It was a dark night. Snow covered every inch of the land and trees as a bandaged pegasus slowly stumbled through a clearing only to find herself confronted with a fire. She had been seeking it for it was cold and she was flightless. Slowly she peered around looking for that who tended the fire and she found a snow covered figure lying still, heavily layered in armor leaving no soft essence of skin exposed. Even his tail had mail woven through and through. “If you’ve come seeking rest you may have it,” said an old voice from within the armor itself. “Please I ask, do mind your manners. I would hate to have to kill you.” When she sat herself down he raised his head causing some of the powder to fall to the ground from his almost snow buried bodie. Quietly he said, “I see. You come from the capital. Come to escape those who descend from Istudious?” His voice was old, gravelly even, but not weary for this stallion still had plenty of life held within him. “You're not one for speaking it seems. I don't mind, no need to worry. The company is all that I seek. You see it gets a little lonely being unjustified. A drifter floating about life from one place to another seeking… a purpose. Only when that purpose is fulfilled it's back to the same repetitive cycle.
“This wasn’t always my life you see. I remember the days during the end of the magic era. Yes I remember the battle between Noriphmy and Aminus, the black dragon. Contrary to popular belief the battle was not three days but mere moments that seemed to last an eternity. Two nations destroyed and one last nation saved by our mysterious figure, Noriphmy. The very name we endowed this nation with. I was a colt then but those who say he was of three were wrong. I was there. He was an earth pony like I, yet he wielded magic unlike any other. With a haisty victory he and the dragon disappeared. Yet defeat doesn’t always mean death. That was apparent not to long ago.
“However an all powerful dragon was and is still, mortal, and mortals make mistakes they… miss things. Noriphmy may have been spared but Istudious was ravaged, but yet it still lived. Decades, no, centuries we believed they were dead but we were wrong. Now here they are. An invasive race. Turning the stallions of nobility into geldings and monstrously planting their seeds within the soil of our nation. Selectively I do say. Do we deserve it? It would be hypocritical of me to call them, monsters.
“I was in my prime during the golden age of banditry. I wasn’t a bandit but I was very briefly a Falconer. You may have heard of him. Kojin was his name when I met him, but he was a stallion of many names. Rendetic, Bawl, Havel. The very one who briefly led this nation. Story of his origin was he killed every bandit that over took his village as a colt. He was the first to perfect movement in combat through hunting, rabbits, of all things. Falconers call them hunting styles and they mimic the decisive nature of those rodents with its indecisive leaps and bounds.
“But after he was a Falconer he started a new group. One that I was apart of. We developed a different fighting style and with it we rid the nation of all its bandits, earth, pegasus and unicorn alike. We fought like beast but not just any beast, we fought like the greater beast through strenuous exercise. No pony need be a unicorn to be deadly while under our oath. Often times we killed unicorns and stripped them of their catalyst as trophies after battle. We experimented with those who we’ve captured trying to unlock the secrets held within their blood. We did horrible things and often times we justified it by them being bandits and evil. A unicorn abusing his magic to do unjust things in the name of power was by nature evil.
“That didn’t stop the capital from putting an end to us. Peacefully that is. We still had honor in our practices and we did it to serve Noriphmy. Our nation came first. After that Havel, his name at the time, went back to being a Falconer like many others, but me… I became unjustified, a drifter with no purpose. I never hurt the innocent I only did what was right without the bounds of any rules or oath. Just me myself. I took care of villages and helped a few teams but the loneliness can be a little overbearing and being purposeless only adds to the burden.
“Now however I have a purpose more than ever. I revert to beliefs that our nation holds, ‘in ashes you find embers. Embers to rekindle the fire that we hold within us. And like our fire our nation will spread. Never to be put out or smothered, always to once again to spring up from the ashes reborn.’ Fire being the glory of our nation, ashes as destruction, embers being the determination and the strength of the ponies or Noriphmy.
“Days ago my embers have dimmed at seeing the hopelessness of our nation and it has driven me to the lands of Carridian like you yourself. I was going to seek solitude and escape from this madness but I was driven back to Noriphmy not to long ago. I had a dream and in this dream I stood against Istudious in the streets of the capital and when I awoke I knew. Even if it is in vain I am to die at the sting of a blade and in bloody bloody glory in presence of Noriphmy. An honorable death in a life filled with honorless endeavors.
“But you, I hope you find what you're looking for out in the lands of Carridian unlike I. Like me your embers have dimmed but hopefully with the new found strength of mine yours have brighten a little at least. Come the morning I will be leaving as you will too. I would hate to be known as a stranger so you may know me as Vaati Lavidya. Although like Kojin I had many names but you can trust that it is my first. As for you, I can respect your vow of silence. There is no need to speak. Were on good terms and again I hope I’ve ignited something within you.”
