Ulric stood atop a hillside in the light day, holding his helmet at his side while looking down on the town known as Appleloosa; the town had apple trees all around it, each one full of juicy red apples (he knew since he tried one) despite the desert environment. The dogs were trained well, and for once they were well-equipped; a few had iron armor on that they had stolen from kidnapped guard patrols. They also had a few iron swords as well that only the higher ranking dogs had, while the lower ranked dogs had clubs and curved daggers; Ulric had to tell them where to hit a pony specifically to get the best results of damage, mainly around the back of the head, back of the legs, neck, or balls if necessary.
He turned to his dogs with a large smile, each one staring at him with greedy smiles. These dogs were again allowed to steal anything that was valuable, whether it be worth intel or gold. This time, hopefully, they won't retreat without Ulric's word. If they do, more discipline through fear would fall upon these mutts.
He yelled a battle-cry, raising his sword to the sky, the dogs yelling along with him and howling, pointing their weapons towards the sky too. Ulric then turned to Appleloosa, pointing at it with his sword. Then came the rumble of hundreds of stampeding dogs, each howling and roaring as they ran towards the poor town.
As he watched the dogs charge, he saw the citizens of Appleloosa kick over barrels to take cover behind as they began throwing... pies? They threw pies?! How stupid are these ponies?! Unless the pies were laced with acid, there is no possible way that they'll do damage to the dogs! Sighing, Ulric continued to watch as his dogs jumped over the barrels, knocking ponies out and killing a few. It continued like that as he watched the dogs break into homes, steal some valuables, set them on fire, and go onto the next home. But, when they reached a saloon of sorts, they were pushed out, surprisingly.
Ulric smiled as he saw three large and bulky creatures push the dogs back, their bodies covered in more fur than a pony. Taking a guess, Ulric guessed that they were the natives of the land who have good relations with the ponies. Taking a closer look, Ulric saw that a smaller version of the large creatures was jumping on top of the bigger creatures and cutting at the dogs while said bigger creatures pushed them back.
It was working, and Ulric needed to intervene to show that it wasn't just a random Diamond Dog raid. Of course, they'd be blind if they didn't recognize it yet.
Ulric approached the dogs that were trying to push through bulky creatures guarding the place, and he whistled as loud as he could, catching their attention. They all took a few steps away from the bulky creatures, turning their heads to acknowledge the whistle. When they all saw Ulric, they smirked smugly at the bulky creatures before backing away and giving Ulric enough space to fight.
Ulric stepped forward, taking in the looks of the bulky creatures as they eyed him cautiously; each one had brown fur, wearing a loincloth to cover up. Primitive. The first one to speak wasn't the big creatures, but the small one instead, who wore a loincloth and a cloth that covered her flat chest, "You are no Diamond Dog." Ulric nodded in agreement, motioning towards them suggestively, "What is it?"
Ulric sighed before whistling, Tough appearing from the crowd of Diamond Dogs. Tough was Ulric's voice for the time being, and so he spoke, "His Majesty would like to know your names before the fight."
The small one eyed Tough cautiously, "I am Little Strongheart of the Buffalo, and these are my bodyguards." She leaned forward and glared at Ulric, "State your name."
Tough glared at Strongheart, "You best show a little respect towards His Majesty, otherwise you'll find your tongue removed from your mouth. And his name is Ulric, King of the Diamond Dogs." Ulric bowed; he may attack unprovoked, but at least he still has manners.
Strongheart glared daggers at Ulric, "You attack this happy town, kill at least a dozen ponies, burn homes, steal valuables, and for what?! Personal gain?!"
"His Majesty doesn't ha-"
"YES HE DOES!" Strongheart exclaimed, turning her glare to Tough, "He has ordered you all to kill innocents! Even if you do receive a few Bits, what of your morals? How could you follow him without question?!"
Tough sighed, "Because, he could easily kill us all with ease, even when he is unarmed." Ulric nodded approvingly; at least someone knows what'll happen if he is betrayed. Then Tough smirked at Strongheart, "But he is indeed a terrific and generous leader."
Strongheart glared at Ulric, "I, Little Strongheart along with my bodyguards, challenge you to a fight to the death!" Ulric raised a brow, cocking his head to the side. "Don't let my stature fool you, I am a powerful foe." Sighing, Ulric lightly pushed Tough back into the sea of Diamond Dogs that surrounded the outside of the saloon, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Buffalos.
