“Found it!” A voice echoed through the throne room, after a while Twilight had finally found the page describing the strange monster seen in the vision. Hopefully by then Applejack had woken up, however when she turned over to see if that was the case there was no sign of her friend having woken up. Clearing her throat she began to read aloud to all in the room. “Gravelord Nito, the first of the dead and second to gain his power behind Gwyn, Lord of Sunlight and followed by the Witch of Izalith and the Four Kings. With the powers bestowed upon him the Gravelord slew the dragons alongside his companions using a powerful miasma that infected and destroyed the dragons from the inside out. Ridding them of their immortality and status with the help of a single white being by the name of Seath the Scaleless, known as a great traitor among his kind since. After the first flame was kindled he took refuge in the catacombs letting his followers take the role of death and slay another human or undead, taking back a special item to be offered and increase their ranks. The most notable feature of followers is their ability to wield a toxic weapon known as the Gravelord Greatsword.” Upon reading that single line she froze, as well as those who were present at the sealing of Kurais signature sword.
“You possibly don’t mean that he is, one of those beastly creatures!” Rarity asked, Discord appearing with a pop and slithering around rarity to look her in the eye as she recoiled with disgust at his sudden appearance.
“If he saved Fluttershy that doesn’t mean he is bad right? What? Is it my breath?” He took a second to breath on his hand and sniff it. “Nope, still chocolate.”
Slipping through the coils Rarity brushed her elegant mane with a hoof to make sure it had not been ruined before speaking. “I’m sorry Discord, I will just never get used to seeing you appear so suddenly in my face.”
Shrugging, Discord appeared back onto his cotton candy seat, proceeding to munch on the armrest. It has come to Celestias attention that he has been quite peckish lately. “Is something bothering you, Discord?” She asked with concern in her voice, a being like him would have no need for sustenance and to see him eat away like a rabid changeling was worrying.
Looking up to the two sisters with his cheeks puffed out from biting his chair which now had been reduced to a stool he swallowed with a satisfied burp to which he covered with his talon nonchalantly. “Sorry,” He coughed. “I eat when I get nervous.”
“Couldn’t you just teleport the monster away? Or use your powers to bring Kurai here?” Twilight asked as everypony else in the room glared at him for not doing so sooner.
“Hello?” Discord shouted, knocking her skull like a door with his tail shaped like a fist. “I think you’re forgetting something about me and the otherworldly creatures!” The throne roomed was silent with all present save for Applejack thinking of the reason. Groaning Discord rolled his eyes and appeared next to a blank wall wearing a mismatched suit of clashing colours and holding a rod shaped like a giraffe, tapping the wall caused it to transform into a school blackboard. “Listen closely ok? Being of another dimension with their own magic they have their own aura surrounding them, from what I can assume this Nito fellow must be a god in his domain. Kurai on the other hand has a different aura surrounding him.” Tapping a picture of a poorly drawn skeleton and a poorly drawn stick figure, obviously art was not his strongest feature. “Now if I were to try teleporting them someplace or try killing them, the effect would backfire because of their aura. In fact, to do so I would need to practice with the same aura until I have mastered it. Wait!” He exclaimed with a hint of excitement and palming his face with his paw. “I can just try and teleport Applebloom here!”
Upon hearing the fillys name, an unconscious Applejack sprung up. Resting on her hind legs, her hat covering her face. “Do it.”
“A-alright, but there might a few complications because of her locati-“
“Just do it!” Applejack interrupted, rage painted on her face. Hesitantly the lord of all things chaotic raised his talons to snap them, as soon as the snap was audible a flash erupted from the teleportation, what awaited them instead was Discord gone from the room. Reappearing a moment later with a crocodile latched onto his tail he snapped his talons again he disappeared, reappearing again with multiple crows pecking at him. With a disappointed snap the crows were gone. “Well? Did you find my little sister?!”
As much as he wanted to lie that he found her, Discord shook his head. “No location, no teleportation.”
“Maybe we might find a way,” Luna spoke up. “By asking the residents of Ponyville if they saw any sign of what direction he left in.” Pondering the solution for a minute Celestia nodded with a smile at her sisters idea, simple yet effective.
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Snoring at the base of a large oak Kurai murmured at the sounds of birds above him in the tree trunks, curiously flying down and perching on the helmet decor. What woke him up was the knock of a hammer on his helmet which gave him a fright and a slight concussion. “Aren’t you overdoing it?” Solaire asked while holding a tray, keeping a fair distance away from Ratchet who was trying to wake up Kurai from the past five minutes by first yelling his name.
