In life fear keeps us from proceeding forward and sometimes we must face them and conquer them for us to live our own lives and seek our own adventure. For if we let fear guide us then we will be forever stuck in one place.

You whistled the tune to the jazz song you sang back in New Ponleans as you worked on the massage chairs. Even though today was busy, it was still stuck in your head. While you were back to normal, working your shift at the spa, you were at least happy that everything was nice and quiet at the moment.

It’s been a few months, and Morning Grey only just recently regained the strength to have more rounds with you in bed after giving birth to Sunny Peach through that risky surgery. You were just satisfied to know that both mother and daughter were healthy.

Lotus, who was working with Aloe on the spa tube, decided to walk over to you and strike a conversation to shatter the boring silence.

“You just keep finding ways to surprise us, honey! Who would have thought? A foal being born early, and a unicorn to boot!”

“Well she’s not the first magical foal I’ve had to deal with, as you should remember that I have 6 alicorn foals too,” you stated as you reminded them of the princesses’ foals, Gaia’s included.

Both mares agreed and admired how much time and effort you sacrificed to be a good father. After all, raising alicorn babies was especially difficult since they had the problems of both a newborn pegasus and a unicorn. It’s only because you have the royal sisters and Twilight, who know more about magic than anyone else you were familiar with, that you managed to get this far.

You do reassure that you are fine as you all remind each other that you still have customers to work on. Aloe and lotus agreed as they headed to help out some clients while leaving you to work on some clients on the massage table.

“I’m sure you’ve been asked this before, but who do you plan to knock up next?” Aloe asked in a sultry manner as she leaned in. She wouldn’t get an answer, though, as the spa had a visitor... but she wasn’t a customer.

Derpy was a regular here, and you didn’t mind her coming in as long as she didn’t go through the window or the wall (a story you didn’t want to recount). You stopped your massage and allowed your client to rest as you walked over to the gray pegasus.

“Why, hello Derpy! Are you up for a massage?” you asked, wiping your hands off.

Derpy smiled as she shook her head. “No can do. It’s a nice offer, but I’m on the clock.” She fished through her bag and pulled out a stack of letters. Sorting them out, she placed the rest and handed a few to you.

“Thanks,” you smiled as you took the stack. For a nice tip, you gave her a kiss on the cheek, which got her to giggle with a light blush.

“No problem. Another day, another letter to deliver.” After giving you a warm hug, she fastened the strap of her bag and left the spa.

Straightening the sides of the stack of letters so they were nice and even, you scanned through each one. Most of the letters failed to surprise you — they included bills, advertisements, and a few of these letters appeared to be love letters and death threats. What else was new?

Maybe it was an exaggeration, but you couldn’t help feeling that you could have made another fortune if you got a bit for every time somepony antagonized you with mail. The words ‘to disgusting monkey’ were written at the front of the letter, and you were able to spot mail that fit into the hatred category thanks to Celestia and Luna.

‘You know what, I don’t need this.’ You learned a few tricks from Celestia when she showed you how she dealt with these letters — holding your fingers out, you focused your magic and the letter soon caught on fire.

Once the latest mail threat was nothing but a pile of ashes, you looked down at the last letter from the stack. This one actually caught your interest.

‘The hell..?’ You looked at the location as the letter had apparently traveled far across the ocean south of Saddle Arabia... from a small country called Japony.

Aloe came over and rested her chin on your shoulder so she could peek at the letter. Rather unorthodox, but you didn’t comment. She helps you sort through the bills and other letters as lotus and you read the letter.

Dear Your Majesty,

We apologize for such a sudden letter, but word of your heroism and grand deeds have reached our borders,

As to help strengthen the border relationships with Equestria and Japony for the first time in years, we wish to take the opportunity to invite you and your family to join us here at our fine spa and relaxation motels. It’s also said you have requested in learning a new skill in your masseur business and we wish to provide and expand our ways of healing throughout equestria. We learned you are a creature who wishes to heal and we wish to help you expand your knowledge as a gift from us to you.

If you can find it in your heart to accept our invitation we await your arrival. If you refuse we understand and we promise not to intervene till you are ready. We thank you for tkaing the time to read our letter and we await your response.

Thank you

Early Sunset

Now, this was almost exactly the same as Queen Gliefe’s invitation. You’ve only heard rumors about Japony, but you were inclined to admit should anypony asked that you were enticed to pay a visit with your family. Not to mention it was an opportunity to learn a way to help with the spa and your clients does make you both curoiso and convinced however you aren’t fully convinced as the incident with Griffonstone was still fresh on your mind while it was months since that incident you still are way more cautious when it comes to visiting another country.

Though japony is still near the borders of equestria they are more cultural and rely a bit more on how their ancestors live then in the modern age. While they accept little technology their aspects in both life and the earth they worship is as strong as equestrian beliefs.

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of backing out,” Aloe questioned, arching an eyebrow.

You looked at Aloe a bit confused. “Now, now. That’s not necessarily the case. It’s just... I’m a bit more cautious now since you know” you clarify as you pointed out the scar on your chest by patting it.

Lotus nods as even she would take a extra step back before jumping in.

“We only got to visit Japony once for a summer trip during our college years, but the scenery is still fresh in our minds,” Lotus said, and then gave you the face you knew meant she was about to tease you. “It’s absolutely beautiful... as are the mares you’ll find there.”

“Afraid you might bring home a few trophies under your belt?” Aloe laughed as she playfully grabbed your member.

That was by no means a priority to you right now. Granted, having sex ‘OCCASSIONALLY’ was fun and it kept the relationship healthy. However, you learned the hard way that you had to maintain some self-control. Especially since Morning kept reminding you that she intended to stay in your mansion as your concubine.

After she got pregnant last Nightmare Night, you dedicated a few hours learning the rules of a king taking in concubines from Celestia and Luna. While a king had the chance to have any mare, there are several laws a king must set boundaries when adding new mares. You looked at each rule and, with a quill, you erased and rewrote some of them. It made the sisters smile when you literally threw the rule book that a king from the distant past supposedly wrote.

“Anyway, if royalty is being invited to a hotel, it’s bound that you’ll be staying at the Lotus Bloom Hotel. The finest and most luxurious hotel on the entire island,” Aloe informed. Taking her theory into account, you looked down at the address. What are the odds? That’s precisely where you would be staying.

“Please take advantage of your stay, sweetheart,” Lotus said. “That hotel is famous for its Lotus Bud Massage technique, which our business could put to good use.”

“Lotus bud massage?” you were more curious and intrigued as both of the twins smiled.

“Approximately 1000 masseurs come from all over the world to learn that technique, but only 10 are accepted,” Lotus bounced in glee like a filly opening a present on Hearth’s Warming Eve.

‘Only 10 of 1000 masseurs get the chance...’ you smiled as you were now intrigue as to learning this new special skill. “You think they’ll teach me this new technique.

Both gals were still excited but they were unsure if it’s that technique however they were optimistic as they nod. “Well you won’t know till you try. We’ll be fine as we got the new hires starting tomorrow”

You thought through this as you still need to ask your family on the idea of a trip and you know aloe and lotus will be fine with the new hires. Bulk your a bit skeptical but then again he’s good at his job.

You do tell your bosses you will tell your family first before coming on a conclusion as you want them to come along with. They agree on the idea as you all continue working on your clients.

*your house*

“Well, dig in, beloved,” Celestia said as your maids set down your dinner. You all enjoy the lovely spread Cherry made while Celestia and Luna help feed their foals. It was around this time that Serenity, Solar Ray, and Zodiac needed to start eating vegetables.

It was as good a time as any to show them the letter. However, as you took your first bite and reached into your pocket, the sisters implied with their expressions that they already knew you had something you wanted to discuss.

“You got a letter at work today, didn’t you, beloved?” Luna leaned on her hand with a smirk. The question was rhetorical.

You held up the invitation for Celestia to levitate over to her side of the table.

“A visit from Japony? Well, does sound delightful,” she agreed and took a sip of her tea with a smile when she noticed the mane 6 had come to join you.

“Wait. What’s this about Japony?” Twilight asked, having come at the right moment to join you for dinner. Rather than talk, Luna levitated the letter over to the elements so they could see for themselves.

As Rarity sat down and got her chance to look at the letter, she lost control of herself and spat the wine that Cherry poured for her right into Applejack’s face. Already tired from work, Applejack officially had another fair reason to scowl. All the more reason to try and encourage your farm lover to come on the trip that would help her unwind.

“Ah’ve never been to Japony before...” the farm-mare said.

“I have!” Rainbow exclaimed as she puffed up her chest.

“When?” you asked.

“Spring back when I was still in flight school.”

“Uh Dashie... That was a Japony convention in Las Pegasus...” Fluttershy corrected, remembering the trip she and RD took all those years ago. She emphasized with RD’s embarrassment as the latter plainly sulked back down.

You do let them all know it’s their choice on if they wish to come along with as the invitation does include you and your family. You let them decide as they do have their own jobs and they would have to let them know they will be gone for a while. Pausing your dinner for the moment, you took notice that the table was lacking some members and you made your way upstairs.

Going down the hall, you smiled as you quietly opened the door to greet Morning as she sat beside Sunny’s cradle. You hugged your concubine from behind. It’s been almost three months and at best, 70 percent of her energy has recovered.

“Welcome home, darling. Did I miss something?” she asked as you held her in your arms.

You kissed the top of your mature lover’s head. “As a matter of fact, I have another adventure in this crazy but beautiful life of mine.” You filled her in quietly about Derpy’s letter so you wouldn’t risk disturbing your beautiful daughter’s slumber.

Morning looked at the letter as she quickly read through it. “Griffonstone, New Ponleans, and now Japony?” she looks at with a questionable look in her eyes. “Seems your name is going over every border of this world huh?”

“The growing fame can’t be helped, I suppose,” you shrugged. “They said I can invite anyone, so are you up to it?”

“I regret not telling you earlier, sweetie, but I’ve already made plans,” she sighed. “My sisters up in Las Pegasus are eager to see their new niece, so I’m accompanying little Sapphire there tomorrow.”

You frowned, but you understood. It was yesterday that Sapphire filled you in about her idea to go to Las Pegasus to spend some quality time with her mother, as well as how she was taking sweet little Sonic with her. In between that time gap, Morning must have gotten the idea to tag along.

It was only natural for a loving mother to keep her baby close. Even if Morning hadn’t scheduled a visit to see her family, she wouldn’t be able to accompany you to Japony — Sunny Peach was just a newborn, and there were age requirements for those traveling abroad.

“Words cannot describe how grateful and impressed I am with the maids for helping keep sweet little Sunny’s magic in check,” Morning giggled. It was true. Thanks to their experience tending to your alicorn foals, Cherry and the others always came prepared when Sunny’s had her magic episodes. When she wasn’t sleeping or eating, she was giggling and teleporting all over the place, daring someone to try and catch her.

“I’ll be giving them a raise,” you chuckled.

After a few days, you had arranged your carriage rides to Japony. In the meantime, you went around the house to see who would be staying behind. Morning Grey and Sapphire left with Sunny and Sonic for Las Pegasus yesterday, the latter asked you to bring him back a souvenir. Incidentally, Gilda had left for the similar reasons of seeing Queen Gliefe. This trip back to the Griffon Kingdom was just one of many to make up for the lost mother-daughter time.

Speaking of the Griffon Kingdom, neither Nightmare Moon nor Nightmare Rarity were leaving the house since the former intended to keep an eye on Nightrare after the Griffonstone fiasco. Plus, with both of them home, they could keep Eris from turning the foals into newts.

All in all, aside from the mane 6 and the royal sisters, only Trixie and Amira would be accompanying you. Amira made her case that Saddle Arabia was now in good ties to Japony now that her brother Bariq was king, and she wanted to see how far they’d come.

In recent years, Equestria has begun reconsidering its methods of transportation. While it was still preferable to take a train when a destination was within Equestria’s borders, you had to announce your arrival in Japony through a letter in order to get some tickets for an airship.

“Now, remember to look out for your precious brothers and sisters while we’re gone, okay?” you told cute little Nocturnal Night, who launched herself into your arms for a hug. For an 8-year-old, she knew perfectly well how important it was to be there for her siblings.

“I promise, Daddy. And... Can you bring me back a new teddy bear?”

You laughed softly as you kissed your pride and joy on her head. “Daddy will see what he can find, sweetie.”

After another few days, everything was in order and you and your lovers were now waiting at the Canterlot airship station. Aside from Japony, there were magically produced screens that showed a list of other destinations that were easy to get to in the air. Rumor had it that Griffonstone was the newest addition. While you could have gotten a ship, which, believe it or not, was cheaper, an airship ride would be both faster and more enjoyable.

“So love, what do you think we should do once we arrive?” Rarity asked as you looked at your watch.

From what you managed to learn about Japony in a span of a few days, you suggested visiting some of the temples or a zen garden. One of the few happy memories you had back in the human world was how relaxed you were when you visited one of these gardens.

It sounded nice to Rarity, but she then brought her own ideas — it didn’t surprise you even remotely when she said she wanted to browse through the shops for some inspiration for her next wardrobe. You had faith that she would find what she was looking for, and that she wouldn’t end up dramatically pulling out a fainting couch.

You kept that last thought to yourself and asked your other lovers about their plans.

“I’m definitely accompanying Twilight here to the Japony museum,” Rainbow Dash boasted. “I’ll be the judge of just how cool those samurai swords and armor sets are up close.”

Applejack ended up having to hand five bits over to Rainbow Dash after Twilight admitted that she was indeed going to Japony museum archives. The immature little bet was of no importance - you gave Twilight the most blunt expression, knowing how well you’ve come to understand her and her love for books and knowledge.

“I... want to see the panda farms,” Fluttershy went into the details about how she found out from a friend in her profession that there were panda farms all over Japony that work to rehabilitate the creatures that have been endangered over time.

You asked Applejack what she’s going to do, to which she got over her embarrassment of losing 5 bits and explained that she wanted to go with Rarity and visit some shops. She’s not as interested in Japony culture as Twilight, but she was still open to a good taste of a new environment.

There was no need to ask what Pinkie Pie wanted to do — watching her bounce around to kill her boredom, you could only hope that Japony could handle the party princess of Equestria.

You wanted to know what Celestia and Luna’s plans were, figuring they would visit the spa. But given you were staying there for a week, that brought to question what else they had in mind. You kept your eyes on them as if you would get your answers just from staring at them, and you saw them smile a little after they caught your eye.

“Did your bosses put you up to this, beloved?” Luna pretended to scold you and grabbed your cheeks gently. “Are they trying to get you to learn some of Japony’s spa tricks?”

You lost the chance to speak up for yourself when the airship speakers turned on.

“Attention passengers, the airship to Japony will be departing soon. Please gather your belongings and make your way over to airway number 4. Thank you and enjoy your flight.” You and your family followed the intercom mare’s instructions and walked over to the entrance with your luggage. Luna was still smiling like a Cheshire Cat as she walked beside you.

“Your silence says enough, sweetie. Pay attention to the spa lessons so you can repay the twins once again for keeping you employed.” She messed with your cheeks again before kissing the right end of your face.

You smiled and nodded vigorously as you all waited for the airship to arrive. You gave your luggage to the flight attendants before boarding the ship, and the said attendants showed you to where you would be renting. The VIP rooms in other words.

Once all of you had gotten settled into your rooms, you elected to kill time by looking around the airship. The ride to Japony would last until morning, so you might as well enjoy yourselves. An airship of this size had a lot to look at, ranging from the large dining hall to the built in pool area. It sounded lavish and all, but you still found yourself with a couple of issues.

For starters, the staff and other passengers learned your name and, of course, your work and they couldn’t help but make the trip a little different. Long story short, once you were by yourself, you were pulled into some random room to make out with a horny mare who wanted to see what it was like to be in bed with you. After surviving another make out session with two of the flight mares, you collapsed on the lounge chair next to Celestia, who did her best to comfort you.

“Shut them out, sweetie,” she chirped and stroked your hair as you laid on her lap.

“Believe me, I’m trying, Tia...” you grumbled. Celestia conjured a washcloth to help wipe the lipstick all those mares left on your face.

“If it helps, love, Luna and I have arranged a little surprise after dinner just for you,” she said warmly. “Get the picture?”

You smiled and blushed as to what she was implying. After these years with the royal sisters, you sort of developed a way to read certain messages. You took a deep breath, barely able to wait for what was in store.

