//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 // Story: My Little Destroyermen: Walker on Water // by The Atlantean //------------------------------// David Kaufman pulled the young yellow-skinned woman he considered his charge closer, away from the approaching Japanese men. Having been transferred from the Grik ship to the local “palace”, he had more room to maneuver than he would’ve otherwise. His face contorted into an angry, animalistic snarl as he growled defiance towards them. The palace, surprisingly, actually looked somewhat built for its purpose, and not by the Grik. Its stone pillars and sturdy pillars were much to perfectly aligned to have been constructed by mindless lizards, and the city outside, which was more of a large gathering of muddy huts and ramshackle “houses” than anything, was proof. Some of the nearer buildings had a similar build to the palace, giving them the appearance of being able to properly represent civilization. Other than intricate carvings that had eroded with time and balconies overlooking certain views of Grik Madras, its shallow harbor, and the deepwater bay where the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi anchored among a massive fleet of Grik Indiamen sailing rigs, not much could be said about the place. It sat on a hill above Madras, nestled in a miniature valley on a slope that then became mostly flat all the way to the mountain range barely visible to the west. Its position didn’t save it from Grik stench, however, and the whole place reeked. As Kaufman watched in angry apprehension, one of the Japanese men--an officer, no doubt--covered his mouth and nose with a kerchief, using it like a gas mask. He retained his composure, however. The other man, likely enlisted, had no such restrictions and stared at the woman’s sad, stared, skinny body. With a sharp glare from the officer, the sex-starved light in the enlisted man’s eyes dissipated, and he bowed his head, apparently ashamed. Kaufman furrowed his brows. If his mostly broken mind was reading the exchange properly, the officer (likely not Amagi’s captain) was keeping the sailor in line so that either he or his captain could have first dibs. The officer saw his unhidden expression and spoke in English, surprisingly. “Fear not, American, I will not take advantage of your friend. Personally, I consider it dishonorable, but my captain may not share such… concerns. I will try to convince him that she is much too weak to even survive one night in his bed.” Kaufman caught a glimpse of horror in the woman’s sunken eyes at the officer’s words and pulled her behind him. The officer seemed to recognize his protective stance. “Of course, it may also be possible to--” A roiling midnight-sky cloud of internal lightning flashes landed in the room from one of the balconies. Everyone backed away from it, but the woman shrunk in terror. She knew what it was. After a few seconds, it dissipated and coalesced into a tall, deep-sea blue woman with night-black armor with everything from metal boots to full chestplate and a Roman-style helmet. Her eyes were filled with the darkness of jealousy and hatred, and her hair was a flowing cloud of twinkling stars in a rich blue background. The woman behind Kaufman shrunk further, trying to conceal herself as much as possible, but the… evil one found her despite her best efforts. Her voice held a upper-medium pitch and sounded somewhat unnatural, almost magical. “Sunset Shimmer, former student of Celestia, we meet at last.” Sunset seemed to rejuvenate herself into conscious action, pulling herself to a trembling stand. Her breathing was ragged, broken, and she sounded terrible, but her eyes gleamed with an ancient power. “Nightmare Moon. Twilight told me you were destroyed by the Elements.” “The Elements cannot destroy, only remove. Twilight Sparkle of all ponies should know that.” She turned to the Japanese officer. “You tell your captain that the Americans are still alive, and that they have access to a deep and powerful magic that can wipe you from existence. Sunset Shimmer can also use this magic. You will care for her without removing her of any purity, and when she regains the strength to learn, I will ensure she becomes the greatest mage this world has ever seen, and she will follow your people against your enemies.” The officer was taken aback. “This woman has magic? That is a serious claim, given that magic does not exist.” Nightmare Moon crackled a bolt of lightning into the floor at his feet. “Magic exists, fool. And you will use it to your advantage… and mine.” “I will not fight my friend,” Sunset managed. “You will now,” Nightmare Moon coldly replied, and threw a starry cloud at her. It absorbed itself into Sunset’s skin, lolling her eyes to the back of her head. When her eyes returned to face forward, they were no longer turquoise, but instead hollow and black. “What were you saying, Shimmer?” “Twilight Sparkle must be destroyed, and Celestia revenged.” “Excellent.” Nightmare Moon turned once again to face the Japanese. “Use her as you will, per my conditions, and defeat your enemy.” “And what of her American comrade?” “Him?” She glanced at Kaufman, who, without Sunset’s untainted magic, had collapsed into a wretched mess. “I care not.”