//------------------------------// // 3 Extra-Curricular Training // Story: The Reaper of Equestria // by Anonomis //------------------------------// After his meeting with Neighsay, Kid decided to head towards the Crystal Empire. He felt a large collection of kishin souls gathered there and wanted to take them out. “So, where to,” Cloud Chaser asked “The mountains near the Crystal Empire. I felt a large gathering there.” Their trip out there would end up lasting a few hours, so everyone made sure to get some sleep. Once at the Crystal Empire station, Kid decided to try something. “Weapon Shift. Sniper rifle,” he said To his surprise; the pistols glowed momentarily before the girls actually managed to completely alter their form. He slung the rifle on his back and headed into the mountains for the kishin hunt. ‘Sis, this is so cool. We can change shape,’ Flitter said while in weapon mode ‘This is interesting. I wonder what else we might be able to change into,’ Chaser said “Glad Rarity made this warm. I forgot how cold it can get.” Kid slowly crept towards the village, while keeping some distance for safety purposes. Finding a higher spot that faced the town; Kid made sure to take advantage of it and got into position. “Our target is in that village. I sense a total of 51 kishin souls gathered in that building. If all works out, we eliminate them and collect the souls and sneak out undetected,” Kid said Using his Soul Perception, the house in question was ready for its assault. Kid calmly pulled the trigger and watched as his new sniper rifle destroyed the target. He quickly had the girls return to their pistols and headed to the house. “Eat quickly. We don't know how many others heard or saw that,” he whispered “52 souls gathered in total,” Chaser mouthed Once finished, they returned to weapon mode and stayed in the cabin until nightfall when they planned to leave. ● SNOW VILLAGE ● “Your plan worked. He gathered the souls without question and is still there. What do you want me to do,” a voice asked “Let him go. It's a loss we were willing to take. You'll have another chance at a meister,” Neighsay replied “Good. I haven't had a meister’s soul in a while.” “If that presence belongs to who I think; you might be able to enjoy a Reaper’s soul,” Neighsay said before leaving “Impossible. There can't be a Grim Reaper here.” ● CRYSTAL EMPIRE ● “Shining; what is it,” Cadence asked “I just sensed a soul in the mountains that is just as powerful as Celestia. It just collected 51 other souls,” Shining replied “That's impossible,” she exclaimed “Not only that, but I thought I felt the presence of two others there that could be witches. Each of them certainly have Soul Protect on, and will not be easy to defeat.” “Let's go. We'll take out the one before targeting the witches “ she decided transforming into her bow form ● SNOW VILLAGE ● “Great. We're going to have company,” Kid thought having used Soul Perception While Kid slept; Shining trudged through the snow to find the cabin empty. Knowing in advance was a benefit as Kid ducked out into the snow burying his boots to camouflage himself. “Where'd he go,” Shining asked himself In response, a pair of shots nearly reached him, causing him to duck. Shining raised the bow to fire, only to lose track of the enemy in the darkness. Having been defeated, Shining decided to play a game and lure his enemy to the Crystal Kingdom. “So, they're gone. What now,” Chaser asked “Unfortunately, we have to head to the Crystal Kingdom. I suspect our attacker will be waiting for us there.” “Why do we need to go to where they are,” Flitter asked “The train station is there. We'd have to visit it in order to leave.” ● CRYSTAL EMPIRE ● “Shining, are you sure that was wise? You could have found our target and eliminated them right away. Why retreat,” Cadence asked “I want to know what or who we're dealing with. They somehow knew of my arrival and escaped. They have to head here in order to leave by train,” Shining replied ● MOUNTAINS ● Kid headed through the mountains, being careful not to draw much attention to himself. Once at the edge of town; he drew the pistols from his thigh holsters and headed inside. “Alright; show yourself,” Kid called In response, an arrow was fired at him, only to be shot in midair. Kid headed towards the center of town where he finally met his assailant. “So, you're the one who took out that village? My name is Shining Armor,” the white unicorn in front said “And you believe an arrow is better than a bullet. Name's Death the Kid.” “Why don't we release our weapons and head inside,” Shining suggested “Deal. They get released simultaneously.” Both