"So what will it be, hm?" Bastion asked, tapping Von's chin. Her body continued to shiver as Bastion began to close the distance between them, attempting to steal a kiss. The aphrodisiac in the wine she had was still taking hold of her body. Was she truly going to give into temptation after she came so far? The murderer was right here in front of her and her mind was being clouded by the chemical.

"I..." She gasped, her cheeks flushing crimson.

"Yes?" Bastion gave a devious grin, realizing his victory and cupped Von's face in his hands and was about to kiss her.

"I...I refuse!" Von yelled, shocking the unicorn as she kicked him in his stomach and pushed him away. Bastion held his abdomen as he was pushed back and looked up, only to be greeted by a swift kick which knocked him into the wall. "I will not be your little plaything. I fought hard and traveled far to get where I am now. I've been through so much because of you. Because of my dream. And I'm not going to let it end here. Not today!" As Von made her proclamation, something began stirring inside of her body. Her breasts disappeared and her pose straightened out a bit more, her build more masculine until her body became that of her normal self once more. The potion had finally worn off and now that his body was normal once again, he ripped off the tank top and faced Bastion.

The unicorn in question pulled himself out of the wall, his clothes tattered and dirty. He dusted himself off and started to chuckle, turning his attention to the half-breed. "You insolent little monster. You just couldn't say yes, could you? You could've stayed here with me, my own personal little fuck doll. But instead, you refuse to see things my way. Just like that pathetic father of yours."

"Don't talk about him like that!" Von yelled. "My father was a respectful stallion. He was your friend. He was your partner! He was--"

"He was weak! While I tried to push myself further, learn what others refused to learn, he denied it. I wanted to know how the forbidden magics worked. To see if I could find a way to harness its powers and knowledge. And I used what I learned on other creatures. And what did your father do? He forbade me. He tried telling me that what I was doing was illegal. A work of sin. An abomination." Bastion retorted, his horn flaring with magic.

"It was! Those ponies...those dragons...all of those individuals were completely innocent! They had families to return to, for Celestia's sake!"

"Heh. Your father wouldn't know a true abomination if it stabbed him in the back. Oh wait. It did." The unicorn started to chuckle, his expression becoming more sadistic as he stared at him. "Would you care to know how it all went down?"

"..." Von stayed silent, his fists still balled up as Bastion continued.

"Good. See, I was in the middle of gathering regents for my next experiment. One of the chemicals I was working with required what I found and I was going to test it on a few of my subjects. It had been a month since we came back from the war and I learned the ways of necromancy and dark magic. My test subjects were the perfect guinea pigs for all the concoctions I created, magical and non-magical. The chimeras were my first creations, but they were mostly duds. Feral creatures with lack of instinct, the urge to kill being the only thing on their minds. The next thing I managed to learn was how to bring the bodies of the dead back to life. Again, they are just as mindless as the chimeras, but at least they can obey WITHOUT having to force me to get...violent." he chuckled.

"If you can bring the dead to life, what's the point in having all those bodyguards out there?" Von asked.

"Them? They're only pawns. Once I'm finished with them, I'm just going to kill them all." The unicorn replied. "And once they're dead, I'll just bring them back to life and keep using them. Only this time, they won't have any free will. The lives in Equestria only serve to be used and cast aside once their usefulness is up."

"You're sick."

"And you're a brat. You and your father both, always thinking that what you're doing is 'justice'. Playing hero because you believe it's the right thing to do. And because of your father's sense of what is right and wrong, it cost me something very dear to me." Bastion's voice cracked with his last words and he turned his head, a single tear traveling down his cheek. Von raised a brow, wondering what the mad unicorn was talking about, but his curiosity faded when Bastion chuckled and looked back at him. "But enough of that. Allow me to continue with my story. I'll skip ahead to the good bit."

