Glaring into the empty eyes of the gravelord, Kurai readied his stance. Rainbow Dash held the katana hilt tightly in her mouth as she floated above while Applebloom and Applejack got into their ready stances. An uneasy silence between the two opposing groups, like time stopped to stare at what is to come. The silence was broken by a large bolt of lightning as Nito roared loudly to his horde which responded by roaring together, shaking the ground in their wake. Pointing his large curved blade the skeletal horde charged forth, their weapons crafted from crude rusted blades or wooden clubs. Raising his greatshield of Artorias the knight charged toward the tsunami of skeletons, swinging at the closest nearby which shattered upon impact. Watching him disappearing into the horde towards Nito with the army still pressing forward, Applejack lifted the dragons tooth club and slammed it down, flattening and crushing a few skeletons before dodging a swing from one. Back to back with her little sister they were both surrounded, instinctively thinking the orange coated cowpony gripped her sisters wrist with a hoof. “Swing me!” To that Applebloom grinned at the idea and gripped her older sister with both hands, pulling her into a whirlwind spin which cleared a massive chunk of the army surrounding them.
“Nice one, kid!” Rainbow Dash called out from above. “Check this out!” In a flash she sped off into the sky and then started her Wonderbolt routine with the high speed walk through a small gang of skeletons lumbering towards her location, stopping in front of her friend who stared over her shoulder.
“You missed…” She replied to her prismatic friends careless stunt with a frown. Raising a hoof Rainbow Dash sheathed the katana, once the hilt connected with the scabbard the small group shuddered and broke apart. “Well I’ll be.” She did not know where she got the skill but her speed leaving a split second late reaction from whatever she passed by it was no big surprise.
Listen here while reading for the full experience.
Breaking through the wall he finally reached the commander of this weak yet persistent army, a large mosh pit created by a circle of undead warriors to give the two space to fight. Making the first move Kurai lunged at one of Nitos four horse legs on his new centaur body, the sword barely chipped it. Grunting, a large skeletal hand enveloped the stone and iron clad knight, raising him to eye level with a rotting skull. “Y̸ou̴'re t̕o̧o̧ ̛r̛eck̵l̀es̨s ͟f͠or̶ ́y̷our͘ ow͟n҉ go̸oḑ.҉” It said with a low growl. Seeing his chance Kurai swung with his free hand, punching Nito square in the chattering jaw. Roaring in pain he dropped his target, clutching his cracked jaw. Seeing another opportunity Kurai swung at a knee joint in the foreleg, breaking it off temporarily as the mass of bone fell forth. Seeing no use for his sword he instead continuously punched the head with consistent strikes, each one hard as the last. The torso curled up tighter, as he was punching Kurai did not notice the cloak shortening in length as if compressing. “P͠e͘r̷is͟h.̧” Was all Nito said under his breath before the cloak expanded into a mass enveloping the entire body, exploding outwards with the many screams of the skulls used for the body.
Seeing the large black explosion in the distance Applebloom was distracted, hoping that Kurai was not hurt too badly before getting blindsided by a giant skeleton of an ancient barbarian pony. “Applebloom!!” Called out the cowpony, her brow furrowing into a contortion of pure rage as she leapt at the barbarian and beat it until the skull was nothing more than fragmented dust. “You ok?!” She asked through her panting breath, the army slowing down was a sign that it was almost over and for her younger sister to die during this moment would be unbearable. Before another barbarian could split Applejacks skull behind her back Applebloom shot up and cut the corpse cleanly in two.
“I’m fine.” She spluttered through the bone dust which cleared to a scar on her left cheek from the sucker swing. Seeing the worried look on the cowponys face she rolled her eyes. “Really I am, just a scratch.” She smiled brightly. “RD! How long till we get rid of em!?” Noticing the decrease in soldiers she needed a specific amount before she can go and assist Kurai with Nito.
Flying above to get a birds eye view she stared down at the still advancing army. “We should be done in ten minutes flat! Seven if we keep up the pace!”
“Roger that!” Applejack replied, flattening another group of skeletons while the yellow coated hybrid rode one skeleton with her sword firmly between its jaw and skull, pulling back as the skull strained and flew off. Jumping off the corpse wandered aimlessly before dropping.
Laying on the ground after the impact from that explosion Kurai coughed, his armour grinding against itself as he hauled himself up before Nito, fully regenerated, stepped on his chest with a large hoof. “D͡on͜'t b͝o̶t͏he̴r.” He mocked before pushing down, creating a shockwave as Kurai screamed out in pain from the pressure. “Y͢es̛. ҉Sc͢r̛e̢am̵ ͜f͟or me,͏ sh́o͜ùt͝ ́ou̢t̨ ͏yoúŕ l͟ast͜ ́įnsi̧g̷n̨i̵f͏įcan̴t ͡bre̡a͞th̷.” Nito continued to mock, overshadowing the pained screams of his downed opponent. For the first time, Kurai felt powerless. Ever since Ornstein and Smough, the Bed of Chaos and Gwyn, he felt as if he had nothing left to do but wait for his demise and prayers that his friends were alright.