meisters did as instructed and the weapons were revealed. Cloud Chaser and Flitter were surprised by who their assailants were. “Princess Cadence,” Chaser asked “Prince Shining Armor,” Flitter added “Now that introductions are taken care of, why don't we head inside,” Cadence reiterated The five of them were lead to the dining room. As Kid and his partners sat down, a jug of water was brought out for them. “You said your name is Death the Kid, right,” Cadence asked “Yes. Call me ‘Kid’ for simplicity. I was originally a human before being sent to Equestria by someone known as the ‘Merchant’.” “So why did you eliminate that village,” Shining asked “I only destroyed one kishin. The other 50 souls were already present.” “What purpose was it to take the souls,” Cadence asked “To create a Death Scythe. In other words, the personal weapon of my father, the Grim Reaper.” “Do you have some proof to what you're saying,” Cadence asked “Do you happen to have a mirror I can use?” “There's one in our lounge,” Cadence replied “After we eat, we'll head there. I'm guessing you're all hungry,” Shining said When everyone finished their food, the princess led the group to the lounge. “42-42-564. Whenever you want to, knock on Death's door.” “Hiya, hiya Kid! Who are your friends,” Death asked “Sorry, I should introduce myself first. I'm the Grim Reaper; Lord Death,” he said cheerfully “My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and this is my husband Shining Armor,” Cadence said “What exactly is a Death Scythe,” Shining asked directly “No doubt my son may have already told you. A Death Scythe is my personal weapon. Here in Death City, it's easier to create one. However in Equestria; because there isn't a true Reaper there, I don't know who it would belong to. Kid, I see you have been collecting souls,” Death explained “I have, father. 52 souls out of 198 kishin souls. No witches yet; although I sense the possibility of multiples here.” “Very well. Be careful,” Death said “Have you found out any of your abilities yet,” Death the Kid asked “I created a technique known as Scattershot. It allows the pistols to fire like machine guns. I also managed to create Weapon Shift and changed the pistol form to a sniper rifle.” “Congratulations. I am glad you are not the same as me. Different abilities means you are not a clone and could accomplish things I may not,” Death the Kid said “Thank you. I am glad to explore different aspects of a Reaper. Who knows, maybe I become the Grim Reaper here.” “I will take over my father's position as Grim Reaper, and you will become Reaper there,” DtK said definitively, before disappearing “There you have it. My father, the Grim Reaper.” “That certainly is a surprise. I am sorry for shooting you when you entered,” Shining said “I'm sorry too. I used my Soul Perception to see you coming and escaped to attack you.” “The three of you are welcome to stay here a couple days,” Cadence said “Thank you Princess Cadence,” Chaser and Flitter said together “Do you mind pointing out the library? I'd like to read up on the history of the Crystal Empire.” “I'll direct you, but unfortunately there isn't much to learn. A pony named Sombra ruled this empire with an iron hoof before making this disappear for 1,000 years,” Cadence replied Once in the library, Kid found a book that seemed to stand out from the others. On the outside was a green cover; but the inside was unintelligent writing. “That's interesting. How'd this manage to stay in here,” he thought Trying different ciphers; he managed to figure out it was a simple reverse alphabet switch. With that determined; the book was translated. Kid managed to learn that not only did Sombra rule with an iron fist; but had harvested an unspecified amount of souls, to create a Demon Sword; but failed. “Princess Cadence; do you have a moment to talk in private?” “Of course. Shining, girls, let's head to my chamber for privacy,” she replied “What's this about,” Shining asked; after the room was sealed “I found a book you might want removed from the library. I actually translated this to be the true history of the Crystal Empire. Sombra was a dictator who wasn't afraid to kill his subjects to create a Demon Sword; in other words a weapon on par with a Death Scythe. I believe, with confidence, Sombra was indeed a witch. This book was also inserted recently into the library. I felt traces of Soul Residue that is identical to one I felt that was nearby during my mission.” “That's impossible. I'd know if anyone entered here without permission,” Shining argued “I placed a magical field around the castle, only known to Cadence and I.” “If