away her spot to him; he had been waiting for this opportunity. She knew all to well the object he held in his hand, and her chest tightened in a sharp inhale as the axe was let loose, and flew with a whistle through the air at the target she had given him, her eye. Chaosia's reflexes were sharp however, and her horn began to glow brightly as it caught hold of the black steel weapon, just as it was about to make impact with her head. As soon as the axe came to a halt in mid air, now surrounded by the magic of her horn, she let out a verbal grunt, and lunged forward, adding more effect to the weapon as it now flew back at it's former master, with intentions of driving itself deep into his chest. Her hopes of ending this now were crushed like dry leaves under the weight of a falling boulder however. Her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but let her jaw fall open as she saw Shannon do a small step to the side, and catch his axe like it was nothing more than a play toy thrown at him by a small foal.

   As soon as Shannon's hand took hold of his axe that she had tried to wield against him, he knew he had to move. He knew all to well now how she got this close to him; her ability to turn into a wisping cloud was all to perfect to get in close and strike. This was a power that he had to negate, he had to get close, strike fast, strike deadly, as not to give her the opportunity to take this form again. She could easily take flight, and disappear, or spread herself across a thin plane, small enough to become undetectable. So as soon as he had a firm grasp on his now retrieved weapon, he lept forward. Both axes held high over his head, his aerial maneuver gave him a perfect vantage of his once comrade, now turned aggressor. He came down fast; he came down hard, letting the axe in his right hand come slashing to the ground. She was on guard however, Chaosia took a quick step backwards, only to have to make another retreat as Shannon lunged forward with his left arm, striking hard with the heavy blade at the knees of her front legs.

   This is what Chaosia had been waiting for, for him to make an error such as this. To him he was using tactics to combat others of his race; whom probably stood on two legs like himself. She was no Human however, and instead of stepping backwards again to dodge the sweeping attack, she simply stood up on her hind legs, letting the axe fly underneath her. She saw Shannon was quick to adapt to this tactic however, as he adjusted his weight on his bent legs, spinning enough to let another swipe of his right axe start, this one coming for her neck. It left him open for just a brief moment; a small hole in his defense that she had to exploit. It was a gamble in which if it didn't pay off, a bloody, pain filled death would be her reward for such actions. With a powerful lunge, she let her body weight drop, while at the same time using her front legs in a one, two combination. Her right hoof made contact just before Shannon's axe found it's mark; striking a blow to the exposed area of his right shoulder, deflecting his own attack. Her left hoof now had full range to slam directly into the side of the Human's head, and bring him under control for her to finish quickly. She felt the flat of her hoof make contact; she felt it start to meet resistance. However, just as she was about to apply the necessary pressure for a follow through, Shannon threw all of his weight backwards, robbing her of the dazing blow that his Human skull would not be able to tolerate.

   In a roll, turned into a backwards somersault Shannon retreated; before using the momentum of his evade to bring him back up to his feet. His anger had now begun to boil it's way to the top; both from the misjudgement of how the Unicorn would react to his flury of blows, and allowing himself to almost be knocked out by a powerful hoof to the head. Through unshown grinding teeth, Shannon let out a low growl of frustration. He then saw her horn start to glow again, he knew there were plenty of objects in this night covered ground that she could use to bash, stun, or even impale him with. So he once again went on the offensive, by the means of a strong side arm motion, letting the axe in his right hand fly once more at her. The dark mare did just as he wanted her to, the attack was precise, but slow enough to make her have to move to the side to avoid it's cutting edge. As his weapon streaked past Chaosia, getting swallowed into the shadows behind her, Shannon lept forward. His speed, and skill; combined with his growing rage were no match for the slender framed Unicorn. Shannon let a vicious grin come to him as he was just a second away from feeling his blade make crushing contact with Chaosia's skull. Though much to his dismay, the Dark Guardsman's horn flashed with magic, as her eye began to glow bright red. Then just as Shannon's axe hit her, she became a Pony shaped cloud of black smoke, then floated away towards the fire.

   Just as quickly as she had lost her solid form; did she gain it back just as fast. Putting herself in front of the fire allowed her to see very clearly the black clothed Human, who was now glaring at her through one of those down turned eyes of his mask. Then with a side roll, Shannon lept back into action. He came up from his acrobatics to one foot, and one bent knee, as his arm reared back, getting ready to lunge himself, and his blade like a ballistic spear at the silhouette before him. These motions were brought to a halt however, as Shannon could no longer move his arm. He looked up, and saw that his axe had now taken the aura of Chaosia's horn. He then felt it take on a life of it's own as it jerked forward, as if it wanted to go to Chaosia. With all his might Shannon held back, momentarily stopping the blade from being ripped from his hand. This gave him enough time to come to his feet, and take hold of the metal shaft with his other hand, to further still impede the Unicorn from relieving him of his weapon.

   Shadow Vein stood in shock, and awe in his Void. He simply couldn't believe that these two had come to death dealing blows so quickly. He was at least thinking that Chaosia was going to try to render him unconscious, or weaken him enough to make him bend to her will. He hadn't thought for a moment that her intentions were to kill him. Then there was this new power struggle before him. Chaosia had taken hold of Shannon's remaining axe, if she were to successfully rip it from his hands, Shannon would have little to no defense against her hardened hooves, and piercing horn; let alone her physical attacks. The anticipation, mixed with the drama of the fight before him got the best of Shadow Vein's attention, and he did not realize how close he was to the window of his Void he was standing to. As the struggle between the two combatants became tighter, and tighter; Shadow Vein leaned in further, and further. Then, Shadow Vein leaned in just a little to far, and he started to fall forward. The only thing the Stallion could do to stop him falling on his face, was to reach out with his front hooves, and plant himself in a wide stance. This action though, caused his front legs to exit the window he was watching from, and land in a large pile of leaves, along with cracking an old dry branch in half.

