Equestria's Greatest... NIGHTMARE!!!by Kotushk FierChaptersPrologue: A Dark OfferOf Souls and SwordsA Soul's HopeThe Most Powerful Weapon(s)Unquenchable ThirstPrologue: A Dark Offer"Ah, it's good to be home," I sighed, slinging my shirt over my head and tossing it carelessly into my clothes hamper. I booted up my old PlayStation 2, eager to release some pent up aggression. After a couple minutes, a loud voice proudly proclaimed the name of my chosen game. "SOUL CALIBUR... THREE!!!" One of my all time favorites, this game helped me over on many an occasion. I sank more free time into this than anything else. It helped to alleviate my anger issues, after all. Each time I defeated an enemy, I placed my bosses face on them, finding satisfaction in the thought of destroying them. The media might tell you violent videogames turn people into murderers, but I for one advocate them as the best medicine. I also found peace in perfecting my weapon techniques, seeking peace through practiced mastery of all weapon types in the game. It allowed me to drown out the world, and focus my mind to purge my rage. Anger issues? Yeah, I had them. Especially when my own species seemed to think I was not human. Kicking me around, pushing me aside. Just today I was rejected for the umpteenth time. They say to keep trying, but her derisive laughter echoed through my mind, infuriating and depressing me at the same time. I decided to continue my Chronicles of the Sword storyline. Wielding a large weapon that would realistically be unwieldy to use the way I was, I quickly destroyed my opposition. With nothing left standing, I turned my attention the the final base, where the traitorous General Girardot resided. I broke it down, initiating the cutscene before his demise. "So you've come." After saying his piece, the battle started, and I promptly disposed of him. Just because he wouldn't flinch or be damaged without counter attacks doesn't mean he was a threat. Guardian Force? Please. Defeating him, the final scene featuring him played. "You are strong. But you do not yet know where to direct that power. Right now, your strength is controlled by others. Think for a moment, for whom do you wield your power, for what purpose, and against whom? You must learn to control that strength yourself... otherwise... You will never become a true warrior." "Impressive. That fight had me cursing for awhile earlier when I tried it." Whirling at the deep voice emanating behind me, I found a sight that shocked me completely. Standing behind me, cloaked in white robes, was a very familiar, yet completely impossible, figure. "Zasalamel?!" "This is merely the form I assumed to speak to you. I figured familiarity was in order for a first meeting," he said, sounding exactly like Zasalamel did in the game. A voice laden with power and dark purpose. "A form you assumed? What the hell does that mean?" I questioned him, my natural skeptic attitude surfacing. "For now, I will not answer that question. I came with an offer for you. You regret living life here, do you not? Of course you do. Shunned and reviled, rejected by the world you grew up in. You've become bitter and hateful." "Yeah, what's it to you?" I asked, bitterness rising in my mind. This guy was starting to piss me off. "I said I had an offer. Don't interrupt me again. I give you a chance, to leave this world, and go to one I have chosen. But you will have to leave your body, as I cannot think that you would be useful as you are right now. If you accept, I will send you there immediately, to act as my personal piece in a much grander game. What say you?" I thought this over for a few moments. This guy was clearly one nutty fellow. He was claiming he could send me to another world. Hmm, maybe he meant a virtual world. Leaving my body, entering a new one, and he did call it a 'game'. "It may be a game to me, but it is very real for you. And very dangerous. You could die, but I can give you a choice of bodies to help you survive. Dying wouldn't reflect well on me, you see." Did he just- "-read your mind? Yes." I blinked at him in shock. Mind reading, telepathy, omniscience, I considered all of those to be pure bullshit used to glean idiots of their savings. Maybe he had some sort of power. "Of course I have power. I am what you mortals would call a God, after all," the man said, smiling darkly at me. "I don't believe in Gods." But I was interested in his offer. Maybe I should try it, if for no other reason than being miserable here right now, or miserable here if it failed. But if it worked... "Where would I be going, exactly?" I asked. This answer would decide for me. "Equestria." NOT the answer I expected, and my open mouth did well to convey my shock. "I chose you because I know you would love to go, and have the chance to meet the ponies you've come to adore as your second anger coping mechanism." That was true, but- "And at least it isn't here, right? New start, and all that." True. If it worked, it couldn't hurt. And if this guy just wanted to kill me, I doubt he'd be so elaborate. I nodded once, letting him know I accept. He then raised his arm, and the forearm began to glow blue. The room darkened, and I felt a laugh escape me as I recognized one of Zasalamel's ending poses. Then my world went dark. The last thing I heard was Zasalamel's dark laughter, ringing in my ears. I woke up God knows how much later with a pounding headache. I tried opening my eyes, only to shut them quickly against the invasive torchlight. Wait... Torchlight?! "What's that in it's hand, servant?" a hissing voice rasped from somewhere to my left. Upon hearing the question, I realized my left hand was gripping something rather heavy. I could feel something was strange about my right arm, but when a female voice spoke up, my attention immediately focused on it. "We d-don't know, M-master. We think it is a large s-sword. We tried to t-take it from it, b-b-but the one who touched it, he... Oh Celestia it was horrible!" The second voice quavered with fear, although whether it was in response to the owner of the first voice or the horror of