A Bhaalspawn in Equestria

by Thadius0

Chapter 21 - Murder Reborn

The creature was huge. It towered in the room, the room was nearly too small for it! It's limbs were comparatively skinny and lanky, yet both ended in a massive hand that was just full of razor-sharp claws. The legs were no better, the feet down there also ended in sharp, dragon-esque claws. Shining almost swore he saw the air itself be ripped as it moved about.

Horns curled back from atop its head, spines trailed down its spine to the tip of the tail it had grown. The torso was huge, the head still had a maw full of pointed teeth and a tongue too long to be considered sane. The eyes had faded to coal black long ago, and the skin of the creature was blood red, while the more...bony protrusions were darker, but still red.

The thing just radiated power and rippled with muscles, and there was this...aura of malice around it. Move, and you're dead, it said. THINK about moving, and you're dead. So much as TWITCH, and I will eviscerate you.

Shining had been through training, he'd been on a few operations for the Princesses during his time in the Royal Guard before he became Captain.

This thing still scared him on levels he didn't know he had.

What was worse was that it hadn't attacked at all. Instead, it had closed its eyes and seemed to be...thinking? Concentrating? It had been like this for a moment, before it let out a bestial growl and stalked over to the window. With a single punch, a hole was made in the glass, and the thing stuck its head outside.

And then it roared.

The sound was like the gates of Tartarus going 'buck this, I'm out, you can stand here and listen to my charges all day.' It was like having your horn dragged down a chalkboard: painful to do, painful to hear. It was like the sound itself was pain incarnate.

Silence reigned after the scream as everypony tried to get their hearing back. The first thing to break it was the sound of the creature talking.

"But...no. This should not be. I am whole. Complete once more. My call should have been answered. The Throne should have heard me, should have recognized me. Perhaps...it is incapable of coming to me? Then I...will simply have to go to it..."

And then the creature began sniffing, which was seen as odd by nearly everypony present. Twilight spoke up first. "Um...what are you doing?"

And it responded. "Searching for that Chaos Elemental. His magic is the only one compatible with my nature, considering we both represent some of the darker aspects of creation. Now that I am whole, I can force a Blood Bridge to happen, and merely...consume him. Then I will be free to seek out the Throne of Blood and resume my form as Lord of Murder."

Those that knew what he was talking about paled, while those that didn't merely gulped at the idea of someone being able to merely eat Discord. Twilight, again, decided to speak up. "You mean Discord, right?"

And then the thing turned its attention to Twilight. "Speak, if you know where the creature hides."

"He, uh, doesn't hide anywhere. We turned him to stone with the Elements of Harmony. He's down there, in the gardens, if you want to see him."

There was silence for a second as the creature digested this information. "You speak nothing but the truth?"

Twilight nodded, and the creature was silent again. And then it did one thing nobody expected.

It began to laugh. The laugh went on for a long, long time, and slowly got more and more demented as it went on.

"BRILLIANT! Just BRILLIANT! The first way I can come up with to get back to the Throne with minimal pain or death involved, and it's already not an option!"

And then it raised one hand up and looked at it while it continued to talk, but this time, in a far more menacing tone.

"Well then, option 2 it is."

It lowered its hand and looked at all the ponies present before he began to do the one thing Big Bads should never do. He began to monologue.

"Remember this day, ponies, for it was your last peaceful one! Until I return to the Throne, I shall plague your lands, murdering as I see fit! So long as I fulfill my role, I will gain strength, a little for every murder I commit! And as such, I will devote myself to turning your lands into a suburb of Pandemonium, until I return there!"

The creature raised itself up and began to bellow then.

"THE SKIES SHALL RAIN FIRE! THE SEAS SHALL BE AS BLOOD! THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL FALL BEFORE THE WICKED, AND ALL SHALL BOW TO THE MIGHT OF THE RAVA-"

And that was when Princess Luna flew in the room and blasted the creature in the back of the head.

"FOUL BEAST, THOU SHALT NOT WALK THESE LANDS! DESPITE WHAT MARKETH HATH SAID TO US, WE SHALL SAVE HIM FROM YOU!"

It has to be said, that while normally it would be a terrible idea to stand up to The Ravager, Luna's stance was simple to understand. The Nightmare had taken her so long ago, and only recently had she been reformed. She knew what it was like to be a slave, a prisoner in your own mind, and she would not stand for it happening again. Especially with something aligned with something so dark as Murder.

That was when everypony noticed the azure chain forming at the base of the creature's skull. It ran to the ground and attached itself to a bolt that had appeared in the floor. The creature turned and growled at Luna.

"Spare me, Order. You and your sister here could not contain me. After all, should all things be dead, it would be extremely orderly, forever."

That was when the creature was struck in the back of the head again, only this time, the blast came from Twilight. The beast let out a low roar at that and turned to look at the unicorn.

"You! Some sort of...Order-Creation hybrid? You will PAY for that, little one!"