   Chaosia started to smile as she witnessed Shannon's strength start to falter. She knew that all she had to do was keep this constant pressure on him, and he would break; as his Human body could not withstand the strengths of her magic. Once she had torn the axe away from his hand, all that would be between him, and her would be him having to try to engage her in close range combat. Leaving her the option to remain at range, slowly pelting, and bashing him with the weapons the forest, and earth had provided. Soon, it would all be over; this world would be done with this breathing abomination, that's what she thought at least. For just an instant her ear twitched as she heard a rustle in the trees to her side, and out of the side of her vision, she could have sworn she saw something emerge itself from the very shadows. In her heightened alertness, she couldn't help but turn her gaze from Shannon to the movement at her side, and this, would be her undoing.

   Shannon let out a grunt as he pooled even more of his remaining strength into keeping his axe from slipping from his grasp. His fingers burned from the constant force being applied to the hard steel in his hands. His arm muscles ached as the constant strain made them feel as if he was trying to lift a two ton rock of pure marble. All seemed lost in this endeavor, until he saw his opponent make a move that gave him all the opportunity he needed. As soon as Chaosia turned her gaze from him, Shannon let his strength fail, and the axe was now set loose through the air. The constant pull from the Unicorn trying to peel it from Shannon's grasp, combined with the tension of his fight to keep it, had turned this black bladed tool into a magic powered missile. One that sang death as it spiraled in a blur at it's new, and unknowing target.

   Chaosia let out a gasp; a sudden release of air that worked in two fold. She had realized what she had done; she had let herself become distracted. The other part of the gasp was from the shock of a new sensation to her; something she had never felt before. This feeling forced her to look down, and see the now blood covered blade of the axe she was trying to tear from Shannon's grasp; buried deep in her chest, just below her neck. She began to shiver, she wanted to try and run, but nothing in her body was working anymore. The only thing she could truly feel now was a solid flow of her own blood pouring down her chest, to her legs, and forming a black pool on the ground under her. She tried once again to turn and flee, to get away as fast as possible, but all this accomplished was her losing her balance, and collapsing to the ground with a hard thump, as the little bit of air her lungs were able to produce, started to leave her.

   A deafening yell of disbelief, and horror came from Shadow Vein's roaring throat as he took in the vision of his friend being slain before him. Fortunately for him he was still within the confines of his Void, so the sounds of his primal scream could only be heard by him, and him alone. He so wanted to rush out of the window he watched from; he so wanted to come to her aide, and try everything he could to stop her from leaving this world this way. It was then did he come to see the fact that it was his misstep that made her look in his direction. It was he that had killed her, not Shannon, and to him, it might as well have been him that drove that axe into her body. With this feeling, Shadow Vein couldn't help but just sit down on his haunches, and watch as Shannon removed his hood, and mask, then start to approach the fallen Mare, who lay bleeding on the ground. While at the same time, looking into the encompassing darkness for just a moment; trying to see what had caught Chaosia's attention so.

   Shannon simply fell to his knees as he looked down at Chaosia, who in turn was staring up at him with a now glossy, and foggy looking eye. All he could do was slowly place his hand on her shallow breathing chest, causing her to flinch from his touch. He then reached down with his other hand, took hold of the axe handle, and ripped it from her body, causing her to let out a gasping scream of burning pain. "Shh." Shannon whispered to her, as he placed the axe on the ground, and brought his hand back to gently stroke her mane. "Have I become such a bane to you, that you would take such actions against our Worship?" Shannon paused for a moment, as if waiting for a response; though none came. "Such a foolish Pony. You never seemed to grasp that I am her will. To strike at me; is to strike at her, herself. Mortals such as us could never know such victories."

   "Curse, you." Chaosia was able to push out of her mouth in not words, but more fleeting gasps of air her body was desperately trying to take in.

   Shannon just shook his head, as he placed his hand that was on her mane; now to her eyes, slowly pulling the lids down over the fading orbs of her eyes. "They are your last breaths. Spend them as you wish, you deserve at least that much for your service to our Worship." As soon as he spoke these words, he lifted his hand to show Chaosia's eyes completely closed, and he sat silent as he heard the last trace of air pass through her lips. Then there was nothing; her chest slowly deflated, and he knew she was gone. "May our Divine Moon forgive all the sins you have committed in this life. May she bring you to Darkness, so that you may know the loving bliss, of Night Eternal." There, Shannon remained for a few more minutes, before collecting his axe, and placing it on his side. He then rose to his feet, and started walking out of the small forest, back towards Canterlot.

*****

   Fluttershy finished drying herself off with the large fluffy towel before tossing it to the floor. She then reached over, and grabbed another one, and proceeded to expertly wrap her long pink mane in a turban style head dress. She let out a long sigh as she turned around, then let out a squeak filled gasp as she saw the absolute mess her bath had made in her tub. A thick dark ring of washed dirt, and mud had now formed where the water line once was. The bottom of the tub was now also stained with the remains of the day's activities, in the form of grimy streaks of light brown mud, that ran towards the drain. Another defeated sigh escaped her lips as the thought of the massive chore it would be to clean this calamity, and to get her bathroom back to it's nice pristine state. Her large eyes bounced back and forth, and while it would make it only harder to clean, she decided that she was just to tired, and the job would have to wait until tomorrow.

   The little mare trotted out into her front room, and scanned the area; finding it was empty. "Devan?" She called out, getting no answer in return. Through out the tree house she roamed, calling out his name in a cheery, and friendly voice, still getting no answer. It was only until she looked out one of the windows, did she see her hero resting himself against one of the fence posts that outlined her property. While trying to not be to hasty, Fluttershy placed herself at the door. She looked out into the night, seeing that her Human friend was staring blankly into the vast field beyond her ranch; though not looking at anything in particular, just lost in his thoughts. She began to take small steps at first to the outside, lowering her head slightly, and looking around to make sure there wasn't anything scary between him and her. Though she knew if there were such a thing; he would be quick to rush to her side, and that made her feel better, and gave her the courage to move out. "Umm, Devan? I didn't mean to disturb you or anything. But umm."