whatever happened to her companion, I could not be sure. I could be sure he said Celestia, thought, which peaked my interest enough for me to feign waking up. I groaned slightly and opened my eyes blearily. I had adjusted to the light flickering already and took a look around me. The first thing I noticed was a ruby red dragon, staring at me with malevolent eyes. The dragon was easily thirty feet long, and smoke was coming from it's nostrils as it regarded me. The second thing I noticed was the literal wealth of gold and gems it was sitting on. And finally, all around the cave, ponies of all kinds seemed to be slaving away at enlarging the cavern. At regular intervals, they were guarded by creatures resembling bipedal canines. Hmm. Dragon? Check. Money? Check. Ponies? Check. Diamond Dogs? Check. Either I was having the strangest and most realistic dream ever, or that 'God' was really something quite spectacular. Dreaming. Had to be dreaming. That was the thought running through my head as I stared the dragon down. "Sup?" I asked, my voice strangely echoing with power and a dark aura. Either it didn't like being addressed so forwardly, or didn't like it's captives to speak at all, because it roared at me. Not even two seconds later, I was surrounded by dogs, who were all leveling weapons towards me. Interesting. Sparing a look down at the object in my left hand, I looked back up at the dragon. But only for a second, as my eyes snapped back to the sword I held in shock. Soul Edge, a sword from a video game that was not real, was now very real and clutched in my armored hand. Sparing a more critical look at what I could see, I found myself adorned in azure armor, except for part of my chest. That had a mouth. Yep, definitely a mouth. See, it even opens when I think about it. Oh God, I'm rambling to myself in shock. With great willpower, I snapped my mouth back to observing myself, and took a look at my right arm. Which wasn't an arm, nope nope. That was a claw. A really big claw. Like, twice the size of my normal arm, claw. And oh look, another mouth, with tusks this time. Oh how cute, it even opens when I spare thoughts to it. Perfect. Two mouths. Nomnomnomnomrambling. I was still looking over myself when I heard the same female voice from earlier cry out. "Watch out!" Looking up quickly, I saw one of the dogs thrusting a spear at me, which caught me in my right shoulder, right next to the mouth located there. And boy, did that hurt. Did that ever hurt. I spared only time to think that if this was a dream, I would have woken up from that, before I lifted the huge zweihander in my left hand with ease. With little effort, I swung the sword down and snapped the spear, before sliding it across the ground and into the dog's shin. With a howl, the dog fell to the ground, where I proceeded to thrust my weapon into its chest, -GREEN- silencing it as blood spurted around my blade. I didn't spare a thought to the color that had flashed through my mind as my sword killed it, figuring I'd have some time later to give it more thought. Looking up, I saw the rest of my attending crowd staring at me in shock, before the dragon hissed one word. "Attack." And all hell broke loose. Of Souls and SwordsI lost track of time. Dogs kept pouring into the room, and I kept swinging my sword. Backhanded slashes that left stalagmites in dust. Great slicing swings that gouged long and deep scars into the ground. Stabs that could embed me in rock for a moment, forcing me to use my claw arm. Oh, and what a lovely arm that was. I quickly learned that the claw alone was more than enough of a weapon against enemies with naught but flesh between me and their demise. That arm had the strength to throw even the biggest dog I had seen all the way over the dragon and into the opposite cave wall. The claw itself, which composed of three digits, was more than strong enough to crush skulls, snap limbs, collapse windpipes, or otherwise break whatever part of the enemy was too close to me. Now, you might be wondering how I, personally, was coping with this bloodshed. Sure, I was a normal guy on Earth, never killed anyone, hell, I never broke any laws. And yet here I was, killing all who stood in my way, and you know what? I was glad to do it. And not for reasons you might expect. Sure, in the back of my mind I realized this was a slaving operation, and that getting rid of these captors would free the poor ponies forced to work here. But the main force driving me? That cursed sword. Soul Edge had awoken. The eye in the center of the blade had come alive after killing the first dog, and had been whispering to me ever since. It instructed me on how to swing, when to dodge, when to counterattack, everything I needed right now to survive. But the sword was not concerned with my well-being, oh no. The sword THIRSTED. Thirsted for souls, which flashed through my mind each time I felled an enemy. Most of the dogs were green, which barely slaked the thirst of the blade, but an occasional teal soul put a noticeable joy into the blade. But the blue souls that sometimes showed up when a dog proved capable of holding me back for more than two strikes, those were souls the sword really craved. And I could see why. When I killed an enemy with my claw, the sword held in my other hand would suck the soul out, using me as a conduit. And for a brief moment, I could feel and taste that soul. They were delicious. After awhile, I noticed the numbers surrounding me were finally dwindling. And I started seeing the fear in the dogs' eyes as I cut them down. Some even threw their weapons down and tried to flee, only for the dragon to torch them like matchsticks. Oh yeah, did I mention the dragon didn't even flinch or try to attack me. It seemed almost amused that the dogs were falling so easily before me. And after all the dogs were dead or dying, it was only me and the dragon left, with cowering and terrified ponies all around us, watching in a stunned horror as we began to clash. The dragon made the first advance, snaking its head in as I finished the last dog, trying to catch me off guard. But