As night fell, the dinner that the flight attendants served you was delicious, and you made sure you were nice and full so you would have the energy for Tia and Luna’s plans. After the meal, which after living through King Galian’s scheme you sniffed to make sure it was safe to eat, you returned to your room and knocked on the door. In no time at all, Luna’s sweet voice told you to come on in.

You did as the queen of the night told, but blushed a deep shade of red at the prize that was on the other side of the door. The sisters were dressed in special see-through gowns that matched their royal stature and left their bodies in full view. Celestia sat on her knees on your bed while Luna was on all fours to present her marehood to you.

“Hello, love... How do you like our new nightgowns? Rarity made them, especially for this moment...” Celestia stuck her tongue out as she beckoned you to come over to the bed.

“Oh please love... We’ve been waiting for you, so don’t keep us waiting...” Luna wiggled her ass in your view.

Seconds later, you slammed the door with a ‘do not disturb sign on the outside before going beast mode on the royal sisters. It was turning the alicorn on, but they still remembered to activate a special soundproof barrier around your room so nopony would hear how erotic their royal rulers could be, screaming and moaning with each pound you delivered to their delectable booties.

With no holds barred, they begged for more the longer and faster you pounded the two of them. Swapping from Celestia to Luna, you put some new techniques to use as you pleased both of them at once. Getting into the moment as you took Luna doggy-style, which was arguably your favorite position, you didn’t realize that while the soundproof spell was still active, you didn’t lock the door that connected you to the room next door.

“Hey, are you guys okaaaayyyy!” Twilight, who was assigned to the next room with Applejack, opened the door. After dinner, she and the others had a bit of fun before calling it a night. Having come into the room to check on you and her two mentors, her mind shut down as she stared at the three of you fully naked with your balls deep inside the princess of the night.

You stared at Twilight and the rest of her friends who joined the element of magic in checking up on you. Some of them were shocked, and the rest were smirking.

‘Ah f@#k it...’ you sighed as it was going to be a long night.

With some coaxing, all of your mates joined the party. Clothes scattered around and you got some delicious screams as you made sure none of the mares felt left out. God, if Tia and Luna’s parents were watching, you prayed they would help you in your time of need...

On second thought, once that idea came to mind you retracted it as you realized it would make things worse.

In another plane of existence you didn’t notice you were being watched.

Queen Galaxia smiled as she conjured a rain cloud over her seething husband, who was literally on fire. The rain did its best to douse the flames as the stallion of space watched you take his daughters over and over again.

“Are you sure you’re not just jealous, sweetie?” As soon as the flames were extinguished, Galaxia settled on her husband’s lap and felt it growing.

*arriving in Japony*

‘Oh god... I’m starting to feel guilty that the staff will have to clean our mess...’ you gulped as you and your lovers were collecting your stuff now that the airship has landed. Each mare had a large smile on her face.

“Dang stud... Your skills in bed have only gotten better over the years, huh?” Rainbow nudged you in the side. Although, you failed to give her a response as you set your first step into the Japony village called Lotus Bloom. It could be said you were in a trance, as you forgot all about last night’s sexual rampage when you breathed in the relaxing smell of the ancient society.

The country was certainly capable of keeping up with the modern world while still preserving the beauty and grace of the past. Those snobs in Canterlot could learn a thing or two about what it meant to stay in tradition and keep up with the latest trends. While some of the buildings looked to be modern, most of them were classic hut-like homes with various greenery growing all over them to show their age and integrity.

The streets were lined with cherry blossoms as stores that sell goods like up the walk. A few tall buildings, which were either used as restaurants, nightclubs and or apartments, stood beside these small businesses.

It became easy to suspect that even though this was your first visit, you had a reputation around here that was almost as big as your one in Ponyville. At first, you just assumed the locals were whispering and looking at you because you were human, but soon enough, they began to bow to you, even getting on their hands and knees to show their respect.

‘Okay, this is almost TOO easy...’ you thought, as you worried that since this technically wasn’t part of Equestria and therefore, you weren’t a king here, ponies would be yelling and throwing things at you.

“I suppose I should have told you this before we got here, beloved. It didn’t come up before but Saddle Arabia has been in close contact with Japony ever since you gave the throne to my brother,” Amira said, referring to Bariq.

“Indeed,” Celestia said, but her voice then lowered to a whisper. “Beloved, are you familiar with the legends of Mistmane?”

You haven’t been studying unicorn heroes as much as you should have, but the name of the mare was indeed familiar and you nodded.

“When Grogar was still terrorizing the world with little opposition, he decided to amuse himself by sending that barbarian Nero and a fleet of ships to burn Japony to the ground.”

You growled a bit — that bastard’s name still managed to haunt you. No matter how many times you told yourself he was gone for good... the amount of evil that psychopath radiated for Grogar was perfect proof that there truly are sick individuals out there.

“Many lives were lost,” Celestia continued. “And even though Mistmane earned her place as one of the most powerful unicorns of all time, they say it took a whole day of fighting on equal ground with Nero before she gathered enough magic to banish him and his fleet from Japony. By the time I got word of the invasion and arrived, Nero had already switched his target to Aquastria. You already know that story.”

“Son of a bitch...” All of a sudden, you heard a mysterious collection of horrible screams and voices begging for mercy. You gripped your head as the voices grew so loud that it was like they were right in your ears as you fell to one knee groaning in pain. What’s more is that what was once a peaceful environment changed so that it felt like you were surrounded by burning buildings.

Your lovers all raced up as they tried to call out to you. None of their voices could reach you - the unknown screams muffled them. The pain and the voices only lasted a few seconds before they suddenly stopped like you had woken from a horrible nightmare.

As soon as the shrieks and burning sensation vanished, you could move your limbs again. Giving the village another look, you noted that the villagers of the past must have devoted so much willpower to put the trauma behind them and rebuild their home to the point that it was impossible to tell it was ever destroyed. All seemed well, as you spotted a mother and her son finishing their shopping with big smiles. There was also a bamboo shop owner pounding away at his products against the woodwork for what looked like a new piece of furniture. Life seemed so simple, and you watched the cherry blossoms flow by before you took a deep breath and noticed that the air tasted sweet.

Lotus and Aloe weren’t lying, as the mares who walked by you in kimonos were indeed very beautiful, and the unicorns had unique curved horns as well. Luna did mention that ponies in certain lands had developed genes that differed from others. She assured you though they were still very much capable of using magic. However, what the spa sisters didn’t mention that you just noticed now was that the village wasn’t just inhabited by ponies, but animals that were standing and... talking?!

You and Fluttershy were more shocked than the others. Indeed, there were cats, foxes, squirrels and otters that were walking like their pony neighbors, who talked to them as if this was an everyday occurrence. Then again, it probably was in this country. Not to mention they were wearing kimonos and were built like the ponies, with the females having a nice set of breasts...

Whether it was a mare or one of these female humanoid critters, it was like they had the same mindset. In less than a minute, at least 20 lovely ladies had given you seductive smiles as they fanned themselves.

‘F@#k! What am I thinking about?! I told Aloe and Lotus I would control myself, but it’s like I’m a walking sex toy wherever I go!’ You blushed and gulped with the gestures from all these beautiful creatures. You tried to let go, but a Persian cat lady bumped into you (by no means accidentally) and slipped her kimono down slightly so you could get a good look at her jiggling chest.

‘SERIOUSLY?! IS THIS GETTING ME HARD?! GRANTED, SHE’S CUTE BUT I’M PRACTICALLY A WOLF FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!’ you screamed in your head, unable to believe that you were getting aroused by a cat. Aside from Fluttershy, who was still processing this, your lovers all snickered at how it was like you released hormones wherever a female was around.

“Needless to say, Bariq spread the word that you defeated Nero. Don’t hesitate to enjoy the fame, darling,” Amira kissed your cheek. You felt like you should have been mad at her for not telling you this sooner, but you were much more tempted to return her affection and nuzzled her.

“If your brother’s mouth is as big as I think it is, almost all of Equestria and the world must know about the invasion by now. It’s not something to keep in the dark...”

While you were busy returning Amira’s kisses, AJ and Rainbow Dash stayed behind with devious expressions.

“10 bits he’ll bed some random resident, regardless if she’s a pony...” Rainbow held a small bag of bits between her fingers.

“Let’s raise da stakes ta 30 that he’ll bring ‘er on home ta join Mornin’ on da concubine list...”

Celestia decided she wanted in on this action. “How about this, ladies? A hundred bits he’ll steal the heart of some sort of leader or celebrity...” She pulled out a large bag of bits, showing just how immature she could be at times.

‘I can hear you know...’ Maybe they did acknowledge your thoughts, maybe they didn’t. Admittedly, you did feel like somepony would be making some money soon.

Anyway, your lovers already told you what they planned to do back on the airship, but first you had to do some shopping to fix this ‘out-of-place’ feeling. Even though this was outside Equestria borders, the locals still accepted bits so you changed into some unbelievably soft kimonos, or what was called a yakuta in your case. Each of you had a different color: Twilight’s kimono was white, Rainbow Dash’s was yellow, Pinkie’s was green, Applejack’s was red, Fluttershy’s was pink, Rarity’s was a light blue, Celestia’s was orange, Luna’s was silver, Amira’s was dark blue, and Trixie’s was purple. You on the other hand wore a black yakuta, complete with straw zori sandals.

Adjustments didn’t stop there, as the mares were persuaded into changing their manes into buns and the sort. You headed on outside to admire your new outfit in private and let your mates work on finding anything else to complete their look. You took another deep whiff of the sweet air and looked around until something caught your eye.

Just across from the clothing store was what looked like a smithy. There were a few customers outside and you figured you wouldn’t know what the wares were like if you stayed where you were.

Walking across, you looked at the smithy’s display. Various utensils and tools, all of which looked to me hand made and beautifully crafted, sat on a large table with a few prices underneath. Some of the more detailed work had reasonable prices, which was fair in your opinion. Those who put a great degree of effort into making these weapons have the right to sell them as they please.

You soon found that tools and trinkets weren’t the only things on sale. Weapons of a variety littered the walls, and some of the beautiful works were encased in glass.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

You turned around to meet a well-built dark blue stallion. He had a white sweat band wrapped around his head, as his black mane was pulled back and put into a bun. He wore a large overall with a few tools in the front pockets and a pair of kimono-like pants.

“Oh! Forgive me if I’m intruding, but my curious nature led me here to browse your wares,” you filled him in.

The stallion looked up and down to scan your features. The moment his eyes locked on yours, it hit him like 20 tons of brick.

“Y-Y-Your Highness! What an honor it is for you to visit my family’s smithy...!” he stuttered and put his fist to his chest.

This came the part where you had to wave your hand to insist that the stallion take it easy - it was a process that happened whenever you visited the Ponyville market district, or even Canterlot. You reached out and got the stallion who had to be at least in his 40s to stand up.

“Please... Let’s not be too formal. I get enough of this treatment at home.”

“I have a 9-year-old son who thinks the world of you,” the stallion said, shaking your hand. “You’ve been his role model ever since word reached here from Saddle Arabia.”

It made you feel ecstatic to know that you were a youngling’s role model. “Thank you. My family and I just arrived. Do you do all the work here?” you asked, pointing to the various weapons lined the wall.

The pony nodded. “Yes, my father taught me everything I know. He was the real genius of the village’s metal work before he passed the shop on to me.”

“Oh, quit referring to me in the past tense, Ash!” a cranky voice echoed from behind a curtain, which was then pulled aside to reveal an aged stallion forced to use a walking cane to support himself. “I’m old, not dead!”

The hunchbacked stallion waddled his way over to the stand between the two of you and playfully poked your chest with his walking cane. “So the king of Equestria decides to show his face just a few years before I kick the bucket? Oh, I’m so jealous of your youth!”

“Easy there, Father,” Ash brushed the cane off your chest. “I can sense His Majesty here might be a paying customer. I know your ears aren’t as good as they used to be, but he was just asking about our metal work.”

The elderly stallion coughed a bit and then stroked his beard. “Is that so? Surely royalty already has plenty of weapons to gawk at, do you not?”

“Well, I like to explore, Mr. um...”

He straightened his posture as much as he could with his hunchback. “The name is Grand Boulder, child,” he coughed again. It was a name that would be easy to remember, and you respectfully shook his wrinkled hand.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir. And yes. While I do have plenty of weapons back home, I’m always looking to add to my collection, especially weapons that were put together through considerable effort,” you pointed out the many weapons that obviously weren’t made overnight.

Grand finally smiled back. “I suppose now that I owe you an apology. We tend to get grumpy when the years catch up with us. In any case, Ash was right to bring you in as I can tell a warrior when I see one. Although, I meant it when I said how envious I am that you still have plenty of years left...” He gripped his cane a little. “If only I was at least 30 years younger, I’d be asking for a kiss from that lovely Princess Celestia, whose heart you captured instead of bits...”

You weren’t surprised, as when it came to the huge news about you succeeding in marrying both of the royal sisters of Equestria, it’s only to be expected that you would have some jealous stallions wanting to steal a kiss or the opportunity to go to bed with one or both of them. Hell, the number of threats you received from Canterlot suitors was enough to write a whole book on your share of obscenity and insults.

You wanted to make sure Grand Boulder understood that you didn’t give a damn about Celestia’s money. It’s her heart that made you fall in love with her. With that being the case, you weren’t about to rub your wealth in the faces of the less fortunate. What kind of man would that make you?

Grand bowed again and backed away in case he was blocking your view of the merchandise. You understood that he and his son took pride in their work, but while the weapons came in a variety of colors, patterns and designs, you didn’t even try to finish browsing through the entire smithy after what you found next.

The katana was a sheet of darkness as light blue ring cloth surrounded the handle and reached down to hook around the sword ring. The shaft was pure black as a white crack line traveled from the top and all the way to the tip of the end. Grabbing the katana, which was admittedly heavy, you pulled out the blade and confirmed that it was just as beautiful as the shaft. You could tell just from this first look that Ash and Grand Boulder to the end you could tell the blade was carefully crafted from start to finished.

“Have you made your choice?” he asked. He began stroking his beard again when you were too absorbed in the sword’s beauty to answer. Grand Boulder took the chance to study you.

“With all due respect My Lord, I can see you have the stature of a warrior and I admire that. But do you honestly have the heart of a samurai?” He held out his arm. “My great grandfather built this store to honor the hundreds of samurai who lost their lives to Nero.”

You started paying attention again, but then shook your head. “Forgive me, Grand. I am not a samurai, however I’m willing to learn and understand at least a little of what it means to be one.” You filled the aged stallion with what you knew about samurai, as their code of honor was as strong as their duty to those they served and protected. “If there is any way I can test my skills or show my loyalties, I’ll take the challenge.”

Grand Boulder looked at you and smiled. “Since you’re so eager, I do have a challenge for you.” He beckoned you further through the house. Now in the backyard, you were impressed at how it looked like the perfect training ground. There was a sparring area with a couple of dummies piled on one side, a small pond with a few lily pads facing the front, and on the right you saw stacks lined up in some sort of standing position.

Grand Boulder led you over to the bamboo stacks. You said nothing as he grabbed some of the bamboo and began placing them in a single row.

“If you wish to show me your warrior heart, you must first show me your strength and stance.” He beckoned you forward. From Grand’s words, a warrior wasn’t measured just by their strength and courage, but by the balance of their spirit and how easily they could clear their mind of distractions. He explained that the bamboo here was grown strong enough that they are used to hold boulders. With that being the case, only one with a strong heart could cut through them.

Grand’s test was easy to explain. Basically, you had to cut a certain amount of the stalks in one swift cut. If you managed to cut through them all without stopping, then you would pass the challenge.

“Don’t go using magic either. This is about natural skill,” he went on.

You nodded and accepted the challenge and Grand Boulder’s terms. You stood in position and pulled out the katana you brought outside with you. Grand Boulder and his son, Ash watched from behind as you held the blade at the stalks. Remembering your lessons, you cleared your mind and relaxed your shoulders. You wanted to make sure you were truly ready so you could cut through this super hard bamboo in one try.

Taking a deep breath, you held the blade up and kept it there for a few seconds before you made your move.

Grand was just as amazed as Ash at how you sliced through the bamboo stalks as if they were paper, but all three of you knew you weren’t done yet. Ash raced up not only to remove and replace the slashed stalks with new ones, but to add more to the total.

You relaxed your grip, but tightened it again once your katana was raised over your head. With another swift motion, you slashed through your second set of bamboo.