they are indeed a witch; who would you suspect,” Cadence asked “The head of the school board in Ponyville; Neighsay. He seems to be able to teleport wherever he wants. I wouldn't be surprised if that was planted for me to find. There's no reason for this to be in a library that is accessible to anyone.” “But why you exactly,” Shining asked “I pissed off Neighsay on two occasions. He locked the doors to Celestia’s castle and DWMA; whereby I shot the lock off and threatened to shoot his horn off. And just before we left, he demanded to know where I was going.” “If he does indeed have a grudge; why give you that book,” Cadence asked “To know thy enemy. He probably wants to see me fight against Sombra.” “Keep that book and give it to Celestia,” Cadence decided “Girls; we're going to have to start making our way home. Please don't say anything about our visit. I don't know if there may be a spy here in the Crystal Empire.” “Be safe, Kid. When you see Twilight, let her know her brother would like to see her some time,” Shining said “Will do. Thank you for the hospitality these past couple days. Girls; pistol mode.” With their goodbyes said, Kid departed to the train station and headed home. “Blair; we're back.” “Good to see you all. This just arrived,” Blair said handing him a scroll ‘Kid- there's a problem in Appleloosa with kishins you need to take care of. Celestia’ “Blair; before we go, take this. Keep it safe until we return and don't say a word about it.” “About what,” she asked “Now get going.” Kid headed to the back and changed into his khaki outfit as the three headed back to the train station for Appleloosa. ● APPLELOOSA ● “Welcome to Appleloosa. I'm Braeburn, who are you,” Braeburn asked “Name's Death the Kid. These are my partners Cloud Chaser and Flitter. I was informed you had a problem here.” “Something's been killing residents both here and in the neighboring Dodge City. I shouldn't really be talking about it,” Braeburn said in a low voice “It's alright. I'm here to take care of this problem. Just out of curiosity, do you know some place where I could get a hat?” “Of course. Follow me,” Braeburn directed The group was led into town and headed to the store in question. “Brae, who are your friends,” the owner asked “I'm Kid and these two are Cloud Chaser and Flitter.” “I'd guess that tan hat over there is the one you're looking for,” the owner replied, looking at Kid’s outfit Trying it on, Kid was glad to know it was a perfect fit and completed his outfit. He secretly wished he had a pin in the shape of his father's mask to attach, as a variation of a sheriff's badge. “Go ahead and keep it. It suits you well,” the owner said “Thank you sir,” Kid said with a bow “If you'll follow me, I know a place to relax,” Braeburn suggested “Girls; go ahead. I'm going to scout the area for any problems. Beelzebub,” Kid said, summoning his skateboard Kid jumped on and used it hover above the town and used his Soul Perception and found what Braeburn was talking about. In nearby Dodge City was a gathering of 47 souls that was an extremely lucrative deal. Taking those, meant only needing a witch's soul and he would be halfway to creating a Death Scythe. “That's ridiculous. How are there so many kishins gathered together? This has to be similar to the mountain where they were conveniently waiting to be collected. Make the weapon an offer they can't refuse and devour them later. Well, I can't deny a chance to collect souls,” Kid said out loud ● APPLELOOSA ● “Do you think your friend can really help,” Brae asked “Of course he can. We wouldn't have been asked to come if he couldn't,” Chaser replied “Kid can do anything he wants to when he sets his mind to it,” Flitter added “I hope so. Otherwise these towns will become ghost towns if everyone keeps leaving,” Brae said sadly Kid flew back to the town after not finding proper cover in which to attack from with his newly acquired Sniper mode. “Braeburn, do you happen to have a room for us,” Kid asked after heading into the saloon “Two rooms,” Brae replied Once they were shown to the rooms, Kid decided to take a nap, in order to conserve his energy for that evening. “Sis; what should we do,” Flitter asked “Well, Kid’s sleeping; so I think we should as well. Besides; it's going to be a long night,” Chaser replied Later that evening after eating dinner, the trio got ready. “Weapon Shift. Shotgun,” Kid said As they did before; the girls glowed as their weapon form was altered. Kid noticed that the gun resembled a lever-action sawed-off, instead of a full-length barrel. “Beelzebub.” They took off towards Dodge City and were surprised when their target