the eye of Soul Edge sees all, and I thrust my claw out and into the dragon's snout. With a bit more pressure than normal, I felt the razor claws of the digits pierce the dragon's hide, causing it to whip its head back and roar in pain and fury. The dragon's eyes blazed in rage, and it opened its mouth. Oh joy, fire breathing. Not wishing to become a black and armored crispy creme doughnut, I quickly rolled to the side as the fire bathed the area where I had just been standing. Circling the dragon warily, I heard the voice of Soul Edge speaking to me. "It seems this over-sized scaly flame cannon might stick to artillery now. But if you listen to me, and concentrate, we can turn that against it. It must have a most delectable soul within its body. And I want it." Cocking my head and looking at the sword, whose eye was focused on me, I whispered quietly to it. "What must I do?" "Concentrate on the souls swirling within me. They fuel my power, and slake my thirst. But you can use them, as well. Gather them around you, and build them into a vortex. Then, right when the fire connects with them, let them loose! Show this pitiful creature the power of Soul Edge!" I did as the sword commanded, and focused on the souls of the slain dogs. I watched as they were drawn from the sword, and began to concentrate on spinning them around me, faster and faster, until a greenish blue tornado swirled around me. I chanced a look at the dragon and noticed it was readying another fire attack. This had to be precisely done. Just like Just Impacting an opponent on Soul Calibur, I would have to expand this force exactly when the fire hits my soul field. The dragon opened its mouth, and I could see as the fire burst from its maw. Time seemed to slow as the fire neared me. I took a calming breath, watching as the fire crept closer and closer, until right when it hit my shield. I felt myself grin wickedly with all three of my mouths, and I unleashed the vortex. The fire spun into the souls as they expanded, and a large bubble of fire expanded quickly from me. Right before connecting with the dragon, I saw its eyes widen in shock. In the next moment, the force of my counter rushed into the dragon, and the large creature was sent flying backwards into the wall. Ponies near the landing point quickly scrambled out of the way, some barely making it in time before the creature came to a thudding halt against the wall. The explosion also caused a disturbance in the hoard of gems and coins, and a shower of gold and jewels came raining down around me as I walked towards the heavily bleeding and stunned dragon. "Now... Give me... give me its soul!!!" With a nod at the swirling and frantic eye of Soul Edge, I plunged the sword through the chest scales of the beast, and thrust until the entire sword, hilt and all, was embedded within its chest. The dragon's eyes snapped open, and an insanely loud wailing screech issued from its mouth. All the ponies within earshot covered their ears and closed their eyes against the noise, which rang like a sweet music within my ears. The sword finished its drinking, and I could feel its joy at finding such a worthy and tasty soul that was capable of slaking its thirst for the moment. The only thing left now was for me to recollect the souls expended in my attack, along with the souls that were escaping the dying dogs. I walked to the center of the cavern, and lifted the sword straight into the air. With a single, loud command, the sword's eye blazed open once more. "Blood... darkness... Come unto me!!!" I thrust the sword into the ground and backed away from it, watching as the souls in the room began to be drawn into it. The eerie blue and green tornado that formed was beautiful and terrible to behold. I looked behind me, and found that all of the ponies in the cave were huddled into a single group. I began to walk over to them, only for them to shrink back in fear. "Look, little ponies, I'm not going to hurt you." "Yeah, sure," a large dark grey stallion said, his horn pointed at me. "We all have souls, too, so you're going to kill us too!" Sighing, I looked back at the sword behind me before speaking. "Look, I know I probably scared you, but I swear I'm not going to harm any of you. I just want to leave this place." "You aren't taking my baby's soul!!!" a dark purple mare with a grey mane shrieked at me, standing defiantly in front of a foal that still had a mining pick held in its mouth. Jesus, these mutts forced children to work. Now I was really glad to kill them. I sighed in exasperation at the mother, but before I could speak, another voice spoke up. The same voice I remembered talking to the dragon about me earlier, to be precise. "I trust him," the mare said, coming into the open. She was a light blue pony with a long white mane and tail, that was reminiscent of Fluttershy from the show. Earth pony, judging from the lack of wings and horn. "He woke up and saved us all. He could easily have killed us if he wanted, instead of simply walking over and talking to us like he's doing." "Are you mad, Seafoam? He just slaughtered them so he could have us for himself! If he isn't going to kill us, he's going to make us mine for him instead." The dark red pegasus who had just spoken up was irritating me already. Blowing a wisp of his orange mane out of his eye, he regarded me coldly. With a sigh, I stood and began to turn before Seafoam spoke to me. "Where are you going?" "I'm finding a way out. You ponies can sit here and bicker all you want, but I am sick of this place already. I'm going to find a way out, find the nearest transportation I can, take as much of this dragon's treasure as I can carry, and I'm getting the hell away from here." "I'm coming with you, then." Turning around in shock, I noticed that she was standing right behind me, with the rest of the ponies regarding her with amazement as well. Chuckling softly, which was a terrifying noise that caused some of them to shuffle uncomfortably, I reached towards her with my claw. To her credit, she didn't run away, even as her eyes betrayed her fear, and the other