The Mighty Machines

by Epicdiscord214

Thousands of Years Later

The Neatherealm hadn't done itself any favors since the beginning. The only difference is an immeasurable rise of the population. Creatures of all shapes and sizes have made civilization across the nearly-desolate dimension. They build market stands, tiny houses, and even the tavern where the giant, hooded figure entered.

Once he went inside, he saw many monsters and mystical creatures conversing and drinking. Glowing red eyes escaped the hood as he saw who he was looking for: a walking, tall rat monster with an eyepatch and a missing finger. The hooded figure approached the table and caught the rat's attention.

"Hello, Skit." the hooded figure greeted.

"Oh, it's you." the rat sighed. "Take a seat."

The hooded figure sat across the table from his conversable partner.

"I heard you made quite a name for yourself, Ricky." Skit said. "They're calling you the Shadow Blot. Sounds like that last tip I gave you didn't work out."

"You told me there was a spell that could help me talk to others across dimensions," Ricky said, "But when I got there, all I found was an empty coal mine!"

"Now, hold on!" Skit said. "I said there was a chance there was a spell. I was just passing along a rumor."

"It was just a rumor?!" Ricky asked aggressively.

"Keep it down." Skit said. "Look, after that stunt you pulled on those Underlings, you can't afford to draw too much attention, especially on Kul'as territory."

"Who?" Ricky asked.

"Kul'as." Skit repeated. "Seriously, you've been in the Neatherealm for thousands of years, and you've never heard of the most feared demon ever?"

"I thought that was Arca..."

"Shut it!" Skit said. "You can't say things like that on Kul'as' property! They hate each other. Kul'as is more powerful than Arcanus, but Arcanus has a more powerful army to back him up. With that, those two are at a stalemate."

"All right, then." Ricky said rolling his red eyes. "Just tell me there's a way to come in contact with Equestria. And don't let me chase rumors this time."

"Well, I can assure you, I don't know whether or not there is a confirmed way. Don't forget, the Neatherealm is quite away from Equestria. If you want to know if something is real or not, you're going to have to talk to my boss, Calrisio."

"Calrisio, huh? All right, where can I meet him?"

"Well, I'm not allowed to give his whereabouts to just anyone, but for you, I'll make an exception. Last I heard, Calrisio was headed for the Market Pit east from here. It should only take half a day with your speed. But it's still in Kul'as territory, so you'll be on thin ice. He commands the Underlings, so he should be aware of your activities."

"Market Pit, east." Ricky said. "Thank you, Skit."

As easily as he snuck in, Ricky made it out of the tavern without getting the monster's attention. He walked ten minutes away from the restaurant before deciding to remove his cloak.

Now, here's where you should be reminded that Ricky was no longer a pony. The Discordant Convergence portal mutated him as he entered the Neatherealm. Now, he was a wirewolf, a ten-foot, mechanical wolf creature standing on its hind legs. As soon as Ricky removed his cloak, he tucked it and strapped it to his back. He then crouched to the barren ground about to pounce forward. And that's what he did; sprinted across the field heading to the Market Pit.

---

On top of a dead mountain, a skinny, weak centaur was chained to the rocks under his hooves. He dared not try to struggle out for he gave up centuries ago. Suddenly, he was attended by his three, half-human girls, the Siren Sisters; Serena, Carol, and Melody.

"Lord Arcanus," Serena, the leader, said, "It's Kul'as. He's here for your meeting. And he's here with his Underling army."

"Very well." Arcanus said. "Send him up, along with his most trusted minions."

The Siren Sisters nodded and changed into their siren forms. They flew below and stayed that way for a minute.

When the girls returned, they had four creatures behind them. One of them was a tall, broad-shouldered humanoid with a green-camouflaged outfit. Another was a wirewolf. Another was a small, red dragon the size of a breadbox. The final one was the most intimidating. His skin was pitch-black, except for the purple eyes. He looked like a black crocodile in heavy armor. The most noticeable feature was his four arms, two on each side. That last one was Kul'as, and he approached the bound Arcanus without any fear.

"Kul'as." Arcanus rasped.

"Arcanus." Kul'as retorted sternly.

