I will kill you yet, Discord!

by IMN


Part 1: awakening. Chapter 4: The Hopeless Lover, the Bored Assassin, and the Mad King*

Daring Do froze in place, and it wasn't because of the temperature drop. Is escape even possible at this point? When stallions twice her size were falling like flies made one thing clear, she was beyond any reasonable doubt at the newcomer’s mercy.

I’m going to die.

He brushed his blue mane back with a hoof, admiring his work. twenty four ponies, one Ahuizotl, and one snow tiger, and not a single drop of blood touched his deep blue coat. Shaking his head he finally commented, “l'horreur 1, just horrendous, to think that there are people who would treat such a fair, strong and gorgeous maiden in such a terrible fashion, what has the world come to?”

He moved slowly toward her. Though his footing produced no sound, Daring Do's heart raced with her thoughts at every stride.

I'm going to die.

Just shy of sharing the same space, he made a sudden motion with his hoof. She recoiled for fear of her life, only to discover her ropes were cut in half. Taking a step and ignoring her surprise, he took a bow.

“My fairest maiden, vous êtes tellement jolie2 that you stole my heart. Vos yeux3 speak of wondrous enchanting tales of a thousand and one night, your mane shows the scruffiness of boundless hardship that you so bravely have endured, and your wings... Oh vos ailes4! To think: they could have taken you anywhere but landed in my heart. So elegant, and displaying such … wonderful auxiliary attributes that any pirate would seek them like the stuff of legends.”

The Pegasus took her hoof, gently placing a kiss on it. That was all it took snap her awake. With a jolt, she sprang into motion, recoiling from her would-be lover while begging for her life at the top of her lungs.

“What? Did my word play offend you? I did not think booty was such a sensitive topic.”

Further wailing was his only answer. Confused, he pondered the situation. Why was this mare upset? It was almost as if she just faced brutal death. Oh. That explained a thing or two...

Abruti5!” said he in a low tone, then he suddenly straightened, screaming, “How dare you, Azazel? You traumatized her!”

Daring Do jumped with renewed fear, but it didn’t take her long to realize he wasn't talking to her.

Did he just talk to his scythe?

Shifting to a position reminiscent of a scolding schoolteacher, he continued somewhat rougher than before, “Azrael, mein freund6, I did what Draco asked me. I killed everypony except her. Who cares how gruesome it was?”

“Well you didn’t need to be so enthusiastic about it. Franchement7, a little bit more restraint, a few less blood splatter, and it would have been far less scarring.”

“Haha! Wie putzig8... You? Teaching me how to kill? If you’re such an expert, why didn’t you do it yourself?”

“Hmpf! And get all dirty and blood soaked pour mon amour9? Do you think I’m that boorish?”

"Doch10, we are one and the same. You'll still be drenched in blood regardless of which of us did it."

While he bickered with himself, Daring Do calmed down enough to think. He’s insane... No wonder he was trapped in a spire for more than a thousand years. I need to give him the slip.

Distracted as he was, perhaps he wouldn’t notice her giving him the slip.

I need to warn princess Celestia. This guy is dangerous.

Her thoughts still haunted by the needless violence, she made her way to the hole in the ceiling. She heard something. Something she wished she hadn’t heard. A single word.

"Wait."

She slowly turned back. She expected anger. She expected to die. What she found was yet another expression on his face. This one spoke of true nobility, not the false chivalry he had when he kissed her hoof, nor the smug, scolding look he bore while talking to himself. This was something more majestic, and, chillingly, far more dangerous than the previous two.

Mi dispiace11. My other two personalities aren’t quite as stable as I want them to be.”

His tone spoke of an inner calm. It was the silence before thunder. It was the calm before the storm. It was the certainty of slow and inexorable victory. This stallion meant to do something, and he knew nothing could stand in his way.

“My name is Draco Sparkle, high king of the lost western Stormlands of Equestria. The flirty one was Azrael Archangel, and the killer is Azazel Archdeacon. We are the founders and leaders of the united federation of Equestria, tasked to preserve what was left our homes after Discord came.”

“What do you want with me?”

“You see, I am on a mission. There is somepony I want gone, and I dislike distractions. So, I want you to run along and warn anypony and everypony you meet. If any dare stand in our way, they will die.”

Daring Do gulped. She could feel the ice in his gaze, the seriousness of his tone, everything beyond what words could described. She saw it. she felt it and understood one thing: he was dead serious. He approached her with large, silent, intent strides. Their gaze met. As she stared into those slitted eyes, she nearly lost herself.

“Now; go.”

It took a moments for his words to register, and for a while, it seemed like the air itself was suspended in anticipation. That didn’t last long. She took off, afraid and injured. She fought past the pain through sheer terror as each wingbeat brought her a little bit closer to home. She had to go. She had to get there. She couldn’t give up. The princesses must know. They were counting on her.

Now alone with the bickering voices in his head, Draco Sparkle watched as his former prisoner flew off. She would do as he asked, of course. That would cause mass panic, but that didn’t matter. Panic beats collateral damage any day. After all, he was on a mission. It was very unprofessional to leave a mess.