ponies gasped and readied to run or attack me. But I simply picked her up gently, cradling her against my chest like a kitten. "You're a cute pony. I wouldn't mind having some company. After all, I'm in quite a strange land." Turning around, I walked to my sword, which had finished it's business, and picked it up. Without looking at the gaggle of ponies standing behind me, I began to walk towards the only hole that left this cavern. A Soul's Hope"So, umm, can you put me down, please? I can lead you out, instead of suffering while watching you get lost again..." I looked down at the mare cradled in my arm. Her yellow eyes were flashing with amusement with her jesting, but there was still a trace of fear. Perhaps I was making her uncomfortable with this monstrous arm of mine. "Sure thing, little pony," I said, setting her gently on the ground. "All better?" "I have a name, it's Seafoam! And yes, much better," she sighed, relief washing over her face. "Alright, so which way do we go, Little Pony?" I smirked underneath my helmet, where she couldn't see. The look of indignation and annoyance on her face was priceless. With a huff, she turned and chose the left fork before us. Strange, I thought I chose that path before. But I followed her anyway, and took the opportunity to scan her Cutie Mark. She had a cresting wave, which I wasn't surprised to see. After only a couple moments, she came to a stop and I watched as she turned towards a wall about five feet in. She raised a hoof, and after a bit of contemplation, she tentatively touched the wall, about three feet from the floor. With a grinding noise, the wall began to slowly shift, grating and sliding to reveal a massive archway, which would be big enough for the dragon I had slain. Had it been alive, that was. When the wall finally finished opening, I turned around to go retrieve some of the treasure, but found the group of ponies from earlier standing behind me. Cocking my head to the side, I watched as the red pegasus with an orange mane from earlier shuffled forward. He cleared his voice a few times before speaking to me. "We're sorry about what we said to you earlier. We hope you will forgive us. We gathered most of the treasure from the cavern, remembering that you mentioned taking it when you left." He stood to the side and I watched in amazement as about six very large stallions, all earth ponies, came forth. Each one was laden with four saddlebags, and those were each filled to bulging with all manners of gem and coin. I raised my eyebrow before looking back to the red pony, who was looking at me with fear, apprehension, hope, and a small bit of surprise when he regarded Seafoam coming to stand by my side. Working on a hunch, I spoke up once more. "No, you aren't being honest with me," and I saw the pegasus flinch slightly at my words. "Now, why don't you tell me the truth, and see if your fears of me are grounded in reality." "Alright, alright... We thought for sure you would have killed or otherwise harmed Seafoam when you took her away, alone. We brought the treasure, hoping you would be appeased with it and not hurt us..." Leaning in very close, I watched as his eyes began to widen. His irises shrank to pinpricks in his fear, and he let out a breathless prayer when I spoke again. "Very good. Telling the truth is far better to earning my peace instead of lying," and as I stood up, I surveyed them all. "Know this! Speak the truth to me at all times, and I will protect you as you begin to return to your homes. Lie to me, and I will leave you in my wake to fend for yourself." When I finished, a young unicorn mare rose her hoof tentatively. When I nodded to her to speak, she took a few moments to collect her thoughts before she did so. "Not all of us have homes..." she said, casting her eyes down to the floor. "Some of us... were born and raised here." Looking at them in shock, I saw many eyes looking away while some of the ponies cried softly. This was pretty brutal for them... Making up my mind and nodding to myself, I spoke out once more. "Very well. Those without homes are welcome to stay with me. Anyone else who has a home can return home. If you have any attachments to the homeless ones, I implore you to think about opening up and helping those in need." The ponies looked up in surprise as I suggested that they do something out of kindness. The red pegasus, who I really needed to learn the name of, was staring at me with newfound wonder in his eyes. When he raised his hoof, I smiled, using the mouth on my chest so he could see it. With a quick look of fear at it, he looked back at me and spoke. "Umm... Sir, what if some of us who have homes would like to... stay with you?" "And your name is? Sorry to be so rude as to not ask sooner, but it's starting to bug me now." "My name is Burnt Cinnamon, sir." "Well, Cinnamon, and this goes for all of you as well," I said, my gaze washing over them as they stared at me expectantly. "Anypony, who has skills and is willing to work for the betterment of all of us, or is willing to learn, is welcome to stay along with me for as long as they can stand a monster like me." The cheer and sheer radiant joy that spread across them washed over me like a tidal wave, and I couldn't help but smile at them. They each took a moment to personally come up to me and bump their hooves with my fist. A few, like Cinnamon, had even gained the nerve to bump against my claw. Some of the foals even climbed on it and played around with it. I noticed that the parents weren't comfortable with it, but at least they weren't shouting at me like the mother from earlier. Speaking of the devil... "Excuse me, sir..." the purple mare spoke quietly behind me. Turning to her, I nodded for her to continue. She took a deep breath before holding her foal out to me. "My name is Wrench Twist. I can help us get out of here if you can help me find materials. And also... My baby would like you to cradle her like you did Seafoam..." Looking down at the foal, she giggled and raised her hooves out towards me. I gently reached out with the claw, and she latched onto the