Von continued to remain silent and listened closely to Bastion's words. Regardless of what had happened between them, he would still bring him in for his crimes. But somewhere inside, a burning desire began to worm its way into his heart: The desire for revenge. "I started working in my lab again, under headquarters when your idiot father and most of his drones came bursting in. Oh, you should've seen his face. He was so horrified by everything that I had done. Most of the citizens we had saved were brought into my lab and I turned them into my playthings. Damn, was he pissed. But he was willing to give me another chance. If I turned myself in, he said and admitted to my wrongdoings, then he would try to pull some strings and get me off the hook."

"Dad...he did that?" Von asked.

"Of course. As dimwitted as ever, I see. You certainly haven't changed since you were a child. You're just like your father. Even I don't know why he bothered doing such a thing."

"I think I know why."

"Hm? What are you on about?" Bastion inquired.

"Because even after what you've done, he still thought of you as his friend. With all the missions and jobs you guys took, you had a bond. You may not believe it, but I do. My dad respected you." Von said. "You were family."

"Family..." Bastion lowered his head and turned away from Von. "I had a family once. And now they're long gone. I cherished them with all my heart. Worked myself to the bone for them, to ensure their future. And now...look at me. I'm all alone...and it's all his fault."

"What?" Von raised a brow and stared at the unicorn. His story confused him, but he could sense sadness in his voice. "Your family...what happened to them?"

"What does it matter? They're not here anymore and they never will be again. But soon...soon, I won't be alone anymore. I'll have a happy family again! Until then, I will spread my pain to others. They'll soon learn how it feels to be all alone, without anyone to love or care for them when they need it most. You'll learn how it feels pretty soon, too." Bastion replied with a sadistic grin, pointing to the kirin. Before Von could question him, Bastion's horn flared up again and a large axe appeared in his right hand.

"That weapon..."

"Look familiar? This is the combined form of the weapons I used back in my glory days as a Sacred Guard." Bastion chuckled, lifting up the heavy weapon. "I call it...Dolus. It's an enchanted weapon...just like that sword you have." Von looked to his hip and sure enough, his father's sword was resonating with that of Bastion's axe. It was glowing a faint golden color while Bastion's glowed an ominous violet. "We used different magical materials to forge our weapons. Ignus used a material that would never break, no matter how much it's beaten or rusted. As for me...I used a material that would keep my weapon forever sharp. We were quite a team, him and I. It's too bad he did what he did. If only he didn't betray my trust."

Von growled and reached to the side of his hip and grabbed his sword. He wasn't going to have this traitor besmirch his father's good name. Not after everything he's done. He didn't want to kill him, but he needed to be stopped.

BGM 1

"My father didn't betray anyone's trust..." Von drew his sword and stood ready for battle. "...you betrayed him."

"So you're going to fight me too, huh? You and Ignus truly are the same...and it annoys me!" Bastion roared and slammed his axe on the ground. A large shockwave shot out towards Von, who barely had enough time to dodge it before it connected. However, the attack caused the floor under them to crumble and give way. The floor collapsed and the two of them fell down to the floor below. The stallions and mares underneath scrambled as they came down and ran to safety.

That weapon is no joke. I better make sure it doesn't actually hit me. if it does, I'm a goner, Von thought. Bastion lifted his axe with ease and grinned, extending his hand and urging the halfling to try him. Von silently obliged and charged at him and swung his sword, only for it to be deflected by the blunt of the axe. "Dammit!"

"Your swordsmanship is impressive, I'll give you that. But you're still not good enough." Bastion smiled and swung his axe back and swung it forward it an attempt to cut down Von. Reacting as fast as he could, Von blocked the weapon with his sword but was sent flying backwards into the wall

"Agh!" Von grunted as his back hit the wall. He fell to the floor, slightly injured and picked himself back up. His stance staggered a little from the force of his opponents attack, but he wasn't going to let it keep him down. "I'm not giving in! I'm going to beat you!"

"Tsk. You're just as persistent as him, too. But you've got a good head on your shoulders. Tell you what. I'll overlook this little attack of yours and pardon you for destroying my beloved brothel if you give up, sheath your blade and leave with your little friends." Bastion offered.

