Introduction - Akai.
For Equestria – Akai.
If you listen closely to the spirit around you, you realise the cold lips of the spirit can speak a secret tongue, a forgotten language so lustful that its breath brushes against your fur. That spirit is known as the wind. The cloaked figure listened and listened well to her enchanting rhythm, her words, her expression. But tonight, she was furious, and the hooded figure knew why. She smelled blood in the air, the aroma of death that lingered around the cloaked unicorn that trudged along the fluffy snow with layered crutches, the lonely moon being an ally on this dark night.
The hooded pony seamlessly navigated with effortless ease passed the trees, bushes and rubble, the pony’s head low, the darkness not affecting the pony’s resolve as the figure seemed to be lost in thought or in complete concentration. The destination was close, If the rumours are right, another life will be taken.
Through the filter that was the pelting snow and darkness was a light, a flame that shined bright in the night. It was a beacon that showed the cloaked unicorn that she has arrived at The Old Mount Village, a village that is overwhelmed by the Āsenaru Clan. This will not be easy for the mysterious pony.
Her pulse is calm, and her breath is frostiness with each trot closer and closer, her mind a quiet rhythm of thoughts as she stepped forward towards the light. That light was merely a dancing torch hanging from a post, the flame attracting her. As she got closer, passed the pillars of trees, through the twigged bushes and the white hollow ground, the more that was shown. Gate guards stood vigilant, three of them huddled by a raging campfire next to the entrance of Old Mount Village. That’s where she needed to go.
She was the night’s silhouette, still in plain sight but invisible in the darkness. Reckless that may be but, she knew the vision of the guards would have been obstructed by the rippling aura of the fire. So, she didn’t hesitate to step out of the threshold and walk straight towards the closed gate. Sure enough, when the cloaked unicorn stepped into the light above, one of the guards spotted movement.
“Stop!” An earth pony guard barked, rushing in front of the gate and in the way of the cloaked figure, reaching and pulling out a long, curved Odachi. With mobility in mind, these guard’s armour was constructed from many small iron and leather scales which were each connected to each other with rivets and macrame cords made from leather or braided silk in chained armour. The guard stood on his hind legs, in a defensive stance with the blade pointing at its target. The other two rushed over, taking a similar stance.
“State your business!” A female unicorn commanded, her polearm spear in her telekinetic grip. The third stayed quiet, a mask and black hood abstracting the Pegasus’s identity as the pony brandished two daggers, standing on two back hind hooves, the Pegasus’s black wing open wide imposingly. The cloaked unicorn stopped a few meters away, her head still low and unresponsive.
“I said STATE YOUR BUSINESS!” The mare demanded again, a no-nonsense tone in her shout. No response, no sudden movements, just the slight raise of the hood, high enough to see the three guards. She analysed them, seeing their weakness and suspecting their attacks. If she was right about these Āsenaru guards, they will try and end this quickly.
The hidden unicorn noticed the swift pegasus was leaning forward in an offensive stance, the two daggers steady, it was clear this hooded assassin is confident and is most likely the one to hang back and wait for the right time to strike. This one was young; the cloaked shroud could see the eagerness from his body language. That one is the one the cloaked mare will keep an eye out for.
The mare with the polearm seemed to be the one with the highest rank, taking control of the situation very quickly. The unicorn mare had a pure white mane and tail, and her strong and intelligent eyes is an icy blue that went well with her navy-blue fur. She is trained well and is very disciplined from what the cloaked figure could see. She will lead by example, there is no doubt she will be the first to attack head-on, a mere distraction to the real strikes. She’ll try and keep at a distance, using her spear to poke and keep her at bay.
Last but not least was the earth pony who held the great field sword at his side, the blunt side resting on his shoulder. He eyed up what he saw as a puny, pathetic unicorn with his autumn eyes, his protruding fur a vibrant crimson while his mane and tail being jet black. The bulk of the three, the hard hitter, he’ll be the one to use strength to his advantage, something that is easily manipulated if used properly.
“I’m not going to ask again! What do you want from The Old Mount Village!” The unicorn pressed; her eyes sharp. Yet again, no response, just the hail of the storm answering her call. That’s when the shroud’s horn lit up and from underneath her cloak revealed the lengthy, black sori blade of a katana. The Oni. A blade crafted to perfection by a legendary blacksmith.