middle digit. She giggled wildly as I bent it in, holding her in my 'hand' while her mother looked on. I rose up to my full height, which, now that I was paying attention, was a good two times as tall as the ponies. Looking around, I noticed that it was just me, Twist, and Seafoam, with the others having gone ahead of us. With my left hand outstretched, I bowed and motioned the mares to go on ahead, and followed them as they walked into the darkness. "They fear you... And yet you do not slaughter them... Why?" the voice of Soul Edge spoke in my mind. Because. I will not be the monster you make out of people. I will feed you the souls of those who attack me. But do not try to harm these ponies. I heard the voice of the cursed sword laughing in my head, with it only giving one final warning. Don't let them touch the sword. The Most Powerful Weapon(s)The sword went quiet after it gave me its warning. Don't let them touch Soul Edge. I suppose that meant it wouldn't make me hurt them, but would not guarantee their safety if they tried to wield it. Fair enough. This was MY weapon, this was MY form in this world. Lost in my musings as I was, I failed to notice that the ponies ahead of me had stopped until I almost stepped on one. Deftly stepping to the side and depositing the foal I carried on her mother's back, I made my way through the crowd to see the cause of their pausing. I eventually managed to make my way out of the cave, next to Seafoam, and saw what had her stopping the other ponies from moving. Standing at the entrance of the cave was a large group of Diamond Dogs. When they saw me, they quickly parted and let a large dog come through. He stood twice as tall as I did, but he was far more muscled. His every movement sent a rippling through his flesh. I noticed to my surprise that he had a small, thin blade strapped to his hip. After surveying me as I surveyed him, he opened his mouth and began to speak in a deep and gravelly voice. "So, you are the creature that defeated the dragon leader here? And now you seek to free these ponies?" "Yes," I said casually. "These ponies will be returned home. Any more questions?" "Just one," he said, his mouth curling into a smile. "What if I want to make them my slaves instead?" "I'm afraid you'll have to kill me first." "Then I shall do so." Without another word, he drew his weapon and sprinted to me in a flash. I had barely brought Soul Edge up to block his attack, but he feinted quickly and snaked his weapon for my throat. With a quick twist to the side, I narrowly managed to evade having my neck sliced neatly through. I twisted away from the dog and brought Soul Edge up in a sweeping attack, tearing apart the ground in the process. But I missed. The dog swiftly spun to the side and came back for me in a flash, stabbing his weapon forward in a series of extremely fast thrusts and feints. I managed to hold him off by sheer luck and the fact that my weapon was large enough to block his weapon a bit easier. But a few of his attacks still scored. I came away from him with a nick in my left shoulder, a long scratch down the right side, and three punctures in my claw. "Is this the best you can do, freak?" he laughed aloud. "You'll never beat me with such slow attacks. I am the fastest dog around." I knew his words rang with some truth. He was indeed extremely fast, so much so that I could barely follow his movements at all. I might need to find or borrow another weapon for the time being... "Are you seriously considering abandoning me over this arrogant fool's claims?" Unless you have a better idea, I'm going to be drowning under the flood of attacks he puts out. "Then it's decided. You will gain a new weapon, but you will never think about abandoning me again after this..." Before I could question its intentions, Soul Edge began to grow hot in my hands. The heat intensified quickly, almost causing me to drop it. It began to be enveloped in a dark purple glow which emanated from the eye, and I could feel it draining some of its reserved souls. Finally, when I was starting to feel unable to hold it, the glow brightened to a soft lilac hue, and the blade began to change before my very eyes. It slimmed down, becoming extraordinarily light. When the blade finished, the glow moved up my arm and covered me. Instantly, I was flooded with a new knowledge of fighting, a more elegant and refined style than what the sword transmitted to me when I fought the dragon. I recognized it, too. Raphael Sorel, master of the Rapier. I looked up after my mind finished processing the new information flooding it, and noticed something rather surprising. While it had felt like a few minutes, the transformation seemed to really only take a few seconds. The dog I was fighting still had the ghost of his jeering laugh fading as he regarded my new weapon and stance. I looked back at Soul Edge in my hand and let out a harsh, barking laugh. The eye of the sword had moved into the pommel, which completely encased my left hand. My right arm was still malformed, but in a new way. The claw had been replaced with a single, viciously long and sharp spike. It felt strange as well, and upon moving it I deduced that it was now boneless, since it seemed to move with fluid, tendril-like motions. I looked back at the dog, and just in time. The dog had tried to take advantage of my study of my new form by launching an attack at my heart. Whipping my right 'arm' up, I snaked it around his left arm and drove the spike into his shoulder. His right arm still swung his sword at me, but I quickly brought my new weapon up and blocked it with ease. I then let loose a laugh at the newfound speed I possessed. "Why do you fight, when you know you will lose?" I asked him, and tightened the hold on his left arm, drilling the spike further into him. He let out a ragged whimper at the pain, but bared his teeth and attempted to bring his sword low and slash at my legs. Without any effort, I easily parried the weak attack and brought my sword to his throat. Without showing fear, he spat in my face. Grimacing at the wet sensation dripping down my