Gathered friends, listen again to the legend of how a Lord helped a Lady rise.
In a hut, several figures were in a circle with only one of them standing as the rest were sitting down.
In the time before time, there was one who wielded shadows and acted as a guardian.
On the walls, the shadows created by a fire in the hut moved as the tale began. A tall figure with shadows around him, stood in front of smaller ones with a weapon in both hands, ready to fight other figures in front.
A duty he performed through out the ages, opposing any who would dare bring harm with nothing able to withstand his might for long, especially when united with others.
The scene changed many times where the figure fought others, sometimes he was alone and other times there were figures beside him.
Until one day, a great threat arose to spread its will over our home and defeated the protector.
A towering creature appeared and caused the tall figure to fall as the others beside him still fought.
Yet the guardian was not destroyed, but banished to where the legend of another had begun…
"That was fun ride." A 14 ft tall, red-eyed, black masked being whose onyx armor had gunmetal hands, feet and joints said sarcastically after falling out of a portal on his back with his broadsword clattering on the floor while his Midak Skyblaster landed with a thud. "Now where am I?" He asked, looking around after sitting up, and sensed something, "A curse, whatever this place is, it has a curse on it, a powerful one with only one way to dispel it, find the caster and destroy them." He said before shrinking himself into a half sized version of his Shadow Titan form just as ghosts appeared… And heeeeere's welcoming committee… pity they won't survive encountering me. He thought, unleashing his Shadow Hand against them, one of the few abilities that can affect ghosts with an… acceptable degree of success.
"There's one last thing, little filly." Crystal Ball said.
"What's that?" Apple Bloom asked.
"A warrior commanding the darkness that gave him birth has arrived."
"Will he help me?"
"I cannot see any further." Crystal Ball replied before she asked the filly to imprison her as her mind left her.
"Weak, that's what all of you are." The armored warrior told the ghosts while using his other abilities after finding out that they're more effective against ghosts than normal, much to his surprise, Probably a result of the darkness that permeates the place thanks to the curse. He thought, slashing a ghost with his sword encased in shadow while blasting another with his skyblaster, laying them back to rest permanently as he wandered through the place, deeming it to be a mansion… though he when he saw familiar faces, he paused and entered their minds, Something or someone is influencing their minds to where they're blinded by it. He thought after pulling out of their minds and vowed to hunt down and destroy the culprit, then maybe he'll destroy the mansion… possibly by burning it down or blowing it up depending on the mood he's in after everything's said and done. Oh, the many methods of destruction to choose, from plowing through the walls like a bulldozer at full height to igniting the decor with my heat vision. He thought before a roar snapped him out of his musings, causing him to run towards the source and found a filly facing a ghost of a chimera. Apple Bloom? He thought, surprised though, he determined that the filly was doing a good job of taking care of it with the vacuum cleaner she wielded. He decided to help anyway…
"Stupid chimera. Jus' give up already." Apple Bloom grunted as she attempted to defeat the ghost before a bolt of darkness hit the ghost, stunning it, What in tarnation? She thought as the following barrage of bolts pounded ghost before she looked at the culprit.
"Well, aren't you going to finish the job?" The armored warrior asked as electrical energy shocked the ghost, snapping the filly out of her surprise with her defeating the ghost and held a conversation with someone on the other end of a communicator with one word catching his attention.
Ugh, Bogmire… even this reality has that pest, even though he's a ghost, unlike mine. The figure thought, remembering the pathetic creature he crushed back home. I hope I'll return. He thought before looking at the filly, "Little one, what would one young as you be doing here?" He asked before Apple Bloom explained everything, "Well then, since I'm stuck here thanks to events beyond my control and need something to do, you have my aid."
"Thank ya!" The filly replied, "With the two of us workin' together, we can free my friends and family!"
"And, I get the satisfaction of crushing Bogmire again."
"Ya faced him before?"
"When he was flesh and bone in my dimension."
"Ya came from another universe?"
"And stuck here until a friend finds me." The armored warrior replied, "But, I think it's time for introductions."
"Name's Apple Bloom."
"Most call me Makuta, the name of my species, but with how brave you are, you've earned the right to call me by name, Kratus, with my title being Lord and Master of Shadow." The Makuta told the filly before kneeling down, "As for how brave you are to face a challenge alone until now, your fire of courage burns as bright as a Toa's." He added with the filly not knowing what a Toa is, but guessed they're some sort of hero.
"But, I'm still scared."
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the will to conquer it." Kratus replied as the two left the room, though the filly took note of the lack of reaction from her imprisoned friends and family towards the armored warrior whose form phased through the walls, "Density Control allows me to change how solid I am." He told the filly after noticing her confusion, not wanting to reveal that he could turn into a pony if he wanted to, but something told him his half-sized Shadow Titan form would do as they encountered another ghost, Pearl, who led them into the dining room with the filly eating the food uncontrollably, at least before the Makuta disintegrated the food, angering the ghost. Yep, these aren't normal ghosts. He thought as he distracted the angry ghost long enough for Apple Bloom to capture the obese ghost and entered the kitchen and noticed one of the cooks. Oh, it's… okay, who's that pony again? I forgot. Kratus thought, despite his excellent memory thanks to him being a Makuta, couldn't remember the name. Must be this universe's version of some idiot that thought he could boss me or one of my agents around that I killed when they were too stupid or arrogant to back down after I taught them humility. He thought as Apple Bloom learned about the ghost's past who noticed the filly and started to chase her with her throwing a chair at the ghost but before she could activate her weapon of choice to capture the first cook, a beam of plasma roasted the cook, sending it to the afterlife with the other cook returning with a chainsaw with the Makuta stepping between the filly and the deranged cook after revealing himself, "Hmm… looks like you neglected to maintain it." He said as the tool died, confusing the ghost. In reality, the components fused together courtesy of Makuta's magnetic and sonic powers, allowing the filly to capture the ghost before water pegasi appeared. "Great, more pests." Kratus said, rolling his eyes, but before Apple Bloom could use her weapon, the Makuta's Shadow Hand burst from his chest, pulling one towards him, the ghost didn't have a chance to scream as the Makuta absorbed it, crushing its will as he nailed another with a barrage from his skyblaster, sending it to the afterlife.