Grand Boulder nodded to signal to his son to repeat the cycle and add more bamboo. “This is the last set. If you cut through them all again, I’ll pass you.”

You nodded and held your breath. For the last time, you raised the katana, managing to keep it still for the entire time it was in the air. You breathed out and brought your blade back down at the same time. The last stack... had been cut down to the last bamboo stalk.

Grand Boulder, very much impressed, clapped his hands as you sheathed the blade.

“Mistmane’s ghost... It’s been a while since I’ve seen a warrior accept the bamboo challenge.” You were flattered and tried to return the katana with a thank you, but Grand Boulder wouldn’t accept it.

“It doesn’t belong to me anymore...” he shook his head.

“At least let me lay for it. I can’t take this beautiful craftwork without some sort of compensation,” you reasoned and pulled out your bit bag. It was typical of you to carry around a good amount of money in addition to the extra bits you secretly packed away in case there was an emergency.

You gave a generous pay to both Grand and his son, noting that it looked like the latter wanted to give you something as well.

“It’s just a little something to complete the warrior look, Sire,” he explained and presented you with a crimson tanto blade. Thanking the duo once more, you figured your lovers must have been done playing dress up by now and left the shop to find your way back to the clothing store.

Applejack’s cheeks heated up when you returned and locked eyes on her - in addition to her red kimono, her traditional Stetson was hanging on the back of her neck to make room for her mane that had been tied into a shimada along with her friends.

“It’s a new experience sugahcube... We all know Ah don’t normally fix mah mane like this...” she muttered, and you pulled her close to kiss her cheek.

“Well, it’s nice to see that you’re trying something new, honey,” you chuckled.

“Thanks. By the way, where have y’all been?” she asked, but then noticed your new weapons.

“I was doing a little extra shopping,” you answered simply. That was your cue to reveal your new katana to the ladies. AJ got to look and hold the craftwork first, and passed it down to her fellow princesses.

Twilight, who got her turn last, didn’t feel right about you carrying this blade around until you pointed out how you weren’t the only one in the village with a weapon. The lavender alicorn didn’t notice it before, but there indeed were villagers who obviously weren’t soldiers or anything of the sort, but they still had weapons on them — they were well-prepared in case another barbarian like Nero decided to make a surprise attack.

Once you sheath your weapon, you pondered what to do until it was time to head to the hotel. You didn’t notice it before because of how sweet the village air tasted, but you didn’t smell too good since you forgot to shower after your magical night on the airship. That bamboo challenge didn’t do you any favors either.

Rarity somehow found it possible not to care if you smelled bad, and grabbed your arm. “If I remember correctly, darling, there’s a special bathhouse practically begging for visitors. They say it’s amongst the most relaxing baths in the country.”

“Good enough for me,” you said flatly.

“Trixie too is willing to see just how nice this bath you speak of is,” the unicorn referring to herself in a third-person fixed her hair as she twirled a small umbrella that matched her purple kimono.

Rarity, who surprisingly spoke some Japonese, was able to pinpoint the location of the bathhouse from the graciously helpful locals. In a fair trade, some of them learned Equestrian in the process of giving you the directions. It wasn’t that long of a walk, and you were able to memorize the bathhouse translation inscribed on the side of the entrance.

You took Rarity’s place in leading the group. Stepping into the bathhouse, two mares in kimonos stood by to greet you all. Well, actually one of them was a talking vixen.

“Konbanwa, yōkoso. Please come in dear travelers,” she insisted with a smile. You were grateful for the friendly service and asked to use their bath. The hosts smiled and showed you to the changing rooms.

Although it was your first time wearing a yakuta, you made sure it was neatly folded into the cupboards. After changing into a bathrobe and grabbing a clean towel, you were about to head over to the male section of the bathhouse when you felt a pair of hands.

‘Oh don’t tell me...’ You rolled your eyes and turned to see some mares with sparkling eyes. 10 bits says they recognized you as their hero. You looked back and gulped.

Your lovers all had a sly smile spread on their faces. Well, except for Fluttershy, who was busy preparing herself for the experience of bathing in a crowd. You wanted to complain, but against the royal sisters and the rest of your lovers, your opinion was obsolete.

*several minutes passed*

‘No matter the time or place, I’m easing pickings for a mare...’ Red from embarrassment rather than the heat, you sat on the edge of the sauna hot tub. Your robe was gone, but you still had a towel around your waist.

You looked around, still unable to believe you were on the female side. You were living yet another stallion’s dream come true — most stallions would get their flanks handed to them if they were to so much as peek inside the opposite bath. While you probably should be enjoying the luck of being a hero, you were glad there weren’t any children inside. You didn’t need something like that on your conscience.

As you helped yourself to the warm water, your lovers were trying just as hard to relax among themselves; you also saw plenty of other females of various species wash their troubles away. So far none of these ladies have tried to make a move on you, but you wondered how long it would stay this quiet and peaceful.

Fluttershy was finding it even harder than you to relax, and she sank into the water. She left half of her bust exposed as a thick towel covered her mane, leaving only a few strands visible as she tried to stay hidden.

“Aw come on! Lighten up Flutters!” Rainbow encouraged her foalhood friend and got out a washcloth. “It’s not like we haven’t seen you naked before, and what do you care what strangers think?”

You wanted to stay out of this, but you let out an involuntary chuckle from the way Fluttershy was being so stubborn. Her shyness and blushing face made her too damn cute! She did, though, ease up a little when RD offered to wash her back.

‘Oh boy...’ you watched as an evil grin grew on RD’s face as she got Shy to undo her waist towel for better access to her back. She started off washing her back and wings, but once Fluttershy’s guard was down, RD reached around ever so stealthily to grope Fluttershy’s beautiful bosoms.

‘Called it!’ you laughed, but you remembered that you were a walking target and blocked out the alicorn duo’s moans so you wouldn’t get an erection. Giving Rarity some attention, you saw that a mare who had been enjoying the sauna helped your fashion loving mate put her mane back into a bun. Now, Rarity was fine with her typical mane, but at the same time, of course, she was always open to trying a new hairstyle that the locals around her shared.

“I feel refreshed...” she sighed, using her magic to conjure up a mirror once her mane was nice and tied again.

Grateful to the mare for taking care of your wife, you leaned back to rest your head against the rock. In this state, you couldn’t possibly notice how a new presence was swimming over to you. It was only when you felt a furry pair of hands on your chest that you opened your eyes and blushed. A set of hands weren’t the only things touching you.

The relaxing effects of the bath diminished somewhat as the stranger’s fluffy breasts squished against your pecs as you stated into her indigo colored slit eyes. It was amazing to see a new species up close, but upon closer inspection, you realized that the giggling invader was the same Persian cat lady who pulled her kimono down for you when you arrived.

“Surprised?” she asked. “My name is Koyuki, sugar, and I’m sure you realized you won’t find animals like us back home.” Koyuki repositioned herself and told you that she worked here, but found it a great coincidence that you were allowed in the ladies room on her day off.

You were afraid you would overheat as she purred and nuzzled into the crook of your neck. “I’m so grateful that you put Nero down, Your Highness. I have three kittens back at home and for years I’ve been worried that that abomination might try and destroy our country again and take away my darlings.”

This gratitude somehow made it easier for you to cool back down. Even though you screamed to yourself earlier that you were practically a wolf, you still were quite fond of cats. You decided to rub the back of the purring lady’s head and gently pinch her ears as she licked your neck. It was virtually no different than showing affection to a cat back home. Well, except for the part that she’s larger than her non-verbal counterpart.

Getting used to the affection and actually enjoying it, Twilight and Trixie settled down on the opposite side just in time to see you comb your fingers through Koyuki’s soft fur. You opened one eye to meet Twilight’s gaze as she sank deeper into the water with her cheeks puffed out. Naturally, the expression told you just how jealous your bookworm lover was feeling; Trixie’s face was more on the curious side — she didn’t understand why the cat lady got closer to you than any of the other guests.

“If we’re being honest, human, are you alright with getting all this affection?” Trixie began to consider maybe they went too far dragging you into the female bath.

You spoke honestly about how you were fine with the attention as long as it didn’t go beyond a little bit of petting. ‘Keep those hands away from the towel and we won’t have any problems...’

Sighing as you laid back to let the soothing bath water claim a victim out of you, you didn’t hear a pair of hooves stop behind your resting spot. Koyuki broke you out of your trance by tapping your shoulder and then tilted her head to get you to look at the mare kneeling behind you. She had light green fur, a red mane tied into a bun like so many of the other locals, and she wore a special bathhouse robe as she set down a light bucket of water that came with a towel.

“Hello, Your Highness. May I humbly be at your service and wash your back and chest?” she asked as her cherry colored lips spread into a small, sweet smile. Who were you to reject a girl with a tone like that? You nodded and exposed your back so she could get to work.

She started from your top back muscles to your shoulders and continued down. You had to move a bit so she could get to the lower parts. Once her work was done, she doused your back in water soaked in mineral oils and other sorts to rejuvenate your body’s inner core and hydrate the exposed areas.

She planted a kiss on your cheek before she left to help her other customers. You held the spot with a smile and figured it was time to get out. It had been a nice bath, but now that the airship sex scent was gone, you didn’t want to overstay your welcome to the point that your skin got all pruny. Your mates assured you as you left that they would join you in just a little longer.

Along the exit route, the other customers got a good chance to see what you were packing. Even though you weren’t hard, the ladies were still blushing since you outclassed so many of the males they knew. Anyway, you were grateful you could save some dignity by not sprouting an erection as you tied a warm bathrobe around your refreshed body.

Just one of your lovers, however, wasn’t pleased to watch you leave. Celestia, having put her own bathrobe back on, followed you out into the lobby.

“What’s your hurry, beloved?” she asked, catching up with you. “You can’t honestly say you’re clean after just a few minutes. We booked the bathhouse here for an hour!”

You held Celestia’s hands. “Yeah, I know my love, but I just don’t think it’ll be a good idea if I stay in for that long,” you reasoned as your mate puffed her cheeks out. It was a face that always made you feel guilty.

Mares, stallions and more animals were waiting in the bathhouse lobby for their turn to get cleaned. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done for the goddess of the sun to securely tie her bathrobe with her K-cup bust. Or rather, it was even harder to keep it secure while chasing after you. With how fast she was running while keeping her huge chest concealed, by the time she stopped... the bathrobe lost its strength.

In seconds, despite being married to Celestia for years, you, along with every other customer at the front, blushed with wide eyes to see the goddess of the sun in her naked glory. Celestia realized too late that her bathrobe had become so much looser and only looked down when she heard the sound of cloth hitting the floor.

Now that the jiggling breasts of the queen of another nation were on display along with hips that looked like they were made for breeding, blood erupted from the staff and customers’ noses like volcanoes. Celestia’s fur changed from white to red in an instant, and with a scream, she instinctively covered herself with her hands, far too embarrassed to do anything more sensible.

“Heavens almighty! That body is a national treasure!” one mare exclaimed, and you could practically see hearts in her eyes. If you didn’t know any better you’d say she was a lesbian.

With goofy smiles on their faces, six of the other customers, bleeding profusely from their noses, began to faint from comedic blood loss. There was another who flew like a rocket, and slammed right through one of the storage walls.

At the back of the group, it just so happened that Grand Boulder and Ash from the smithy were among those waiting to schedule a bath. The father and son duo were completely satisfied as they stood at the great source of beauty.

“Yup... I can now die without any regrets...” Grand announced to his son. The latter was just another nosebleed victim.

“I hear you, Father...” It was still fresh in Ash’s head how Grand Boulder complained how jealous he was that a goddess with such a body was already married. Now, they both had what would most likely be a one-in-a-lifetime chance to see the sun goddess in her birthday suit and Ash didn’t care how much blood he might lose.

As the lucky witnesses commented and awed at Celestia’s shapely form, she had to use her massive wings to cover herself. While she still had the mental capacity to do so, she shouted at the staff to get her a better robe. One of them, a bipedal weasel, snapped out of his trance and rushed to find one for his special guest.

After she had tied the new and stronger bathrobe, Celestia turned to you with an expression that no longer implied embarrassment. Her face practically read ‘I’m going to kill you’.

Regaining your senses and managing to keep your own blood in check, you looked up with fear barreling down. There’s no way you could have reacted in time as Celestia extended her hand to connect right on target.

*few minutes passed*

“What did I do to deserve such a catastrophe? I’m never going to live this down...” Celestia crossed her arms under her bust, feeling like she was still in her birthday suit.

‘What did you do? What did I do?! I’m glad my jaw didn’t break after that!’ you groaned, hopelessly grasping at the red hand mark that had spread on your face. Celestia’s apology for little to help — your face practically felt like someone had pressed hot iron against it.

With the exception of Rainbow Dash and Twilight, your lovers didn’t know whether to laugh or feel embarrassed that you were blamed for the entire bathhouse seeing Celestia naked. Twilight (given the sun goddess’ prized pupil) didn’t find any humor in this, unlike Rainbow, who was poking your handprint mark.

“Damn, stud! She sure slapped the shut out if you.” If you were all being honest, though, the cyan alicorn was actually amazed that you could still talk with such an injury. Frankly, Celestia, who went from a mother figure to a doting wife, had never slapped you before.

You saw this as an opportunity, though. Celestia was about a foot taller than you were, so you had to fly just a tad bit above the ground so you could lightly yank on her shimada and whisper into her ears.

“Blind rage or not, I intend to return the favor...” you seductively whispered and rubbed your finger down her jawline. “Of course... it’s not your beautiful face I’ll be slapping...”

You continued rubbing your finger up and down her face while floating beside her and she shivered with a combination of excitement and nervousness as she got your drift. She knew it would be hard for her to sit when you were done with her, but the thought of another episode of passion just between the two of you was enough to make her blush as her wings stood on end.

“Oh...! I can’t wait...” Still in the air, you grabbed her face to share a kiss with her and the rest of the mares looked away as they saw your tongues wrestle.

Anyway, now that you were nice and clean, you had finally made it to the hotel. Although it was a few feet from the bathhouse the place was among the most lavish places you’ve ever seen before. And this was coming from a man who could enter the Canterlot castle whenever he pleased.

The hotel was as large as a mansion, and from where you stood, you saw what looked like a large cherry blossom tree smack right in the center. Rows of various flowers line the walkway as a few small ponds with koi fish swimming around. As you and your family walked over you noticed two individuals dressed in kimonos up front. A male unicorn and female pegasus both smile as they bow in respect.

“Oh! Good! You’re finally here!” they both bowed as you did the same. “Welcome king and queens of Equestria to the Lotus Blossom Hotel! I am Early Sunset and this is my wife Misty Hour.”

You smiled, shook Early Sunset’s hand and kissed his wife’s hand like a gentleman. “Thank you for inviting us. The invitation was sudden, but I got over the surprise and I’m actually hoping to speak to your head spa masseur tonight about the technique.”

Early smiled. “Ah yes. The hotel is famous and our head masseur would be delighted to teach you, Sire. Unfortunately, you see, our head masseur is out of town at the moment but please allow us to show you around our humble hotel.” He welcomed you all inside.

Within the warm confines, you could see that there was a stark difference from the other hotels you’ve been to.

“As you can see Sire, even though we’ve been striving to our ancestors’ ways of living, we saw fit to add a bit of modern culture like that of our beautiful city. Our hotel is dedicated to provide our guests from all over with the 100% best services since it was our beloved Mistmane who gave us our business.”

He gave you a small tour of the hotel. Walking alongside Early Sunset, he gave you a bit of a history lesson about the hotel and how it used to be just a small house. Before the fight with Grogar, this hotel was once Mistmane’s home. As the war raged on, she decided to surrender the place to her caretaker, who was a single mother at the time. The legendary hero’s only wish was that her fellow villagers would preserve the beauty and culture of what Japony stood for.

Hundreds of years had passed, and the hotel played its part as a strong standing piece of Japony history. The Lotus Blossom Hotel, you learned, is like a symbol of peace, prosperity, beauty and hope for a brighter future. Early Sunset took pride in keeping up with his ancestry, and added that he is a direct descendant of the first caretaker who’s been in task in keeping the hotel and its guests safe and happy. Touring further into the hotel, things suddenly didn’t seem... normal anymore.

You shut it out for now as Early Sunset summoned a couple of maids, both of whom were bipedal cats awaiting their orders.

“Please take our guests to their rooms,” he said, and they bowed to show they would comply. “Dinner will be served at 7, and we’ll also be hosting a small entertainment show out in the courtyard during the meal.”