Von shook his head and straightened himself up, pain subsiding and stared the traitor down. "Forget it. After the way you talked about my father and all those innocents you tormented, just because of how 'hurt' you are?! I'll never forgive you!" Von lunged out towards Bastion again and feigned a slash, ducking under his weapon and shooting a blast of wind into his chest. The force was enough to push Bastion back, but not enough to lift him off his feet.

"Heh..." The red stallion chuckled. He brought his hand to his chest, where Von's attack had connected and started laughing. "Well now...this just got interesting!" With a swift swing, Bastion dragged his axe through the ground and brought it up, causing rubble to go flying towards the kirin.

"What the?!" Von reacted just in time, closing his wings to shield himself from the flying debris. The impact was softened, but the damage he sustained when they hit was still bad. Once he uncovered his wings, his eyes widened as Bastion was directly in front of him. His horn lit up and he smiled a sadistic smile as he charged for his next attack.

"I'm not done yet, brat. Not by a long shot."

Back in Canterlot, Celestia stood by the window's edge and looked out to her city. All her citizens were calm and orderly, looking to her and her sister and the Elements as their saviors. There would be times of hardship, struggle and chaos. But in the end, they would prevail and enjoy another time of prosperity. Now, however, was a time when that prosperity would end and another struggle would make its way to them.

"Princess Celestia..." One of the guards came to her room, taking off his helmet in respect. "It has been quite awhile since we've heard word from Von's party. Shall I send an investigation squad to find them?"

"No." Celestia replied, turning to the guard. "I believe in him. Childish, he may be but Von will be able to pull through. He's just like his father, after all. I put my faith in their endeavor."

"As you wish, your high--" The guard was interrupted as another came rushing to Celestia's bedchambers, panting heavily.

"Princess Celestia! We've got a major problem!" He cried, still out of breath.

"What is it, soldier? Out with it." The other guard said, trying to calm his companion down.

"I received word from one of the scouts that were sent on patrol. They saw something over the horizon!" Celestia's eyes widened and she stepped towards the young guard, her expression very serious.

"Send word to Midnight and the others. Tell me everything."

BGM 2

Von and Bastion continued to fight, exchanging blow for blow with one another. While Von was superior in speed, Bastion outranked him in terms of power. With every chance he saw, Von countered with a strike from his sword or a gust of wind. Finally driven to a corner, Bastion backed away from Von and breathed heavily.

"Alright. So you're tougher than you look. Finally, you can put up more of a challenge than your father could." Bastion said.

"Don't...don't...talk about him like that." Von retorted, breathless from their battle. "You betrayed him. You betrayed all of them. They were your friends and you killed them in cold blood!" Von roared, taking his sword up again and charging at the unicorn. Bastion's expression faltered and once Von was close enough, he countered his attack. But instead of using his axe, he shifted his position and punched Von in his stomach. The dragon pony coughed up a bit of blood and stumbled backwards, clutching his stomach with his hand.

"You keep going on and on about how I betrayed him. You don't even bother taking the time to think about the other pony's side of the story." Bastion growled, raising his axe over his head. "Well, don't bother trying now. You can meet your father on the other side and be together. Goodbye, you miserable monster!" As he started to bring the axe down, Von jumped up and caught the blade in his hand and stopped the attack. "What?!"

Bastion looked down at Von, his eyes reflecting the foe before him. Von's hide had turned white and his mane turned red. He gripped his sword tightly, as well as the blade of the axe, and slowly began to rise up off the floor. Power emanated from his body and he tightened his grip on the weapon, small cracks starting to form. "L-let go!" Bastion yelled, firing a blast of magic in his face. Von stood still, letting the blast connect and remained unfazed.

"Gladly." Von calmly replied, tossing the axe and Bastion backwards onto the floor. The unicorn picked himself back up and growled, straightening himself back up.

"I will not be intimidated. I have years of experience over you and I will not be beaten!" He yelled, lunging out at Von and swinging his axe. Von sighed and smiled and as the axe got near him, he vanished. Bastion started to look around, angered and uneasy about Von's sudden surge in strength. It was unlike anything he'd seen before in his lifetime. He turned around, believing Von would attack him from behind but was quickly beaten as Von reappeared where he originally was and chuckled.