"Carol." the blue-haired girl mentioned herself. Everyone looked at her in response. "Sorry, I thought we were doing a thing."

"Sister, remember your role in this meeting." Serena said.

"Um..." Carol tried to remember. "Oh! I should be seen, but not heard."

"Preferably, you shouldn't be seen either." Melody sighed.

"Hey!" the tiny dragon shouted as he fluttered in front of the sisters. "Don't interrupt Master Kul'as' meeting, unless you want to face the wrath of Creeper!"

"Creeper?" Serena scoffed and chuckled. "Am I supposed to take you seriously?"

"Ugh." Kul'as said pinching in between his eyes. "I swear, I'll always get a headache from my most loyal minion. Anyway, Arcanus, I wonder why you're calling this parley."

"Simple, my blood rival." Arcanus said. "I couldn't help but hear things, rumors. I've heard you've had your army searching for... it."

Kul'as raised his eyebrow in suspicion. "What if I am?"

"Don't." Arcanus rasped. "You have no idea what you're looking for. It was buried for a reason."

"Let's say, for the sake of argument, that I am looking for it." Kul'as said. "Why are you preventing me from reaching it? If it's as deadly as you say, then you should be waiting for it to destroy me."

"You fool!" Arcanus shouted. "If you do unleash its power, it won't just affect you! All of existence will tremble in its wake! Even my master fears it!"

"You dare call me a fool?!" Kul'as shouted. "I was born in the darkest depths of the Neatherealm while you are from a colorful world full of joy and friendship! What right have you to compare yourself to me?! Perhaps you've forgotten, but I have an entire army at the foot of the mountain and all you've got on you is three halflings whose only magic is carrying a tune!"

"Awe, you hurt my widdle feelings." Serena mocked.

"The point is, I have the numbers in this situation!" Kul'as continued. "How about I just take this opportunity to take you out now?! Frankly, I'm surprised you didn't see this coming!"

"Who said I didn't?" Arcanus asked.

Suddenly, the bug-dressed man was surrounded by a circle of green flames. When the fire died out, in his place, there was a horse-shaped insectoid with holes in her legs and a demonic horn on her head. Even her voice was devilish.

"Surprised?"

"What?!" Kul'as shouted. "What is that?!"

"This is Scynder, queen of the Changelings." Arcanus introduced.

"Changelings?" Kul'as asked. "Then where is the real general?!"

"Don't worry about him." Queen Scynder said. "I locked him in a broom closet before we went into your ranks."

"We?" Kul'as asked.

"Indeed." Arcanus said. "You see, I have Changelings planted in your army. You never know which ones are real and which ones work for me. With a simple command, there can be a riot between your Underlings. Care to threaten me again?"

"WHAT?!" Creeper shouted as he flew in closer to Arcanus. "YOU DISRESPECTFUL, UNDERHANDED, BEAST! YOU DARE HUMILIATE THE GREAT KUL'AS WITH THIS MATTER?!"

Creeper skipped backwards when Arcanus showed a slight chomp. The tiny dragon flew back to his master, who gave the bound centaur a dirty look before turning away.

"Creeper, Aaron, we're leaving." Kul'as rasped as he turned away. He headed back to his army without any idea who's on his side.

"Lord Kul'as, do you need to relieve some stress?" Creeper asked. "Do you need me to help you calm down again?"

Suddenly, Kul'as top-right claw grabbed the tiny dragon and the demon smashed him on the ground a dozen times. The wirewolf working for him just rolled his eyes. When Kul'as was done hurting his minion, Creeper was able to talk in pain.

"Are you feeling better now, master?"

"Actually, yes." Kul'as replied. "Yes, I do."

"Master, we're seriously not going to listen to this poser, are we?" Aaron, the wirewolf, asked.

"No." Kul'as said. "Don't you see? Even Arcanus is scared of what we're looking for. That's all the more reason to obtain it. Just keep it between us, and Creeper, go pick up the map."

Author's Note:

The characters of Skit and Creeper are my own OCs. I was originally going to call the dragon Nogard, but Creeper was a lot more creative.

Comments

[Hairy Konquerer]

Excellent. very excellent. and to anyones confusion, Kul'as is a villain OC of mine I let him use