Ultimate Equestria

by Leo Pachino

Chapter 014: Korsan's Requiem

"So then you quit?" The bounty hunter asked.

Nitin Gale was frozen at the counter. His breath was nearly non-existent. Memories of the cloud city attack flickered through his mind.

November pressed herself against the old pony, causing him to snap back to reality.

“Wah-oh, yes…” The old stallion stammered.

He told the young bounty hunter, “Korsan let me and my daughter leave with no resistance; he was surprisingly lenient on the idea of letting his crew members quit. After that, I sailed out here and built this very bar you are standing in. Korsan comes by to visit and gloat about his newest discoveries and raids every once in a while. I always kept myself in the kitchen to avoid talking to the monster.”

“He grows more and more insane each visit,” Novembers said with a taste of disgust in her voice. “Despite his appearance of being a suave, controlled pirate captain, underneath, he’s a monster that won’t hesitate to kill to get what he wants. He usually tries to get me to join his crew and be his ‘special somepony’, but I manage to keep him from advancing too much towards me.”

“Never again shall we work for Korsan. He is the deadliest, nastiest, most insane creature you will ever encounter. I suggest staying away from him at all costs, and never, ever, try to pick a fight with him.” Nitin declared.

The old pony gave a large sigh of relief before turning back into the kitchen. Small murmurs and chatter soon filled the ambience of the chamber, obviously talking about Korsan.

“That’s,” Twilight stammered. “That’s…”

“Horrible!” Dash quietly exclaimed. “Korsan’s pure evil!”

“The plot thickens.” Spike muttered.

“That monster!” Rarity said, furiously slamming her hoof onto the table.

“I feel so sorry for him,” Fluttershy said. “But I also hate him now more than ever.”

“He’s scary.” Sweetie Belle cried.

“We want to go home,” the other two fillies moaned in terror.

“We gotta stop Korsan,” Applejack proclaimed. “He is now a threat to all of Equestria.”

Pinkie was speechless.

Back at the serving counter, the bounty hunter asked November, “So, how often does he visit this place?”

“Once every week or so,” she responded, returning to her deadpan tone. “Why?”

“I just want to know how long I could stick around this place.”

“He’s expected to return this day actually, he’s set up a massive bounty ten days ago and said he would return from an expedition with the bounty ready for him.”

“Has the bounty already been captured?”

“Actually, no, the ten ponies that the bounty was pinned on paid it off. All ten million bits-”

The cloaked stallion slammed his hoof onto the wood counter, nearly slipping from his standing.

“Korsan set up a ten million bit bounty on ten ponies?! He’s actually willing to give up that much money? Where does he get this fortune?” He asked.

“I told you, he’s insane.” November replied.

Within moments, the grey pegasus leaned over the counter, almost touching November’s nose with his. November could see into the pony’s uncomfortable close eyes, she could tell what was going through his head.

“I have to capture him!” November told herself as she read the hunter’s eyes. “I am terrified of him, but I need this money. I want his money, fame, and fortune, all to myself. If I can’t have it, then I’ll die.” Surely, a lost soul I see before me…

“Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!” The bounty hunter proclaimed.

Behind him, in the doorframe with the door wide open, an all too familiar, sinister voice replied, “Right behind you.”

Everypony winced in shock, shrinking into their seats. The bounty hunter looked over his shoulder to see a tall, abnormal shadow, looking at him. A bolt of lightning struck down from the storm outside the bar, revealing the silhouettes of his vast crew of unicorns with the being through the foggy windows.

“Korsan…” The bounty hunter gasped.

The bipedal pegasus started to make his way across the room and up to the frightened bounty hunter, revealing himself in the light of the candles on the tables. His large black cape drooped down to the floor, its corners trailing rainwater from outside as the captain walked. Passing Twilight’s table, the ten heroes got a good look at Korsan’s backside machinery. Clutched to Korsan’s back was a giant mechanical device almost as large as its user’s torso, made completely of shifting gears and pistons.