"Looks like Makuta could clear this place by himself." Apple Bloom told Smart Spirit.
"I wonder if he's dealt with ghosts before." He replied.
"I'll ask him." Apple Bloom replied, walking up to the Makuta, "Hey, Mister."
"Don't add Mister in front either Makuta or Kratus." The armored warrior interrupted, "Now, what do you need?"
"Have ya ever dealt with ghosts before?" She asked, earning a nod from the Makuta.
"More times than I can count with both hands." He replied, "Most of the time, it was because they annoyed me, or I was bored and looking for a challenge. Most were found wanting in the case of the latter." He added.
"An' the other times?"
"They asked me to put them back to rest or help them with their unfinished business, despite that's not what I do."
"I take it yer a warrior?"
"Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum." Kratus replied.
"Say what now?"
"It means." The Makuta began as they went back to the kitchen and dealt with a griffon that appeared. "Therefore let him who desire peace, prepare for war."
"Why do ya prepare ta fight if ya want peace?" Apple Bloom asked.
"There're times when you have to show another that a fight against you would be a fight too costly for them with a show of arms." Kratus replied as they headed back to the kitchen and found the family dog with Apple Bloom making a comment before the dog spotted them with the Makuta shooting it as it attacked, stunning it long enough for Apple Bloom capture it. With the gate to the graveyard opening with a creak. "Another gateway for me to enter… yay." He said unenthusiastically after a portal appeared with the filly wondering how many gateways her companion went into before they entered it with lightning striking ten of the eleven gravestones with skeletons' eye sockets glowing with an eerie, unworldly purple light that reminded a Makuta of an acquaintance of his that he hasn't seen in eons with the filly looking like she wanted to flee, something the Makuta noticed. "It's okay to be afraid, but conquering that fear shows how strong you are." He told her with a smile, crushing a skeleton underfoot with a stomp after kicking it onto the ground, "Spooky, scary skeletons don't send shivers down my spine." He said, crushing the head of another in his hands with a satisfying crunch and blasting another in the head at point-blank range with his skyblaster.
"Hey boneheads!" Apple Bloom said as she rushed towards the skeletons, "Take this!" She added as she sent one flying to the Makuta who sent a burst of compressed air towards it, shattering the skeleton into fragments of bone as he cut another in two and reduced the rest into nothing with tendrils of shadow as he exercised his control over them. Show off. She thought as she approached the Makuta.
"Ready to face Bogmire?" He asked Apple Bloom who nodded before the two faced the fiend who spoke with the Makuta releasing a bark of laughter.
"You dare laugh at me golem?!" The fiend asked.
"Fear? Despair? You know nothing of them." Kratus replied, returning to his 14 ft height with Bogmire darkening the area with its power, transporting them to a battlefield, then darkened it after creating a clone… mistake number 1.
"Ya'd be scary if it weren't for the fact that yer helping me, since I can only see yer eyes." Apple Bloom told the Makuta, "Somethin' funny?" She asked after the Makuta chuckled.
"Appearing in the darkness with only my eyes visible is how I usually appear to another in this form for the first time." He replied, though the filly couldn't help but notice that the Makuta fought in a similar manner as Bogmire, his eyes disappeared, reappearing only to attack the fiend and its clone from behind, confusing it. Something that Apple Bloom took advantage of with the battlefield brightening before another clone chased the filly with the battlefield darkening once more with skeletons appearing, only for the very darkness to crush them with more appearing, though each took a different appearance for the two of them with Bogmire screaming as a result of its second and more costly mistake. For when someone enters the mind of a Makuta, the Makuta tends to enter their mind, and the only Makuta present is taking full advantage of it by attacking the fiend's mind by sending a wave of fear through the direct route while telling the creature to fear him, leaving the fiend defenseless with Apple Bloom activating her weapon as Kratus pulled out with Bogmire speaking as the vacuum pulled it in, though when it called the Makuta a golem again… "I am no golem, I am Makuta Kratus, Lord and Master of Shadow, and you are nothing more than another crushed insect." He told the fiend, summoning tendrils of shadow that silenced the fiend… once and for all.
"Why do I think that ya coulda ended the fight the second it began after that display?" Apple Bloom asked after remains of the fiend disappeared into the device, though the filly didn't see the point in imprisoning them.
"You're not wrong about that." The Makuta replied with a smile, "I could've impaled the thing, or torn it to shreds, do both, fried it." He added, using his fingers to number the ways while starting to list the methods he could use to defeat the fiend as he halved his size.
"Okay, okay, I get it, ya held back ta help me." Apple Bloom said, annoyed as they headed towards the mansion after returning to the graveyard as a means of returning to the lab with the filly sleeping on the couch.