My hoof pushed the door open slightly, the hinges creaking with the motion which echoed through the darkened area, the only light sources found was the burning flames that fed the forge and the open doorway that I was residing, smoke swirled around the ceiling. Ears pricked at the sounds of rummaging and carefully made my way around the various scattered pieces of armor that littered the ground, soft mumbling could be heard on approach which belonged to an old bearded work pony, his coat long lost its shine and was covered horribly in dirt and soot. Loudly I cleared my vocals and instantly his head sprung up, clouded pink eyes wide as he looked towards my direction, clearly confused and slightly disoriented.

"Hmm..What? Who's there?"

"Smith it's only me, NightSong."

I could only just hold back a slight giggle as he grinned in a goofy way. Other than Strider, Smith was the only stallion I could feel relaxed around, knowing he wouldn't intentionally bring harm to me as I use to always play around in the back of the forge back when I had first arrived, he had that grandfather feel to him that I just couldn't describe and felt instantly calm in his presence.

His hoof rose to meet my head and scruffed my mane slightly before restarting his search for…..whatever it was he was looking for as I kept walking towards the far back. Cobwebs sat in the corners indicating little to no use of the area, which was what I was going for, I didn't want anypony knowing of my little secret until it had been perfected and…..

"BOO!"

A cry came out and a figure pounced before me, just managing to side-step out of the way in time to watch the silhouette tumble into a pile of scrap, a stifled groan echoed from within as I approached. A green and orange braided mane stuck out from the rubble and a flash of a golden flank could be seen, this time I couldn't stop myself as a burst of laughter escaped and escalated even more once I caught their eyes casting daggers in my direction and the figure rose with loud clanging of the scraps falling towards the floor. A golden unicorn stepped out from the metal, her emerald mane entwined with the vibrant orange and deep magenta irises cast their attention towards me, a frustrated frown showed itself as she stood with her face in mine and I couldn't help but stare into those eyes feeling lost within them. Eye contact remained as she walked calmly past me, her maple leaf cutie mark was so close to brushing against my own I could feel the warmth from her as she approached the desk behind us, her magic pulling a draw open to reveal what was inside.

Two metal casings that easily slid beneath my wings, held together by a series of buckles around my torso and over my back, perfectly crafted to be lightweight as to not hold down the flier but sturdy. Each casing held 3 chained knives, poised and ready to be released as well as smaller pockets that concealed extra free range throwing knives with a different designed blade on each for multiple purposes. A smile found its way on my muzzle as one of my wings pressed down on a pressure point and a knife was ejected into the joint.

"Aki these are perfect! I cannot thank you enough."

A wave of glee washed over me as I grabbed the unicorn and pulled her into an embrace, hovering slightly before placing both of our hooves on the dirt covered floor. A proud smirk was placed on her face.

"Yea well, there is one last thing I want to add."

Her horn glowed a beautiful pink and lowered it to the chains then brought it up to my face. At first I wanted to pull back, but I saw her eyes, almost whispering to trust her. I closed my own blue tightly waiting for something painful to course through, but I felt nothing, just a slight twinge as her horn touched my forehead where mine would reside if I had been born unicorn, a warm sensation filled my core as my eye opened to see her magentas staring into mine. I don't know what it was but a weird sense of numbness came over me and for a moment I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even think.

Her scent filled my nostrils reminding me of the sweet crisp of autumn months, it was intoxicating to say the least. Somehow I managed to take a step away, trying to figure out what had come over me, I look back at Aki and she just smiled.

"I put a spell on the chains. As long as the casings are attached to you, you should be able to control them within your own mind. Like change direction if needed. Granted it may not work at first but you have the ability to do so."

Thanking her, I left the forge and headed toward the arena hoping that not many ponies would already be in there trying out various other weapons.

The large stone archway stood tall before me as I entered the arena, its shadow casting over my frame until the sun had reached the peak of the gates and I found myself standing in the center, wind whipping around as I prepared for a general warm-up routine consisting of 30 wing-ups and 10 laps around the marathon like track, 5 flying and 5 running, then target practice, that was the part I was more focusing towards, a chance to finally tryout the modified weapon that I had been gifted with.