You thanked Early and the cat employees took it from there. As you walked past a few corridors, your gut began acting up again, and you stopped when you thought you saw something in the corner of your eye. Turning to the direction of the hallway window, nothing was there, but even with the peaceful view of the cherry blossoms falling, you couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was spying on you.

“Um... Why did you stop, sweetie?” the adorable voice of Fluttershy shattered your trance.

“It’s nothing...”

You let it go, but as you continued your way to your room, it turned out your instincts were correct as a figure in black stared at your retreating form before disappearing into the shadows.

*time passes*

Since Early Sunset’s cooks wouldn’t be serving you dinner until they were assured it was at its best, you and your lovers killed time by seeing what the ancient hotel had to offer. While most of you, particularly Rarity, fell victim to the building’s charm, that beauty wasn’t enough to keep you on the premises for the next 4 hours.

You had no objections when your mates decided to split up and go back into the village for their own devices that they told you about before you left. Quite the opposite in fact, as it gave you the opportunity to be alone with Celestia. You refused to let her out of your line of sight as you escorted her back to the room, where you locked the doors and set up a magic soundproof barrier.

Even though she had already apologized, you were a man of your word and intended to stay true to your promise about getting even with her for striking you after the bathrobe fiasco. You asked her what she had to say for herself first, but she didn’t really have a good excuse. You remembered that Fluttershy, despite being just as happy to be your wife, would occasionally... slap you when you dared to walk in on her while she was changing. She would come back to her senses just as quickly, making it all the more impossible to stay mad at somepony so adorably timid.

With her ears flat and her brain unable to produce a satisfying excuse for lashing out at you for something that was entirely her own fault, Celestia sighed and undid her kimono with a small smile. Even without words, you understood she would take her punishment without a fuss and you loosened your yakuta before jumping on top of her so you could roll around in the room like beasts.

After a magnificent hour, you thrust a few more times before cumming inside of Celestia’s marehood from the doggy-style position. Her yellow sun cutie marks along with most of her tush was bright red from all the times you spanked her, but she enjoyed every minute of it. It concerned you somewhat to know that you fueled your sun goddess’ masochist side — it was almost as shocking as the fact that Fluttershy kept her piercings from the bachelor party.

“You should know Luna is bound to get jealous later,” Celestia warned as she combed her messy mane and styled it back into a bun. While she was sitting on her futon on her knees, you were able to touch her shoulders and lick her cheek with a chuckle before gently pushing her to lay down.

“Yeah, she’ll probably tie me up and ride me till morning,” you agreed. Who knows how many times the younger royal sister has exploited the privacy of the dream realm to have her way with you and fulfill her naughty fantasies?

You tied your yakuta back on, but it’s precisely then that your instincts started screaming at you again. Celestia literally passed out in the bed on the account of how exhausted and sore she was after you gave it to her in every hole she has, so that was your chance to do some solo exploring.

“I’ll be right back...” you whispered to the white alicorn who looked absolutely charming while she was asleep and kissed her forehead.

The exploration led you up to the balcony, and that’s when you stopped. The presence you had detected when you came to the hotel was there, but it was closer... Much closer.

You didn’t even think twice about defending yourself — whatever you were sensing was just inches away from your back. Without warning, you unsheathed your gauntlet blade and took a swipe at your stalker. You were fast, but even with your speed, you only got a glimpse of the stranger before they jumped right over your head.

The shadow figure twirled in mid-air before he landed just a short distance from you. His speed was on par with your own, but you weren’t deterred and maintained your fighting stance as the figure stayed where he was.

Now that he had stopped moving, you could take a good look at him and were puzzled at the sight. Dressed entirely in a black cloth with some metal pieces that covered his shoulders, legs and chest, his face was covered by a white and red fox mask.

It’s come to your attention that you were staring at... a ninja.

‘What the hell is going on here?’ You made an attempt to grip your weapon as your gauntlet stood out. Trying to pull out your katana with your other hand, you stopped as you felt... nothing. When reaching for the beautiful crafted blade you just bought... you should have felt the ring guard against your fingers, but... you didn’t.

For a split second, you turned your attention to where you last left your weapon and your eyes almost doubled in size. You, of course, didn’t know how it happened, but your new katana was gone.

‘How in the hell did-’ The pointless mental questions came to a halt when you heard a blade swishing in the air. You looked back at the unknown ninja and gasped when you saw the assailant holding and twirling your new blade.

You shouted out as the ninja holstered the katana behind his back and took off. You growled and chased after him. He wasn’t just a ninja, but a thief.

You chased him through a few corridors as you managed to dodge and jumped over some obstacles. The ninja looked back at you and forced himself to go faster. Seeing your yakuta as a liability, you loosened it up so you could maneuver better — ripping parts off gave you more leg flexibility, and you also removed your sandals. You looked like a couple of children playing tag as you jumped over a small balcony during the chase, and continued jumping up and over until you were on top of the roof.

While Lotus Bloom was a beautiful spot to build a hotel, you remembered one area where it was hanging off a small cliff. While the land below was grassy, the rocks against it were jagged enough to cause a serious injury should someone fall. Early Sunset mentioned earlier how a drunk almost fell off the balcony, which encouraged them to set up security and ensure that wouldn’t happen again.

Rushing onto the hotel’s roof you and the ninja finally stopped at the end. You were breathing a bit hard as the ninja was indeed fast, but you were just getting started.

“It’s over. Return my blade now,” you demanded as the ninja stared at you. You didn’t want this to get messy if you could help it.

Seconds passed as the ninja pulled your weapon out and threw it back to you. Catching it, you sheathed the blade as a low chuckle echoed in your ears.

“You are indeed a unique one... Not many have I met who can keep up with the Vixen clan.” The ninja crossed his arms.

“Vixen clan? Wait, who exactly are you?” you asked.

A scoff echoed from his fox-styled mask before he drew his own blade. It was a short one, but this was no laughing matter, given he was ready to attack. “If you want answers, you’re going to have to earn them.”

You grumbled, understanding this guy wouldn’t be a pushover. Drawing your blade, you also pulled out your tanto while you were at it. Pointing the latter to the ground, you held your katana away from the ninja who still hasn’t told you his name. Not that you cared anyway.

The two of you stared down at the weapons drawn, waiting to see which of you would strike first. Seconds passed before a gust of wind blew across. That became your signal, and you lunged forward along with the ninja.

You kept at it without any problems so far. Blocking and parrying a few slashes, the ninja didn’t underestimate you as you kept brushing off his strikes. He continued his assault as he threw a few shurikens at you, however, you were flexible enough to dodge them all. Some of them slashed at your yakuta, but it was better than getting your skin cut open.

The footwork was indeed impressive, as you tried to copy some of his moves, but you messed up in that area. Still in comparison, your skills were on par with the mysterious ninja’s as you resumed fighting. You tried to use some tricks of your own, but your rival succeeded in dodging and countering whatever you threw at him. The fight remained a stalemate before you finally managed to get the upper hand. Dodging another upcut slash, you were able to use your new katana to swipe right at the ninja’s mask. It didn’t pierce all the way through, but you did hear a loud crack.

He jumped away as pieces of his precious mask fell off as the crack grew. You now stared at a dark blue eye as the ninja started panting, impressed with your technique. What’s more is that he actually began... laughing through his damaged mask. Was this a game to him?

“So the rumors were true. You are strong. Fast too no doubt,” he chuckled, sheathing his weapon.

You kept your guard up so you would be ready for another strike, but he didn’t pull out any other weapons or come any closer. Quite the opposite, as he began to walk backwards to the edge of the roof.

“Let’s see if your strength does you any favors against... the fury...” he whispered before he jumped. You rushed over to try and stop him, but when came to the edge and looked down... nothing was there.

It was a long way down and the sharp rocks below wouldn’t be able to stop that assailant’s fall. It was just another addition to the crazy list that there wasn’t so much as a shadow as you looked to see where the ninja would have landed.

“The hell... The fury?” you were confused as well as stunned at what just happened. Not to mention annoyed since you were hoping you would have earned some answers from the ninja after the fight.

Now that you thought about it, Celestia might be awake by now and would be the next one to get irritated if you stayed out for too long. Squinting at the edge of the roof one more time, you turned away and descended down the building to find your way back to the hotel.

‘Author, why can’t you give me one simple vacation?’

(Writing about plain and boring vacations won’t get this wolf here his precious ratings!) the author shot back at you with a smirk, and you grumbled that you had little to no power over him.

Given there wasn’t much to do now, you decided to head back down to your room. Explaining that your yakuta was torn up because you got attacked and robbed by a ninja who disappeared without a trace didn’t exactly qualify for the sanity department, but what else were you supposed to say? Your life in the pony world wasn’t exactly sane to begin with.

Your instincts weren’t screaming at you anymore, so you didn’t take notice that someone else had their eye on you as you walked by to your hotel.

*back inside*

“So let me get this straight darling... It was a... ninja who destroyed your outfit?” Rarity glowered at you, making your mouth as dry as a lost soul in the desert. Out of all the mares, Rarity took the most offense to your appearance. It was, as she said hundreds of times, a crime against fashion, and she could scare a full grown dragon with her face.

In part, you didn’t blame your fashionista mate for the stare down. Their outfits weren’t cheap after all. That went especially for yours, as the outfit was made of some of the purest and finest silk, and the patterns on it took years to make.

“Well, it’s true...” you defended. You had practically forced yourself to explain why you were such a mess. You didn’t want to have this conversation, at least not on an empty stomach — it was all the more taxing.

“Eh, give him a break, Rarity. I actually kind of dig this look.” Rainbow, who even hungrier than you, could care less about fashion and liked the way your outfit the way it was. Daring like a dangerous samurai, whose possessions she had had the pleasure of gawking at when she went to the museum with Twilight earlier.

Slowly, the alicorn of fashion and beauty got out of your face and sat back down to make room for the approaching waiters. Surprisingly, one of them was a griffon. Most of the griffons you saw were making their return to their home country now that Galian was out of the picture, but you haven’t seen any griffons in Japony until now. He smiled as he held out a small scroll menu.

“While we’re at it, let me personally thank you for bringing peace back to my homeland,” he said. “Word reached Japony only two weeks ago. But instead of boring you with my life story, I’m inclined to remind you that you’ll have the joy of watching a small performance after you eat.”

You nodded as you all began to order. While your lovers enjoyed some fresh cucumber rolls and a few other dishes, you were given a small seafood platter. The food was extravagant as you were happy to eat it without disgusting any of the other guests. While the main course was fish, you at least knew you weren’t the only meat eater around here.

That was just the beginning. Early could imagine that you all were parched and told his employees to bring out the finest sake their hotel has got their guests to enjoy. While you drank your share of whiskey and cider, you’ve never had sake before. Looking down as the employees filled your sakazuki cups, you asked how much a bottle would cost if it was the best that they had.

“Honestly... About 500,000 bits,” Early answered. You were trying to eat a rice ball, only to choke on some of it when you heard the price.

“Eh. Easy enough,” Luna shrugged as one of the waitresses walked over to pour cups for her and her sister. Once the sakazuki cups were full and ready to touch their lips, the night ruler flicked her ear and turned to see that Celestia was shifting her plump rear in her seat.

“Whatever is the problem, sister?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll be sore for a while, Luna,” Celestia groaned before downing her sake. “While I’ll admit it was exciting, our husband here punished me like a beast after you all left. I can only say I deserve it for blaming him for my own clumsiness of exposing myself to the entire bathhouse.”

Luna’s cup shattered the moment her sister stopped talking, and you all looked at her with alarm. She flashed you all a small smile and looked at her hand. “Oh, my bad... May I trouble you for a fresh cup, please?”

“Oh! Um... Of course, Your Highness!” the griffon waiter replied and rushed to fetch his star guest a replacement.

Fall had only just begun, but it was already feeling like winter as Luna stared at you with implied jealousy. Normally, she was fine with you fooling around with her sister, but there were still days that she felt left out, and would grow quite... eccentric.

‘That’s not fair, beloved... You and I both know I would choose sex over sightseeing any day...’ Luna told you through telepathy, giving you the puppy dog eyes. ‘If you’re going to get extra kinky with my sister, I want to be there to witness it. I could have even helped you discipline Tia here...’

Even with such an adorable expression, it still felt painfully chilly being around the pouting princess. You had to appease her before somepony ended up getting frostbite.

‘Please calm down, Luna! I get your point! I’ll be full of energy after dinner, so I’ll make it up to you, okay?’

The warmth returned as Luna kissed your cheek. ‘You’d better love. After all... we haven’t had one on one action for a while...’

You sighed and went back to eating the lovely spread. After filling your bellies with such an amazing feast, you were escorted to the middle of the hotel. In the center was a large tree with a small pond circling around it with some totems to show a place of worship. On one end, you saw a small stage where some ponies were fixing the instruments on the side of the stage.

You all seated in specific areas so as to get a good view of the show, but your mind was still set on what had happened on the roof. That thieving ninja’s words rattled on your mind, leaving you to ponder what he meant. You knew it was unhealthy to dwell on empty words, but then again, you’ve never been one to take threats lightly. His words... sounded like a warning...

Early Sunset helped snap you out of it when he appeared from behind the stage.

“Mares and gentle-colts... welcome to our hotel special for this evening. We’ve worked hard to organize this marvelous performance, and we hope from the bottom of our hearts that you will all enjoy it along with our hospitality.” He bowed to all of you.

You all watched as a group of dancers walked down to move with the music playing from behind. You remembered this is called a Kabuki. A classical and dramatic dance that was performed in a play while dancing to the melody. All of the performers wore special masks and outfits to signify their Japonese characters. While watching the black demon dance around, Celestia picked up on how deep in thought you were.

“What’s wrong, beloved?”

You decided not to mention your thoughts on the ninja and tried to give Celestia comfort with a smile.

“I think too much, Tia. I’m fine, though,” you replied, patting her silky hand a couple of times before giving your attention to the show.

Behind the curtains, a couple of the security guards were grabbed and had their screams muffled by the sharp blade entering their necks.

Your eyes were only focused on what was happening in front of the curtains. The play was brilliant, but you raised an eyebrow when an actor with the role of a demon suddenly fell to his knees. Now that he was kneeling, you could see an unknown figure now standing behind the stallion, as well as a large katana that was sticking through the latter’s back,

Most of the audience were convinced that this was just part of the show. Even though you just admitted that you worry a lot, you suspected there was actually a reason to be concerned this time.

‘This seems too real to be an act...’ You looked at the tip of the blade, now painted with a frightfully familiar red liquid.

Once you saw just how real the blade was, you then turned to the pony holding it. He looked horribly dressed, as his clothes were more like rags and chains compared to what normal performers would wear. Frankly, they looked disgusting because of the red, black and dark brown stains that coated his pants. His chest was exposed, covered only by the chains, and it was heavily implied that he was scarred and malnourished.

His face was another story — his hair was oily and a headband which looked like it was just a torn piece of cloth as only a skull was painted in the middle. His face looked as malnourished as his eyes looked crazy. To put icing on the cake, a deranged smile spread on his face as he turned his head, his neck crooked to stare at the many creatures in the audience.

‘Okay, that’s definitely not part of the show.’ You stood up with your hand on your weapon. Your lovers, seeing your reaction, also sensed that this wasn’t planned and joined you standing up.

The deranged stallion stood up as he pulled his blade out of the performer. Blood spilled out as he walked towards you. Behind him, you saw him holding onto something. You kept your stance as a low chuckle escaped his lips. The cease of his laughter was the best warning you got before he threw something at you.

Without a minute to lose, you pulled out your new blade to commence the fight. Slashing at the projectile, the crazy stallion laughed again. He quieted down as he pulled it back and felt something strange. He knew his weapon had a certain weight to it, but... it somehow felt lighter now.

The stallion looked down, only to gasp. His kyoketsu-shoge, a scythe weapon attached to a chain with a weight at the end, was missing something. It was no longer a laughing matter to the stallion as he turned to see that you were still holding your blade out.

You twirled your weapon around as you revealed the new attachment you gained from this hopeless stranger. The scythe, still attached to a few of the chains, was hanging around your katana. You raised an eyebrow, daring him to make the next move. As you predicted, the stallion lunged at you with his katana like a wild monkey.

“I’LL KILL YA!” he screeched.

Not wanting to get blood on you or your beautiful lovers, you pulled out your tanto and threw it right at the brain dead stallion. It hit its mark, and the fool flopped back and died the instant your tanto embedded itself into his chest.