"Gotcha." Von joked, spinning around and hitting Bastion in the face with a quick roundhouse and sent him stumbling backwards. But he wasn't finished. Moving in as quickly as his legs would carry him, Von started slashing with precise but wild strikes. Each slash hit Bastion's axe as the unicorn was guarding to protect himself from his onslaught. Unable to counter, Bastion lit his horn up again as Von continued to attack and as he prepared to strike again, Bastion lowered his axe and shot a blast of magic at him. Von, however, reacted quicker than he could attack and ducked under the spell and punched him in his chest.

Bastion grunted upon receiving the blow and Von spun around and kicked him in the chest, sending his opponent flying into wall and breaking it down.

"I may not have the same amount of experience in combat as you or dad. Or even the same power. But what I have that you lack is heart. I have the heart to keep fighting, even if everything comes crashing around me. I have the will to make a choice. To make a change while others sit back." Von said, calming himself and reverting back to his normal state. "You had it too."

Bastion chuckled and started to pull himself out of the wall, dropping his axe and falling down to his knees. "Heart? Change? You really think any of that will matter? You can fight all you want, but it's not gonna make a difference. Whether you win, I win or my master wins, everything will be over." He said, coughing up blood.

"Get up. I know you can still fight. I'm not going to kill you, but I need to make you pay for what you've done to my father." Von growled.

"Still on about what I did to dear old daddy, huh? And you're waving that sword like some righteous hero, unaware of things that he probably wouldn't tell you." Bastion replied, getting up and grabbing his axe. "Fine. You wanna keep fighting? Then let's--"

That's enough, Bastion . A cryptic voice rang out the area and a dark hole appeared beside them.

"That voice..." Von said, widening his eyes. A maniacal chuckle echoed from the hole as a grey stallion stepped out from the hole. Parts of his body were decayed, save for his body as it was hidden under a cloak to see otherwise. His horn was broken, skeletal wings on his back and a blindfold over his eyes. "It's you!"

"Master Orcus?" Bastion got down on one knee in respect, bowing his head to his master.

"Hmph. Seems the runt is giving you a hard time. And here I thought you would've trounced him by now. Seems he's more of a nuisance than I led on." Orcus hissed, turning and scowling at the kirin. "Well, it doesn't matter. I say we've bought plenty of time and I don't need you dying just yet. You're to come back immediately. We'll let him take care of things from here." The unicorn turned away and started to walk back towards the black portal.

"Hold it!" Von protested, taking his sword and charging at the unicorn. He swung his blade in an attempt to stop him, but his attack was bounced back by an invisible force that sent Von skidding backwards. "What the?!"

"You cannot harm me here, mortal. The time will come when we will battle. But until then, do try to survive longer. You're making things much more interesting for me." Orcus chuckled and stepped inside the portal as Bastion started to follow behind.

Until next time...Aion

Bastion chuckled and turned to Von one last time, his horn flashing and his axe vanished. "If I were you, I'd head back to Canterlot." With those last words, he stepped inside the portal and it closed behind him. Von stood there alone in the ruined bedroom, remnants of their battle scattered around him.

"Go back to Canterlot? Why would he suggest that? And that name that was said to me. Aion. I've heard that name before." Von whispered. But his train of thought was interrupted as Midnight, Daring and Gilda ran up behind him.

"Von!" Midnight cried, earning his attention.

"Midnight! Check it out. I turned back into a guy and I got Bastion to--"

"We can discuss that later." The mare said, interrupting him. "We've got bigger problems right now. I just got a scroll from the princess. A scout came back to Canterlot, saying he saw suspicious figures over the horizon. They were rather large in size, coming in a large group and were headed straight for Equestria."

"Huh? What do you mean? What's going on?!" Von inquired.

Author's Notes:

Dolus is latin for "Deceit". Fitting for Bastion's betrayal of Ignus.

The dragons have been confirmed to be launching an assault on Canterlot. Will Konan be among them? And what of Von's mother? What about the name Orcus mentioned, Aion? Find all that and more next time. See you then!