Warm-up was completed relatively quickly, including beating my best track time for flying, I was never taught how to fly properly, my teachers were birds that soared above, particularly the raptors and owls, learning how to combine both the speed and silence into my own form. Yes we have pegasi come to the Guard often but they could never stay long enough to train me properly, though most would give helpful tips on how to improve take-off and landing. It took nearly a year for me to lift off the ground, and another three to build the muscles in my wings strong enough to carry me a full lap, and throughout the time I spent trying, I learnt how to control each individual muscle separately in both wings. This is what allows me to wield my blades and hold them within my feathered appendages.

As I made my way towards the training dummies, I found my thoughts drifting further back throughout the last 13 years I had been here.

They had brought me here after finding me in that shack, I guess in hopes to find my family, but they couldn't find any records of Mother and at the word "Father" I went into a fit, crying and begging at them "no" with pure fear flowing down my cheeks in liquid form as Strider tried desperately to console and comfort me, it was perhaps that point he decided that he would raise me himself despite the rest of his team arguing against it and how it would interrupt his duties. He would tell me how quickly they changed their mind once I grew more confident being near them, which had lead them to claim me as their little mascot and had always told me that I was like a daughter to him and how his own was stolen away from him in a tragedy that had also claimed his wife. Despite my hatred for males, Strider always had my respect and trust, I never talked back or disobeyed. The way I saw it we were both each other's second chances.

Shaking aside those sad thoughts, I focused on the targets that I had approached, wings half folded in an almost pre-takeoff stance just high enough to allow the blades to freely eject from their case minus the risk of severing skin. Left hoof raised up to take off the goggles that were still hanging from my neck then rose to the patch that concealed my cursed eye, considering for a moment whether to take it off for target practice or to leave it. As the thought ran through my mind, I could of sworn I heard a hiss wrap itself around my brain like coils of a snake poising to strike. A light swaying motion of my head all but cleared it as my hoof created a cloud of dust as it landed, moving the rest of my form into position to take any kickback that the discharged knives might have once they were free from their metal home. Concentrating, I tried to visually feel the weapon that was attached to me, each strap that rubbed against skin, the coolness of the casings on each side and how they all shifted with the slightest stir, each time my muscles acted they would reposition. This would allow me to awaken the magic that Aki had enchanted it with. Right wing lowered over the steel, brushing past the pressure point that allowed one blade to slid into the joint for me to hold and chucked it forward towards one of the dummies, mind focused on the chains as they chimed with movement, trying to get the blade to scrape past the first target and into the one on the right. Fixed on the links, I saw a slight quiver and a pale pink glow before it impaled itself deep into the first target I had directed it to. An annoyed sigh escaped as I retracted the blades with a push of a button and heard the chains rattle then a click as the blade slid back in snugly before I recalled it again. This lasted a good 45 minutes before I became satisfied, accomplishing making the links turn in at least in one direction and becoming mentally drained. Looking around, I discovered that the arena was starting to fill up with other ponies that were eager to start their own gun training using blanks as I started to pack my own gear up.

It was happening again, the searing pain coursed itself through my frontal lobe and snaked down behind my cursed eye, throbbing behind the patch that hid it away from the judgmental world.

I held my composer as I made my way to the arenas exit, blades tucked neatly beneath my wings to shield them from sight, even though this was a training area specifically for weapon mastery, loaded (or in my case sharpened) weapons were strictly prohibited and anypony caught breaking this rule would be instantly discharged from the Guard and never allowed to return, this didn't sound like a sinister or severe punishment until you learn that those who have been un-honorably dismissed were never heard from afterwards.

I turned to leave, pain pounding against my skull like there was something caged inside trying to escape. Gently shaking it away I could of sworn I heard a voice mumbling almost a muffled scream that was seemingly getting louder with each passing moment. Slowly I dragged my hooves across the ground still holding my head high like there was nothing wrong, only allowing it to droop once I felt the cool of the shadows knowing that the large stone exit was not far. Then something solid stopped me. Solid and furry that smelled like sweat and testosterone. I almost let out a snarl until a voice filled my space.

"Ha look who we have here fellas, little miss perfect."