   "There's no hate here." The Human said, cutting her off, while still looking out into the expanding darkness. He didn't even turn to acknowledge she was behind him, almost as if he had said it to himself.

   "S-sorry. But, umm, what?" Fluttershy answered back while one of her eyebrows dropped down, and the other raised to show her not being able to understand the statement.

   Devan turned only his head to look at her for just a second, before moving it back to where it was before. "This world. This whole place." He said as he waved a loose hand towards the darkened field before him. "It has no hate, no animosity to feel. There's just the world." Fluttershy was about to say something as she could tell he was very upset. He continued talking however, and she brought her mouth closed with a quick snap. "My world, Earth, it's full of hate. You can feel it in the air, you can taste it in the food, the water. You can hear it in every voice that enters your ears. But you start to forget what it is. You don't pay attention anymore, and you just accept it."

   "Devan, t-that's just terrible." The yellow Pegasus said in a low whisper, as a long look of sadness came to her massive sea green eyes. "Is it really so bad?" She asked as she walked closer to him, eventually rearing up to her hind legs, and placing her front hooves on the fence post beside him. "I mean. It just can't be as bad as you say. Please say it isn't."

   He couldn't look at her now. He knew the expression she would be wearing on that long muzzled, kind face of hers, and he couldn't bear to give her even the smallest glance, knowing he had helped place it there. "For people like me? Because of the things I do, and have done over the course of my life. Yeah, I am afraid it is. And what makes it worse is that I knew what I was doing!" He said in not so much a yell, but a emotional raised voice that caused Fluttershy to flinch a little as he pounded his fist lightly to the top of the fence post. "I was happy to do it. Because I knew that if I did those things. If I increased the hate in the world, I could make my life better, little by little." After speaking these words, Devan struck the post once more, then let his head hang down, still not looking over at the little yellow mare he had come to build quite an affection for.

   "Umm." Fluttershy started, pausing not because of her timid nature, but from her trying to find the words to make him feel better. 'I know we haven't know each other for very long. And uhh, I don't know what kind of things you did on your world. But umm." She stopped talking for a moment as she inched herself along the fence line. She placed herself right next to him, and lifted one of her hooves up, and brought it to rest on his shoulder. "I know since you got here, you have saved Sweetie Belle. You even gave her back her gem when Rarity said it was fine to keep it." This made Fluttershy smile, and give off a small giggle as she remembered the event. "It made her so happy! I had never seen her hug a complete stranger before. But then, you rushed to my side, and were willing to fight a whole pack of Diamond Dogs for me." She paused once again to see if his facial expression had changed at all. Only to see that it hadn't, which made her rub her hoof back and forth on his shoulder. "So yeah, but umm, on your world, I don't know what you were. But here on this one, I-I can tell you are a good man."

   After telling Devan this, Fluttershy gave him the biggest smile she could muster. However, her face went right back to a more fearful state, and she even pulled her hoof away as she saw him snap his head to the side, and give her a look of angered lament. "I will never forgive myself for letting you think that about me." As soon as he finished saying this, he reached back, and pulled up his hood, then jumped the fence,and started walking towards the darkness in the forest's direction.

   "Devan wait!" Fluttershy cried out, even reaching out with her hoof for him. Her pleas however fell on deaf ears, and soon his tall frame was completely cloaked by the surrounding darkness of the night. Every muscle in her body told her to race into that same darkness, and find him. Her fears of what was in that void besides him, plus the added anxiety of today's earlier ordeal kept her from giving chase. All she could do was sit down while staring into the night. "P-please. Come b-back." She whispered as a set of tears started to form, and roll down her cheeks.

*****

   Shadow Vein sat there in his Void, glaring out into the world at his now dead troop mate, as the fire she lay by slowly began to fade. Almost an hour passed by before he could muster the courage to bring himself to take the few tortuous steps out of his hollow world, and into the night filled one, where the body of Chaosia grew colder by the minute. His head hung low, as the grief of his loss began to wash over the mask covered face that swirled with the material unique to his own world of nothingness. Then, before he knew it, and to soon for him to realize, he was there standing beside his fallen comrade.

   He didn't know what to think as he stood over Chaosia's body. He thought he should say something to her; anything at all, but the words wouldn't come to him. He just stood over her corpse, looking down at it. He felt a kind of anticipation he had never felt before in his life. As if all of this was just a serious accident, and if he remained here long enough, she would start to regain consciousness. However, the absolute lack of signs of life, and the large area of blood stained ground made him have to face the fact: that was never going to happen. A thought then came to him; a thought that he wished he didn't think of, Chaotica. This brought a whole new level of sadness to him now. As the scene of having to tell the surviving twin her sister was not just dead, but killed by their very own comrade, and by him.

   "It wasn't supposed to be this way." He said aloud, speaking not only to himself, but to the deathly still body beneath him. "We were all supposed to be together. To watch each other grow, become more powerful. To get old with one another. Then we could watch each other die. Not like this." He didn't know why, but he felt his jaw start to clench; his teeth start to grind. He was getting very angry all of the sudden. He had to swallow a very large lump that had formed in his throat, and by doing that, it seemed to open a passage for all his rage to spew forth. "You weren't supposed to die here!" He screamed down at Chaosia, halfway expecting for her eyes to flash open, so she could argue with him. "No stallion, no kids, not one thing! You don't have one thing to leave behind. How dare you leave like this!"