They instantly took action, charging at him at the same time. Ulric has been in a situation like this back in Drangleic, and will not fail like he had long ago. He threw his sword at the Buffalo on his left, piercing through the Buffalo and freezing him. Ulric then charged at the other two who had hesitated when they saw their friend get stabbed, quickly kicking the one in the middle in the stomach, while the one on the right took notice and sent a curled fist at Ulric. Said man grabbed the Buffalo's fist, stopping the punch easily while the Buffalo stood in awe. Ulric shoved the Buffalo back, taking the time to snap the other one's neck quickly. He then charged at the other, kicking the Buffalo's leg inward and snapping his neck like the other.
He slowly stood straight, turning his head to Strongheart who glared at him. She pulled out a dagger and charged at Ulric, screaming in rage and sadness. Before she could hit Ulric, he grabbed onto her wrist, causing her to drop the dagger as he twisted her hand and she screamed in pain. He then kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the saloon. Such a weak foe... she's probably not even worth Ulric's time. He should just order the dogs to capture her while he continued the raid, but where's the fun in that?
Strongheart ran out of the saloon and towards Ulric, a smashed bottle in her hand. When she lunged at Ulric, he side-stepped out of harms way casually and watched as she lunged again as soon as she landed. It continued on like that; side-step, lunge, side-step, lunge... until Ulric got bored.
When she lunged, Ulric side-stepped like usual, but grabbed onto her hind-leg and slammed her on the ground. Strongheart groaned in pain, while Ulric smiled victoriously, walking over to her and putting his foot on her back. He reeled his head back, letting out a barking laugh as he raised his fist in the air. The dogs cheered, glad that their leader had won the fight.
As the dogs continued to cheer, Ulric looked down at Strongheart with minor disdain; she said she'd be a powerful foe, but turned out to be no better than these dogs. He turned to the dogs, pointing at Strongheart and nodding. A few dogs nodded back, running over and grabbing Strongheart. They then began walking in the direction of the Everfree, taking Strongheart as prisoner. Ulric may allow his dogs to kill innocents, but allowing them to kill a child is not allowed.
Ulric then looked to Tough, who nodded back at Ulric while turning to the dogs, "Alright, mutts! Last building! Bring it down!" The dogs went to work, barging into the saloon with their weapons bared and howling. The screams of the innocents were short-lived as the dogs cut them down with ease and little resistance, stealing valuables and any weapons. Hell, he saw one taking a few pies out of the saloon.
Then the dogs began ripping at the walls and supports of the saloon, their claws easily tearing them to shreds. Soon enough, the entire saloon began groaning and wobbling, and with one gust of wind, it fell. The dogs howled and cheered, raising their weapons in the air as a few other dogs threw torches at the rubble, setting it ablaze.
As the dogs howled, Ulric's ears perked as he heard the clanking of armor; it wasn't his dogs, they all heard it too and were looking around. Someone was hiding, but not for long as Ulric watched Tough order a few dogs to check what it was. Said dogs silently searched, each one cautiously looking around corners. Of course, as Ulric suspected, the sound of yelps met his ears as the dogs had most likely been killed or knocked unconscious. Ulric sighed, whistling to the other dogs and catching their attention. He then pointed his finger to the sky and made a circle motion.
The dogs nodded, surrounding him in a circle while facing outwards, their weapons at the ready. Once they were in position, Ulric held his fist in the air, the area around them as silent as it could be. Anything that sounded or looked out of place would be attacked; best strategy if something is hiding. Well, maybe not as good as hunting them, but Ulric saw how well that went.
After a few minutes of silence, Ulric was about to let his guard down until he heard the clanking of armor. His head snapped towards the end of the street, and what he saw almost amazed him; golden-armored ponies walking in an orderly line. The front wielded spears, while the back wielded swords, and behind the swords were the archers.
As Ulric was about to order the dogs to attack, Ulric heard the sound of clanking armor coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that their were more ponies, just like the others. But the one leading them stood out more than the rest; a tall, white mare with wings and a horn dressed in golden armor, with a spear that she held at her side. It was probably the other Princess, Celestia.
Ulric smiled, turning to Tough and nodding. Tough nodded back, turning to the others, "Alright, mutts! Let's do what we do best! ATTAAAACK!" The dogs howled, each one charging the pony soldiers with the ferocity of dragons. The ponies pointed their spears at the dogs, but the dogs charged anyways, a few allowing themselves to be stabbed so their brethren could get through and kill the ponies. The clash was loud as the screams of both Diamond Dog and Pony were heard. Dust was in the air as each side began suffering heavy losses, the bodies of both Diamond Dogs and Ponies cut open like gutted fish.