The mare had been listening while she laid down staring deep into the fire with her muzzle laid between her concealed, carefully wrapped fore hoofs. Vaati laid his head back where it was previously engraven in the snow and together they laid there. For the moment there was no Noriphmy nor Istudious. Not a warrior, monster, beast or conflict. Just them, two strangers, and this peaceful moment of isolation.
The room was dark save it for the light that leaked in from the rusted rafters above. There were four ponies; two earth, one pegasi, and one unicorn that to the others, was a stranger. He sat in the middle, but not by himself as he was partnered with a device that suited him down with metal bars rendering him immobile. Around his head was a helmet looking device if you could call it that for it left almost no protection with bars running along the side of his head with a handle protruding forward were the mouth was. He was unable to move and he frantically began looking around the darkened room yielding few visual results.
“I see you’ve finally woken up,” said one of the three figures. The unicorn tried to speak but he found his voice was muffled and so he began to panic. “Ease, ease. All we want is your cooperation. I’m sure you know why you're here so let us get started.” As the unicorn watched through the corner of his eyes unsteadily breathing, an earth pony lightly suited in armor with a streamlined helmet that completely hid his face stepped forward into clear view. His armor was made of metal but lined with leather allowing it to bear exquisite designs of art. Blood stained art. One unusual thing about this particular earth pony was his tail was long and even it had armor weaved within it. It was common practice to keep tails trimmed short as they could be a hazard to the host amidst the glory of the battlefield. In the unicorns panic he found that he was beginning to have a hard time breathing as his mouth was gagged. The earth pony took noticed and said, “Here allow me.” He pushed on his rounded chest piece button and as a result his gauntlets he wore on each hoof shot out a blade, only to his left fore hoof, equal on both sides and with it he sliced away the cloth that covered his mouth.
The unicorn quickly spat out the cotton folds of strong tissue and said, “Where am I?”
The earth pony retracted the blades through the same means and answered, “depending on how you behave, your final destination? Or perhaps a simple stopping point. It doesn't have to be this way you see. We just want some answers. You’ll know me as Mulard Adbawl. It's a pleasure to meet you, even under such substances. Now we need answers and we need them now.”
“I would rather see myself dead,” he spat on the ground just barely missing the hide of Mulard.
Looking up in anger he said, “I can see to that your wish is granted.” Instantly he pushed on the handle that was attached to the visor of the unicorn forcing his head leftwards accompanied with the sounds of clicking as it did so. “Let's start with your name. I would hate remain strangers.”
Gasping at the sudden abuse as his head was turned locking into place unable to look back. “What is this? Let me go!” He cried in panic.
Again Mulard pushed the handle letting it click and lock into place except this time only a few degrees counter clockwise. “Your name!”
“Yunagawl,” he hastily answered.
“Now,” he said as he began to circle the contraption. “Where are your hideouts. Where you and your bandits retreat to. I've grown tired of their presence and it's time for them to be rid of for good.”
“I-I don't know,” He answered, “we don’t-NAH!!!” Mulard pushed again and Yunagawls head turned even more counterclockwise locking into place in a terribly uncomfortable angle.
“Interesting isn’t it?” Mulard said as he patted the vice around Yunagawls head. “Gears are a wonderful piece of technology. Invented to aid earth ponies to hunt monsters during the great rising. It's what enables these blades you see here,” he emphasised by flashing a blade that protruded from his gauntlets that he wore on his fore hoofs. “It's what makes me so effective on the battlefield however even when I perform exceptionally in combat it wasn’t first without the aid of,” he retracted the blade. “A unicorn.” He moved in closer and said, “You see I have the capability of ripping that catalyst you have there right, off, of, your, skull. Without the assistance of some unicorn. I'm sure you’ve heard the shouts of the former but I have no time for torture so again where are they?”
“Its-its the same answer I swear I just MEGH!!! AH!“ There were two clicks this time and his neck really began to strain.
“There's only so much you can take isn't there,” he said tilting his head. “The record holds out at a hundred and ten degrees in any given direction. You past ninety already however my wager is the record will still hold regardless.”
“I swear again I swear!!!” he pleaded.
One click, “You will tell me right now. Your group has killed four falconers and caused a fifth in collateral.”
“None of it was my doing. My hoofs are clean.”
“No,” he said calmly. “Far from clean. You unicorns; always thinking you're entitled to something greater, something more. Always boasting your magic and flaunting it on the battlefield. Made much worse against innocent defenceless villagers. Manny earth pony. Manny pegasi. Now I will ask once more…” He rested a hoof on the device.
