To Live Again

by _No_One_Remains_

Kuja Day Fourteen: A Crushed Conflict

I sat by the campfire all night long, watching the stallion for any sign of suspicious activity. My companions, on the other hand, rested quite comfortably in their bags. I’m not sure what compelled me to watch Brawny, but I slowly developed a sense of dread as the night passed. At one point I even believed there to be figures moving in the distance—hostile figures. Eventually the sun rose over the horizon, and we packed up camp and continued on our way down the tracks.

The day passed in moderate silence. The further we continued down the path, the tenser Brawny seemed to get. Mr. 33 continued on in blissful ignorance of the stallion’s suspicious nature. Mr. 111 frequently sent me silent messages, ensuring I was still keeping my guard up. He was well aware of what I felt now that we’d been in Brawny’s presence for over a day. I was glad to have at least one other companion on my side in this scenario.

It was funny, to tell the truth. He attempted to not act suspicious, and yet that very attempt is what gave him away to me. He tried so hard to look innocent that, when it became revealed that he was a traitor, 33 was the only member of our group to actually be surprised. I can still hear his quavering voice as I approached those bandits.

Just as the sun was beginning its slow decline into the horizon of the west, we approached the stretch of train tracks connecting the Appleloosa and Ponyville sides of Ghastly Gorge. Ah, it was a beautiful sight. To look over the emptiness of the gorge and see the orange sunlight beaming blissfully into its reaches was comforting.

I stopped to take in the sight for a few moments while the others continued on. It was truly unusual. I couldn’t remember ever once stopping to enjoy the Gaian scenery. This world felt different in so many ways, it almost brought out my inner poet. In this situation, however, I hadn’t enough time to so much as write a haiku. A plea for help rang out from the far end of the tracks.

This is where the fun truly begins. Mr. 33 and 111 were being tied up in thick cords by a group of animals that looked similar to dogs. Brawny stood in front of the chaotic group, facing me, a small metal object held firmly in the cleft of one hoof. He had an excited glint in his eyes. Mr. 33 was squirming violently against his bonds, while 111 just stood like a log and waited. He knew this would be a simple endeavor, even if I did not agree.

I started to approach the group of bandits, my hands placed resolutely by my side. I chuckled, continuously getting louder as I progressed, “Are you attempting to steal the shipment of apples, dear Brawny? I must say I’m disappointed in your work ethic, especially for a small town pony of your caliber. After all, this is an amateur’s game.” I slowly stepped toward their end of the bridge, monitoring Mr. 111 for signs of hostility. He remained calm and collected, as if he were barely bothered by the bonds.

Brawny scoffed, “What are you going on about, freak? Looks to me like it worked, didn’t it?” He thrust the hoof holding the metal object away from his body. He held it with a tight grip, pointing a long tube toward me. He had a grin as if he were victorious already.

I tittered tauntingly, “A truly brutal bandit would’ve slaughtered every last citizen of the town and taken all of their resources without a second thought! You’re just a petty thief that can’t even handle a small caravan without a group of foolish lackeys. What even are those creatures you’ve manipulated?” I maintained a steady pace, ever advancing toward the hostages and traitor.

The stallion groaned, “I ain’t a bandit, fella! I ain’t stealing nothing! These here Diamond Dogs trade my safe passage over the gorge for information on valuable shipments passing through.” He waved the metal object toward the beasts before pointing in my direction once more.

One of the monsters grumbled, “Can we just kill ‘em now?” He yanked on 111’s bonds, drawing him closer to the cliff of the gorge. 111 didn’t make any type of resisting movement.

“If you truly believe that you’ve won—that you can return to Appleloosa without us—you are a fool. You see, perhaps you aren’t aware of what we’re capable of.” I bowed my head and raised my hands, beginning a madman’s laugh. “Mr. 111, would you do the honors?!”

“Gladly!” 111 shouted back at me.

He snapped his fingers, and in the instant the ropes were consumed in fire. The bonds immediately incinerated, the Diamond Dog captor lighting up with them. 111 darted toward Brawny with lightning-fast speed, but he was intercepted by another one of the canine beasts. He swiftly punched the ground, and the guardian dog was tossed into the air by a spike of rock shooting from the ground.

In his confusion, Brawny dropped the metal object he’d been holding and started a mad dash away from the bridge. Too bad for him, really. 111 waved a circle in the air with an angry fist, and the remainder of the bandits was swallowed by heavy gusts of wind. The vortexes slowly inched toward the gorge, threatening to drop each beast over the edge, preferably to their deaths.

Brawny squealed, “Don’t do this, fella! What’ll the townsfolk think if I don’t come back?!” He struggled against the razor wind, but found he was powerless.