But, the Princess charged Ulric, who stood still with a smile on his face. She leaped into the air, pulling her spear back and preparing to skewer Ulric. He saw this coming, stepping to the side as the spear stabbed the air while raising his sword, quickly bringing it down on the spear. It was cut in half, removing the sharp tip from it's wooden body. He then grabbed onto the end that Celestia was holding onto and pulled it towards himself with great strength.
Celestia pulled back with the same amount, before letting go and causing Ulric to lose his footing. As he tried to regain his footing, Celestia flew straight towards him and gave his jaw a swift uppercut before kicking back a few feet. Ulric shook his head, getting rid of the dizziness and allowing himself to focus on the battle. Looking at Celestia, his eyes locked onto hers, even though both of their eyes were almost hidden behind a helmet. As they stared each other down, Ulric began walking forward, dropping his weapon onto the ground. Celestia saw this and looked down at the sharp tip of her spear, then back to Ulric.
As foolish as it was, Ulric decided that fighting an unarmed enemy with a blade was unfair. He always respected fair fights, so if his enemy loses a weapon, he loses his. Celestia took in a deep breath, before letting it out in a long sigh, walking towards Ulric with a glare. She appeared to see it the same way, unless she decided to suddenly grab the tip of her spear. But Ulric decided to take the risk.
As they neared each other, Ulric slowly picked up the pace by jogging. Celestia did the same, and soon enough they were both sprinting towards each other. Ulric raised his fist and leaped into the air, before quickly bringing it down on Celestia. But Celestia dodged the punch and grabbed onto his arm, using Ulric's momentum to slam him onto the ground. Ulric quickly arose, but was quickly put back into harms way as Celestia sent a flurry of punches at him. He blocked most of them, but a few got to him. And just when he thought she was going to continue her flurry of punches, she decided to give him a powerful uppercut that sent his helmet flying off. He reeled back from that attack, his mind sent into more dizziness. Once he got his senses back, he glared at Celestia, who was stunned, probably because of his facial appearance. Ulric took this time to charge Celestia, and as she stopped staring at the scar on his head, her muzzle was met with a punch from Ulric, sending her into the sea of Ponies and Diamond Dogs clashing.
He took the time to get some stamina back into his system by standing straight and putting his hands on his hips. What a trying battle, probably worse than when he fought the Nameless King. He had died many a time during it, but he eventually studied the Nameless King's moves and got the hang of it. But for some odd reason, his body already knew when to dodge and when to attack. Usually, when he goes up against an opponent as strong as Celestia, he dies at least once. Maybe it's his battle-hardened senses from the many years of rekindling the First Flame and defeating those guarding it.
He soon heard Celestia flying towards him, and he turned just in time to see her grabbing under his armpits while flying into the air. He was brought along with her, and he watched as the ground got further and further away, and soon enough he and Celestia were above the clouds. He could see the bright sun in the distance sitting upon the horizon, but that's not what he was focusing on. No, the fact he was still going up worried him. He had to stop this, but if he goes crashing down, he'll die. If he keeps going up, he'll die from the lack of oxygen. Only the Gods can survive any higher.
He cursed himself for what he was about to do, reaching past Celestia and grabbing onto her wings, snapping them like twigs. She screamed in pain, letting go of Ulric. But Ulric didn't let go of her, instead continuing to hold onto her wings as they got closer to the ground. Ulric climbed up Celestia like a rope and grabbed onto her head, using the weight of her body to make it to where her head was pointing at the ground. He then began punching her, and she punched back with full force. As they fell through the sky, the Dogs and Ponies stopped fighting and watched in awe as the two leaders proceeded to fight to the death even as they fell to the ground. Then, when their bodies almost hit the ground, Ulric pushed himself away from Celestia and pulled out his golden drink, the Estus Flask, and took a full swig. Then their bodies smashed into the ground a millisecond later, causing dirt and dust to be sent into the air.
The Diamond Dogs and Ponies ran to their respected leaders, forgetting about the fight. Each side held their breath as they awaited to see if their leader had been killed, and the area was silent. Suddenly, the Ponies cheered as Celestia arose painfully, the dented armor and mangled wings doing a number on her body. However, the Dogs were not so cheerful as their leader was still lying in the dirt, not breathing and his eyes remaining closed. The Dogs' ears were folded, and they heard the Ponies surrounding them, but didn't even flinch. Their leader was laying on the ground, but appeared almost unharmed! Yet he isn't breathing... he could be dead...