   The enraged Pony then jumped over both Chaosia's body, and the small flickering flames of the fire. He ran to the edge of the tree line, stopping as he roared out into the night before him. "And you Human! What were you thinking? How could you let yourself do it? She was your friend!" After he finished yelling his accusations into the cool night air, the only thing to answer him back was just fading echos of his own voice. He then plopped down on his haunches, and stared at the dark ground under him. "You never said one word to each other." He said in a dull whimper that was nothing compared to the bellow he let out just seconds before. "You just started fighting, and that was it. No reason why, no meaning to it, you just started trying to kill each other." After a long silence, Shadow Vein started to feel the anger in him subside just a small amount. It was enough to let a new feeling take hold of him, one of confusion.

   He started shifting his weight back and forth, his head bobbing as if it was being controlled by an unfelt wind, until he snapped it up, and looked directly at the Moon in the sky. "You didn't send her, did you?" He said to the celestial body. "No, no, no. She wouldn't try to kill him, they were friends, friends don't try to kill each other. Somepony else? Yes, somepony that hates him. Hates what he is; hates what he stands for. The Night, somepony that hates the night. Who hates the night? Who, who, who?" After all the questions; after all the talking to himself. Shadow Vein let out a small exhale, as a wide grin came over his masked muzzle. "The Day hates the Night, the Sun. Celestia, how could you?" The hatred he felt before washed over him once more. He now knew that this was all Celestia's doing. Not Shannon's, not Chaosia's, but that high and mighty Sun Goddess that was obviously so jealous of how revered Shannon held Princess Luna, that she tricked Chaosia into trying to kill him for her. As the revelation came to him of somepony to actually blame for this tragedy, he jumped from his prone position, and spun around to confess his discovery to his friend's body. What he saw there by the fire, was something that made his heart actually stop, as he took in the longest horror filled gasp he could ever remember.

   There, floating in the air as if being picked up by some unseen force, was Chaosia. Her legs dangled in the air, her head pointing straight down towards the ground in a fashion that showed there was still no life in her, yet she continued to rise high off the ground. Then, with a jerk, her eyes popped open, causing Shadow Vein to trip over himself, and fall to his back on the ground. Her one normal eye was still, cold and glassed over; her other eye however, was glowing a bright red. The light that came from her eye started to burn with such intensity, that it began to illuminate the surrounding area with a crimson radiance. Her head then began to twitch, jerking slowly at first, then coming to life as it whipped up, then snapped towards him in a dead stare. Her mouth started to open, it pushed itself to an unnatural size, just as it started to billow out a cloud of thick black smoke that formed into a tight, and swirling cloud over the fire.

   Shadow Vein breaths were short, terrified gasps that were making his chest rise, and fall at a dangerous rate. Never in his life had he witnessed such a morbid scene, and now that he had, he wished it had never come to pass. His voice had left him, his mouth was far open; yet no scream would dare leave his throat. His body betrayed him as well, as it would not listen to the pleas his mind was making to get up, and flee. He was trying so hard to leave, all he had to do was use his magic, summon his Shades; his Lovelies to come to his aide. So he could be pulled into his Void, and finally be free of this waking nightmare. Something wouldn't let him however, as if the dark swirling cloud before him was holding him there in place; making him look at it. The cloud then moved in a flash, it darted across the short expanse between itself, and Shadow Vein in less time than a blink of the eye would allow. This time, the mortified Pony was able to let out a terror filled scream as the cloud raced towards him, then enveloped him.

   The Dark Stallion was lifted up off the ground with ease. His body began to twist, and spin in the air, as if he was caught in a violent tornado of massive proportions. He could feel something pulling at him from all directions, but no matter where he looked, he could see nothing; only the black, and grey turbulence of his new prison. The black cloud first started to push itself inside Shadow Vein's mouth, causing the young black Pony to gasp for air, flowing through the Void created mask he wore as if it weren't there. More of the raging energy pour into his ears, then moving on to even his nostrils, and eyes. Then, just as quickly as it had started; it was now over. Shadow Vein hit the ground with a massive thud that caused him to expel the air from his lungs. Several moments passed in silence before Shadow Vein took in a deep breath.

   Slowly he gained his bearings; even slower still did he start to rise to his hooves. The braids of his mane hung now in front of his face as he straightened his knees, then flipping his head so his hair would return to it's normal resting place. With this, his eyes shot open, and while his right eye remained in it's normal state; his right eye was now replaced by one that burned a bright blood red. He looked back and forth, as if for a second he didn't realize where he was. He then took notice of Chaosia's body, and how it had now fallen back to the ground, and laid there as lifeless as if was before. His mask covered head bent from one side to the other as he looked down at her corpse. He then let a grin creep across his hidden face that was followed by a chuckle of ill design. "And now." He started as his body began to emanate the same kind of smoke that had just forced it's way into his very being. "It is time for the Sun to set, forever." After speaking this, the Dark Stallion took off in a dead run. He jumped high into the air, and burst into a electrical charged black cloud, that wisped around for a few short seconds, before diving into a deep, dark shadow that led to his endless void.

*****

   Devan leaned up against a large tree while letting out a long sigh that presented his frustration. This was followed by him slowly banging his head against the trunk while repeating a simple mantra of: "You're an idiot, you're stupid." to himself over and over again with each new thump. He couldn't understand what had happened to him over the course of these past few days. He ran the events through his mind since his arrival, and how they were completely out of character for him in every sense of the word. He gave up a jewel worth millions to a child, he put himself in the direct line of fire to protect small creatures he didn't even know; twice even. Then, to make matters worse, he found himself becoming more, and more attracted to a girl that wasn't even close to being the same race as he was.