I simply chuckled, “I can explain it quite simply. You were a traitor, and your bandits are dead. You shan’t bother Appleloosa again.” I nodded at 111, and he nodded back.

“You messed with the wrong Black Mage, idiot.” The mage closed his hand quickly, and the gusts of wind darted over the gorge. The wind disappeared, sending the creatures into its deep reaches, just as the sun fell below the horizon. All of them aside from Brawny.

The moon’s bright light shined into it, showing me their fates. Considering the mysterious force in this world, I didn’t believe they were dead. They fell directly into the water at the bottom of the gorge, a would-be fatal fall if we’d been on Gaia. This world was different. I didn’t believe I had killed them. I simply removed their threat for an indeterminable amount of time.

I continued my victorious stride over toward the only remaining captive of the wind, who was released once my hand clasped his throat. He tried to pry my hands apart with his hooves, but my grip was much more powerful than his pitiful muscles could bear. His eyes shined with sheen of fear, and my heart fluttered at the sight.

For a few moments, I considered crushing his neck and ending his life personally. It only took one glance toward Mr. 33 to see that that wasn’t as option. As much as I hated it at the time, his presence kept me from making a terrible mistake. I wasn’t—I’m not—a murderer anymore. Not in this world.

At any rate, the stallion choked out, “Please…don’t…kill…me! I’m...sorry!” He kicked his legs forward, desperately struggling to breath.

I hesitated for a moment before finally releasing my grip. He fell to the ground with a thud, taking a painfully deep breath. I sighed, “As much as I truly wish to end your life, I’m afraid I cannot bring myself to do so. You are a lucky man, Brawny.” I ran a hand through my hair and looked up to the bright white of the Equestrian moon. I continued, “If this were another time, in another life, I would have murdered you before we even left the tavern.”

The terrified stallion fell to the ground at my feet and groaned, “Th-thank you, fella! I’m terribly sorry for all this ruckus! I…” He fell silent, uncertain of how to proceed in his apology.

I scoffed, kicking dirt his direction, “Get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind, you imbecile! If we ever cross paths again, I will not hesitate to end your meaningless life!” In the instant, all of my repressed anger over the last few weeks in this world suddenly exploded in the back of my mind. It took all I had not to Trance at that moment. I felt the rage swelling inside my body.

I was…frightened. I was scaring myself. I…didn’t want to Trance. I didn’t want to get angry. I didn’t want to hurt this world like I did to my home…

Needless to say, Brawny rushed out of my sight before I could end the internal struggle between anger and peace. When I finally calmed down, Mr. 33 and 111 were standing in front of me, guiding our cattle across the bridge.

The former of the mages stopped beside me and cheered, “You made the right choice Kuja! I’m proud of ya!” He continued leading the caravan down the tracks as I tried to hurry my recovery.

Mr. 111 waited by my side. He groaned, “This isn’t good, Kuja. Can you feel that?”

I sighed, “The Mist gathering?”

“Yes. Before, I wasn’t sure if it was Mist. It felt similar, but it wasn’t as stale.”

“And now, there’s no doubt. Only Mist can allow for Trance. Only Mist can allow for puppets like us to live.”

“If Mist is gathering in this world, could we be the reason?”

“I’d rather die again.”

“Same here. This world doesn’t deserve the evils that come with Mist.”

“Let’s not concern ourselves with speculation, 111. If it is Mist, then we’ll know soon enough.”

I rose to my feet and started staggering after 33. We continued down the tracks until we reached the edge of a dark forest. Based on the map I had seen before departing from Appleloosa, we were at the Everfree Forest. Ponyville proper waited just beyond the trees, and so we set up camp for the evening. We would conclude the first half of our journey the next day, and be back in Appleloosa before another three-day cycle.

We’d made good time, honestly. Only two days in and we were less than a mile from our destination.

Certainly, the forest had several things to say about that...

Comments

[Icarus Crimsonhoof]

Kuja's a badass.

[Dainn]

For a few moments, I considered crushing his neck and ending his life personally. It only took one glance toward Mr. 33 to see that that wasn’t as option.

"an".

Funny.
This story has been in my read later list for about 4 years now, give or take, and I'm just now reading it.
Odd since Kuja is tied with The Emperor for being my favorite FF antagonist.

[dveth]

How, exactly, is killing Brawny a bad thing? I really don't get this at all. Kuja killing him is nothing like what he did on Gaia or Terra, so why does he think that? Kuja, in this story, is apparently an idiot, He wasn't in FF9. Driven to insanity? Sure. But never this ridiculous stupid or naive.