Walking over, you reached down and pulled out your tanto blade, displeased that you got it soaked in blood on the day you bought it. With a sigh, you wiped the blood off with your sleeve and placed it back into its sheath. With this new blood stain, you could already hear Rarity scolding you again about ruining your clothes.

“Rarity, right now le-” You stopped as a loud crash echoed from behind. You jumped away in time to gasp as more figures stood with various rags and chains, along with a few armor pieces. Just like their fallen associate, their eyes showed a mixture of insanity and rage.

“Let’s show these shits just how ruthless we are!” the apparent center of authority ordered. The guests who lacked your fighting experience could do nothing but run to defend themselves and their loved ones, children included.

Pulling your katana back out, you wanted to see to it that the only blood that would be spilled was that of these savages. Like rows of dominos, they all attacked and failed miserably. Slashing at the exposed areas, each of these psychopaths fell, leaving you in a bloody mess. Some of those who didn’t face you raced over towards the crowd, but they earned a surprise from the guests when some of them pulled out weapons.

You were just as amazed that there were indeed guests that stood their ground to kill these laughing barbarians. Those who remained unarmed either maintained their distance or stood behind one or more of the armored guests.

‘Geez guess they won’t take being weak for an answer.’ you smile as celestia who held one of the killers by one hand. With a swift motion, she twisted her wrist and the sickly sound of her captive’s neck snapping echoed.

“You all alright?” you asked as Celestia dropped the killer with a sad smile.

“I never feel good about killing, but... sadly, this isn’t my first time I got my hands dirty,” she sighed.

One of the killers tried to slash you from behind, but you heard him coming and stabbed him with your katana without even turning around. He laughed and coughed some blood over your shoulder before going limp.

“This is getting serious. I’m going to find Early Sunset and see what he can do to help.” You turned to your lovers as they all had worried looks on their faces. “In the meantime, you all find a safe place to hide. I know this sounds selfish, but I need to do this myself.”

“Don’t you...” Luna paused, grabbing your cheeks. “Don’t you dare die on us, my beloved idiot...”

You gave a reassuring smile as you kissed each of your lovers, starting with Luna. “I’ll be fine. NOW GO!” you shouted as the mares did what you said and raced to find help and refuge.

Once they left along with the guests who couldn’t fight, those who had weapons joined you as they held their specific weapon. Good thing too, as you weren’t done taking out the trash.

*another location in the hotel*

As more killers entered the Lotus Blossom hotel, one stood behind as he awaited for the owner to come forth... Hopefully this is the time to surrender.

*back to you*

“DIE MOTHER-” As another crazy stallion rushed out at you, you didn’t even have to lift a finger as one of the guests, a snow rabbit, appeared between you. Thrusting his blade, he hit the bastard dead center of his smiling mouth. The dead killer dropped his weapon, and your savior pulled his weapon out and wiped it clean.

“Thank you,” you and the rabbit, equal to you in height, smiled at each other.

You moved on and raced forward, hoping to find where these thugs were coming from. While most of the guests were trained, it didn’t stop these invaders from taking out those who weren’t. A few bodies of staff and some unlucky guests littered the halls, but you knew that those who could fight were trying to save as many innocent lives as possible. In fact, you stopped to get a good look at three killers who were now pinned to the wall. Those three were obviously just hench-ponies. Whether they were here to take over the village or just cause chaos for a good laugh, you figured they must have a leader and you wanted to find them as soon as you could.

You continued down a clean hall and heard some commotion from behind one of the walls, and although you were tempted to ignore it, you stopped as two bodies burst through. Gasping for air as blood filled their lungs, their assailant stood over them. You gasped, as the figure was dressed in all black with a fox mask shielding their face just like the ninja who tried to rob you. The chance to learn their identity never came, as the moment they noticed you, they tossed a ball onto the floor. In just two seconds, a burst of smoke and a flash of light hit your eyes and nose respectively, and you covered them. By the time the smoke had dissipated, all that was left were the two dead maniacs.

‘Dammit... I guess these ninjas are open to all genders when it comes to recruits.’ You waved the smoke away and looked down the hall the moment you could see again. If memory serves, this led to the manager’s office, and the emergency exit was further down the line.

Even though you didn’t know why these ninjas were here, you were glad that it at least seemed they were on your side. Your train of thought was interrupted as you heard a loud scream echoing further down. Refusing to waste any more time thinking about the unknown ninjas, you got a move on and saw that there were more guests defending themselves. Once you made it to the front door of the office, you kicked it open and gasped.

Early Sunset was on the floor, blood covered much of his face as a blade was held right above his head. His wife, Misty Hour’s eyes streamed with tears as two killers held her down, leaving her helpless to do nothing but beg for her husband’s life through her quivering lips.

Before you was one of the largest creatures you’ve ever seen. A hulking figure from a species you haven’t seen in a few months. He was a centaur, the first one you’ve seen since you got trapped in Fantasionia and met the alternate version of Luna.

‘A centaur?’ you wondered as you thought they were all extinct as no records expect from folklore are still around. How was this possible?
“Better late than never, monkey!” he gloated with a demented smile.

“LET HIM GO NOW!” you shouted as the centaur’s lackeys who had been holding Misty Hour hostage stood in front of you. With their weapons in hand, they didn’t need a command to charge right at you. It was a brainless move, and you slashed them both down before you tossed your tanto right at the centaur’s face.

Something went wrong though. The centaur didn’t move nor flinch as the blade was only inches from his face... Rather than connect, your tanto, as if it hit a wall... bounced off of the centaur, who caught it with a smirk. Only a second later, you were still stunned at what had happened but snapped out of it as the tanto was thrown back at you. You moved out of the way and stared at the blade as it hit the wall behind you.

“Care to try again, monkey?” The centaur’s dark red eyes showed how cocky he is even before he spread his arms out, daring you to give it another shot.

“Don’t do it, Your Highness! Leave!” Early tried to warn you, only to be silenced as the centaur’s hoof pressed against his skull.

“Oh so he is royalty... From what part of the world are you from, monkey colt?” he taunted you on your origins.

Through your anger, you told him your name, status, and where you were from as you held your blade out. All it did was make the centaur laugh.

“You?! A k-king in a l-land of p-p-ponies..?! That’s RICH!” He held his gut while laughing maniacally. Hearing it gave you chills since it reminded you of someone... Someone you hoped to never hear from again.

“DAMN YOU!” You rushed forward, blade pointed out as the centaur continued laughing. He finally stopped as you raised your blade out, but the moment you brought the blade down, you were thrown back with your blade returning to you.

‘The F@#K?!’ you mentally screamed as you regained your stance as you tried for another strike. Like the first two hits, the blade kept rebounding with you along for the ride.

The centaur smirked and yawned sarcastically as you were already feeling winded from all the attempts on his life. “Alright, let’s put an end to this.”

With sweat rolling down your face, you were blinded for a few seconds as you wiped it off with your sleeve. But you couldn’t react fast enough when a hand swiped at your face, slamming you back against the wall with so much force that you thought you heard cracks from the exposed wall.

You gasped, finding it almost impossible to process this strength. It was almost like getting hit by a train — you lost your breath and some of the strength in your legs. You slid down the wall gasping for air as you tried to reclaim feeling in your legs. What was this mysterious defensive power?

Looking around you tried to see what was going on. With your vision getting blurry, you were completely unaware that the centaur was standing right above you. When you finally got your vision back you looked up to find that he was aiming a spear for your head.

“When you get to the other side, tell them that Bloodshot sent you!” he snickered. With that, Bloodshot pulled the spear back.

“NO!!!” a loud voice echoed.

You closed your eyes as you covered your head with yoru free hand, hoping somehow it would block whatever death strike awaited you. You held your position as the sound of piercing flesh haunted your ears. Blood began to drip, but aside from your back pain... you didn’t feel anything.

Slowly, you opened your eyes, but immediately wished that you hadn’t done so. The blade was just inches away from your face, as something kept it in place. You leisurely looked up and your eyes went wide.

“E-Early...” you said softly.

Early Sunset... the owner of this hotel... was protecting you. The blade pierced through his chest as he held onto it so it wouldn’t go any further. He turned to you as blood pooled down the side of his mouth, and yet he still flashed you a warm smile.

“Thank... you... Sire... Please protect... my wife... My beloved... Misty Hour...” he whispered as the centaur went from a cocky smile to growling in rage.

“YOU BASTARD!” the centaur screamed as he swiped the hotel manager away. Early flew to the side with his blood coating the walls as he slammed and slid down against it, coughing a bit more blood.

Seeing that you... snapped again.

Misty Hour screamed and cried for her husband, but stopped when she saw your face full of rage. You rushed out with your blade and tried to harm the centaur again. Desperately slashing at whatever was protecting him, you looked to be struggling as you attacked without restraint. Admittedly, the centaur was taken aback by this level of anger, as no creature lunged at him with this kind of fury. Like a spark from a mighty fire, you refused to concede even as your katana started to wear and crack. With one last slash, your weapon shattered, and a few of the pieces flew past your face and body. Some of the shards cut you, but you didn’t give away any signs of pain as you picked up one of the pieces and started attacking Bloodshot again.

“ENOUGH!” he finally shouted, causing you to fall back.

You slammed your head against the wood as your body tumble back. You tried to get up but you couldn’t. The centaur only growled and approached you, only to stop as a blinding light filled both of your visions. The whole room suddenly began to fill with smoke as you tried to breathe. There proved to be too much smoke for you to handle, and you heard the sounds of hooves retreating.

You finally couldn’t take it anymore as your body wanted you to rest now. You finally fell asleep.

As you passed out, several figures in black stood in front of you. They nodded to each other before they reached out to grab your limbs.

*next day morning*

‘Early... Early.. I’m.. I’m so sorry.. I failed you.. ’

“...ke up..”

‘I’m sorry Early...’

“W... p”

‘Huh?’

“Wa.. u.”

You moved through your sleep, the sounds of screams and cries for help echoed in your ears like a pair of headphones as you tried to make out who or where it was coming from. The screams grew louder before they stopped.

‘Save us!’

That last cry of pain was enough to finally jolt you out of your sleep. You were covered in sweat as a wave of pain coursed through your entire body. Even with this pain, you noticed that someone had wrapped you in bandages and brought to what looked like a dojo.

“What the f@ck?” you groaned and slowly darted your head around. There were pictures of ponies and other creatures on the walls wearing karate uniforms and black belts, as well as Japanese texts that you couldn’t read. You could only guess the text was some kind of motto.

“Please refrain from using such language in our presence, if you would,” a feminine voice echoed. You tried to stand up to see who was talking to you, but pain erupted through your bandaged form. You gripped the spot — it was like Tia had slapped you again, as the pain on your left side matched the sensation of hot iron.

“Some ruler you are,” the same female voice echoed as you looked up. A beautiful mare whose silver fur was covered in a few scars, and had a pink mane that was tied up in a bun. A light turquoise streak shone from the top, and a hair piece stuck out in the front. Her eyes were like the finest sapphires you could dig up, shining in the light with a radiant blue color. pure sapphire color a dark radiant blue. Too bad her expression wasn’t as nice as the rest of her features, as she stared at you unimpressed.

She was dressed in what the ninjas you have encountered, however, the straps that covered and held her armor together were the same turquoise color. Meanwhile, the mask that hung over the side looked like the face of a devil, as it bore several sharp teeth and the eye sockets were slit and menacing.

Walking over she kneels down to you. She fishes from behind as she pulls out a small bottle and some clean bandages.

“I need to clean your wounds, so do yourself a favor and stay still.” She held her hand out for you. Having only met the mare who still hasn’t told you her name, it didn’t necessarily seem smart to trust her, but right now, the pain was a bit too much to bear with. You reluctantly obliqued as the ninja mare helped strip your bandages so she could apply the medicine.

“You know, I’ve heard rumors that you have too much pride and that you would jump into battle without much of a thought. But I wouldn’t believe anypony if they said you were dumb enough to take on Bloodshot on your own with just a katana.”

“Well, what would you do if you were in my skin? Just leave all those innocent civilians to die?” you questioned as the mare looked at you with the same stern look.

“I would think of a strategy before jumping into battle. It helps to keep you alive for years to come.” She finished applying the medicine and covered your wounds again.

“And if you didn’t have the time, then what would you do?” you asked again. You winced as the ninja pulled on your bandages tight when you questioned her.

“My strategies aren’t important right now. Just answer me and explain what would possess you to go head-to-head with Bloodshot. Do you consider it your destiny to die by his hand or something?” she taunted you.

“I have my reasons, lady. If I just stood at a safe distance and did nothing, he would have slaughtered everypony in that hotel. I don’t need your opinion on my choices. I did what anyone would have done to protect those who can’t protect themselves. Isn’t that what your kind is ab-”

She pushed you to lay on your back again. The two of you stared into each other’s eyes with stern, angry looks. After a few seconds of glowering, she got off of you.

“Neither of us have time for your weak speeches,” she scoffed.

You stood up. Her last sentence was something you could agree with. “Where is my family and everyone else?”

She turned around and made her way to the apparent exit. “They’re safe. The guests who attended in the security of the guards that the empress assigned to protect the village and some of them returned home. The casualties were limited as most of Bloodshot’s mercenaries were killed and it was mostly the staff and security who were killed.” She stopped once she was at the doorway. “They’re waiting at the grand hall. Get dressed and follow me outside.”

‘Was that an order?’ you wondered, but got over it since the condition of your lovers was far more important than the mare’s choice of tone and words. There was a fresh yakuta folded on your right side and once you were alone in the dojo, you put it on and tied it before taking off after the arrogant kunoichi.

‘This is going to be another eventful vacation...’ you sighed as you headed out towards the grand hall. There was only one thing on your mind when you arrived.

‘Where the hell am I?’ You looked around amazed as this part of the dojo truly looked like something from a legend. It appeared as though you were on the side of a mountain, as a large waterfall slid down either side of the dojo. You continued your little tour and saw a large training ground with various exercise posts, stands, tools, and even a few platforms. There were about 30 ninjas in the middle of training, performing a few stances with a bipedal fox to oversee their workout.

Walking further, you stopped as you saw in one room that four ninjas in special stances were staring down... in front of cobras. Copying their moves they don’t miss a beat as the cobras mimicked what ninjas before them. You were brought back to reality as the ninja mare grabbed your ear and pulled it.

“Don’t even think about bothering them. They’re in deep focus, a feat that seems impossible for your character.”

You finally lost some of your cool. “Do not touch me again,” you dangerously said, staring the disrespectful mare down. The way she was treating you like crap was actually enough to trigger a minor transformation — before you knew it, your teeth grew sharp and your eyes turned into slits as they flashed red for a couple of seconds. The kunoichi didn’t even flinch at the grizzly sight, and before things could get messy in this clean dojo, your features returned to normal.

“Hmph! Mutt...” she scoffed as she continued her way down.

‘Excuse me... EXCUSE ME?!’ The transformation triggered again as you started growling, but your wolf form was only granted a few seconds of control before you mustered the willpower to revert to your human self. ‘Wow i now know how insulting that word is’ you slowly calm yourself.

Normally you would control your anger but even slight irritations can set you off now. After all, the beast needed to let out even for just a few seconds.

Once you had simmered down, you entered a large hall. From within here, you smiled as you saw your family. None of them were harmed, but you did notice Celestia and Luna had some blood on their kimonos. They all sat around as they heard the doors open, and rushed over when they saw you were the one who just entered.

Luna pulled you into her bust. “Oh, thank goodness you’re alright!”

You pointed out your bandaged body. “Yeah, for the most part. Are you guys okay?”

“Well darling, aside from a few scratches and a blow to my pride in fashion, we’re doing just fine.”

Rainbow elbowed the fashionista. “Seriously, Rarity? We narrowly survived the whole ‘attacked by crazy sword-wielding maniacs’ episode, and the first thing you complain about is our clothes?” she scoffed — despite a few stains and their manes being released from their buns, their clothes were still in good condition. Well, yours were practically destroyed, but you were just relieved to be alive.

“Um... can we ask... where are we?” Fluttershy whispered from within the group. Ever since they arrived here, they’ve been kept almost entirely in the dark. Even Celestia and Luna didn’t manage to get an answer as to their location, and the suspense only increased as the mighty sound of the waterfall echoed through the entire area.