The intention was clear, the battlefield was set, and it was only a matter of time before somepony made the first move. Everypony stood firm, confident in their abilities, with blood on their minds. The weather is a witness as it seemed to freeze around them, sensing the tension, curious about how this fight will turn out. That’s when the guards noticed that from under the hood stared back a red mask… The mask of an assassin. They know now who they face. Ahmya. The daughter of the leader of the Kinshi Clan. The Bringer of Hopelessness.
While the guards were in astonished dread of who is in front of them, the guard with the polearm flinched away as the warrior known as Ahmya vanish into thin air only to hear a clash of metal right behind her. She sharply turned just in time to see the black katana’s blade intercepted by the long blade of her bulky companion, parrying away Ahmya with his strength, making distance between the group and the feared assassin. Before Ahmya could touch the ground, she vanished again, this time without a response.
“I got your back, Haru! Don’t let your guard down again! Not now!” The earth pony said, sweat dripping from down the side of his head. Haru’s eyes were wide, her heart skipping a beat. That was too close, she got careless and that could have been the end of her. She owed Eto big time. Haru was now on guard, noticing her pegasus partner was nowhere to be seen. Good, Denki is ready. All she had to do now is face off with the assassin with the help of Eto. Even if it was three-on-one, Haru knew this won’t be easy.
Eto and Haru were back-to-back, anticipating a strike at any moment. Ahmya is out there — somewhere, they now knew not to drop their guard, it would mean certain death if they got distracted. So Haru was prepared when from the shadows, the cloaked Kinshi darted forward with the katana by her side. She was fast, Haru barely sidestepped the downward slash and had to readjust her balance from the sudden dodge.
Eto didn’t waste a chance to attack, once Ahmya bypassed Haru with her swing, Eto thrust the tip of his Odachi towards the vulnerable assassin. It looked like would have been the final blow to end the quick fight but, Eto’s eyes widened as that wasn’t the case. His stab was deflected away by the side of her hoof, sending his blade into the snow beside her. Eto was powerless in that second as he saw the Kinshi look up at him, her katana slashing at the side of his neck. However, Denki nose-dived down with speed, his double daggers ready to plunge deep into her side, inches away from a fatal wound that would surely end the fight… If it wasn’t for the fact that she teleported once again, making Denki strike the air.
“Damnit!” Denki cursed, looking back to where Ahmya once was. He could have sworn that he struck her.
“ETO!!” Haru exclaimed, making the young pegasus stare in shock. He was too late. Eto’s eyes were wide and shaky, his maw open in horror as blood trickled down the side of his mouth. It happened too quickly, but what happened was undeniable. Right before she teleported, the katana already was embedded deep in the side of his throat, the flesh being sliced through too easily before the blade disappeared with its owner. Eto fell to the ground, blood staining the snow from beneath him. His last moment being the hollow eyes that stared back from behind the red mask before she vanished with the wind.
“No, no, NO!” Haru rushed over, sliding to a halt as she looked down at her friend, her eyes wide and suddenly she was breathlessly panting. “STAY AWAKE, ETO! STAY WITH ME!” She begged, shaking him slightly; her mind couldn’t process the corpse right in front of her enough to understand that Eto was dead.
“Haru! Get up! Ahmya is still out there!” Denki barked, looking over his shoulder at Haru. That was a mistake as from one direction, a kunai soared through the air, its aim true as it struck Denki’s wing. Denki jumped back, scurrying away from the direction of impact as he instinctively tried to fly away from the danger, but with the small blade stuck in his winged muscle, it was a one-sided flight.
“Damn it!” Denki cursed, but the young pegasus didn’t have time to inspect his wound as Denki’s senses kicked with immediate effect. The pegasus dived to the side, his heart skipping a beat as he could see the dark katana’s blade where he once was along with its master. He thanked his neck hairs that stood on end. However, Denki wasn’t given time to compose himself as Ahmya was up in his face, The Oni prepared to strike once again!
Denki barely got one of his daggers up in time to block the strike, the assassin would have been ready to counter with his other dagger in his hoof but, the power behind the strike left an opening in his defence as he failed to parry. The Oni was about to claim another victim and it was inches away from decapitating the wide-eyed buck but, instead of metal meeting flesh and bone, metal collided with metal in a fury of sparks that brightened the nights aroma, revealing raging blue eyes of Haru, tear stains staining her fur. Ahmya could see the kill intent in polearm wielder’s eyes; it looks like the Pegasus’s death will be delayed.