face, I drew my sword along his throat and watched in satisfaction as blood spurted from his neck. I noticed Soul Edge greedily drinking his soul, which flashed red in my mind. Recognizing it, I searched my memory and found it matched the dragon's soul from earlier. He was that powerful? Intriguing. Most intriguing. Looking up at the pack of dogs that followed him, I laughed. "So, who's next?" Unquenchable ThirstTime passed in a blur. Soul Edge flashed, I danced through the ranks of the dogs, swinging my sword, which had reverted back to the zweihander form, and cleaved the dogs who threatened me with ease. Some tried to run, but were easily dispatched with a quick weapon transformation into Cervantes de Leon's gun and sword form, allowing me to shoot the pathetic runaways in the back. After all of my opposition lay still and quiet upon the battlefield, I once more stuck Soul Edge into the ground and allowed it to consume the souls floating around the area. Looking back, I saw that the ponies had huddled together and were regarding me with fear again. I smiled with the mouth on my chest, and Seafoam, Cinnamon, and Twist were some of the few who were brave enough to smile back. With a sigh, I picked up Soul Edge, which seemed to have entered a dormant state, and walked back to the ponies. "So, Seafoam, where exactly are we?" "I think we are in Southern Equestria, on an island," she said, closing her eyes and concentrating. "We're actually in a previously uncharted island. I was down here to make a map for the Royal Sisters when I was ambushed and abducted by the dogs working for the dragon," an older stallion spoke up. "Thanks for saving me, by the way, my name is Spot Tracker." I looked over at the speaker, a dark grey unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail. Huh, so some of the bright ponies can look like normal horses back home. Wait a minute... Hah, he's the stallion who told me they had souls, and didn't trust me to leave theirs alone. "So, how much of this place did you manage to scout before your little adventure into Hell?" "Ah, a sense of grim humor. Well, I suppose with the craft you seem to have mastered, a grim sense is better than no sense, I suppose. Unfortunately, the area is very bleak. I saw naught but scrubs and bushes in my travels here, and I surmise that only Diamond Dogs have ventured into these lands. Alas, there will be no other ponies to flash your award winning 'smiles' upon in this area." "Hmph," I said, turning back to my sword. "So basically, we have nowhere to gather any building materials, as there are no trees, and no pony settlements?" "I'm afraid so." "Well, Wrench Twist, I believe this throws a wrench into your offer to build anything helpful." The purple mare closed her magenta eyes and furrowed her brow. After a couple moments she opened her eyes and looked at me, but hesitated when she opened her mouth. "Yes?" "Well, sir, I detest saying this... We ponies are a peaceful species, we don't really relish the thought of battle. But you seem to have quite a way with it, and you seem to also harbor no qualms with doing so. I propose that we locate more burrows of these dogs, and maybe they have materials we can use. I only request that you, umm, don't kill anything before we at least have a chance to ask for things, first." "That sounds half great, and half horrible of an idea. Great to find more mutts, horrible to think they'd willingly help us, from what I've seen. But, as you wish, I'll let you guys try to negotiate." "Then it's settled!" Spot Tracker spoke up. "I do know of a few nearby places that struck me as possible Dog lairs. I can lead us to them." "Very well, lead the way." I took a couple moments to pick up Soul Edge, which had seemingly slaked it's thirst for the time being, and hurried to follow the line of ponies. It turns out it's not easy to negotiate with mutts when you look like something straight out of Hell. Even harder to negotiate with Dogs when their basest desire is to enslave intruders in their lairs. Oh, and did I mention that negotiations are near impossible when you are ambushed and locked in a cell? Yeah... Very hard to ask for things properly from behind iron bars. And harder still to make threats when you aren't carrying a weapon. Two hours after setting out to find a lair, night fell over the island. We decided to set up camp, and I took up first watch. The mares managed to make a meager meal from the surrounding bushes, mostly helped by magic to taste good. At least, the stallions SAID it tasted good, but I was betting a good mind reader would have found a deep desire to save their own hides in their thoughts. I politely declined the food, mostly because it had no meat, and because I found that souls seemed like a normal food to this body. Well... Chinese food maybe... Two hours after my watch started, when all the ponies were asleep, I began to get quite hungry. My stomach, which surprised me to realize it existed, began to growl non stop. I'd like to think it growled loud enough to distract me, but I know I merely overlooked the sounds of quiet digging I heard. I was in a strange land, but the noises I heard (which I didn't recognize as digging, just so you know) didn't sound threatening. Three hours into my shift, the earth gave a mighty rumble and heave, and our entire camp fell into a large sinkhole. I barely regained my senses when a large Dog smashed me over the head with a hammer, knocking me out cold. When I regained my senses, I found my entire group in a large holding cell, but they were lucky, since they weren't chained to the wall like I was. Thick iron chains bound my legs, arms, torso, and neck, effectively limiting my movements. I could look around, and I noticed that the unicorns in the group had a black slime on their horns, which seemed near impossible to manually remove. And judging by the fact that none were glowing, I guessed the slime had magic stopping ability. Perfect, just perfect.