Slow rumbling of laughter erupted as I felt a hoof slip around my neck pulling me closer, my eye caught the dark teal coat and instantly recognized the stallion as SteelBit, his own muddy green eyes met mine as I tried to break his grip only stopping when a bright glow came close to my face. He had lowered his horn so that it was near poking my iris causing me to quickly shut my lid to protect it and managed to get out of his hold only to find myself staring down the barrel of a gun held steady by the aura that surrounded it, SteelBit stared at me with an foul grin that soon turned to confusion as he realized that the weapon had not fazed me and without saying a word I shouldered past them, my cranium still threatening to break apart, screams of hate bounced around inside but I continued to walk hardly even noticing the click of the firearm as it was primed beneath the voice that cried out.

Then a shot rang out.

I felt the deadly air pass me just under my left ear and the sting of flesh ripping…but that wasn't nearly as bad as what had happened internally. It felt like somepony had literally set off a thousand firecrackers within my mind as I froze mid stride, teeth bared at the agony that enveloped me and felt myself being dragged away mentally even though I could still feel the blood rushing down from the wound that was inflicted moments ago, darkness aggressively assaulted my throat to the point of near suffocation. My hoof landed in the dirt and before I knew what was happening, my body had spun itself around to face SteelBit and his goons, all had terrified expressions on their face and the gun was still smoking from the recent discharge, their eyes unsure of whether to look upon the eye patch that lay in a heap on the ground, or the demon iris that hid behind it. Lips etched into a smile that was not of my conscious doing and an unknown maniacal laugh escaped from my cords before the voice that had been residing in my head for the majority of my life was finally heard.

"My, the kids want to play rough do they? Well then…Lets play."

Wings tightened against my body before unfurling with a knife held in both sides and my legs carried me forward to the trio, the two stallions that had flanked SteelBit had run for it, leaving him alone to face the lethal soul they had unleashed. He was fumbling with his own weapon as the entity that had taken my body ran each feather over the exposed blades, feeling each one bristle as it split it apart. The brute across from us succeeded to reload but by then it was too late as my form moved swiftly towards him.

*STOP*

The knife stopped mere centimeters from his throat and even though I was still swimming in the abyss of my own mind I could feel my conscious slowly returning, the darkness that enveloped me felt like heavy sludge trying to weigh me down almost near halting the process. It was then I felt another presence close by, floating just out of my field of vision each time I twisted my head, it's laughter heard both inside and out until the form made itself seen.

I found myself staring at an almost identical twin of my own, the only difference being the coloration of her eyes both in which being a dark crimson. She moved freely regardless of the fact that I was stuck in a pit full of tar, eyes trained on me as she made circles around, almost being wary of my futile actions to escape.

*Why hello NightSong, we finally meet face to face.*

Her words filled me and straight away I felt the hatred behind them, but yet a subtle hint of curiosity hidden away beneath. I felt the tar like substance melt away and my hooves touched an imaginary ground.

"Who the hell are you? And why are you taking over my body?"

*Why so hostile? I am apart of you, the section of your soul that our stupid father broke away. I am your hatred and your pain, the agony behind your pretty little left eye. In short I am your insanity. Sweet Insanity. Hmm that sounds like a fitting name for me, don't you think?*

The sadistic laugh surrounded us, she had been with me since that day? Why did she pick now to appear? I looked towards my counterpart, crimson eyes narrowed while the smirk was still placed almost as if she could hear everything.

*That's because I can. We are both one in the same. As for never showing, do you not remember that stallion in that shack so many years ago? When you wanted to end his miserable life? That was me, I wasn't strong enough back then but I could still whisper things to you, tell you what you wanted to hear. Then you covered me up with that stupid patch and cast me into the darkness. Maybe I should thank this brute for releasing me before I kill him.*

I don't know what happened but a sudden rush filled me and for a moment I blacked out briefly before quickly coming to to find SteelBit on the ground shaking, a thin line of blood seeped from an open wound that was just shy of his horn, the gun that was previously held was smashed into bits a few meters away, worst of all, Strider and the head of the Guards were standing not far away along with another unknown stallion. I tried to explain but I found no words would escape, my throat suddenly coated in dust as I choked with every breath, tears streamed down as I felt my own form collapse into the dust.

Authors Note: Sorry it's taking so long for the next chapter. I'm still debating whether I should wait til Agony updates her story or if I should continue myself. I will most likely end up just continuing up until a certain point before drifting back for a bit, only because it will tie into the main story.

Thanks for your patience.

~Night