The power struggle ended in a draw as the two parties separated a fair distance, their guard still up and ready. “Denki, warn Captain Kyo of Ahmya’s arrival. Go!” Haru ordered, her harsh tone not one to be trifled with. Denki wasn’t in any position to argue. The last thing he wanted to be was in between an angered Haru and the legendary assassin, so without hesitation, he ran with survival in mind.
Then there were two, one being emotionally unstable and the other was just analysing her opponent, both prepared to do their job: fight until one fall to the other. It was as simple as that. Haru still breathed heavily, cold smoke leaving her maw with each exhale, her spear raised and pointed towards Ahmya with the steel tip. The cold didn’t affect her trembling body, its righteous fury made the mare’s body twitch with the need to spill blood, to have her revenge for her fallen friend. However, Ahmya was the stark opposite of Haru. She was still, the cold air around her flowing in and out of her, almost as if she controlled the wind within her body, mastering the effectiveness of the air to keep her body going. It seemed like Ahmya didn’t have a peep of exhaustion as she stood readily, her body language calm and her mind composed, aware of everything around her. For any spectators who were fortunate enough to see this battle from the shadows, there was already a clear victor before the duel even started.
“His name was Eto!” Haru shouted, a sign of frustration in her tone. Ahmya didn’t seem to answer or acknowledge it, just taking a fighting stance. “he had a loving family here in this very village before you! His father was a reliable blacksmith and a proud zebra, his mother a beautiful singer and a wonderful mare; he has a sister, no older than 5 years old, a little sister who idealised him as a hero! He didn’t have to die, he didn’t have to take his last breath on this night! So why did you come on this peaceful night!? Why must you bring pain everywhere you go, Ahmya!?” Haru roared with wrath in her tone, fresh new tears spilling from down her cheeks. Ahmya didn’t answer, even the wind didn’t have an answer for a moment before it resumed its leisurely calls. Haru didn’t expect an answer, so it came to her surprise that through the storm, she could hear Ahmya.
“He was weak…” Uttered the distasteful words of Abmya, venom spat from lips, poisoning Haru’s ears as coal was added to the inferno inside her. Hate… So much hate couldn’t possibly be measured by any method of measurement. At that moment, all Haru wanted was to see this mare crumble under her hoof, to see the fear of death in her eyes, to hear her pleading for mercy, only then would she be satisfied enough to end her life as a weakling.
Ahmya made the first move but, it wasn’t some sort of attack. Instead of advancing forward, Ahmya balanced herself on her hind hooves and placed her katana into her scabbard, resting her opposite hoof on the handle, in a stance that was ready to strike. Haru snarled in activation; she instantly recognised this technique as the vertical draw strike, an honourable challenge to end a fight with one blow, a challenge that Haru accepted as a samurai of the Āsenaru tribe, and as a friend of Eto. She will execute this Kinshi with immediate effect, even if it meant sacrificing herself as a warrior.
So, with a heavy heart, Haru took a deep breath and concealed her anger and heartache to the deepest part of her mind. Haru had to be careful if she was going to go through with this, see beyond her sight and predict the prediction of Ahmya. As of now, Ahmya has been one step ahead so far in this fight, it was time for her to catch up before it was too late.
Haru’s flow was now steady, her mind crystal, her eyes calculating — This was her strength, her ability to access a situation and see an outcome with brilliant accuracy. Haru knew she had the weapon range to her advantage, but she couldn’t just charge her arrogantly, Haru seeing the assassin’s speed with her own eyes, Haru would be dead before she could thrust her spear, so that was out of the picture. Haru could use her magic to strike Ahmya from a distance but, that would leave her completely defenceless, it would only take a second for Ahmya to close the gap. Haru could take a stance of her own and wait for Ahmya to strike first but, with her using teleportation with any signs of tiredness, it wouldn’t take long for Ahmya to cut through Haru’s defences.
Sweat formed on this frigid night, gritting her teeth with irritation as every scenario was shut down by the death of herself. What annoyed Haru more was the fact that Ahmya didn’t move from her spot, almost as if she knew that there was nothing Haru could do, daring her to step forward.
Something bothered Haru however, something didn’t feel right now that she looked long and hard. One minute Ahmya was fighting Eto, Haru and Denki all at once without much trouble; she could have easily killed Haru ten times over in that short fight, but now… Ahmya stands there, ready for an honourable challenge. Is she giving Haru a chance to honour Eto? To take revenge? No… This is some trick, she isn’t going to fight head-on, she’s gonna—
Haru’s thoughts went blank, time seemingly slowed down to a halt within a blink of an eye. Haru would have admired the beautiful, sudden stillness of the snowflakes. Why had everything stopped? One second, she was ready to fight her opponent, now everything was cold from the bottom of her hooves to her eyes that felt like they were being frozen over.