“You are in our home,” a powerful voice traveled throughout the room. You and your lovers all got into your fighting positions, save for Fluttershy, who shrunk behind you as you searched for whomever owned such a voice. Your search ended early when two ninjas appeared on either end. They nodded to each other and moved the sliding doors wide open

Each one of you looked up at the large figure that stood behind the sliding doors. It was... another centaur.

While there was an obvious age difference compared to the maniac who made a fool out of you back at the hotel, this centaur stood strong with muscles all over his body. His yakuta looked fairly tight because of how big his muscles were, as did the large beads hanging around his neck. With time catching up to him, his mane and beard almost matched Celestia’s fur, while the eyes, surrounded by his wrinkled face, were a dullish amber color. As fierce as his appearance was, he let off an aura that felt more humble than hostile. He gave a stern look at your fighting position before his cracked lips broke into a smile.

“Please be at ease, our special Equestrian guests,” that mighty voice set off again as the centaur dropped his arms and bowed. “I am Grandmaster Yama.”

The same mare who gave you grief earlier was the next to walk out from the other side of the sliding doors. It didn’t make things between you any different, but you took notice that she changed her armor after you took your eyes off of her. You didn’t give in to the temptation of growling at her like a wolf again, and instead bowed back to Yama so you wouldn’t make a bad impression.

“An honor to meet you, Grandmaster Yama. But with all due respect, where are we?”

Yama stood straight again. “Yes, of course you have questions for us.” He snapped his fingers and the blinds behind you suddenly opened. You wanted to slap yourself to process what you were looking at. Down below, you were practically looking at all of Japony.

“Welcome to the Lotus Dojo. We are the protectors of the light. Keepers of the shadows. Family to the blades.”

Twilight wanted to ask the next question. “Family of the bla-”

“How did we get here... And what happened at the hotel?” you interrupted the now grumbling Twilight.

Yama pinched the bridge between his nose as he rose from his spot. “Buildings can be repaired, but I’m afraid... you came at a bad time.”

“Bad time?”

“Yes. You see... the monster you had faced at the hotel, a true disgrace to my kind...” He walked towards you. “He goes by the name Bloodshot. He’s a wicked warlord who has been plaguing all of Japony for quite some time now. He and his mercenaries, a bunch of thugs and thieves have been discarded by the country. At first, they were just attacking small businesses and tourist attractions, but the assaults have only grown worse over the years. Normally, however, the civilians, along with the guards and ninjas are able to repel these barbarians without a sweat. We’ve learned from our ancestors’ war against Nero.”

He went on about how Bloodshot’s attacks are completely random and sometimes he waits for entire months, even years. before popping out again. The hotel was attacked in a similar manner five years ago, which was plenty of time to rebuild and assume that the troubles were over only to be surprised when Bloodshot’s clan grew bored. There were casualties among the wreckage, as the centaur’s mercenaries got just as much pleasure ruining lives as they did property.

The Lotus Blossom Hotel was a special target since it was the center of Lotus Bloom’s hope, and the mercenaries sought to destroy what the village stood for. The other Japony villages had their own beacons of light and each village was protected by the finest polished ninjas of light, who made sure their civilians’ hope stayed strong.

While you were on the subject of the Lotus Blossom Hotel, you remembered Early Sunset and how, despite knowing you only for a short time, gambled his life for yours. The guilt of him dying because of you seeped in and was the worst feeling you ever felt. You forced yourself to ask about the late hotel owner, and Yama covered his face with his hand.

“I’m sorry... From what his wife told me, he died like a hero. The poor mare is actually here and is hoping to have a word with you, Your Highness.”

Early Sunset’s dying wish for you to look after Misty Hour was one that you planned to honor. You confirmed that you would have a conversation with Misty, but you wanted more answers first, as did your lovers.

“I can emphasize that Empress Hikari is keeping a close eye on her land to send help whenever necessary, but what is her course of the plan?” Celestia asked. “In spite of how many lives you save, as long as Bloodshot lives, the attacks won’t cease.”

You stood beside Tia and held her hand. “I’m inclined to agree with Tia here-”

“Bite your tongue, dog!” the armored mare at Yama’s side snapped, and everyone turned to her. “The empress has over 100 problems already! Someone like you who’s only just arrived wouldn’t understand how much time she’s sacrificed trying to find a way to bring him down!”

You couldn’t let this go. “If that’s the case, then why didn’t she reach out to us for help? Even with a busy schedule, surely your empress could have found a few minutes to write a letter to our kingdom or the other neighboring countries,” you stated, knowing from the invite letter how Japony was just south of Saddle Arabia, which in turn was next to your new ally — Griffonstone. “Could it be that you value your pride over the lives of your civilians? There’s no honor in fighting battles you can’t win alone.”

“Like we need your help. The fact that we had to save you all shows that you’re only good for causing problems,” the mare countered. “What do you know about honor anyway?”

They didn’t know what it was, but something clicked into Celestia and Luna’s minds as they stared at this kunoichi. By now, you were standing with Yama pushing you and his apprentice away from each other.

“I’ll admit I may not take honor as seriously as you and your fellow ninjas, but I’m smart enough to know to call for assistance for a fierce battle instead of turning into an obnoxious narcissist.”

You struck a nerve there — the kunoichi looked ready to explode. It’s remarkable that, to your surprise, she composed herself as quickly as she did.

“It’s better to be a narcissist, than an idiot who runs into battle without thinking.”

“Well, at least I tried to do something. Where were you when the village was getting slaughtered? Getting a manicure?” You held your fingers out and acted like you were filing them.

By this point, even Grandmaster Yama looked concerned — you were pulling on the tiger’s tail by insulting a ninja’s honor.

“Oh, you’re one to talk. Instead of using those riches to fix your face, maybe you should use that money to fill in the empty sections of that poor excuse of a brain,” the apprentice growled back.

“SILENCE!” Yama finally had as much as he could take. “That’s enough from both of you. You’re acting like children and setting bad examples for your nations.”

Once cooler heads prevailed, Yama then finished his explanation. The attack on the hotel wasn’t the first, like he said before, however it seemed Bloodshot got word of foreign royals and hoped to capture, kill, or possibly you all for pleasure. Who knows how much he could ransom Equestrian royalty for? Thankfully none of you were taken, so you were glad at least for the moment.

You rubbed your head as you then looked at your hand. It was bandaged up as the memory of what happened comes up. “My blade... I couldn’t harm him despite my efforts... Why is that?” you asked Yama as you remembered hitting and how you kept getting thrown back like an idiot no matter how many times you tried to strike Bloodshot. Oh, the humiliation...

Furthermore, you felt that you had disrespected your weapon, getting it broken during the fight.

After 10 long seconds of silence, Yama lit his two horns and conjured up a scroll. “Bloodshot is being protected... by an ancient talisman called the war stone of Tartarus.” Yama unveiled the scroll to show you all a picture of a large necklace with a blood-red stone in the middle and some Japanese text on the side. Apparently, the stone was first discovered in the mines of the minotaur civilization but went missing during transport after it was deemed too dangerous. Like a sentient being, the stone chooses the master it will leave invulnerable to any weapon, but such power couldn’t be controlled. Even with such a strong defense, the longer someone has the stone, the more it’ll eat away at their soul.

You growled in anger as you turned to Yama. “Then how are we supposed to stop him? Surely there’s a way to destroy the stone or at least find a way to remove it right?”

Yama rolled the scroll back up and it disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. “That’s not your concern,” he finished.

“Not my concern? Why not?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because this isn’t your fight, idiot,” the apprentice spoke in her master’s place. She would have spat out more insults, but Yama raised his hand.

“She’s right, this fight isn’t yours. It would be wise for you and your loved ones to pack up and head back to your borders. This is a Japony matter.” Yama walked back to his stand.

‘He can’t be serious...’ You walked beside Yama. “You... You can’t be serious. We can’t just leave you to fight that abomination. If you think I’m going to leave and let the innocent die because of what might happen after I leave, you are sadly mistaken.”

“You all think you can do better? Cause clearly you didn’t do enough to protect the vulnerable lives back at the hotel. So much for Equestria’s battle skills,” the apprentice scoffed, earning another feral growl from you.

“Sweetie... I hate to say it, but... maybe... we should listen...” Fluttershy, ironic for her low volume, got everyone’s attention.

You shook your head at the bearer of kindness before doing the same in Yama’s direction. “My apologies but I refuse to listen and back down from a fight. I don’t care if you are a grandmaster, I’m not going to let others die because I deserted instead of finding a solution for those in need. I don’t give a damn if you call me crazy or maniac, but that’s just how I am.”

The apprentice gasped before her silver fur shifted to red on the account that you were bold enough to talk back to the grandmaster. “HOW DARE YOU!” You miraculously didn’t even flinch as she appeared beside you, her katana just inches away from opening your exposed “BEG FOR FORGIVENESS FOR THIS DISRESPECT!” she demanded.

You swat the blade out of her hands as you pushed her away. “I don’t care what you try to do to me. But I won’t leave all those civilians to suffer... Not again...” You then walked away, satisfied that you got to say what you wanted to.

‘This one is more interesting than I thought...’ He stroked his beard as he watched you leave. There wasn’t a single soul in the dojo who wasn’t left stunned by your determination and stubbornness.

*back to your room*

It was lucky that as you removed your yakuta, you had packed your special set of armor in the luggage that was brought in. No matter how peaceful and relaxing an upcoming vacation sounded, you always brought this assassin armor, as being a king had its advantages of having it pass through customs. You honestly hated having to use it, but it would be very awkward to tell them why you have armor stuffed in your suitcase.

After making sure your gauntlets worked, you were contemplating what you could do to break or at least remove that accursed stone away from Bloodshot’s grasp. For that matter, you still had to find his base. As you tried to come up with your plan, you heard the door open and spun on your heel to greet Grandmaster Yama, who seemed impressed at the armor you were now wearing.

‘Dear lords above... He is one...’ He remained quiet as he walked in ever so slowly.

You gritted your teeth because of how awkward it was to remember what you spat out before. “Um... I hope you’ll forgive me for my rudeness, but... if you are here to tell me to go home then I suggest you leave,” you stated. You didn’t want to start another argument.

Luckily, he shook his head with a small laugh to assure you that that wasn’t the case. “I figured. Your wives all told me how level-headed you are when it comes to standing for what you believe in. Now that I’ve given it some thought, I can accept that your heart is in the right direction for what it’s worth.

You expressed your gratitude as you fixed your belt straps. Yama continued to observe you strap on your gear, refusing to back down. “I’ve accepted that nothing I say will change your mind, but at least let me say this much.”

He took the liberty to get comfortable before he said any more.

“Everyone in Japony knows of your heroism. But if you truly did fight and defeat the beast we, unfortunately, recognize as Nero in Saddle Arabia... then you surely know what kind of monster he was... You can picture how much damage he caused during the great war. How many lives were lost because of his rampage.”

You gripped your hands, as just the mention of Nero brought back unpleasant memories. The top general’s wrathful face with bloodshot eyes lusting for a fresh kill, regardless of whether it was a mare, stallion, even a foal, or an elder. It was still beyond you how a creature that could only be satisfied by slaughter could even exist.

Grandmaster Yama began his tale. Nero had been repeatedly sent to ancient Japony in an onslaught that lasted for decades. From what you gathered, Grogar was doing so much to gain the upper vantage in destroying this world, and Nero was just one of the many vile creatures Grogar enlisted into his dark army to achieve his goal of spreading darkness all across the land.

The battle of Japony began before the legendary hero Mistmane was even born. So many lives were lost before the revered unicorn created the spell to banish her homeland’s terrorists, and far off from the mountain was a section of Japony that nopony went to without suffering from the hauntings of those far off from the mountain lays a land that no pony goes through without suffering from the hauntings of those who had perished.

Now that the story has come to this, you learned that this land was called Akanami (Red Wave) and that it used to be the capital of Japony when it was established. Nero’s fleet desecrated it, and because the war raged on, the land now held a curse that made it impossible for those lost lives to get a proper burial. Certain civilians have claimed to have heard the screams and cries of those who were slaughtered. As the years went by, the army suddenly lost the will to go on fighting without any explanation. They didn’t even go scavenge for food or water and simply perished.

Back in the human world, you didn’t believe in ghosts, but this world, full of magic and miracles, convinced you to change your way of thinking the moment you met a talking pony. Ergo, you believed Yama when he told you that the legends say those who perished still roam Akanami as evil spirits and that they could be seen when the sun sets. Other legends say that Nero’s mightiest subordinates, including another centaur called “The Butcher”, still roam these lands.

Yama leaned down with serious eyes to tell you as clearly as possible that The Butcher wasn’t to be underestimated. His cruelty could be compared to Nero’s and with that dreaded amulet that was supposed to be used to protect shrines from evil influence, he can continue his slaughter as he pleases. No weapon or magic could destroy it... or so you thought.

You kept on listening as Yama explained that before the stone was set to be transported, another stone was found among it, but it was too fragile to keep together. To protect its power, the stone was infused into the metal of a special sword that was ironically built to destroy it. That never came to be since the sword was left in the dead city that was once Akanami.

“If what you say is true, then tell me where this sword is so I can retrieve it,” you insisted, but frowned when Yama started laughing.

“I really do like that determination of yours, but... it’s futile.” You wanted to speak up, but he beat you to it and started to explain. The reason why is because anyone with the guts to go to what remained of Akanami never came back the same. It is said that the gate to those vile lands is protected by a large spiritual barrier to prevent evil spirits from escaping. Most of the ones who disregarded the claims such as travelers, merchants, thieves, mercenaries, and treasure hunters dug their own graves. The few who actually did come back alive were on the brink of insanity, and some of them even committed suicide to escape the trauma. Nopony could get a straight answer from these survivors.

If you really wanted to find the sword, you would have to locate the temple of the gods of Golden Blossoms where Mistmane had blessed the land before she gave her beauty away. The village where the temple lay was the first Japony location where Nero and his crew went to pillage and slaughter and is said to be where the spirits of both good and evil roam. Nopony managed to make it to the village to confirm if it was true.

“And that includes me...” Grandmaster Yama coughed a few times, and looking closer, what you saw confirmed your fears and alarmed you.

Blood.

“Grandmaster!” you shouted, but he raised his hand.

“Please... I don’t wish to worry my students...” he sighed, wiping the blood from his lip.

You stayed silent as you hated to have to keep a secret, but you ultimately agreed. There was one thing you wanted though.

“Please then, before your passing... give me the chance to find the sword. I promise you I won’t fail,” you insisted.

‘I wonder if all humans are both honorable and stubborn...’ Yama mused. If there was no talking you out of this journey, he would let you go on one condition.

You waited as his horn glowed a bit before a puff of smoke appeared beside the two of you. Once the smoke cleared, you grumbled as to who was kneeling beside you both.

“You called Grandmaster?” The apprentice who woke you up and argued with you knelt down in respect

“Yes. Because of your bickering, you two haven’t been properly introduced.” he gestures his hand out to you.

The apprentice was glaring daggers at you, but she knew that Yama wasn’t asking. “My name is Silver Blade. Remember it because I won’t be introducing myself twice.”

You then told her your name and, for what it was, worth your status too. She only rolled her eyes.

“So you’re a moronic monkey, then.” It was totally uncalled for and your eye twitched before you could even think of a way to stop the reflex.

‘And you’re an annoying bitch!’ Yama’s condition not only stopped you from saying this out loud, but nearly got you to pass out.

“Now that you know each other’s names, here is what I have in mind. Since you’re so dead set on finding that sword, I want you to at least take Silver Blade with you on your search.”

“WHAT!?” you and Silver said at the same time.

Grandmaster Yama explained that his apprentice knew practically all of Japony and where what remained of Akanami was located. She also held the exclusive knowledge of how to get in.

“Grandmaster, I’m sorry... BUT THERE’S NO WAY IN TARTARUS THAT I AM GOING TO PARTNER UP WITH THIS MONKEY!”

“STOP CALLING ME MONKEY, PLANK GAL!” you shouted back. Yeah... Worst choice of words.

“WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, PRICK?!” It was clearly rhetoric, as Silver lunged at you without waiting to hear you repeat yourself.

‘Seriously, am I working with adults or children?’ Yama groaned as you and Silver went at it like a couple of immature foals. You tried to pry this mare off of your arm; she might have been an earth pony, but she had some nasty chompers.

*several minutes of fighting later*

After fighting with Silver and looking like idiots while doing so, you came out with a few scraps and bruises, but you weren’t in the mood to look at one another even though the fight was over. Grandmaster Yama had been waiting quietly this whole time for you to stop bickering so he could finally take the chance to speak.