“They retreated into the mountains,” he said franticly. “Further past into Carridain.”
“Were,” he said looking him straight in the eyes. Yunigawl only gave him a confused look with eyes darting back and forth looking for an answer. It wasn’t his fault, Carridain was poorly mapped and not all locations had names however Mulard felt Yunigawl still knew. “You see Yunigawl,” he began as he patted the lever attached to the vice threatening to push it further. “I know the king and I can have you arranged to be destroyed and forgotten from this world. No loved ones, no family, no friends.” His voice suddenly became much more intense. “If you don't tell me where your bandit party retreated to I will feed you dead, decaying corpse to the champions at the Magnolive Estoc where they will devour you quickly and violently ripping, tearing you apart till your none but unrecognizable and forgotten.”
Yunigawls already trembling body became even worse at Mulards intensity. “I… They retreated to the mountains of Carridian. There's nothing more, there out there.”
“General location. Landmarks, pathways, beacons. Tell me.” Two more clicks for good measure.
“I don't know I made the journey once,” he cried.
Mulard shook his head and said, “Then I have no use for you.”
“Wait,” Yunigawl shouted just as Mulard place his hoof on the lever one last time. Mulard gave him his full attention and through gasp he said, “I-I can show you the way. I promise I know how to get there.”
“Why should I trust you especially after you just betrayed your own kin? One back is the same as any other.”
“It's not the same,” he whispered. “I'm a beast, I swear.” Mulard looked to his two companions silently watching. “I swear, I swear,” Yunigawl gasped.
Mulard leaned his head forward and said, “for only this once will I trust you. Afterwards you'll be handed to the keepers at Safeguard.” Mulard then turned away and headed for the doorway with a lever position just next to it. Mulard pushed it forward and Yunigawls head swiveled forward releasing him from its grip, spitting him to the ground. “Keep watch of him. I have a small army to assemble.” And with that he left Yunigawl in the company of the earth pony and pegasi both of whom were equipped to neutralize and with armor to protect.
Vaati raised his head and took stock of his surroundings. Still dark, fire still burning strange injured pegasus still slept. He let out a deep sigh at the memory of his dream. How tiring it all was protecting Noriphmy doing his duty whatever that may have been. He allowed himself to sit up in the snow and he set his gaze to the emptiness of the west were the sun would soon rise. He sat there and he began to think. Nothing more, he just allowed himself to be lost in thought letting time slip by.
He heard the sound of shifting snow and he turned his head to see the bandaged pegasus standing right next to him observing the same emptiness. “Ah hello stranger pegasus,” he said greeting her by her class. He felt exhausted not physically but mentally and spiritually. “I’ve been thinking; such a past time is dangerous, but still I have had intrusive thoughts.” He could now start to detect faint traces of sunlight coming from the horizon indicating it would soon be day. He continued, “again I've been thinking. The days are repetitive, the moments forgetful. What is it we do us Noriphmians? The miners mine, the loggers log and the farmers till the ground in a repetitive cycle that begins anew at the start of each year, each month and every day.
“You would think with our nation being in isolation that it would be something grand and with peace. Instead we, I, lived my life fighting… evil that seems to never be smothered, almost as if only existed to balance out good. We were the only nation, even though it may have been a lie we were the only nation so there should have been peace? What happened? What made us fight one another what drove handfuls of ponies to murder? It's just… exhausting.
“What am I, in this very moment here for? Such a question, my only answer was to march myself off to slaughter because then out of selfish desire would I feel… accomplished. It's tiring. Nothing more, just tiering.” He let out a deep tiresome sigh as the sun began ever so slightly to peak over the horizon as once again he began to think. “Why am I here? Is it strange to question your very existence? Surely if any being could ask why or wonder about the very world they live in it must be what it means to live. To be thinking…” He looked back to Noriphmy that laid just behind him, towards the distant lights that shown off in the distance. “Perhaps I am to die, but maybe just maybe I could rescue the prince from captivity.” He then spontaneously, albeit slowly stood up and began to gradually make his journey. “I appreciated your company, your very kind but here is where I de-” He was cut off as he noticed she was now following him as he made way. He stopped and asked, “why do you follow. Even after I’ve been so abhorrent.” She didn’t answer but instead came closer. Vaati didn’t know what to do, how could he say no to free will. She didn't refuse him of his self destructive desire. His final journey, last self given quest, would be one with great danger not that it hasn't before, but this time he didn’t expect victory. Only defeat. How lonely it would be. “Fine.”