By this point in time, Cadence had gotten Celestia out of the cocoon. A violet chain formed from the site of impact, and it, too, attached itself to the ground. Cadence drew a deep breath, but let it out and shook her head.

"Nothing. I'm going to need to get some good rest before I can help with this."

Celestia put her shaky hooves under her and stood up slowly. "I agree. Would you and Shining be so kind as to restore our shield so that we can be sure that we are free of the Changelings?"

Cadence and Shining Armor drew close together, crossed horns, and a pink shield blossomed between them...

...Only for nothing to happen in the city below. The Ravager, however, screamed like a thousand banshees. Getting the idea, the two modified the shield, turning it from a city-wide phenomena into a dome encasing the Ravager's form. It screeched and howled as it tried to get past the energy now restraining it, to no avail. Cadence and Shining uncrossed their horns and shakily made their way over to their now-trapped prey.

"So," Cadence said, "My bonds failed, and yet, staring at you, I still find you to be the monster."

"I am what always lay within the boy. The deepest, darkest desire of his, that hidden shadow behind his heart. I am merely being true to my nature, whereas YOU! You would RESTRAIN his nature! To deny someone the freedom to be what they were always meant to, THAT IS MONSTROUS!"

Cadence slowly shook her head and replied softly. "When you would be free at the expense of others lives, then you are restraining them far more than I am restraining you."

Beaten by his own words, the Ravager screamed to the heavens. Shining and Cadence looked to Celestia and Luna. "Perhaps...should the shield hold, we can return after a good rest and attempt to return him to his normal form?"

Shining sputtered and made to object, while Celestia eyed the demon warily. It was Luna who spoke up first. "Indeed, there are two potential solutions, niece. The first being that together, all of us with sufficient magic attempt to dive within his mind and find Marketh. The second being..." She trailed off while gesturing at the Bearers with a wing.

Celestia slowly shook her head. "I am...uncertain, sister. If this...thing speaks any amount of truth, then I do not know if the Elements can have an effect. Their purpose is to help restore the true nature of a thing, to bring back balance. If...if this is his true nature..."

Luna held up a hoof and glared at her sister. "Do not speak as such, Sister. I have every faith in Marketh, just as you had every faith in me and the Elements." She looked to the soon-to-be-wed couple and smiled sadly. "Rest well tonight, for tomorrow, you will be required." Her eyes flickered over to Twilight as well, as if to indicate that she, too, would be needed.

The ponies left the Ravager to his glowing pink cell and went to recover from the incidents that had rocked their capitol.

-----

The next morning dawned, and the spellcasters were ready. The alicorns, along with the Sparkle siblings, gathered in a loose circle around the Ravager. Waiting in the background were the other Bearers, wearing their Elements. "Okay, so I've had some time to come up with a basic and back-up plan, along with several redundancies in case something comes up which we aren't ready for."

Almost everypony present snickered at Twilight's ability to plan for nearly everything. She ignored them pointedly and continued. "First, we lower the shield. Immediately afterwards, everypony except Luna hits him with a similar binding spell. In my case, I'll reinforce mine. Then Luna reinforces hers, and begins to use her dream-magic. If she's right, and Marketh is merely slumbering inside this...creature, then it should be a matter of finding him, waking him up, and strengthening him to the point where he's the stronger mind again."

Luna nodded. "I am more familiar with his mind and dreams than any creature save himself. I will be able to guide you all easily."

"However, if we fail to restore Marketh, then we can fall back on the Elements."

"Ready an' waitin', Twi," Applejack pitched in.

Celestia spoke up then. "And should both our options fail, then I will be forced to banish him to the most secure place I can think of. Tartarus."

Everypony present gulped at the thought, and Twilight nodded. "Shall we begin?"

Cadence and Shining Armor nodded and cancelled the shield. Immediately afterwards, Shining, Cadence, and Celestia shot beams of magic at the Ravager's head. These morphed into chains that connected to appearing pegs in the ground. One was white, one was pink, and one was sky-blue. Twilight shot a beam at her chain, which had begun to crack slightly under the Ravager's attempts to escape, and the beast merely raised his head and glared at all present.

"You cannot beat me. I will be free, and I will bring my namesake to this land..."

Luna merely snorted and shot some magic to her chain, which the Ravager had ignored. Afterwards, the ponies around the Ravager joined their magic with hers, and they entered its mind...

Author's Note:

I, uh, may have reinstalled the games in question, just to have a little fun...

...or for reference...

Comments

[DavidPony]

seems he was beaten a little easily here....

[Thadius0]

4732552
He was calling for the Throne of Blood for a reason, but never you mind.

We'll get into the mindscape of a demon next time, and if Marketh can be saved.

I haven't made up my mind on that one yet.

[Deve167]

4732574

We'll get into the mindscape of a demon next time, and if Marketh can be saved.
I haven't made up my mind on that one yet.

Brilliant. xD

[DeltaOsprey]

I totally understand. I would hate for you to get anything wrong. Also if at the the same time you entertain yourself while doing some fact checking well we can hardly blame you now can we.