Prologue: A Dark Offer"Ah, it's good to be home," I sighed, slinging my shirt over my head and tossing it carelessly into my clothes hamper. I booted up my old PlayStation 2, eager to release some pent up aggression. After a couple minutes, a loud voice proudly proclaimed the name of my chosen game. "SOUL CALIBUR... THREE!!!" One of my all time favorites, this game helped me over on many an occasion. I sank more free time into this than anything else. It helped to alleviate my anger issues, after all. Each time I defeated an enemy, I placed my bosses face on them, finding satisfaction in the thought of destroying them. The media might tell you violent videogames turn people into murderers, but I for one advocate them as the best medicine. I also found peace in perfecting my weapon techniques, seeking peace through practiced mastery of all weapon types in the game. It allowed me to drown out the world, and focus my mind to purge my rage. Anger issues? Yeah, I had them. Especially when my own species seemed to think I was not human. Kicking me around, pushing me aside. Just today I was rejected for the umpteenth time. They say to keep trying, but her derisive laughter echoed through my mind, infuriating and depressing me at the same time. I decided to continue my Chronicles of the Sword storyline. Wielding a large weapon that would realistically be unwieldy to use the way I was, I quickly destroyed my opposition. With nothing left standing, I turned my attention the the final base, where the traitorous General Girardot resided. I broke it down, initiating the cutscene before his demise. "So you've come." After saying his piece, the battle started, and I promptly disposed of him. Just because he wouldn't flinch or be damaged without counter attacks doesn't mean he was a threat. Guardian Force? Please. Defeating him, the final scene featuring him played. "You are strong. But you do not yet know where to direct that power. Right now, your strength is controlled by others. Think for a moment, for whom do you wield your power, for what purpose, and against whom? You must learn to control that strength yourself... otherwise... You will never become a true warrior." "Impressive. That fight had me cursing for awhile earlier when I tried it." Whirling at the deep voice emanating behind me, I found a sight that shocked me completely. Standing behind me, cloaked in white robes, was a very familiar, yet completely impossible, figure. "Zasalamel?!" "This is merely the form I assumed to speak to you. I figured familiarity was in order for a first meeting," he said, sounding exactly like Zasalamel did in the game. A voice laden with power and dark purpose. "A form you assumed? What the hell does that mean?" I questioned him, my natural skeptic attitude surfacing. "For now, I will not answer that question. I came with an offer for you. You regret living life here, do you not? Of course you do. Shunned and reviled, rejected by the world you grew up in. You've become bitter and hateful." "Yeah, what's it to you?" I asked, bitterness rising in my mind. This guy was starting to piss me off. "I said I had an offer. Don't interrupt me again. I give you a chance, to leave this world, and go to one I have chosen. But you will have to leave your body, as I cannot think that you would be useful as you are right now. If you accept, I will send you there immediately, to act as my personal piece in a much grander game. What say you?" I thought this over for a few moments. This guy was clearly one nutty fellow. He was claiming he could send me to another world. Hmm, maybe he meant a virtual world. Leaving my body, entering a new one, and he did call it a 'game'. "It may be a game to me, but it is very real for you. And very dangerous. You could die, but I can give you a choice of bodies to help you survive. Dying wouldn't reflect well on me, you see." Did he just- "-read your mind? Yes." I blinked at him in shock. Mind reading, telepathy, omniscience, I considered all of those to be pure bullshit used to glean idiots of their savings. Maybe he had some sort of power. "Of course I have power. I am what you mortals would call a God, after all," the man said, smiling darkly at me. "I don't believe in Gods." But I was interested in his offer. Maybe I should try it, if for no other reason than being miserable here right now, or miserable here if it failed. But if it worked... "Where would I be going, exactly?" I asked. This answer would decide for me. "Equestria." NOT the answer I expected, and my open mouth did well to convey my shock. "I chose you because I know you would love to go, and have the chance to meet the ponies you've come to adore as your second anger coping mechanism." That was true, but- "And at least it isn't here, right? New start, and all that." True. If it worked, it couldn't hurt. And if this guy just wanted to kill me, I doubt he'd be so elaborate. I nodded once, letting him know I accept. He then raised his arm, and the forearm began to glow blue. The room darkened, and I felt a laugh escape me as I recognized one of Zasalamel's ending poses. Then my world went dark. The last thing I heard was Zasalamel's dark laughter, ringing in my ears. I woke up God knows how much later with a pounding headache. I tried opening my eyes, only to shut them quickly against the invasive torchlight. Wait... Torchlight?! "What's that in it's hand, servant?" a hissing voice rasped from somewhere to my left. Upon hearing the question, I realized my left hand was gripping something rather heavy. I could feel something was strange about my right arm, but when a female voice spoke up, my attention immediately focused on it. "We d-don't know, M-master. We think it is a large s-sword. We tried to t-take it from it, b-b-but the one who touched it, he... Oh Celestia it was horrible!" The second voice quavered with fear, although whether it was in response to the owner of the first voice or the horror of whatever happened to her companion, I could not be sure. I could be sure he said Celestia, thought, which peaked my interest enough for me to feign waking up. I groaned slightly and opened my eyes blearily. I had adjusted to the light flickering already and took a look around me. The first thing