   This seemed to be what was troubling him the most out of everything that laid out before him. Back on Earth he had never felt anything close to what he felt for that little timid Pegasus. He had a plethora of women, all over the world in fact that would wait by the phone; just wishing that he would call, and show them a good time. Each one of them however, were just means to an end. Some were in close with foreign governments, military, special ops groups and black market dealers. Others were just pretty faces he could use as arm candy to create misdirection while he achieved his over all goals on any particular mission. All of them had a purpose; like any good tool would, but none of them would he throw himself into the line of fire like he did with Fluttershy. The mere thought of using that little yellow mare like he did all the others made him very angry at himself for even thinking about it.

  What made matters worse was that Fluttershy trusted him completely. Without knowing, or even caring why. She gave him a place to stay; a place to sleep. Not once questioning his motives here, or his intentions of what he would do if he were left to his own devices. She just brought him in, and acted as if it was just something that had always been; like he was supposed to be there. All of this combined with him coming to terms with who he was; what he had done in his life time. It made him feel almost ashamed of being as good as he was; at what he did. This made him really mad, causing him to bang his head again to the tree; causing actual pain. He had never once in his life felt he needed to apologize to any one or anything for what he had become. He was a shining example of martial prowess, his mind, and wits were as sharp as a diamond edged blade, and his training in the clandestine arts meant absolute death to whoever he turned his sights on. These were things he was proud of; they made him happy to dwell upon at night when he crawled into his big expensive bed. Now, he would give it all up, just so he would never have to see those big eyes on Fluttershy never show sadness again.

   Despite all of these thoughts pounding in, and out of Devan's brain. He was still very aware of his immediate surroundings, and it was the crack of a branch, and the rustle of leaves directly behind him that pulled him back to the now. With a fast dash, and a spin on his heels, while at the same time reaching back to grab both his forty five caliber pistols. Devan placed himself directly in front of whatever was trying to get the drop on him as he pulled back both hammers on the weapons with his thumbs. What he saw before him was one of the biggest Ponies he had ever seen. It's coat glowing white it seemed; even in this vast darkness. It's mane and tail flowed in an ethereal smoke of blues, greens and purples, and it's eyes a vivid pink.

   "You Ponies have a real bad habit of sneaking up on people." Devan said as he slowly stepped backwards; placing some distance between himself, and his stalker. "It is a real easy way to get yourself hurt."

   Celestia just got a playful smirk on her muzzle after hearing the hidden threat in this new Human's words. "Hmm. Well, that would be implying that you could hurt me." She said as she matched his steps, taking one forward as he took one back.

   "Some might take that as a challenge." Devan rebutled, also getting a smile on his lips in response to this Ponies bravery, and quick wit.

   "Others would take it as fact." The Alicorn said as she now gave the weapon wielding Human a sheepish grin as she noticed that this last remark made his smile grow, and the back and forth between the two, with the hint of violence was actually diffusing the tense situation.

   "How did you find me?" Devan asked, still having a solid aim with the dual weapons pointed right at the Pony's head.

   "Princess Celestia, of Canterlot." She said as she bowed her head, and raised a hoof up to her chest. "And somepony in my position is very privy to quite a bit of information about the goings ons in my kingdom. Particularly information about a very rare creature living in one of my cities. Now as in how I found you here in this spot? Well that is just a bit of good luck."

   "Ah!" Devan huffed as he placed the hammers of his hand guns back to their resting places, and holstered them with a quick twirl on his fingers. "Devan Crey, of Aurora." while Devan didn't normally give away his home town in Colorado, he found it comical to mock the sudden formality of this meeting. "You know." Devan began as he relaxed his stance. "Now that you mention it. The girls were telling me of how their Goddess lived in the big city. I take it you are one of them?"

   "I am." Celestia answered back, though lacking some of the pride Devan would expect from someone who was acknowledged as a living God. "It is good that you have some idea of who, and what I am. It saves me from having to explain myself, and allows me to get right to the point."

   "Which is?" Devan asked as he leaned up against the same tree as before, while at the same time crossing his arms.

   "What are your intentions here Devan?" She quickly asked, getting a rather stern look on her muzzle as the question came out.

   "Oh you know. To seek out new life, and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before." Devan was very, very happy and amused after saying this, as he never thought in his life time could he actually pull off that line, and truly get away with it.

   Celestia raised her eyebrows, and nodded her head at the surprisingly noble sentiment this new Human had. "Well, that's very courageous of you." She said with a smile; though it was wiped from her face when Devan burst out laughing, and clapped his hands together.

   "Wow!" Devan exclaimed as he gathered himself from the sudden laughing fit. "Thanks, I needed that. I didn't think that would actually work." Devan then looked up, and saw that this pure white Pony wasn't as entertained at the joke as he was. So he quickly stifled his laugh; while regaining his composure.

   Celestia just rolled her eyes as she realized she was the butt of some joke. "It seems I am doomed to endure the worst of your kind. I was hoping you would be different than, him." This statement made Devan's expression change to a much more serious tone as he took in the meaning of her words.

   "Ah, so I take it you have met Shannon Nyx?" He said, causing the Alicorn's ears to twitch at the sound of that Human's name.

   "You know him?" Celestia said in a surprised shout, as she took a quick step closer to Devan.

   "Well. You could say we have a, history with one another." Devan was now giddy with excitement. Always in the back of his mind he wondered how he was going to try to find Shannon, and now an all powerful Pony just dropped into his lap with all the information he could ever possibly need. He decided to begin the subtle interrogation of this large Pony, as to gain the actual location of Shannon's current whereabouts. "I take it he has been giving you trouble?" He asked, rather surprised at the reaction he got.

   "Oh you have absolutely no idea!" Celestia sighed out as her body weight sank lower towards the ground. She felt as if in this dark forest; in this bleak night, she had maybe found an individual that would understand her troubles. At least one creature that hadn't fallen under Shannon's vicious charms. "He is dark, cruel and dangerous, and yet, he has some how interwoven himself so deeply into our society; that if I tried to remove him, it may cause an actual conflict between existing factions. And to make matters so much worse." She paused for a long moment, as if she was trying to find the proper words to explain the next situation without being overly crude. "He has, defiled my sister! Making her think that she is madly in love with him!"