No, the Dogs wouldn't accept it, their leader couldn't be dead! He wouldn't simply die on the battlefield, that wasn't the way he worked! But yet there he was, laying on the ground without moving a muscle in his body. As the Ponies surrounded them, the soldiers brought cages and opened them. The Ponies then poked the dogs into the cages, and took them away. However, Celestia and two other guards approached Ulric and stared at him.
"He drank something before he hit the ground." Celestia stated, leaning over him and studying him closely, "It just wouldn't make sense if he simply did that for no reason..."
The guard on her right spoke, "Princess, permission to speak freely?"
"Granted, Shining Armor."
"I must say that it is likely that it was a healing potion mixed with a sedative. He could very well be alive, but unbreathing; I learned this during my time in Zebrica. And the fact that he is a different creature than a pony could mean that he doesn't need to breathe as much as Ponies do." He put his horn against Ulric's head to check for a heart beat, but quickly removed it in shock.
Celestia took notice of this, "Captain Armor, what is it?"
He blinked twice at Ulric, before turning to the Princess with shock, "He has dark magic inside of him, Princess. A lot of it."
Dark magic? Why would dark magic be inside of a creature such as this? Celestia put her horn on Ulric's head, "I will remove the dark magic from this creature, but I suggest you two stand back." Shining and the other guard took a few steps back, watching as Celestia proceeded to remove the dark magic. Suddenly, Ulric screamed in pain, his body shaking rapidly as his eyes were wide with shock. He screamed for almost a full five minutes before Celestia pulled out some sort of black liquid through his mouth. Ulric had stopped twitching rapidly, but the black liquid didn't. It was shaking rapidly and trying to reach Ulric. Celestia glared at it, "This is indeed dark magic, but a unique one."
"Which is?" Shining asked, looking at the black liquid in a disgusted manner.
Celestia looked over her shoulder at Shining Armor, "A curse."
Shining sighed, "That could explain why he has killed so many innocents without a sliver of remorse." He looked down at Ulric, "Although I find it unlikely."
Celestia nodded, "I do too, but if it didn't influence him at all, then what did it do?"
Shining thought for a moment, before looking at Ulric quizzically, "Maybe it removed his voice..." He nodded, "That must be the reason! He didn't command his Diamond Dogs with words, but instead whistled. Then there's the fact that he made one of the Diamond Dogs order the others around instead of doing it himself! It all adds up!"
Celestia nodded in agreement, "I do believe so, and we will see when we interrogate him in the dungeon." As she said those words, two guards carrying a metal box landed next to Celestia, as if on cue. The two guards lifted Ulric together, tossing him into the box and closing the lid. They then locked it. That would prevent Ulric from trying to escape. The guards then ran over to the train station that was somehow still standing and put him onto the military train that was waiting to move back to Canterlot. Celestia turned back to Shining, "Would you please keep an eye on the creature? If he were to escape, he'd continue this slaughter." Shining nodded, turning and heading to the train. "Oh, and Captain?" Shining turned back to Celestia, "If he at all talks, ask him questions." Shining nodded, continuing to the train.
Celestia sighed, turning to the other guard that had yet to speak, "Lieutenant Shield Wall, you have yet to speak. What is on your mind?"
Shield sighed nervously, "If I may say this, Princess, I do believe that taking this creature into Canterlot, our capital, isn't wise. We should kill it while we still have the chance."
Celestia shook her head, "Lieutenant, not only is that considered dishonorable, it would be unwise."
Shield sneered, "Please explain how it would be dishonorable and unwise."
"Simply put it would be murder, as he is unarmed and defeated. We are a country that promotes peace and tranquility, not savagery or execution! And the reason to it being unwise is that we can learn a lot about what he is and what his people acted like. As far we can tell, that creature is not native to Equus." She finished with minor curiosity.
Shield shook his head, "He killed several innocents today, Princess. He should be executed, and the fact you're not taking responsibility of it is all the more concerning."
"Watch yourself, Shield." Celestia stated, glaring at Shield.
Shield sighed, "I hope you know what you're doing." He then walked off, probably going to walk all the way to Canterlot. Celestia rolled her eyes, walking to the military train. Although this creature did indeed kill many innocents today, Celestia refused to step down to his level by killing an unarmed foe that has no way of fighting back. She knew why Shield was upset, but that did not give him an excuse to bring up execution as an option. It had been banned from Equestria long ago. But... if the creature continues the way he is, they may have to use execution as a way of ridding the world of such a beast.