“Now that the two of you got that out of your systems, I’m entrusting you to find that sword. I want to be clear that you are to return home immediately after you retrieve it, and we’ll contact Empress Hikari to organize a massive attack on Bloodshot with as many warriors as we can.”

Now that you were all in agreement, you also established that the ninjas and your lovers would wait for you. You made sure the mares knew what Grandmaster Yama had planned. Yeah, it wasn’t easy, as you had to firm to reassure them that you would be all right as they pleaded for you not to go. Until you found the sword, Yama would make sure that your lovers were protected here in his dojo.

After giving in, Celestia and Luna thanked the centaur for offering refuge while Twilight asked where she could find the archives. She wanted to see if she could find some way to help you plan a surprise attack on Bloodshot’s hideout. You smiled as you later got to know more about the ninjas who were looking out for you all.

Silver watched from afar as many of the ninjas helped you in packing the necessities. She merely frowned and gripped her necklace before leaving

*next day*

“Thank you for everything,” you said to your default caretakers as you and Silver stood outside the dojo. After some careful planning and help from the other ninjas, they each gave you something to help you along the way. Some of them gave you food, some gave you incense sticks, flint and steel, a few shurikens, some smoke pellets, and you also received some vials filled with... salt?

You would have asked what it was for, but since they assured you the salt would help, you didn’t doubt them any further and made sure you had everything. Your gear was also changed, as you replaced the leggings with some of their more flexible armor so maneuvering would be easier. Your hood covered your head and one of the ninjas prepared a special mask for you. It was in the shape of a fox, and you were impressed at how amazing the detail was.

Silver kept on the special outfit she wore the other day, and she too had all of her gear ready. She tapped her hoof as she stood where she was watching you bid your loved ones goodbye as if you were leaving for a year.

You didn’t care if anyone was watching, you kissed each of your mates, who understood they had no right to stop you from finding the weapon that would bring peace back to Japony.

Grandmaster Yama did appear in front as he exchanged bows of respect with you. “Please come back safely. I told you before that only a few had returned and they were never the same again. Stick to the light if you must and NEVER stray from afar.”

You nodded as your lovers all gave their blessings, wishing you luck and giving you one more group hug before you and Silver headed out.

“Let’s go! I ain’t getting any younger now’” the ninja mare put on her mask as she took off. You went ahead and put on your own mask as you joined her. It was going to be a long trip, that’s for sure.

*few minutes of running*

“Keep up with me, monkey boy!” Silver Blade shouted as you lagged behind along the way. How could you help it if she was a faster and more impatient runner than she was given credit for?

‘Whatever you say, plank mare...’ You jumped around a few large rocks and had to maneuver around some old rusted iron works that were left for the sun to scorch.

Racing forward, you were beginning to see why Yama said these lands are cursed, as already it’s daylight and you can’t describe it, but... a horrible set of screams rang in your ears, and you stopped to grip your head. ‘Dammit! It’s even worse than when I arrived...!’ you gripped your ears as the screams grew louder. Almost like they were right next to you. Silver hurried back to you to grip your shoulders.

“Hey! Hey! Snap out of it. It’ll only last a few seconds. Look at me!” Silver lifted your head, getting you to stare at her through each other’s masks. After a few seconds, the voices stopped just like she said they would. You started panting a little as you tried to stand up.

“Whoa, easy there, big ape. You’ll fall over and I ain’t carrying your ass back home,” she stopped you as you both waited it out. Only after you regained some energy were you able to stand up without trembling legs.

“Alright, you’re good now. So get off of me.” She pushed you away and back to the ground with a loud thud. “Let’s go, we’re burning daylight!”

“Wise ass bitch...” you grumbled as you dust your clothes off. Racing up, you managed to catch up to her before she could complain again. You both slowed down to conserve your energy. While your first visit to your new so-called ‘relationship’ wasn’t the coziest, you wanted to at least know a little bit about your partner.

Grandmaster Yama helped to fill in some information about her, but all you learned was that Silver had been his apprentice ever since she was a filly. Her hostility towards those who show no respect was similar to yours, but she was a bit more... ill-tempered. In a better explanation, she was a lot like Jade Star, except of course that she was a ninja not a guard.

Walking beside Silver, you tried to start a conversation with the temperamental ninja. “So... how do you know this area so well?” you asked, but she kept quiet and didn’t even look at you.

You grumbled and tried another question. Again, she refused to speak. You tried another question before it came to her attention that she had to shut you up. Without warning, she turned till she could reach down below your belt for your groin, the one place that always evoked fear from you, and grabbed hold of it tightly.

“If you don’t shut the f@ck up, I’ll castrate you here and now...”

You didn’t risk calling her bluff. “I’ll stop...” you promised and pleaded for her to let go. You learned your lesson to never let your guard down between, foes, friends, and those who could kill you the same length you could. You swore that after she had released you, Silver was smirking behind her mask as you covered your aching groin.

The two of you remained silent after you recovered, and passing through a large field, inches away you could see a small forest clearing, but that’s not what caught your eye. The field you were walking through was littered with thousands, if not millions of spears. Many of them were sticking from the ground, and you also saw many swords, axes, shields, and even a few bows sticking up along with a few pieces of what looked like cannons. Walking closer, you gasped as, underneath the tall grass and the weapons, you saw full skeletons. Some of the skulls and bones were still intact, as the earth above left them untouched.

‘God this wasn’t a war... This was a full-on massacre...’ You covered your mouth in shock at how many bones were scattered.

Looking around, you stopped as yet another thing caught your eye. You honestly didn’t think anyone would be alive in this dead land, but after blinking a few times, you confirmed that right in front of you was a bipedal vixen with white fur and a black kimono. Her ears perked up as she turned to notice the two of you.

“Um... hello.” You waved your hand out only for the vixen to run away. She turned back as she moved her head a bit. It was almost like she’s beckoning you to come, and you don’t know why, but that’s what you did.

“Hey! Where are you going?!” Silver shouted out as you turned your attention away from her to follow the mysterious vixen. Since she couldn’t let you escape her sight, she joined you in allowing the fox lady to guide you through the cursed lands.

Soon enough, all three of you stopped in front of what looked like a small worn-out cabin. You continued to follow the vixen until she stopped and sat down. Behind the cabin, you scratched your head when you found a shrine of some kind.

‘A shrine?’ you thought as the vixen stayed where she was, but ushered you to go inside the shrine by waving her hand. You obeyed, but only because you were curious about what she was asking of you. Once you were inches away, her wishes became clear.

‘Could it be that she wants me... to light the shrine?’ you questioned as you pulled out the items the ninjas gave you. Taking out some incense and some matches, you burned the incense and lit up the shrine-like you assumed the vixen wanted. Silver, who watched from behind, found herself somewhat impressed that you were actually stopping to pay your respects.

You prayed long and hard, but as the flame suddenly turned blue, you felt your body... being lifted. The vixen smiled as Silver walked towards you.

“Huh. Usually, tourists and foreigners just come to the shrine to see if there’s anything worth stealing. You’re the first who actually bothered to show some respect.” You wanted to think Silver was complimenting you, but that melotone betrayed the disdain she still held for you.

“I’m glad I’m not like that then,” you chuckled a bit.

It was the mysterious fox’s turn to speak, and for the first time since you met her. “Thank you for cleansing my shrine...”

You turned to the fox and smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Closing in on your neck, which wasn’t covered by your mask, she gave the spot a small kiss. Even though you’ve gotten used to the fact that animals talk in this land, you were still working on getting used to their beauty. You blushed as the fox’s warm lips touched you.

“Please accept this and safe travels.” She cupped your hand to leave something inside before disappearing in a puff of leaves. Once she was gone, you looked down to see what looked like a small rope with a few colorful strands on the top and a small bell in the middle.

“Heh. Seems the keeper of the shrines gave you a shrine bell. The negative energy around here won’t be able to harm you anymore as long as you hold onto it.”

You were still blushing as you turned to Silver, who began to explain that the fox tribes were famous for their devotion to the shrines that blessed those throughout Japony, and some claimed that the spirits of these keepers approached wary travelers to provide them the needs to help them on their travels. Once your face cooled off you asked if there were more of them, to which she answered there should be along the way and that they could help them reach the village safely.

Nodding, you set the shrine bell on your belt before you returned to the trail.

*several hours passed*

After cleansing the first shrine, you proceeded through along with Silver. Along the way, you spotted more fox spirits, who led you to the different shrines that were placed around. You lit each one to get the same results. The flame turned bright blue and you felt the air around clear up. This helped make traveling to your destination a bit easier, and because they were placed around they were more focused on the trails. However, as you helped to purify the area, the fox spirits guarding the shrines were becoming a bit... too generous.

At first, the gratitude was just a few kisses... Now you were getting rubbed on, and some of them even asked to be your mate. One fox spirit, you may or may not want to admit, was probably going to follow you, as before she disappeared, her body grew along with her kimono and she showed it off for you.

Yep. Your face was boiling like a sauna from behind your mask. She didn’t say much after thanking you, and threw herself at you before she disappeared. You pat yourself, wondering what just happened.

“Uh... what was that?”

‘Oh, wow! That sly vixen really wants this monkey. Not my problem though,’ Silver chucked a bit, leaving you to continue wondering what the spirit had done to you.

“So uh... all those shrines... Will, they really help get us to the village?” you asked.

Silver nodded. “Yeah, even though there are so many of them, they act as beacons to show us, travelers, the way. The more we cleanse the air around us, the easier it’ll be to travel.”

You and Silver walked a bit further to spot a large amount of fog coming from the north. You let out a sigh as it pained you to admit it, but you were probably going to have to travel through that fog. Walking further down, you both stopped because of how thick the air suddenly felt. It became harder to breathe — rather than fog, it was almost like you were breathing in smoke.

And as troublesome as breathing could be, things got worse as the temperature around you quickly and without warning dropped. By now, you could see your breath escape from your mask holes.

“T-the hell...? W-why did i-it g-get so... c-cold...?” you shivered, desperately rubbing your hands for warmth.

Silver was just as puzzled as you at the unexplained temperature change, but once she realized what was happening, she gasped at the signs with wide eyes.

“Oh shit... Run... RUN!” Silver grabbed your hand and force you to run with her into the fog. You were a bit startled at the sudden reaction.

“W-wait wait... Why?” you asked, racing beside Silver, trying to understand what had gotten her so excited.

The two of you rushed through the fog without stopping as you picked up a new sound. It was the swishing noise of something being thrown at you and drawing ever so closer. Both you and Silver were lucky enough to hear it coming and you rolled onto the ground to dodge the upcoming projectile. You kept still for a second, and whatever was thrown at you hit the ground. You gulped to see it was a very long spear, and that it had landed just inches away from where you lay.

“J-Jesus...! Where did... Where did that come from?” you panted as you looked around. You made the right move, as you saw that another spear had been thrown in your direction. The spear slashed at your armor as you moved out of the way, but it didn’t touch your body.

“RUN YOU, IDIOT! RUN!” Silver yelled, but you couldn’t as you fixated on the red mist that appeared from where the spears were thrown.

Your heart was pounding wildly as you watched the red mist take on a new form before a large figure stood before you. You presumed it was another centaur, given the way it towered over you, but... it was something far more terrifying than you had anticipated.

Still standing tall, the creature’s entire body was covered in red and black shadows, and its armor looked to be riddled with weapon dents that joined the many arrows stuck inside of it. Its helmet covered its face to the point that you could only see two red eyes glowing as they stared down at you. In one hand, you saw a large cleaver coated in blood while the other held a large burlap sack. The abomination lifted the sack over its shoulder as it stared at you... Another target for their collection.

‘What... Is that?’ You were frozen in place as this creature did nothing other than stare at you. Once it finally decided to respond, it let out an ear-piercing screech, waving his cleaver out as it suddenly charged right at you.

You finally snapped out of your shock as you raced away. Whatever this creature, it looked way too powerful for you to fight right now. Running away, the air grew even colder as the unknown creature drew closer. You heard the cleaver swish in the air, and you quickly jumped out of the way just before your head could be sliced clean off.

Once you were tired of running, you regained your stance and pulled out your weapon, but... the creature had vanished. You held your blade out waiting for another strike as the mist surrounded you. While your eyes didn’t do you any favors in this fog, standing in the middle, you tried to pinpoint the creature’s location by listening to their hooves gallop around you. With a twinkle in your eye, you barely had the chance to dodge another swipe to your head as the monster swung its sack at you.

Avoiding the strike, you kept your guard up as it decided to assault you with both weapons this time. You were able to manage, but as the creature kept up its assault, you ended up getting hit by the sack a few times and got knocked to the ground. Forcing yourself to recover quickly, you rolled out of the way and stood up before the beast could crush your head with its hooves.

“HEY! OVER HERE!” Silver called out to you through the fog. You looked over and saw her waving out for you. She pulled out a shuriken and threw it into the mist. You swore that as the shuriken dissipated the mist, you saw something attached to it, but that didn’t matter to you right now. You knew you needed to run now that Silver had created a path out of the mist.

You raced on over as the creature snorted through whatever could be called her nose. Silver awaited you as she stood beside a shrine that was almost completely demolished, and there was a large white circle on the ground surrounding her as she motivated you to run faster.

You managed to jump into the circle as another spear almost hit you. Trying to catch your breath, you watched the creature staring back at you before disappearing.

“Wh-what the... Why isn’t it...?”

“Now you know why so many travelers don’t return alive...” Silver sighed, almost like she was annoyed. “I’ll keep it brief until we’re safe. That thing is a demon as you can tell. However, it’s not just any demon.” she turns to you as she removes her mask. “It’s... the butcher of Japony...”

“Butcher of Japony?” you asked, removing your mask. This adventure was making a gambling man out of you, for you would have bet a small fortune that it was storytime again.

“The legends state that during the Japony war, Nero and Grogar had a subordinate that would freely roam the lands. At first, she was just a sick cannibal before she was recruited to join the dark army, where she would spend years slaughtering thousands with her cleaver so she could devour them afterward. The bag it carries is always filled with the victims of all he had cleaved. Sometimes she would eat away at the parts in her sack while waiting for new prey.” Silver stopped as she looked over the horizon.

You felt disgusted, but also wondered what else you could learn. Silver then told you how Mistmane had a few elite guards who gave their lives to end the monster’s rampage. It took years of fighting the beast and her colleagues, but with time, the brave soldiers put an end to the butcher’s ramage. But while her body was destroyed, her spirit went on living. Rampaging through the cursed territory to hunt more victims for her insatiable hunger.

You stopped as you processed what Silver said. “Wait... The creature is a she?” You didn’t discriminate on gender; you were far more interested in what drove the butcher into madness.

Silver nodded. “Only one was able to escape the butcher’s grasp and they claimed to have seen her face. Eyes filled with the purest rage, malice, and insanity, but the rest was the face of a beautiful mare.

Silver didn’t care for what made the butcher like this. As far as she was concerned, the salt around you was all that was protecting you from becoming her next victim. Unfortunately, the salt wouldn’t last long as natural selection could be a bitch, as could the weather. To be specific, you felt a small drop of rain land on your head.

‘Shit! This day!’ you scoffed a bit as you only got probably a few seconds before your only barrier was washed away with the salt and that monster comes after to butcher you both.

“Talk quickly! How much further?” you demanded.

She didn’t say or do anything except point outwards. Turning around, you saw where she was pointing. Just a few inches from where you both were standing, you noticed it...

The village technically looked more like a fortress, as a large moat surrounded it, followed by many spikes that covered the sides to prevent anyone from scaling the walls. Those same walls almost looked like they were high enough to reach the sky as a large door stood in the middle. Just like when you first stepped foot into these cursed lands, you saw a few thousand more weapons, skeletons, and cannons littered around as the door had several large spears and arrows embedded in it.

“That’s... That’s the village!” you shouted before Silver silenced you with a good smack to the back of your head.

“Yes, idiot... The village was known as Akanami, which was once the capital of Japony before... Nero had his fun with us...” she sighed, and you picked up a strange hint in her voice. It was something you couldn’t explain but didn’t have time to process. More raindrops landed on your head, signifying the time that you were losing.

“How can we get to the gate without that crazy bitch getting to” You had to stop as a huge wave of pain shot into your head and spread down to cover the rest of your body. Even with your high threshold, you broke down and started screaming as Silver ran to your aid.

“SHIT! Now, what’s wrong?!” She grabbed your shoulders to see if she could help you stand.