That’s what he uses to control his body? It’s horrifying… Twilight thought.

“So, a funny thing just recently happened.” Korsan said, slowing down to further distress the grey pegasus before him.

The pirate captain was followed by two of his crew members, joining at his sides.

Korsan told them, “I was just walking into a bar when I heard the funniest joke ever. ‘Where can I find Korsan now? I want what he has; I can take him down if it means becoming the richest pony in the world!’”

The brown pegasus chuckled as he continued his walk towards his victim, with his two lackeys following his lead.

Only stopping a metre away from the bounty hunter, Korsan continued his taunt, “And you know what the best bit about that was? The pony, who said it, was a pegasus. What a laugh am I right?”

All around him, the patrons of the bar laughed nervously, fearing what he’ll do if they did not laugh.

A loud gulp can be heard from the bounty hunter.

He replied, obviously trying to sound intimidating, “So, what did you do next huh? Did you and the challenger fight? Did the challenger proved pegasi were just as good as unicorns?”

The stallion then twirled around to face his body towards Korsan, holding a combat stance.

“Oh, we did fight, more of a banter to be worded correctly, but…”

Korsan gave a side glance to the crew members to his right. The unicorn’s horn glowed and in an instant, the rival’s legs were pulled from under him. The bounty hunter’s torso slammed into the wood floor with his legs being pulled away from him, to the point of nearly being ripped off. The unsuspecting pony looked down to see that a faint red aura was surrounding his hooves.

“The results weren’t what my challenger expected.” Korsan said.

“What? Afraid to fight like a stallion? Needing your lackeys to take on just one pony?”

Another short chortle escaped from Korsan’s vocals. He kneeled down to his opponent’s eye level on the floor, giving him a look of pity of sorts.

“Oh, you poor creature, you actually think that?” Korsan asked.

In one swift gesture, Korsan stretched out his right hoof in front of the grey stallion’s face. The hunter observed in horror as the five spikes attached to Korsan’s shoe transformed into metal dragon claws.

Korsan then asked, “Did you ever have the feeling, of, a great pain?!”

His metal fingers instantly pinched the fallen pony’s nose on cue, causing a large shockwave of pain to rattle through his body.

Korsan continued, “A pain, so great,”

His claw then started to twist the nose, making the pain more unbearable. The stallion roared in pain, squirming in the grasp of an unfazed Korsan.

“But, you can’t do anything about it, making it even more painful? For over twelve years of my life, I had that pain. I was powerless against my family bullying me because they had magic and I did not. Yet I learned a valuable lesson, unicorns are superior, all they have to do is perform a tiny spell, and any non-unicorn is bent to their every will and desire. That’s why my crew and I have been the most effective pirates out there.” Korsan told him. “Got that though your head yet?”

“Then why do they listen to you if they’re all that superior.” The bounty hunter asked.

“Direction, my imbecilic rival, that’s why. Sure they have the magic, but with my help with the invention of physical anti-magic and far superior intellect, we achieve the greatest of riches. And about the whole me-being-a-pegasus part, I plan to fix that.” Korsan said.

“But how?” The bounty hunter squealed, his nose practically sideways. “The only way you can change your race is ascension, and that needs the magic of the most powerful ponies. And so what if you get a horn? It takes years of education to use magic.”

“Not true once again.” Korsan retorted. “I have studied magic all of my life, what types there are, how to use it, how to tamper with it, how to forge it into weaponry, and many other applications of it. I also have gathered a vast variety of books, old and new that go into the history of it, so it should come to no surprise that I would find another way to get what I desire.”

“What?!”

“Alicorn Island, a legendary island somewhere in uncharted waters that is said to have an artifact what will grant a pony the wings of a pegasus, the strength of an Earth Pony, and the horn of a unicorn. I’m so close to finding it as well, I just need a little more time.”

He released his victim’s nose and grabbed him by a wet purple suit hidden under his cloak. The unicorn that was holding down removed his spell, as the bounty hunter is lifted up to Korsan’s standing eye level.