   This new information hit Devan so hard; that he actually leaned backwards from the force of it, as his eyes sprung wide, and his mouth fell slack. "Well we might not be talking about the same person then." Devan said in a confused voice, while reaching up and scratching his hooded head. "Because I have known Shannon for a very long time. I am pretty sure he doesn't have a sex drive." A new thought blasted it's way into Devan's mind; one that made him have to catch a quick breath. "Now, your sister's a Pony, right?"

   "Oh yes." Celestia said, looking up at him with a warm, and heart felt smile. "She is a loving, and beautiful Alicorn. She has had to endure so much in her life, and now all she can think about is this Human, that worships her like no other ever has, mistaking his infatuation with her, for love. My greatest fear now: is that he will turn on her, cause her horrible pain."

   "Back up a second." Devan requested, as he wasn't sure he caught the middle part of that rant, as he was still trying to get over the fact that not only was Shannon sleeping with someone, it was a Pony. "You said, he worships her?"

   "Devotedly." Celestia answered back with a frustrated, and sad look. "He throws himself at her feet almost every night since his arrival. Confessing his undying loyalty to her, and her alone." Celestia now stomped her hoof to the ground with a grunt. "It's just so infuriating!"

   "Alright." Devan started as he placed his hands in a parade rest behind his back, and started to pace back and forth. "So A: You're jealous." The look of shock on the Princess's face as he said this to her almost made him burst out laughing again; he was able to control him self however, and continue talking before she could interject. "And B: You sure Shannon didn't hit his head or something? Worshiping anything just doesn't seem to fit his MO." He could tell this whole conversation had started to take it's toll on her. Like it was something she had wanted to get off her gold plated chest for the longest time. Though she was starting to get frustrated with his jokes, and her demeanor was showing it in the way she stood. "Alright look." He began, dropping the light tone in his voice; replacing it with a more serious one. "I'll help you out. It won't be a problem."

   "You, you will?" Celestia stammered, a new light coming to her eyes as she looked upon this Human with a sense of hope.

   "You bet! Tell you what, you just go back to your city. You tell Shannon I am here; trust me, he will come running. Since you can't confront him directly. I will deal with him, and you will be in the clear. Alright?" After laying out his plan, Devan placed one of the most charming, and persuasive smiles on his face that he could remember in his life.

   "That all sounds well, and good Devan." Celestia sighed out, as her hopes started to dash away. "He is missing however, nopony knows where he is." This was a fact that Devan was very aware of, and was the one reason he hadn't tried to head to Canterlot already. Celestia didn't know this, and he decided to play it off as a minor misstep.

   "Well don't you worry your pretty flowing mane over it." He said as he actually walked up and placed his hand on the side of her long neck. This action made Celestia have to hide a blush, as this was the first time she had ever been touched by a Human's hands, and just for a millisecond, she allowed herself to accept why Luna enjoyed Shannon's touch so. "I know Shannon, and he isn't missing. He is just probably doing something to further whatever goals he has in mind. Now we have all the time in the world. So you just sit, and wait. Shannon shows up, he comes here, I deal with him. Problem solved."

   "Could it really be so easy as that?" Celestia asked out loud, more to herself than at the Human standing beside her. "He is just so dangerous. I fear he may have already done horrible things to a group of Minotaurs."

   "Well trust me Princess. I am not just a pretty face here. I can be, dangerous as well. If the need arises." Devan shot her another darkness piercing smile, patted her on the neck again, then stepped away.

   "I am so relieved we met Devan. I finally feel as if I have an ally that will be able to rid me of this terrible thorn that has been plunging itself into my side for all this time." With that, Princess Celestia opened her wings, and started to flap them in earnest to lift herself off the ground. "I must return to Canterlot. You will hear from me very soon." The Alicorn then thrust herself into the air, and began to dash away into the night sky.

   "Remember!" Devan called out at the flying Pony. "All the time in the world, don't rush yourself." After he said this, he stood there in silence as he watched her become a small black dot in the sky. "Weird ass Super Pony." He mumbled to himself as he reached into one of his interior pockets, and pulled out the blinking return device. Among it's various readouts on the flashy LED screen, there were a series of numbers that Devan had been keeping track of since his arrival. A number that read seventy eight hours, thirty two minutes and fifteen seconds, and it was counting down. "Well look at that. All the time in the world is just over three days. Who knew?" Devan then sighed out as he placed the return device back in it's pocket. "Hurry up Shannon. We have shit to take care of." With this little statement directed towards a man that could not hear it. Devan turned, and started walking back towards Ponyville, back where he could take some metal comfort in the presence of Fluttershy, at least for a little bit longer.

*****

   The night's air flowed freely through Celestia's wings as she soared high in the moonlit clouds. The Alicorn had an extra bound in the flap of her wings now that she had actually met a Human that agreed with her on the fact that Shannon Nyx needed to be removed from their society, and from the looks of him, and the weapons he had trained on her during some of their conversation, it seemed he was more than capable of doing the job. She couldn't help but let a self satisfying grin come to her as she darted playfully through the sky. Her head was reeling with the thoughts of finally being free of that madman's tyranny, and Luna would at last be set loose from his insidious charms, and venom filled words.

   Something twinged in the back of the Princess's mind at that point. It seemed an after thought at first; a momentary lapse of concentration. However small it was, it made her stop mid flight, and survey the surrounding area both above, and below. The feeling, the thought began to grow as she looked from cloud to cloud, and from patch of land, to patch of land. The sensation she was getting was now starting to grow, she felt panicked all of the sudden; as if some primal fear was pushing her to take flight, and run. It was then she felt the familiar dread that she had not been victim to for literally thousands of years. The horrible feeling of an evil long since past; one thought to have been wiped out so many millennium ago. Her breath became erratic, and short. Her chest heaved up, and down with forlorn haste as her wings instinctively pushed her higher, and higher into the air to escape this wave of doom set upon her by unknown sources. Then she saw it, just a glimmer at first; a glowing red ember in the flowing ocean of shadows under her.