You didn’t even hear her as the pain continued to tear you apart. Your vision suddenly flashed a few times, but you could only make out a few of the images because of how fast they came and left. The visions showed you that the executioner was all bloody, but nonetheless alive and standing in front of the gate. She twisted a large key into the lock on the door in a certain way before placing the same key around her waist. The next vision showed you two samurais thrusting their swords into the butcher before pulling out. The focus was on the key still attached to her belt.

Then the visions stopped, as did the pain, and you were gasping for breath and unable to think of something to say. Now that it was possible to stand, Silver made it easier to do so as she held onto your chest so you wouldn’t fall to the hard ground again.

“You okay now? What is the good years of Grandmaster Yama just happened?”

You were still taking deep breaths as you gave Silver a look before turning to the door. You saw that the familiar lock was still there before the same red mist came back to you. The creature was just a few inches away, and you once again observed the dents, slashes, and arrows covering her armor to find what you needed.

The key was still attached to her waist.

“I know how we can get in... but after you learn of my plan, you’ll have every right to call me crazy,” you stated. Silver only raised an eyebrow.

“Okay... So what do you have in mind?” she asked, barely able to handle the suspense of learning how they were supposed to get inside.

Knowing that she wouldn’t accept the idea, you told her to just make a run for it once you were done. Moreover, you asked for some salt. She obliged and once you got the salt, you took in a deep breath of the cold air before you dashed in the butcher’s direction.

“IDIOT! YOU’RE GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED!” Silver screamed.

Running as far as you could, you grabbed the executioner’s attention. “HEY! I’M OVER HERE! COME OUT YOU PSYCHO BITCH!” you shouted out at the top of your lungs. It wasn’t long before you heard sharp weapons scraping against each other. Turning around, you gulped as the butcher let out a loud roar that could have made you melt right there. It really did seem like she was something Grogar created himself in Tartarus. It’s one thing to be scared of something you could avoid, but intentionally getting the attention of a crazed maniac was another matter.

‘I really am an idiot... I should have thought of something better than announcing my presence...’ You shivered and held out the salt as the butcher charged right at you. You had to wait for just the right moment or your head would end up in her sack and eventually in her belly.

Once you saw she was just a few inches from where you stood, you poured the salt on the ground. Swishing the salt around, you made half a circle with your hand. The butcher doesn’t react fast enough as once she was close you jumped a bit as the butcher slammed right into the barrier. Like hitting a wall of steel, she staggered from the slam as you raced around, pouring more of the salt to complete the circle before the creature regained and looked around. Seeing the salt surrounding her, she roared again and searched fruitlessly for a way out.

‘Holy f@$k it worked?!’ you were left in both shock and awe at how your stupid plan was actually a success.

The butcher thrashed about as she kept her eyes on you from above. You couldn’t see her face, covered in the shadows, but you still spotted the blood stains on her mane and her helmet. Being so close, you acknowledged that this beast had fought in many battles and earned many scars in the process, and her armor was outdated and almost completely worn out.

“You caused me a lot of trouble here..” you snarled at the imprisoned beast, who snarled back as you stared at each other. No longer threatened by the angry sounds of a mindless animal, you looked down and saw that your treasure was still there. Just like it appeared in your vision where she fell in battle, the key was still hanging from her belt.

“I’ll be taking this,” you reached out and snatched the key out from the belt. Surprisingly, it felt real as the demon only snarled as you confiscated her precious key before turning around to walk away from the butcher.

“You’ll... Die... I’ll... kill...yyyyyooooouuuuu...!” Her voice was broken as she spoke each word so slowly, but the horrible sound of her voice still sent shivers down your spine. Not wanting to stay outside and entertain the barbarian any longer because of how unsure you were about how long the salt barrier would last, you raced over towards the entrance where Silver was leaning on against the door in a seemingly neutral mood.

“Hey, I got the keEEEEEEEHEHHHH!” You shrieked as Silver didn’t hold back. Stomping over, she pulled her leg back and swung it forward to connect with the perfect target.

You lost your balance as you landed on your knees, holding your pants, and more specifically, your family jewels that were threatening to crack open as you fell forward.

“YOU DUMBASS! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG OF YOU!? ARE YOU THAT SUICIDAL?!” She grabbed the key with a huff and went over to the door, leaving you to whimper on the ground.

‘B-Bitch... Why my jewels... Why my precious jewels...?!’ You stood back up as the pain slowly subsided and joined Silver, who was ready to proceed. Sighing, you heard the gate mechanism get busy

“Hmph! I’ll confess that while you’re stupid, you aren’t completely useless,” she admitted as the door began to unlock. Though the rust shown on the doors still lingered, you saw that you could open them nonetheless. Once the door lock finally opened, you and Silver devoted all your strength to pulling it open. A difficult feat, but you slowly saw results.

As you and Silver, who you would give a piece of your mind to for kicking you in the groin later, worked on the door, the work was interrupted by another loud roar.

“SHIT!” you and your fiery companion shouted in unison as you turned to where the roar had come from. You both gasped as you saw that the red mist was coming straight at you. Of course, among the mist that matched the color of blood, you saw that the butcher had somehow escaped from her prison, and was not at all pleased at her humiliating defeat.

“F@#K F#$K DAMMIT!” you and silver used more strength as you pry the door as far as you can.

“OPEN IT ALREADY YOU PIECE OF MONKEY SHIT!” Silver screamed at you.

“I’M NOT A MONKEY, PLANK BITCH!” you shouted out. Your rivalry lived on.

Pulling the door as far as you could, you and Silver saw that you made enough room to slip through. The latter insisted on going in first, and you joined her without argument. Your belt did get caught in the door, but you were able to pry it out and proceed. Once you were inside, you quickly pushed the door closed with Silver’s help and wondered if it would hold as the sound of the butcher’s hooves grew louder.

“Move aside,” Silver commanded as she took out some more of the salt. You glared at her but stepped out of the way so she could finish. Once the salt was set, Silver jumped back as the door splintered at the sudden force. It shook a little bit before it stopped suddenly.

Once the door was shut and secured you and Silver finally turned around. Your heart sank at what you saw.
*back in new horsey at capital building wolfs pov*

‘Dammit this isn’t getting easier’ wolf rubs his shoulders as the last few days haven’t been easy. Already he had suffered two minor concussions, some bruising, a cracked rib and to top it all off his shoulder sadly was dislocated after a botch save. Luckily he survived but his shoulder had to put back in place.

“Hello mutt are you in position” quick sounded out waiting for wolfs response.

Wolf pressed his intercom with a sigh. “In position. Is target spotted?”

Wolf waited for a few seconds before thorn speaks up. “He’s in the capital building. Some of his guards are surrounding the area. Shall we commence with our plan”

“I’m in position. Ready to cause a ruckus” quick chuckles.

“In position and ready to go” wolf looks back as he stares at the capital building.

Thorn smiles as her favorite toy flies over. “Alright commencing distraction……. Now” she presses a button on her keyboard. Suddenly a loud explosion and firework show sparks in the sky causing many to folks to watch. Some were scared out of their minds while others were wondering on the sudden light show.

While the citizens were caught off guard quick jumps in. slugging two of the guards he shouts out for the rest. “HEY I’M HERE ASSHOLES COME GET ME!” he quickly races away.

The target growls as most of his guards leave to catch the attacker leaving him out of the open.

Once the target leaves wolf walks through the shadows. He waits as he checks the right time to manuver pass, taking cover behind a few large structures he waits for the right moment.

“Dammit. Damn them all” the target growls in anger he lets out a small sigh as he awaits for his transport.

Time passes as suddenly he hears some ringing. He feels the vibration of the ringing against his jacket and pulls out a small rectangular item from his pocket. Swiping upward he answers it.

“Hello?”

“Chairpony seals. Its a honor” a voice echoed from the other end.

The chairpony looks stunned. His heart beated faster as he hears an unknown voice on other end. “How did you get this number?” he said shakenly.

The voice on other end chuckles. “It’s not important. Right now it’s important that you listen carefully.

The chairpony growls. “Really now listen to some street rat. Who do you think you are?”

The voice on other end stay silent for a few seconds. “I’m the type who doesn’t have much to say except for my friend of course. He really wants to talk with you.”

The chairpony fixes his suit as he looks around. “Oh really now. What makes you think i want to talk to him?”

“Chairpony please….. I….. think you should reconsidered it since after all i’m more nicer compare to him.” the voice laughs a bit.

The chairpony doesn’t finch as he continues to look around. “Funny? You think this is funny?”

“Not unless you prefer your jaw broken in 5 places. Then it’s hilarious.” the voice laughs again, the chairpony’s face turns red in anger.

“Listen here you little shit. I don’t care how or who you are. But you should do well and choose your next words carefully before i hang up now” the chair pony grip on his object tighten as it begins to crack a bit.

“Heh same goes for you. After all my friend isn’t the type who takes threats lightly” the voice stops before a low chuckle echoed. “Especially since he’s behind you”

The chairpony gasps a bit and quickly turns around only to see…… nothing.

His heart pounded heavily as sweat dripped from his face to the ground. He looks around as he pants wondering where he is….. Once he slowly calms down he turns towards him.

Only to be greeted by a punch to the face.

“HELLO BITCH!” a voice echoed as the chairpony staggers back from the punch. Hitting dead center his nose felt as though it was broken, blood and saliva escape his lips as he falls back from the punch. Before he can fall he feels his throat being grabbed and his whole body lifted up. Once he stopped staggering a bit he looks down at who was grabbing his neck. His heart sank at the sight of the devil that strikes fear to many.

“W- w- wolf?” he struggles from his grip as he tries to break free but no avail.

“Hello mr. chairpony. It’s time we talk” wolf smirks as he held neck in a one handed chokehold.

“So….. it is true…… your back” the chairpony gasps for air as wolf holds him tight.

“You can say that. Now that we got acquainted lets get down to business.” wolf holds his head making sure he doesn’t fall or pass out. He won’t get much info if he’s knock out or dead.

“You….. think….. You think some washed up hunter is going to…..” he stops as wolf increased the grip. “To get me to….. Talk” he pants a bit as wolf only smirks.

“Oh i got my ways” wolf looks around as he sees the area looks like a set up equipment for the news covering the election speech that was going to happened earlier today. The chairpony was making sure the equipment was setting up exactly for the speeches that were suppose to be given for each candidate. Right now they would do.

Wolf drags the chairpony to one of large speakers once he’s in position wolf shows him the means of interrogation.

Kicking him right against the speaker wolf grabs the staggering chairpony before twirling him around and slamming him head first into the speakers. The speakers breaks as a loud speaker high pitch screech sounds before wolf grabs the chairpony and holds him up. Blood and pieces of the speaker embedded into the chairpony face his expression quickly changes. His determination suddenly changes to a look of fear.

“So care to talk now. You got about 20 more and i got time” wolf points out the other speakers scattered around.

The chairpony only coughs a bit as he tries to escape wolfs grip sadly though wolf was much stronger then him.

“You think…… this will get me to talk….. To help with your crusade…… you are mistaken and foolish if you think i’lll help you”

Wolf shakes his head. “Oh really then tell me. Enlighten on why am i foolish by telling me what your group has we don’t” he states as the chairpony growls.

The chairpony groans a bit. “You……. You think…… you know nothing….. We…… we have….. The means”

“The means of what. Tell me!” wolf shouts as he drags the chairpony to the sound controls. When the chairpony refuses to speak wolf persuaded.

Throwing against the machine wolf kicks him right between the legs. Once he’s holding his groin wolf grabs the chairponies head and slams his head right on the console. Sparks fly as the chairponies head leaves a nasty dent on the sound controls.

Wolf grabs the chairpony by the neck again and lifts him up. Just as wolf holds him up he hears thorn calls out.

“Hey wolf we found it but it’s on a digital lock code. Get the numbers fom the chairpony”

Wolf nods as he turns to the chairpony by now was badly beaten from the last two times his face slammed against some parts of the equipment.

“Alright so you won’t tell me much but if you want to live then tell me the code to shipment container”

Silence breaks out as the chairpony pants from the pain. Ultimately he gives wolf the code. “Code is XXXXXXXX though…… it won’t matter. You are to late?”

Wolf grabs his intercom and calls out thorn. “You got that”

Thorn confirms as wolf holds the chairpony and pressing him against the ballet stand podium.

“What do you mean by that?….. He’s not that stupid to go to war this quickly.” wolf holds him aginst the podium as the chairpony struggles against wolf again.

“You……. It’s to late….. To late” the chairpony laughs as wolf growled in frustration.

“DAMMIT SPEAK YOU ASSHOLE!” wolf screams out as he kicks the chairpony right against the podium the whole stand shatters into pieces as the chairpony groans in pain from the force.

Once wolf walks over he grabs the chairpony and holds him up till both were staring into each other eyes. “Tell me…… what is he planning?” wolf speaks in a low but menacing tone.

Holding him by his tie wolf and the chairpony stare at each other intensely as wolf now was ready to break bones to get to the truth. The chairpony knew he was going to die and he didn’t care.

“You don’t know much about us then…… you think we’ve waited out without planning. It’s only a matter time and once tirek is done th-” the chairpony stops as his whole body goes limp.

A large hole now embedded in head as his own brain matter scatters all around. Luckily it was on the side as wolf held the chairponies body before letting go.

Wolf lets go as he turns to where the shot came from. Looking over a pony with a pistol holds out as it runs away.

“DAMMIT!”

“WOLF WHAT HAPPENED!?” thorn shouts out wondering what happened.

Without warning wolf takes off after the shooter. “CHAIRPONY SEAL IS DEAD! His killer is on the run” wolf calls out as he chased after the killer.

“Capture him wolf we need to know what their planning” thorn warns out

“I’M ON IT!” wolf dodges behind some empty carts as the killer manages to stay one step ahead of him.

The chase lasted a few long minutes but wolf kept at him. Wolf manages to chase him through a empty alleyway. Once making a wrong turn wolf manages to corner him down a dead end.

Wolf walks over only for the killer to pull out his weapon. The killer looks at his weapon then at wolf before he does what wolf pray he didn’t.

He rushes forward to try and stop him…… only for a loud bang to echoed.

Wolf sighs as the killer had been dealt with sadly though what he knew was gone with him.

“F#$k he didn’t want to talk” wolf sighs as blood pooled where the killer made a new hole in his head.

Wolf stares at the body as he hears thorn called out again.

“Wolf any news”

Wolf shakes his head as he presses in intercom talk button. “Killer and chairpony seals are dead and i have no leads on my end. How about yours?” he asks hoping they got something.

Silence broke out beofre quick and thorn spoke.

“It’s best you get here. We’re in the alley way around city hall.” quick speaks up almost trembling in his voice.

Wolf raised an eyebrow. “Whats wrong?” he asks.

“Just get here wolf….. It’s better you see?” thorn speaks up as she too had the same trumble in her tone.

Wolf agrees as he looks at the body of the killer before he leaves.

It only takes wolf 13 minutes to find the alleyway. By now quick and thorn stand beside a large carriage as the spot wolf coming around the corner.

Wolf walks up slowly as they both share a look of fear and uncertainty.

“What’s wrong?” wolf asks wondering on the sudden change of attitude.

They didn’t speak as they turn to the carriage container. Wolf walks up as he opens the carriage. Inside were several creates with the signa saying ‘caution explosives’ one container as large enough to hold three refrigerators however caught wolfs attention. It was metal container with a large digital lock in the middle.

Wolf can see it’s open as he decides to see what spooked his team. Once wolf opens it even wolf was taken back.

Inside wasn’t just a weapon…… it was far from that.

“No….. impossible” wolfs voice shivered as memories of the past flowed as they were too painful to remember.

Inside the box…….. Was a nuke.

All three stare at the large bomb of mass destruction as now…… things are getting serious.

“I do hope we got their only one” quickly says trying to lighten the mood but sadly he fails.

“What are we going to do….. If they have more of these. Equestria won’t be the only one in trouble.” thorn voice trembles a bit.

Wolf shakes his head as he shuts the container. “I don’t know….. All I know is…… we got more problems now” he then turns around to thorn and quick. “We need to stop them at all cost”

With a nod they turn to the container as now…… the war is coming and wolf and his team won't let them repeat the past.

whooooo wow everyone of fimfiction. wolfman here sorry for the late work as I've been having a lot of fun making action scenes. I know I know rays is massage therapist but it's so much fun making an action scene.

i want to thank my awesome editor ninetailbeastball

can't wait to make part 2