//------------------------------// // Chapter 12 - Corruption and Therapy // Story: Book, Blade, and A Whole Lot of Magic // by Frustaz //------------------------------// The dawn arrived, as commanded by that foreign goddess, stirring the flowery witch from her slumber. Last night’s feast was nowhere to be seen, meaning he definitely survived the encounter. Good. Now to see if Frustaz is awake. Wiping herself down with faintly scented salts and oils, she cleansed herself of the prior nights activities, before dressing once more. “Amirna, How is Frustaz doing?”  “He is currently awake. Komos is currently making breakfast, and he is questioning her about our lands.” The older draconid replied from beyond the doors. “Breakfast will consist of rice, creamed urchin, and mackerel.” “Any vegetables? He needs more than our typical fare after his long slumber.” Ylbe stepped out of her private room, greeting the kindly elder with a polite nod.  “Hm… I could prepare some shredded radishes and mushrooms, and toss them in a little bit of kuraki butter?” Amirna proposed as they set off down the hallway, towards the sound of sizzling fish and friendly chatter.  Ylbe nodded as they turned the corner, being surprised by the muscular male outside of his armor, sporting a tank top and wide legged pants laden with pockets along the side. His arms were marked with a spiraling crystal pattern, with intertwining blues, blacks, and flecks of gold. His snow white hair was still damp, with how it clung to the back of his neck. Frustaz rested his chin upon his hands as he continued to question the spritely maid. “So, even with how wonderfully crafted everything is, many kinfolk still hunt large game in the lands between towns?” “That’s exactly it, and it’s very difficult, considering how, even with many of us kinfolk being incredibly powerful, we still must fend off even stronger monsters. Things like Bladetails and Fellwyverns still are major problems, but their meat is great, and their scales and bones are useful in building.” Komos flipped one of the fatty filets in the pan, turning back to continue beating an orange mixture in a bowl. Her ears rose as she turned to Ylbe and her grandmother. “Oh, Good morning, Madame Ylbe.”  Ylbe nodded back, before turning to Frustaz. “Can I speak to you for a moment, out on the porch?” Frustaz nodded, stepping off his stool as he opened the side door. “We’ll be back, just give us a few minutes girls.” Ylbe took the open door as Amirna waved them off.  The flower witch took a seat on the porch as the icy knight leaned up against the wall, watching the sun rise upon the capital city of the Kinfolk nation. “Have you made your decision?” “I’ll be honest, Sei- I’m gonna need to get used to saying your new name. Ylbe. Ylbe. Either way, I think I will like it here. I don’t have to do much other than take the occasional mission from the Emperor, and I get to enjoy food that I’ve missed for ages, even if it’s just a little bit different.” Frustaz chuckled, patting the slender woman’s head. “Besides, I get to stay around with you, and see how much you’ve changed in the thousand-ish years since we last saw each other, and I don’t have to deal with Celestia and Luna’s eternal drama.” “Mmh. Hey, where’d the tattoos come from by the way?” Ylbe questioned, earning a raised eyebrow from him. “You didn’t have them last I knew.” “I didn’t. When I was displaced by that Las Vegas reject, these appeared.” He rolled his arms around, showing how the golden wire embedded into them glittered in the light. “And they aren’t just decoration. They’re how I channel my energy into attacks.” “Hey, can you do this?” Ylbe ran her hand in the air before her, opening a frosty panel that showed her numerical status and options akin to games. Frustaz did the same, flipping his status to face her. “Huh. Gunslinger/Ninja. That’s very fitting for a warframe.”  “No kidding. It does mean I don’t have traditional Mana like most of the ponies, considering I have the energy bar, but It means I practically could fight near-infinitely should I need to. Besides that... How advanced is the tech here? When I first arrived, tech was non-existent.” “Oh, we definitely have technology. Monster Hunter level tech, but some nice tech regardless.” “Hey, you two. Breakfast is done, so please come in while it’s warm.” Amirna called out, peeking through the door’s opening.  “We’ll be there in a moment. Ready for breakfast?” The quiet morning came and went, and the sun was high in the sky as the human duo walked up the steps to the castle embedded into the central mountain, reaching high to the sky. This is it. This is when Frustaz becomes our tool. Ylbe thought to herself. Byrviss, her fellow retainer, awaited her at the top of the stairs. “Are you ready to meet our master?” He asked, earning a nod from the two approaching humans. “Good. He has been eagerly awaiting your answer, Knight of Winter.”  “I’m sure. Shall we?” His voice was muffled and amplified simultaneously by the helmet, the minimalist mask hiding his face.  This needs to be done. We can’t risk him interfering in the future. Ylbe kept the friendly smile up, but internally, she knew what she was doing. A small sacrifice for the greater good.  The heavy doors already had parted, the miasmic fog spilling out, allowing the white eyes of Zarkesh to gaze upon the retainer to be. “You must go in alone, Frustaz. I cannot be there until he is finished.” The fragrant mage said, motioning him forward. Frustaz nodded once more, and stepped into the private chamber, the doors closing behind him. Ylbe fell to her knees and sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Everything alright, Ylbe?” The older retainer spoke, a smug grin on his face. “Yes. Everything is fine. He truly believes I’m his lost sister.” “Sounds like you have everything under control then. What’s with the exhaustion then?” “Restraint. If not for having to keep up the appearance of being related by blood, I probably would have eaten him last night.”  “Then all the better that you did not.”  a chuckle escaped the kinfolk, as he turned away. “Is there anything we may need to do to test his abilities, once he’s sworn in?” “Get a firing range set up, reinforce the back wall with 3 layers of Wyvsteel. See if we can make a striking pole of the same material. I’m not risking our tests causing accidental casualties.” Ylbe said, planting her staff and pulling herself back up. “He has weapons that far surpass our own. We can learn from them, use the improvements, and begin preparations.” “Do you intend for war to happen?” “The Emperor wishes to become as powerful, if not moreso, than those Celestial Sisters. If he is to be successful in that manner, war with the ponies and their allies is inevitable. Get the testing ground set up.” “It is good to see you once more, Knight of Winter.” The deep tones of Zarkesh called the torches to life, bringing the deep gloom of his lair up to a fair glow, highlighting the dais before him and an inky yet reflective pool before him.  “Have you made your decision?” Frustaz nodded. “I have. I will enter service as one of your retainers. What do I need to do?” Zarkesh smiled, his teeth white against the black scales of his face. “I ask you to do two things to seal this agreement. The first is to remove your armor. I wish to see you as you truly are. The second is for you to submerge yourself into the pool before you. That pool contains a fraction of my power, concentrated, to be bestowed upon you.” With a singular claw, he stirred the pool, a white glowing substance bleeding from the tip of his claw into it. Slowly the glowing white consumed the darkness in the pool, bathing the room in a brighter glow.  Frustaz carefully pulled off his armor, revealing the skin tight layer beneath the armor, setting it carefully on the dais. “So... I just jump in?” “That is correct.” Frustaz looked down at the pool, taking a deep breath, only to release it slowly. He stepped into the thick liquid, feeling the steps out deeper with his feet. “I half expected it to be thinner.” The knight of winter commented as it reached his shoulders, his feet firmly planted on the base of the pond. A few hesitant deep breaths, and Frustaz plunged under the surface. Immediately, his sight was obscured as the burning began. Red creeped into the edges of his vision, as the primordial tar invaded his skin, its acidic creeping scorching the nerves and forcing the screams of pain from Frustaz. He tried to push from the bottom of the basin, but he could find nothing below him. Thrashing, Frustaz threw rails of ice up towards the elder dragon, as the oil slowly filled his mouth, and nose. In a matter of moments, Frustaz’s screams ceased to be heard through the thick darkness. Each motion became slower and slower till he could no longer move, held fastby the anchoring ichor. What a horrible decision I’ve made. Frustaz thought, his mind retreating into unconsciousness, his health bar nearly drained. At least let me dream of my sister once more… His thrashing having finally ceased, Zarkesh grined. The incarnate knight sank to the bottom, unmoving, unbreathing. Zarkesh grinned. “Ylbe, Enter.” His summons answered by his chosen princess, her face hidden by her bangs, eyes fixated on the bubbling pool. “The ritual was a success. The Incarnation of Winter now belongs to us.”  “Good to hear of your success once more, my liege.” Ylbe bowed to Zarkesh, before looking back up at him. “He’s too soft for what will be asked of him.” She looked back down at the now still pool, frowning. “How will he be controlled, your majesty?” By you, using this.” Upon one of his claws rest a small bauble, of twisted silver around a large opal, bound to a chain that dangled from the tip. “Sumberge his armor as well, so thus it will match his new strength.” Doing as she commanded, she dragged each part of his armor to the pool, and pushed it in, panting by the time it was done. “Damn, Frustaz, your armor is fucking heavy.” “Really? It seemed to move much like the cloth you wear.” Zarkesh chuckled, stirring the pool with his claw once more, turning the fluid clear to view their newest thrall. His armor was slowly mutating and changing, growing chain-like scales that draped from the helmet like a syandana. The gauntlets grew larger, ending in sharpened claws. Everything had turned a solid black, mixing in violet highlights, and the once-gold adornments had faded into a corroded silver, pocked with specks of even more black.   Frustaz himself had changed very little, but the once blue and gold spirals around his arms had turned into the same purple and silver as his armor. Even the tips of his snowy hair had been dyed black. Zarkesh dipped the amulet into the fluid alongside Frustaz, before depositing it before the flowery witch. “Smear your blood upon the opal, and he will obey your commands, and allow you to communicate over long distances.”  “... Will he remember any of this?” “Considering how little I do know about you species, I could not tell you. Nor could I compare to other thralls, as most have died before any semblance of recovery could happen. Now, seal the pact.” Ylbe nodded, pulling out a thin knife from her robe and cutting across her wrist. Closing her fist tightly, she forced out thick droplets of her blood upon the gemstone, watching it permate it and reform into a strange and jagged marking, the same one appearing on the center of his featureless mask. “I hope I don’t have to wait long for him to rise.” She mused. Zarkesh nodded and withdrew into the farther reaches of his lair, curling up upon his royal pedestal. “How long does this normally take?” A sudden grasp of the staff elicited a squeak from the surprised mage, as the reformed man began to climb out. His glassy eyes gazed up at Ylbe, his jaw set in a grim frown. “Jesus fucking Christ!” She jumped back, holding her staff with both hands before taking a deep breath.  “Your orders, Mistress?” His silvery tones were gone, replaced by a husky, yet dead, voice. The bright colors of his blue eyes had dulled, tainted by a stormy grey. She steadied herself, taking and releasing a deep breath as if to reset herself. “First, do not scare me like that again. Announce your presence to me from now on.” A firm nod from him was his only response. “Equip your armor.” Ylbe’s commands were followed quickly, before his intense gaze returned to her. His armor looks like it’s been fused with Gore Magala and Lancelot’s… Ylbe thought idly, before it was broken by the heavy steps of her observed.  “Ylbe, he will be helping hunt later today, so prepare him. After that, he will be going to Equestria.” “What for?” “To eliminate the one known as Illua, before she can become a thorn in our side.”   Crunch. Thunk. Clink. Chime.  Celestia released a held breath as her spears connected once more. She was covered in thick, metal plates, overlaid atop chainmail. Greaves covered her long legs, ending in enchanted shoes. An armor she only wore once before. Once more, she sent her spears out and struck the dummy once again, its straw exterior crumbling under the force of her attacks.  Thunk. Thunk.  The solar princess growled at the dummy, one of her weapons deeply imbedded into its wooden body. Decorated upon its face was a painted canvas of Illua’s smug grin, replicated from one of the books lent to Twilight. Celestia’s horn lit up, impaling the head with the other spear before stepping back.  “My my, working out some anger issues, Sunny?” The ever mocking tones of Discord echoed in the room, as he stepped out from behind the damaged dummy, running a clawed finger over one of the ivory edges. The helmet she once wore flew over his head, clattering onto the floor. “Hm… not the response I was expecting.” “What do you want, Discord?” Celestia’s typical aura of calm was gone, replaced with an ambient mixture of anxiety and annoyance. “As you can see, I’m quite busy preparing.”  “Ooh, preparing for what, might I ask? I dare not say… Murder?” Effortlessly dislodging the spears, he tossed them aside, repairing the dummy with a wave of his bear-like paw. He chuckled as he pulled out a paint brush, swiping it over the dummy’s canvas exterior, replicating Illua’s likeness upon it. “Revenge?” Celestia snorted, glaring at the chaos spirit. “I’m preparing to fight her.” “That much is clear, however, that last strike was a bit excessive for a simple ‘fight’,” Discord air-quoted, raising his eyebrow in question. “Perhaps it might be better for you to have a sparring partner. Someone to let a little frustration out with?” “I plan to challenge her to a duel. And you, sparring? I highly doubt that you of all beings would even remotely know how to fight.” Celetia rolled her eyes, her golden magic once more encasing her spears.  “Oh Celestia, you wound me with your sarcasm. Of course I know how to fight. I just prefer not to.” A playful chuckle escaped Discord, his smirk apparent even from across the room. “I tend to get a little… Intense.” “Very well then, I’d like you to then prove it. No chaos magic, no jokes.” Celestia took a wide stance, her armored wings flared, spears hovering at her sides.  “I’ll do you one better. I will keep a corporeal form, and limit myself to the traditional physical laws. Cross my heart, hope to fly.” Discord made the motions, leaving glowing white lines upon his chest. “I’ll pull out a good old favorite of mine.” A strange ripple around his eagle claw created a crystalline saber of green and red, with a single striking edge. On the back side were large, geometric shapes, refracting light in a smattering of unnatural angles, leading down to a wide handguard. Dangling from the pommel was a bright green chain, with a scarlet gem attached.  “What in Faust’s name is that?” “It’s a sword. It’s name doesn’t matter. Are you ready?” Discord held out the strange weapon, tip raised upwards, in a gesture of honor. Celestia raised her eyebrow, looking at the odd blade. Shaking her head, she tapped her spear to his blade.  Each withdrew their weapons and took their stances. Discord soon lunged in, his heavy blade nearly crumpling Celestia’s defense. She struck out at him with her wing, which he spun away from, cracking her on the side of her head with a fist. “What was that?!”  Discord glared at her as he lunged again, this time sweeping her front legs from under her and touching the edge of the blade to her neck. “Dead. Celestia, you’re preparing to fight a swordswoman, not one of your precious ponies. Get up. We’re doing this again.” His tone had turned hard, and his playful air was now gone. “I want you to be serious about this. Illua won’t pull any punches, and neither will I, physically or mentally.” “Mentally?” She asked, but received no response. He raised his weapon once more, his ever present grin having run from his face, replaced by an unfamiliar scowl. Celestia shook her head, and tapped her spear once more to his blade.  This time, when he lunged, she sidestepped, bringing her wing in to attack once more, spear rising from below and cracking against his side. Discord took the wing to the face, and rolled away. He looked up at her and threw a shard of ice, chasing it, bringing his sword down upon Celestia’s neck once more. This time, he did not hold back. It’s blunt face crushed her defenses and slammed into shoulder, forcing her down once again. “Dead.” Celestia grimaced at the blow, watching as the chaos spirit once again took his form.  “What in Tartarus is wrong with you Discord? This definitely isn’t like you.” “Neither is locking your friend in a statue, nor your sister on the moon, but I guess we can’t all keep a facade up forever, now can we?” The smile showed on his face once more, but it was twisted, cruel, and sharp.  Celestia winced at the sudden and harsh truth. Celestia climbed back to her hooves, flaring her magic to retrieve her luminous weapons. “Discord…”  Looking over the chimera, his hackles had raised, and his appearance had already begun to warp into that torturous form, just as it had a thousand years ago. “That’s…” “Low? Unfair? Oh I get it. But this is a reality.” Discord didn’t wait before he brought the maul-blade across Celestia’s face, sending her into the wall of the training hall. “If you’re gonna hold back against me, I may as well teach you a lesson.” The solar princess looked up at the slowly approaching chimera, and shuddered, retrieving her spears and bringing them up to defend herself.  