Light, blinding light struck. A familiar burst of lightning striking the back of Nito, this was not the work of the clouds or the prismatic pegasus swiftly taking out groups by the dozen. The clouds cleared to a bipedal figure falling from the sky, shooting off another bolt that stunned Nito into stepping back in a daze before the figure landed squarely onto the horse section of the skeletal body with a hard stab. “Did I miss much?” He called out as his friend sat up, coughing blood from his organs being ruptured by the shockwave of the stomp.
“I’m…fine…” He lied, at this rate he knew he would not survive another assault. And estus was not bountiful on this world, Nito was right, he was reckless and he exploited that, fatally wounding him without even using his sword. Like he was nothing worth fighting. All he could hear now was silence, silence as he saw Solaire get wrestled off and thrown away into the horde where he continued fighting bravely. Silence as he saw Applebloom, Applejack and Rainbow Dash fighting for their lives, and silence as he stood to his feet, coughing up more blood which leaked from the holes in his helmet. If he was to die, it was with a fight. “Nito! Fight me with your blade you cur!”
Obliging to his death wish the gravelord readied his sword as Kurai did with his. Making the first swing with his giant sword, his opponent rolled under the blade, avoiding a cut to his throat. Swinging as well with his own curved blade Kurai aimed for the knee joint again, all Nito did was knock it away with his own. Continuously both exchanged blows, sparks and miasma flying in all directions with the occasional dodge or back step on both sides. Each strike was precise and on target, never missing but always being blocked or dodged. A heavy strike from both caused a small pocket of air around them to explode outwards like a shockwave before the miasma of toxic gas followed outwards, creating a mist. Blinded momentarily he had to rely on the swift bursts of wind the giant sword caused to roll out the way, one cut barely grazing his face and leaving a mark on his helmet. Predicting the next move was easy as Nito aimed for his ankles, jumping over the blade before a skeletal fist knocked him out of the mist. Stumbling backwards nearly falling over he noticed a shadow in the mist galloping towards him, it cleared to reveal Nito with his sword ready to slam down, lifting his shield the attack was blocked with slight difficulty. Pushing forward his enemy staggered backwards, the giant sword out of the way.
When the kneecap was exposed, he finally saw a chance and struck it and it broke from the foreleg again. Kneeling forward the finishing blow was about to be dealt, one clean strike at the neck and it will be all over. Time slowed down for Nito however as he simply parried the swing with the sword, staggering Kurai in the process. A second later, unbelievable pain struck his stomach. He had been riposted and the tip of the sword was now embedded in him, Kurai hung onto the blade as it raised along with Nitos full body. Holding it above his head in victory as his dying opponent slowly slid down the blade, stopping at the widest point. Panting heavily he noticed the graveyards exposed skull as he laughed victoriously at the traitor being slain. Kurais vision blurred as he looked over to see that the horde had been taken care of, his friends standing with their weapons dropped at his hanging body.
Listen here while reading for the full experience.
“Kurai!!!” Appleblooms voice rung out in his head, Solaire having run out of stamina for using his sunlight spears stood in silence. Hearing her voice Nito stared over, surprised his army had been dispatched. “You monster! I’ll kill you! I’ll fucking kill you!” She cried out, charging recklessly at him. Laughing he backhanded her into a shopping cart which shattered. Tossing the limp body hanging off the sword aside like a ragdoll, not knowing his opponent was still alive.
Approaching the downed hybrid, stroking the bloodied blade as if dusting it as well. “Y̨o͟u amu͏s͢e ̶m͏ȩ.̀ B́ut͝ I͏'̕m̷ af҉ra͟i͟d ҉tha͏t́ ́th͜įs̀ lit̷tle ̡to͟w̸n͘ sh͞a͜l͜l͏ ͘b̶e͏ ͝my̧ ̶new͏ ͠re͜s͏tin͠g ͠gr̨ou͟nds.̷ Pe̷acef̛u͟l,͜ I̵ like͢ i̧t.͠ So pea͠ce̸f҉ul I͠ ͜w̕ill͝ n͏o longe̢r̢ ́be̶ di̧s̡turb͠e̶d.” Raising the sword above his head he prepared to strike it into the ground as a piercing scream from a woman was heard. “Now̶ d̀i͜e͟ al͠ong̛ ̡wi͘t̢h̢ ͠yóu͡r ͜'̷fri̴e̸ǹd͝s͠’̷.”
Recognising that scream Solaires blood ran cold. “Rainbow! Grab Applejack and get to higher ground! I’ll grab Applebloom and get to the top floor of a nearby building!” Quickly he ran over to grab Applebloom who was rejecting his help by be beating his back when he lifted her over his back for the sake of getting to Kurai while Rainbow Dash lifted the cowpony with some strain.
Numbness took over his body, the pain was no more. Straining he looked up to see the warrior of the sun running to a building as Nito was bringing his sword down, he knew that they will not make it in time. Grunting to get up, he used the last of his strength to run towards Solaire, knocking him out of the way. Time returned to its natural pace as a giant red sword struck up from where Solaire and his reluctant rescue would be, stabbing Kurai instead like a spike. Breathing heavily to stay alive long enough Kurai reached out an arm in vain, Applebloom wrestled out of Solaires protective clutch and grabbed his hand. “Don’t die! Please!” She screamed, holding his hand.