“Nein! I have been calling his name out long enough to get his breakfast, I think he needs his ears checked. Seriously all it took to wake her up,” She gestured to Applebloom enjoying a grass sandwich nearby. “was the ring of my dinner bell!” Ratchet finished before knocking Kurai on the head again until he rolled to the side and got up mumbling obscenities. “What was that?” She glared.
“Nothing…” Kurai replied with a stutter, walking past Solaire and taking a sandwich off the plate. “Of all creatures I have faced, your wife is so far the most terrifying.” He whispered as Solaire chuckled, bursting out laughing the second the inventor overheard his little quip and tossed a hammer, striking the back of his head. After recovering he approached the table to eat the sandwich before departing, as he approached the table he noticed Applebloom give him a small wave for him to sit near her. Kurai did not say a word and sat on the chair opposite to her, lifting his helmet occasionally to eat the sandwich, each bite tasting bitter with a burning sensation in his throat. “About last night.” He began, the uncomfortable tension becoming more apparent.
“I know,” Applebloom replied. “You want to keep the relationship professional.”
Grunting at that response he shook his head slowly. “I made a promise, and so have you. But for now, lets avoid such things until everything is over with.” Dropping his great sword onto the table for inspection, occasionally dropping a pinch of repair powder on a section with impurities all the while waiting for Solaire to get ready as the newest companion enthusiastically started practicing. “I see you’re getting better.” Kurai complimented, she simply smiled pridefully before giving a quick three slash combo at the air to show off. “Save that skill for the battlefield. You’ll need it. Solaire! you ready yet?” He suddenly called out to his friend. “We don’t have enough time and we have to destroy those whelps ruling the town by sunset.”
“Why the time limit?” Solaire asked, bemused.
“Because I like being punctual, and I really want to cover something in blood by the end of this week.” That reply was something Solaire always expected, but no matter how many times he heard Kurai talk about killing it always left him uncomfortable. Applebloom also felt disturbed by his sudden bloodlust, his feelings had no consistency lately. “Now lets go.”
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“I will not repeat myself, old coot, finish the prototype!” An angry voice echoed through the jail cells of Alloys main building dungeon.
“N-never!” The voice replied, out of breath. Cash Bags having had enough of Sprocket refusing the finish the final prototype of he design blueprints which were stolen along with his capture gave a heavy knock the to old mans chin. Sprocket was a modest pegasus with the same grey coat as his daughter, black goggles covering his eyes, his body malnourished and on the verge of starvation. His withered and tired bones aching as he managed to stand up before being kicked again by Cash Bags. “After what you did to my daughter, this town and her work! I wouldn’t build you a damn toaster!” He managed to cough out in a thick german accent with a few blotches of blood splattering on the floor from his mouth.
Smirking at that response it was all he needed to set his plan in motion. “Well, I hate it when things like this go south for me. So I will make a deal. I have been informed your daughter is coming into town with your son in law and another unidentified figure by my injured tax collectors, one of which had his horn broken off!” Cash Bags roared at the shivering pegasus laying on the ground before him. “You either build me that prototype and I will save you the pain of having to watch her get captured, maimed, tortured and executed!” He finished, walking towards the cells exit where the wardens waited. “The second I leave this cell without your agreement to build it, she will die and you will watch every grizzly detail.”
Tears welled up in Sprockets eyes at the thought of seeing his only daughter being in the hooves of the tyrant looming above, he was finally broken. He has no freedom, no hope left at that. Dragging himself up against the wall to stand. “Wait!”
Expecting the old man to give in Cash Bags smirked victoriously and turned. “So you will build it?” Sprocket nodded wearily, having no strength left to move. “Good. Warden, fetch this miserable bastard some food to regain his strength then escort him to the building site. If he does not complete his work within the next three hours, hang him.” The porky stallion seemed to waddle out the cell and out the dungeon rather quickly for his size as the warden locked the cell and rung a bell for the cooks to prepare something.
About twenty minutes had passed since the ringing of the bell and a bowl of water with a plate of grass was tossed in the cell, some of the water spilling onto the tray. Without wasting a second Sprocket lunged at the food and began cramming the grass in his mouth, swallowing after having had the whole plates worth of it in his mouth. With Sprockets mouth still full he was about to consume the water in the bowl only to be met with his reflection, his face ruined not only from the strike Cash Bags had delivered upon him but from how he looked after giving into barbaric demands of a tyrant. Glaring at himself in shame tears dropped into the bowl, mixing with the contents. “Forgive me.” He sobbed.