His blows came fast and heavy, denting her precious weapons as she attempted to deflect each strike, being forced to dodge. “How lonely must it be to be the weakest fighter of the immortal trio. Forced to rely on convenient tools that we promised not to use upon each other.” His tail reached out and curled around her throat, picking her up and throwing her into the wall. “I fought off primordials who wished nothing but corruption upon our world, and Luna fought the Nightmares away. What did you do? Bask in the sun and glory of the peace we achieved.”  Celestia growled, gritting her teeth as she summoned up orbs of sunlight, hurling them at Discord, who’s blade consumed them on contact. “The both of you became a danger to yourselves and the world around you. I couldn’t just let you just continue--” “I’m going to stop you there. The only one who earned that was me, but Luna? How dare you blame her for your negligence?” His voice had taken on a venomous edge, as he swung the blade, sending a ripple of plasma at the Princess, who barely could shield herself. Discord brought the blade down upon the magical barrier, shattering it. “You of all people should know that her transformation was due to you ignoring her pleas for help, and begging for even a simple gesture of appreciation.” Another strike, and the crack of bone could be heard. Her wing was broken once more, laying limply beside her. “But such is the way of the limelight, am I right?” Another swing. Another broken wing. “But let’s not talk of that. Let’s talk about more recent events, like Twilight.” Celestia’s spears darted at Discord, managing to push him back, only to pull back and swipe at him. He caught the blows across his arms, chromatic blood oozing from his wounds.  Celestia’s gaze met his as she cast her own healing spell, the bones crunching once more as they realigned and fused back to their previous state. “You will not speak ill of her.” Her eyes held the embers of fury, licks of flame beginning at the ends of her mane.  “Good. You’re finally taking this seriously. Let’s delve deeper shall we?” Beams of light attempted to scorch the dextrous serpent, his dancing motions letting him weave through the magical assault, using the geometric blade to deflect her spears once more, sweeping her legs with his tail. He raised his blade to bring it down on her head, only to catch hooves across his jaw. “How did you know what was to happen with The Elements? With your Sister?” Discord’s form had shifted further into that feral appearance, his scales lifting into bladed surfaces, once-soft fur hardening into a metallic chitin.  Celestia remained silent, as her orbs pelted the slowly transforming chimera. “That’s right. You had to dip into Starswirl’s spells.” Discord grabbed one of the orbs and crushed it, the magic backlash eliciting a flinch from the diarch. “You went looking to the future before it was to happen. You orchestrated their very lineages. You created the perfect bearers out of a need for control.” From his maw, acid dripped onto the floor with each of his words. “What would happen if the Elements had found themselves in the hands of a Gryphon? A dragon? Perhaps one of those eastern Kirin?” He discarded his sword as his claws engorged themselves and became jagged, his eyes shimmering with color and fire. Celestia slowly stepped back, her wings quivering as she looked upon Discord’s new appearance.  “You would be alone. Luna would be dead by your hooves. I would be free to ravage the world in the form you see now. Cadence would watch the world burn from her frozen palace and watch as you suffer, all the while you would be eternally alone. You made Twilight to not only be your replacement... But your life partner. How cruel would it be for her to know that you perfectly tailored her appearance to your preferences?” With each sentence, he inched closer, the floor warping underneath his chaotic steps, until his breath caressed her chin.  “ENOUGH DISCORD, I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR LIES AND ACCUSATIONS ANY LONGER!” In a burst of light and flame, Her spears impaled Discord through his chest, glowing with the sun’s primal energy, eliciting a chuckle from him. “Fate will not bend to your will, and neither will I. Until even the very stones of Equestria forgive your abuse of the Elements, you will be truly alone on the throne you so betrayed us for.”  