“So, what do you say to that?” Korsan asked.

“I say that you’re playing cheap.” The hunter weakly retorted.

“You still want an actual fight with me? Well, I was going to kill you one way or another. At least it’s going to be fun for the both of u-… wait a minute.”

Korsan’s eye darted down. He noticed the purple silk of the stallion’s suit poking out of the black cloak.

“This silk…” Korsan whispered.

He raised his prey a little higher, pulling his face closer to the suit. The suit was beginning to tear from being stretched so much. The trapped pegasus tried to flaps his wings and escape the iron grip, but the chafing cloak and suit were too soggy from the outside storm and Korsan holding the tight silk up so high wasn’t making the situation better.

The pirate captain started to sniff the purple suit, brushing the tip of his nose over it, and creating a very awkward situation for the stallion above.

Korsan pulled back, and stated his findings, “This mulberry silk has been dyed with Tyrian Purple, a rare and expensive dye made from sea snails only native to the local waters around Saddle Arabia. The stitching of the cloth has been done with the finest precision of magic. The only ponies that would be able to wear such a luxurious piece of equipment would be royalty, bestowed by royalty, or be insanely rich. I know where you got this. This clothing was given to you by the king of Saddle Arabia as a reward for catching a very high level criminal, considering your profession is that of a bounty hunter, you would be chasing after highly dangerous ponies.”

“What?!” The bounty hunter exclaimed.

He was dumbfounded. How did Korsan figure it out?

“How did you know that I was a bounty hunter?” He asked.

Korsan replied, “It was very simple to put the pieces together. Your shadowy appearance, the way you engaged me and my ponies, the fact that you are most likely not from these local waters, and the fact that you are actually willing to fight me, it was so blatantly obvious. Hey, make you a deal, I’ll put you out of your misery and I’ll take your lovely clothing from your body. Promise not to bleed on the suit, and I’ll kill you quickly.”

Korsan laughed once more, cracking at his own joke. Half of his crew outside joined him in the cheer.

Rage swelled in the bounty hunter as the hysterical laughing continued. Furious, the stallion kicked Korsan’s exposed eye with a hind hoof. Korsan screamed in pain as the opponent was dropped from his metal grip. The grey pony sprang into action. Using an unseen weapon attached to his wings, the bounty hunter tore off the cloak and stood in stance.

He and everypony else besides Korsan looked his sides to see the weapons unveiled. Two, heavily armoured, extendable wing blades were attached tightly at the front edges of the hunter’s wings. He opened the wings wide and flapped them down, causing the sharp metal blades to extend to a meter in length.

The stallion pointed the right wing blade at the tip of Korsan’s nose as continued rubbing his eye. He was taken back a bit by how soft Korsan’s nose surprisingly was. Korsan eventually stopped rubbing his eye and looked at the blade about to strike him. He then glanced up at the bounty hunter’s face and into his orange eyes. He saw the eyes boiling with determination. His rival stares back at him, with no fear being shared between the two.

“Korsan, give up these felonious acts and come with me peacefully or I will use aggressive force.” The bounty hunter warned.

“Like you haven’t already?” The captain responded in a cynical, harsh tone. “And besides, we all know you’re simply in it for the money with perhaps some justice on the side. That’s some impressive equipment you got there though. Almost makes me wish I didn’t give those wing blades away.”

The hunter shook his head in disbelief, processing Korsan’s words.

“You made these?” He asked.

Korsan answered, “Yeah I made them. But, due to… unforeseen changes to my body; I had to sell the weapons to the black market, which is where you most likely got them from. Luckily, I always upgrade.”

Korsan then reached both of his claws behind his back and pulled out his serrated cutlasses from deep inside the large back piece of his exosuit. Their bright, green glow greatly contrasted the tavern’s dim lighting.

“You still want to fight?” Korsan asked impatiently.

Korsan spun his two swords with his claws, a blatant attempt on intimidation and a subtle attempt of antagonism. Regardless, he was ready to spill blood.