“Don’t cry…” Kurai spoke weakly.
“You promised you wouldn’t leave my side!” Applebloom shouted, beads of tears forming in her eyes which turned to long streaks when she blinked.
“I know… I’m sorry, but. It would be better if I left this life, than you…” Choking the words out while his blood collected into the ground. “Please… be safe…”
The hand Applebloom clutched went limp, as his last breath was drawn. Sobbing into it after failed attempts to wake him up, a glow took over her hips, being replaced with a cutie mark. It was of a sword breaking against a metal heart shaped apple, ignoring the fact she received one of her life achievements she gripped the limp hand tighter as her sobbing stopped. Grabbing the gravelord greatsword, it felt weightless as she felt a huge boost in power. The reason came from the body of Kurai which was transferring all its souls into her body, she felt stronger. Much stronger than she would ever be. “You.” She gestured to Nito who was watching the whole thing with a mocking skeletal grin. “I’ll fuckin’ kill you.” Running at him she raised the sword and struck hard against Nito who blocked with his own. Something did not feel right for the gravelord, instead of pulling back to strike again she pushed forward, despite the size difference she was pushing him backward with increasing speed while her older sister stood gawking along with Rainbow Dash. Before long she was pushing him through the town, large cracks in the ground from his skeletal hooves attempting to push back. Stomping down they broke off, the rest of his body slowly decaying away from the friction. “Die! Die! Die!” Was all Applebloom could scream to Nitos futile attempts to fight back, the torso was dragged across the ground until finally his head flew off onto the ground. Turning around she noticed that she ran a marathon from one end of Ponyville to the other all for the sake of finishing him off. Glaring down at the skull which attempted to rebuild the broken body, she stepped forward, resting a foot on top of it. “This ones for Kurai.” Cracks appeared on the skull as it screamed and shattered, the black cloak of humanity spraying outwards to signify his defeat.
Catching up first was Rainbow Dash who stared at the remains. “Kid. You. Are. AWESOME!” She punched the air with a hoof, Applebloom smiled slightly at being complimented as well as avenging Kurai.
Finally reaching the other end of town was Applejack, panting for having run such a distance with Solaire not too far behind. Approaching her little sister she gestured her to bring her head forward before smacking it. “Don’t you dare do something reckless like that again.” Then hugging her. “But, you did great, I’m so proud of you.” She spoke through tears of pride.
Minutes after conversing about what they would do now they reached the decision to give Kurai a proper burial before anything else. Only, his body was missing once they arrived. “Wh-where is he?! Is he still alive?!” The crimson maned hybrid questioned to Solaire, hoping he knew.
Shaking his head solemnly he placed a hand on her shoulder. “When the undead or humans in our world die, they disappear into ashes and fly with the wind. The least we should do is simply erect a tombstone in a place of your choosing now. I’m sorry.”
Sighing she stared over to where he was. “I guess we could do that in the farm, you guys go tell everypony it’s over… I need some time alone.”
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Seven years later.
Sitting against a tree, staring at the farmland a now adult Applebloom took a bite out of an apple. Seeing the sun in the middle of the sky she rose to her hooves, ever since turning into a human and pony hybrid she was a little upset to have to abandon the form but whatever made her family happy for the moment. “Keep up the pace Tiara!” She commanded to a sweating and tired Diamond Tiara hauling a wagon full of apples to the containment crates inside the barn. “Until Big Mac gets better from that last tantrum of yours to get out of workin’ after your little fraud court case against the farm you will keep haulin’ them apples until the moon comes up and repeat next morning for the next five weeks!”
Shamed and defeated Diamond Tiara slumped to the ground, covered in dirt which stuck to her bright pink coat. Unfortunately for her this was something her fathers money was not going to save her from this time, first day she was told to run the family business and already she messed up by trying to bankrupt the farm which was her only source of income because of the apple market. Thankfully Silver Spoon took over on Tiaras behalf and seems to be doing a really good job much to everyponies surprise, even becoming good friends with the Apple family at that once she had enough of her bratty ex-friend. “Yes ma’am…” Was all she could say before continuing her long task.
Finishing the apple with a bite Applebloom spat the seeds into a small hole she dug and closed it up, hoping the monsoon season would water it well. Getting up she headed over to a small hill where the trees were absent for a small radius, resting upon the hill was a small tombstone. “I hope you could still hear me, even if you’re not buried here…” She sighed. “I’m glad for the time we had, even if it was short. Anyway I got you another drink!” She piped up to the tombstone, bringing out a corked bottle of apple cider and placing it firmly in the ground next to it and bringing out her own. “Cheers.” She clinked her bottle with the other before chugging away like a champ, burping loudly. “Pardon.” She blushed despite the absence of anypony here to hear. Her ear twitched as she heard the crash of a wagon, sighing she stood up. “Sorry, Tiara must have forgotten to tighten the wheel. Again. See you soon alright?” Applebloom patted the top of the tombstone before running off to help clean up the mess.
Kurai Mokusei
Beloved friend and brave warrior.