A snap of his fingers, and everything was as it was moments ago. The training hall was unchanged, and the chaos spirit was dusting himself off, back to his stretchy, cartoony self. “Haa… That’s more than enough for one day. I feel better. How about you?”  Celestia looked at the Chaos spirit, and collapsed, her entire body quivering as she looked at her hooves. “I… I almost..” Her shoulders heaved as the adrenaline high receded, her stomach in sudden knots.  “Well, I’m sure you have a lot to sort out. I, however, have an obligation with Fluttershy this afternoon. I hope you’ll be ready for that duel you plan. Make an event of it, I’m sure the crowds would love to see it. Toodles.” Another snap, and he was gone.  Minutes passed, as Celestia fought her urges to cry, to vomit, to scream. A gentle knock at the door signaled the end of her training session for the day, but she did not reply. “Celestia, is everything alright in there?” The voice of her precious little sister called out, but again, she did not reply. Luna pushed her way into the training hall, and looked at the distraught elder. “Sister dearest?”  Celestia couldn’t hold back any longer, and released all three emotions.  “Please, clean the hall thoroughly, I will escort her to her room for the evening.” A curtsey from the maid as all Luna needed as confirmation. Putting her sister’s wing over her, she quietly helped the unsteady sun goddess through the castle halls, up to her bedroom door.  “Luna, I’m sorry.” Luna blinked, eyes going slightly wide. “For what?” “For being so weak willed and cowardly.” Luna arched her eyebrow, at Celestia, confused. “What ever brought this distress upon you?” Celestia pulled her wing back and walked to her bed, discarding armor in her wake. “Discord and I had a..." she paused. "...conversation today, and it brought back many a memory I wished not to remember.” Her prismatic mane once more fell loosely about her as she slithered into bed. “We had a sparring match, and I’m once again reminded how little I actually practiced the art of war.” Celestia's sighs punctuated her distress, only to continue with a trace of determination. “I wish to fight Illua.” Luna looked up at her sister, furrowing her brow. “You.. wish to fight her?” “Yes.”  “Tia--" Luna paused, humming slightly. "Doesn't Canterlot have an arena that goes unused except for the largest of spectacles? Didn't you implement laws regarding dueling, requiring spells to ensure the duels are non-lethal?" Luna smirked a bit at her sister's now surprised look, barely containing her giggling. “Well, I feel like a right fool now.” Celestia snickered at Luna's infectious giggling. "Then perhaps make an official challenge to her? Propose a wager?" Luna summoned over the quill and parchment, setting it before the solar sister. "I can act as overseer for the duel, if you wouldn't mind?" Celestia nodded and nuzzled into her sister, before beginning her letter. "Dear Illua..." She paused, tapping the feather to her chin. "I wish to formally challenge you to a duel, in the Canterlot arena in one week's time. I implore you to meet myself and our observer at the Castle with the Elements of Harmony, Where you will be treated as a free citizen." The quill danced with Celestia's cadence, inscribing her word and intent. "What will you be wagering?" Luna queried, peering over the fresh ink. “Nothing as of yet. However, Luna, you must go raise the moon, It’s getting late.” A soft smile and a nudge from Celestia got her Luna moving. However, she stopped at the door. “Will you be alright? I do not want you to become lost in a quest for vengeance…” Luna trailed off, pregnant with unspoken history. “I’ll be fine. This will be therapeutic for me, if nothing else. I’ll see you in the morning.” Celestia waved off her sister, earning her a smile in return. “Goodnight Luna.” “Goodnight, Celestia.” The moon princess closed her door with a soft click, her hoofsteps slowly fading down the halls. Rolling the dry scroll up, She sent it off in a puff of green flame. There. Illua was last with Twilight, so it's likely it will reach her in due time.The sleepy diarch turned back over, her thoughts forming plans of how to approach the now oncoming duel. Illua, you will not be allowed to torment me any longer. I will drag you out of the shadows, and I will bring your actions into the light of my day.