   Shadow Vein's first tendril lashed from his Void. It was precise, and purposeful as it found it's mark, and wrapped itself several times around Celestia's front leg. This caused the Alicorn to let out a frightened whinny as she jerked her leg away, only to be yanked down towards the ground by several yards. A second, then a third launched from the ground; each one finding another one of the Goddess Pony's limbs with a speed that only their living world of Darkness could provide. Celestia kicked, brayed, and bucked furiously as the seemingly unbreakable tethers pulled her lower, and lower to the ground. Her eyes flashed in anger, and her horn became a blinding glowing beacon of unbridled power. With a clenched toothed grunt, the Sun Goddess let a thunderous bolt fly from her long pointed horn; turning the night to day as it streaked through the sky, crashing into the ground where the red dot of light shown.

   For a moment, the stretched living shadows seemed to ease their pulls on her; as if their strength had been cut off. Celestia gave another power filled yell, sending another magic bolt from her horn that could easily cleave the mightiest of mountains in twain from the sheer magical amplitude of her force. Two of the long attackers grabbing her front legs were easily disintegrated by the blow of her horn's destruction, giving her the chance to throw her body weight upwards, and gain just a small amount of ground back. Her eyes widened in shock however, as she looked to the ground to see the red light there only intensify, and then, much to her horror; dozens, upon dozens of shapeless black shadows leapt from the ground.

   One after another, Celestia let spell after spell of varying effects fly from her horn; cleaving through the onslaught of mindless tendrils, and decimating the ground under her. It was all for nought however, as for every one she seemed to take out; two more would throw themselves from the countless shadows that covered the earth. All to soon she started to become overwhelmed by the endless army of adumbrations that spawned to detain her. They lashed at her; they wrapped tightly around her limbs, neck and body. Her powerful magics were keeping the front of them at bay; until one was able to fly past the rest, and through her defense, to latch, and wrap itself around her horn. This caused a dire panic to flood the Alicorn's body as she felt her power diminish greatly as the flat thin shadow slithered it's way around her horn. So much so, that she stopped paying attention to the new rush of tendrils rushing up towards her, and before she could take notice, they were on her.

   All four legs were lashed, and bound together in a pain inducing bind. Countless wraps covered her body, wings and long thin neck. Several even made their way around her quivering muzzle, making it impossible for her to scream out in horror; save for the muffled cries that represented her fear of what unknown fate had befallen her. One powerful pull in tandem by the whipping shades, and the Goddess of the Sun came crashing down towards the ground. The descent to Celestia seemed to take an eternity as her horror washed eyes watched the ground get closer with each passing second, nothing but the howl of the wind in her ears to remind her of the unthinkable amounts of pain she would face when her body was slammed into the ever encroaching earth. Her eyes closed just before impact, she tightened every muscle in her body to the point of breaking, and she did all she could do to bring her head in close to her chest.

   The impact was far worse than she could ever imagine. The pain that surged through her form as she made contact with the ground was undescribable, and unimaginable to her mind. She could feel every bone in her eternity shake, and threaten to be rendered to powder; she could feel parts of her skin tear, go numb and start to burn all at the same time. While her vision became nothing more than a darkened blur, she could easily feel her own blood begin to trickle freely from her nose, and choke it's way into her still bound mouth. Time was just a slow pulse to her now; everything slowed as if it was trying to make her feel as much of the torment placed upon her now as possible. Crippled, torn and battered, the Alicorn Princess could do nothing save watch her gem mounted crown roll about the ground in front of her; before coming to a rest at an uneven angle. All she could do was think what a horrid feeling it was now, to be immortal.

   It was in this state of defeat that her aggressor decided to show themselves. Slowly Shadow Vein's head started to rise from a shadow right in the line of Celestia's sight. She did not recognize the masked Pony figure that rose like some unwaking nightmare from the shadows before her. Her concentration only being on the deadly read eye, and the inpony like growl that came from a covered mouth. It was however, when she took notice of the mane of her attacker that brought tears to her glossy eyes; pure white, countless braids of vairing lengths that bobbed and danced as he rose from the ground. She wanted to scream his name; to curse it for this unprovoked attack against her. Her lungs however, could not find the air to express her maddening anger, fear and sadness.

   "I hope the Sun isn't afraid of the Dark." Shadow Vein said in a malicious whisper as he leaned down towards the fallen Princess. "Else where you are going is going to be very horrible indeed. The now truly Dark Pony let out a low toned chuckle that sent shivers up Celestia's aching, and twisted spine. It was then that the ground beneath her became as black as pitch, and she felt herself start to slowly sink into a slick oil filled like hole that was not there before. She struggled as much as she could; as much as her destroyed body would allow. Nothing she could do was any where close to setting her free, as the bounds of shadows around her only tightened to still her. She stretched her head to a painful amount as the whole of body was brought into the blackened cold that consumed her form. Then, still looking at the betrayer: Shadow Vein, the last of her disappeared into the Void world of his making.

   "Well." Shadow Vein said with a hidden smile under the flowing material of his mask. "That is one down. Now my Lovelies, find him. Find Shannon, bring me to him." With this command issued, it wasn't long before Shadow Vein heard the whispers of his 'Lovelies.' For they had spread out through the whole of the world, glimpsing through each shadow, and darkened crevice, until they found their mark. With a laughing growl, Shadow Vein once again took the form of the Abyssal cloud that empowered him, and dove into his Hollow World, to seek out, and snatch up Shannon Nyx.