“W-What’s-s-s h-h-h-happppppening to me?” Haru shivered uncontrollably, bugs and insects devouring her from the inside as the coldness was becoming painful, especially from both sides of her body where two spots grew in condensed intensity, it was like a foreign icicle was jammed through her stomach, her veins filled with frozen rivers of cold blood. Haru didn’t know how she was standing, she felt as weak as a wilted flower, barely able to stand on her four hooves but, something was holding her up and once she looked for the source of the support, her eyes widened in horror.
When Haru craned her next to see the anomaly, she was yet again face to face with Ahmya, seeing her eyes clearly. Her eyes were like vacant windows, devoid of any spark or life, reflecting a profound emptiness within her soul. They were hollow orbs, as if all the light and warmth had been drained away, leaving behind a haunting void. It was honestly terrifying how dead they were. Was this the last thing Eto saw before he passed? However, nothing could prepare her when she saw the hilt of the katana and only the hilt, the blade hiding inside her body, blood pouring down her penetrated armour. Haru tried to speak, but the lump in her throat made it hard to do so, that simple action became impossible when a volley of blood was coughed up, the thick crimson most of the blood splattering on Ahmya’s red mask, adding another layer to the mask that has seen many die in front of it.
How…!
That was the question that she screamed mentally over and over again, seeing what she was seeing seemed impossible, it defied all logic as one moment Ahmya was a few meters away from Haru, and milliseconds later, she and her blade were beside Haru's side in an instant. Now that she thought about it, Ahmya was in the same spot when she was impaled, she didn’t even move in the slightest, so how in Faust’s godly name are there two Ahmyas? She knew Ahmya was up to something but, nothing this complicated. That’s when Haru looked back to where Ahmya originally was, and everything came crashing down upon her. Haru, the strategist, intelligent samurai was outsmarted in the most brutal way. Standing there on her hind hooves with a hoof still resting on the hilt of her blade was Ahmya in the same spot, still ready to strike. There were two hooded, masked assassins. If that’s Ahmya in front of her, then who just ended her life?
Haru didn’t have time to ponder as she felt the katana deep within her gut slice its way out, cutting throw her organs and armour like butter. Haru felt sick when her body felt 50 pounds lighter, hearing the wet squelching sound hit the snow beneath her, the unforgiving, freezing wing finding its way into the new threshold of flesh and grime. Haru collapsed to her side, wet, slow wheezing escaping the mare wide open muzzle, her eyes wide in shock. It didn’t sink in till now that she was actually going to die, but the sight when she looked down at her stomach was too much. Blood seeped out of her belly rapidly and without any signs of slowing down, her intestines spilt out of the gaping like an untidy draw full of clothes, other organs she couldn’t name resting in a pile beside her. It was too much; she was going to become another corpse in this forsaken forest of the Everfree — alone.
Haru was scared; her job was to protect this village, to face off against those who wished to threaten this peaceful village and its residents, but Haru never thought it would come to this. Never. With her brains, leadership and her friends, she thought she was untouchable and that was proven by the many fights with rival tribes around The Everfree, by the respect earned by Captain Kyo, and by the blood she had spilt with her spear. Now… Look where that got Eto, look what almost happened to Denki…
Look what happened to me…
Sorry, Eto…
Sorry, Denki…
Sorry, Kyo…
And all the ponies and zebras of the village…
Be safe…
I Hope no more bloodshed will come this night…
let my death be the last on this night…
Soft crunches of the snow could be heard from behind her, the sound fading away with each crunch. Was that it? Did her murderer have nothing to say? Not a prayer for her soul? A word of comfort? Anything at all? What about Ahmya? She was still standing there, not moving an inch, is she mocking her? Taunting her to get up?
Wait… No… No way!
Haru now understood, and even through her unbearable agony, she couldn’t help but scold herself for not seeing it the first time. She watched as tears slid down the side of her face, seeing the form of Ahmya fade away into shadows, being swept away one molecule after another by the darkness sounding her. Haru was facing off against nothing more than an illusion, a misleading decoy that led to her demise.
Haru’s body went still, her last thought not understanding how it was an illusion and acceptance that she never stood a chance.