kishin was heading back from a hunt. “So, a meister. This must be my lucky day. I'm JJ,” the kishin said “Kishin JJ; your time as come. Your soul is mine.” JJ lunged at Kid only to be met by Beelzebub hitting him in the face as Kid kicked the deck. Following that, Kid released a stream of shots that JJ barely dodged. “You should be careful when you fire. Those blasts could hurt someone; mainly me,” JJ complained “That's the point. Now stay still and let me shoot you.” “No way. My boss wouldn't want me dying,” JJ said before clamping a hand over his mouth “Shit. Wasn't supposed to say that.” “Boss? Who are you working for? Tell me and I promise not to shoot you.” “Pleasedon’tkillmemybossisVladimirNeighsay,” JJ said rambling (Please don't kill me. My boss is Vladimir Neighsay.) “Thanks for the information. I'll give you three,” Kid said “Three what,” JJ asked “Two…one,” Kid finished before shooting the kishin “Go inside that house and collect the other kishin souls.” The girls transformed back into their original forms and devoured the souls JJ collected. “Kid; we're at 99 kishin souls,” Chaser said “Awesome. Almost halfway there. Let's head back to Appleloosa.” Kid had them change into their standard pistol forms as he summoned his skateboard again. In a matter of seconds they returned to Appleloosa through an accidental dust storm. “We're back. Your problem is solved.” “What did you do? We heard multiple blasts,” Braeburn asked “Something attacked me, so I shot at him. Besides, he was the one killing other residents in both towns.” “Thank you for your help, Kid. We wouldn't be able to do anything without your help,” Braeburn replied “You're welcome. I'd hate to say anything else happen. We'll stay for another day, before heading home.” “Thanks, Kid. All those blasts take a lot of energy,” Flitter said “No problem. Take your time and enjoy. I'm going to crash.” Kid trudged to his room and plopped into bed and was out until almost noon the next day. Braeburn stopped by and had a tray of food waiting for when Kid woke up. “Thank you Braeburn for the food. It was delicious.” “You're welcome. When do you leave,” Brae asked “Whenever the girls want to.” “We going by train again,” Flitter asked “It's up to you. Otherwise, we could fly back.” “Let's fly. It'll be quicker to get home,” Chaser replied “Alright. Beelzebub.” The three made the journey back as Kid was glad to actually be home after being gone almost a week. He headed into the bathroom and decided to take a bath as he was stiff from his journey. “We'll rest a couple days here, before getting back to the castle.” “So, we'll be gone a week,” Flitter asked “Yeah. I'm not worried. Besides, the school is training meisters in combat, but we have real experience in dealing with kishins.” ● CANTERLOT ● “So Kid’s returned home. When do you think he's going to join you students, Dr. Stein,” Celestia asked “He did say he planned on learning about his abilities. I'd guess he'll be here in a couple days,” Stein answer “Why don't we give him some combat training when he does return? See how much he's learned,” Giriko suggested “Agreed,” Stein decided ● PONYVILLE ● “So, when are you returning,” Blair asked “In a couple days. I'm not exactly sure I have to attend, but at least I'll get to show what we've learned.” “What did you do while we were gone,” Cloud Chaser asked “I ran around naked. No one cared about it. You should try it, Kid,” Blair suggested “No thank you. I'd rather not. I prefer to keep my modesty.” “Too late,” Flitter called grabbing his remaining clothing “How's about this. You spend fifteen minutes naked and we'll give your clothes back,” Blair suggested “Guess I don't have a choice. You win.” Kid headed into his room and sat down to meditate on everything that transpired during the week. Someone wanted him to find that book and made sure it wasn't an overly complicated cipher. What he neglected to mention to Cadence was the book was placed there while he was in the castle. “Who wanted it known that badly? The subject who's supposed to be gone? The head of the school board? Or could it be someone else that placed the book there,” he said out loud “The more you think about it, the fewer answers you'll receive; but more questions you'll have. Your time is up,” Blair said bringing his clothes “I know we should be taking a break, but why not just head back tomorrow? That way Princess Celestia could have the book,” Flitter suggested “Sounds good to me. Thanks for the help, Blair. Now, can I have a moment to change?” “It's not like we didn't see everything when you headed here,” Chaser said sticking her tongue out “Good thing I didn't