   Through the black void of Nothingness Shadow Vein flew. His 'Lovelies;' faceless voices that whispered to him from the unending cimmerian formless landscape had informed where the Human was, and brought him there with ease. The twisted, and darkened mind of the Pony Guardsman leaped from the task at hand; to the rewards, and accolades he would receive. One for bringing back his Princess's new beloved mate, and even more for presenting his dark Goddess with a trophy of the battered, and defeated Sun Goddess. Now finally after all this time would the Moon, and Night reign supreme over all of not only Equestria, but the very world itself, and all those that dwelled in it. It was all of because this new, and unstoppable power that Chaosia had bestowed upon him. With it, he felt as if he were a living god himself, capable of the most grand displays of power; he felt that with this power, he could rule Equestria himself.

   The delusions of insanity driven grandeur would have to wait however, as he saw the reason for his haste. The Dark Stallion chuckled to himself as he watched Shannon walking through the night, completely unaware of was lurking just beyond his normal perceptions. Another wayward laugh came from the obfuscated Pony as he thought to himself how easy it would be to take him down. Celestia herself offered little to no challenge against his eternal army of living shadows. This Human had no magic; no way to call forth powerful spells to destroy his minions. All Shannon had to defend himself against the coming blitz was his martial abilities, his speed, and that one lone mundane axe that would not even begin to cut his god powered tendrils. With a self satisfying scoff towards the almost insulting task of catching this simple prey, Shadow Vein let loose a single black whip into the normal world; it's goal to snare, and entangle Shannon. That was it's meaning, until Shannon dodged the long stretched shadow as if he had seen it coming from a mile away.

   "What!" Shadow Vein screamed, almost choking on the smug look he wore on his face as he saw his target evade the tangling black vine. "That's impossible! How did he know? How does he move in such a way?" These were questions directed at nopony but himself, as the whispers that normally brought him information had nothing to say. The now very frustrated Pony started to grind his teeth as he let loose another series of glossy shades from the ground. Once again, Shannon turned his head in just millimeters, then performed what seemed to be like a dance to the awe struck Shadow Vein.

   Shannon's body became like that of a fast flowing river. His body; his arms, even his legs and feet all moved as if they were being controlled by completely separate entities other than one mind. All conforming into an impromptu choreography of slides, spins, ducks and evades. Every movement was just a split second faster than the tendril that tried to snag him. Just as it was about to make it's first wrap around it's targeted limb; Shannon would just snake it away, at the same time setting up for another defensive showing of elusive movements.

   "How, how, how?" Shadow Vein bellowed at the scene before him. He couldn't stand it, not even the Goddess of the Sun moved in such a way. Not even Pegusi could move at such contorted angles. Earth Ponies had to rely on their brute strength, and Unicorns had no choice but to depend on their magic. "Ah ha!" Shadow Vein said with a newfound enlightenment to the situation. He then pulled his shadows back into the voids from which they came, and both he, and Shannon fell still. "That's what it is, isn't that right Human?" He said with a rasping laugh. "You have no magic, you can't fly, you can't even knock leaves from a tree. You're very aware though aren't you? You keep track of every little detail of your surroundings. You have to, the slightest misstep, and you would become food for whatever predator that stalked you." This caused the Pony to let out a howling laughter as he started to view Shannon in a whole new light. "You're not powerful! You're not strong! You're scared; scared of what's out in the world trying to get you. How simply pathetic!"

   With these new revelations, Shadow Vein devised a new plan, one he knew could not falter. First a straight attack from one single vine, protruding from it's home so quickly, and coming to such a sudden halt just inches from Shannon's face, it made a loud crack before pulling itself back to the Nothingness. It had the desired effect however, Shannon took a drastic step backwards from the false advance. "Come Shannon, join the Sun in my Eternity." After saying this, Shadow Vein made a physical push forward, and created something the likes he himself, and Shannon had never witnessed before.

   One by one Shadow Vein's tendrils started to emerge from the ground just a few yards away from Shannon. None of them attacking, just slowly starting to rise up high into the air, weaving and thrashing back and forth like seaweed in the ocean's strong currents. More still came from their Nothingness, building onto those that already existed, wrapping, and braiding themselves into one another. Soon the slick, and shiny construct stood stories tall, hundreds upon thousands of shadow born whips towering over the Human, who simply stood in a tightened defensive stance, ready for what ever onslaught that was about to befall him. "Closer now." Shadow Vein whispered, almost afraid that Shannon would pick up on the ruse that was befalling him. Yet Shannon could not see behind him, he was only paying attention to the massive abomination in front of him. He didn't see the subtle flowing pool of liquid darkness just a few steps back.

   Shadow Vein made a quick bite motion with his covered maw, causing all the tendrils held within the mass to act as one, and leap forward just a few feet, and Shannon did exactly as he wanted him to do. The Human stepped back with one foot, placing it on solid ground. The next however, touched down into the trap that had been set. His footing lost, his balance unable to be regained as Shadow Vein increased the size of the Void entrance, using Shannon's own shadow cast from the Moon above him. "You're mine!" The Dark Pony bellowed out in bliss as his Human target began to fall backwards. He was leaving nothing to chance however, as he let loose even more stretching shadows from directly beneath where Shannon was falling.

    They lashed, whipped and wrapped around each of Shannon's limbs with such force, that Shannon had no choice but to grimace in pain from the strength of his binds. With all the power he could call forth from his inner self, Shannon tried to rip him self away; struggling to the point of causing even more pain than the vines were. One more solid pull, and Shannon was spread flat to the ground, where he felt a bitter cold start to envelop him as he began to sink down into the thick flowing shadow where he lay. Then, he took one final gasp, and was swallowed completely, leaving no trace that he was even walking through that long night at all.

Next Chapter:

The Dream Reaver

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