dress as Evans.” “Who's that,” the sisters asked simultaneously “Soul ‘Eater’ Evans is another weapon back in Death City. Knowing him; he'd be passed out with a bloody nose due to how many females are nude.” “And I wouldn't have gotten the chance to play with him,” Blair said pushing Kid's head between her breasts “Don't do that again please.” The next day Kid dressed in his usual black outfit with the original dress shoes and flew to the castle. Once there, he casually walked through the front doors with Chaser and Flitter on either side of him. “Princess Celestia; do you have a moment to talk?” “Of course, let's join my sister in the throne room,” she replied As her normal rule; any room she was in was immediately vacated of everyone but selected people and the room was locked and sealed to prevent eavesdropping. “What can we do,” Luna asked “I came across a book while in the Crystal Kingdom's castle library. The problem is, this shouldn't exist.” “This is about Sombra. You said this was in the library? I sense a magical presence on this,” Celestia said “Neighsay. I'd say that confirms my suspicions.” “Why do you say that? What reasoning is it Vladimir Neighsay,” Luna asked “Before we left on our trip, he was waiting outside and questioned Kid about where he was going,” Cloud Chaser said “In a small village in the mountains near the Crystal Empire, I felt the presence of two people that had were using Soul Protect. And in Dodge City while fighting a kishin named JJ; he mentioned Neighsay being his boss.” “What would Neighsay get out of this,” Luna asked “Killing a Grim Reaper is certainly high on his list. Why else would he go through the hassle of collecting enough souls to bring a weapon close to becoming a Death Scythe?” “He could also be trying to humiliate you as well. You did have us shoot his lock off the doors and threaten to shoot his horn off,” Flitter added “I wouldn't be surprised if he planted a spy in your staff to keep an eye on everything. If I were to do so; it would need to be the person closest to my target.” “You think my secretary Raven is the spy,” Celestia asked indignantly “It's just a theory right now. But, I'm not putting anything past it. That's why the secrecy. You know that possibility exists.” “I know, but don't want to believe it's true. For now, I'll keep that journal in my room and we'll not speak of it again,” Celestia said “Kid, girls; welcome back. Let's go,” Giriko said hastily The four headed outside to the courtyard where all the students were participating in their usual combat practice. Kid noticed the fight inside the dome was Fluttershy versus Rarity. “Kid, you're back,” Twilight said hugging him before backing off with a blush on her face, before coughing into her hand, “I missed you.” “As far as I know; I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.” “Welcome back Kid. The two of you are next,” Stein said “Pinkie, get ready,” Twilight called “Girls; get ready.” Both teams headed inside and Twilight was actually nervous of facing him. “I'll try to hold back a little.” “Pinkie, transform,” Twilight directed To his surprise, Pinkie became a handheld blaster that enclosed Twilight’s forearm; a smaller version of his Death Cannon. “Shift. Shotgun. Beelzebub.” Kid took off on his deck and launched multiple blasts that Twi found hard to dodge. “That's cheating,” she called “Flying is against the rules.” “Actually, we never put that clause in.” “Pinkie; confetti mode,” Twi directed “Shift. Machine Guns. Scattershot.” “Kid; are you sure about that? This is supposed to be friendly sparring,” Cloud Chaser asked “Trust me.” Chaser and Flitter altered to their third form of dueling Uzi machine guns as Kid proceeded to fire wildly. To everyone's surprise; Twilight enclosed herself in a small dome while the rest of the area was shot. Ki casually landed on the ground and recalled his board as the girls returned to normal. “That's impressive. Two different gun forms and your skateboard. You've made quite a lot of progress in the week you've been gone,” Stein said “Thank you, professor. I've collected 99 souls out of the 198 I need.” “Why do you need so many? I thought we only needed 99 and 1 witch,” Sandbar asked “You're right. I have two weapons, so my total is double.” “Kid; were you trying to hit me,” Twi asked “I knew you'd protect yourself from my barrage.” “Just take it easy next time,” she replied “I promise. I guess I got worked up and was anxious to show off my new abilities.” “They are cool. You've definitely made some progress,” Dash said “Agreed. Maybe you will take over as Reaper someday,” Rarity added “Thank you. Perhaps I will.”