I noticed was a ruby red dragon, staring at me with malevolent eyes. The dragon was easily thirty feet long, and smoke was coming from it's nostrils as it regarded me. The second thing I noticed was the literal wealth of gold and gems it was sitting on. And finally, all around the cave, ponies of all kinds seemed to be slaving away at enlarging the cavern. At regular intervals, they were guarded by creatures resembling bipedal canines. Hmm. Dragon? Check. Money? Check. Ponies? Check. Diamond Dogs? Check. Either I was having the strangest and most realistic dream ever, or that 'God' was really something quite spectacular. Dreaming. Had to be dreaming. That was the thought running through my head as I stared the dragon down. "Sup?" I asked, my voice strangely echoing with power and a dark aura. Either it didn't like being addressed so forwardly, or didn't like it's captives to speak at all, because it roared at me. Not even two seconds later, I was surrounded by dogs, who were all leveling weapons towards me. Interesting. Sparing a look down at the object in my left hand, I looked back up at the dragon. But only for a second, as my eyes snapped back to the sword I held in shock. Soul Edge, a sword from a video game that was not real, was now very real and clutched in my armored hand. Sparing a more critical look at what I could see, I found myself adorned in azure armor, except for part of my chest. That had a mouth. Yep, definitely a mouth. See, it even opens when I think about it. Oh God, I'm rambling to myself in shock. With great willpower, I snapped my mouth back to observing myself, and took a look at my right arm. Which wasn't an arm, nope nope. That was a claw. A really big claw. Like, twice the size of my normal arm, claw. And oh look, another mouth, with tusks this time. Oh how cute, it even opens when I spare thoughts to it. Perfect. Two mouths. Nomnomnomnomrambling. I was still looking over myself when I heard the same female voice from earlier cry out. "Watch out!" Looking up quickly, I saw one of the dogs thrusting a spear at me, which caught me in my right shoulder, right next to the mouth located there. And boy, did that hurt. Did that ever hurt. I spared only time to think that if this was a dream, I would have woken up from that, before I lifted the huge zweihander in my left hand with ease. With little effort, I swung the sword down and snapped the spear, before sliding it across the ground and into the dog's shin. With a howl, the dog fell to the ground, where I proceeded to thrust my weapon into its chest, -GREEN- silencing it as blood spurted around my blade. I didn't spare a thought to the color that had flashed through my mind as my sword killed it, figuring I'd have some time later to give it more thought. Looking up, I saw the rest of my attending crowd staring at me in shock, before the dragon hissed one word. "Attack." And all hell broke loose.
Of Souls and SwordsI lost track of time. Dogs kept pouring into the room, and I kept swinging my sword. Backhanded slashes that left stalagmites in dust. Great slicing swings that gouged long and deep scars into the ground. Stabs that could embed me in rock for a moment, forcing me to use my claw arm. Oh, and what a lovely arm that was. I quickly learned that the claw alone was more than enough of a weapon against enemies with naught but flesh between me and their demise. That arm had the strength to throw even the biggest dog I had seen all the way over the dragon and into the opposite cave wall. The claw itself, which composed of three digits, was more than strong enough to crush skulls, snap limbs, collapse windpipes, or otherwise break whatever part of the enemy was too close to me. Now, you might be wondering how I, personally, was coping with this bloodshed. Sure, I was a normal guy on Earth, never killed anyone, hell, I never broke any laws. And yet here I was, killing all who stood in my way, and you know what? I was glad to do it. And not for reasons you might expect. Sure, in the back of my mind I realized this was a slaving operation, and that getting rid of these captors would free the poor ponies forced to work here. But the main force driving me? That cursed sword. Soul Edge had awoken. The eye in the center of the blade had come alive after killing the first dog, and had been whispering to me ever since. It instructed me on how to swing, when to dodge, when to counterattack, everything I needed right now to survive. But the sword was not concerned with my well-being, oh no. The sword THIRSTED. Thirsted for souls, which flashed through my mind each time I felled an enemy. Most of the dogs were green, which barely slaked the thirst of the blade, but an occasional teal soul put a noticeable joy into the blade. But the blue souls that sometimes showed up when a dog proved capable of holding me back for more than two strikes, those were souls the sword really craved. And I could see why. When I killed an enemy with my claw, the sword held in my other hand would suck the soul out, using me as a conduit. And for a brief moment, I could feel and taste that soul. They were delicious. After awhile, I noticed the numbers surrounding me were finally dwindling. And I started seeing the fear in the dogs' eyes as I cut them down. Some even threw their weapons down and tried to flee, only for the dragon to torch them like matchsticks. Oh yeah, did I mention the dragon didn't even flinch or try to attack me. It seemed almost amused that the dogs were falling so easily before me. And after all the dogs were dead or dying, it was only me and the dragon left, with cowering and terrified ponies all around us, watching in a stunned horror as we began to clash. The dragon made the first advance, snaking its head in as I finished the last dog, trying to catch me off guard. But the eye of Soul Edge sees all, and I thrust my claw out and into the dragon's snout. With a bit more pressure than normal, I felt the razor claws of the digits pierce the dragon's hide, causing it to whip its head back and roar in pain and fury. The dragon's eyes blazed in rage, and it opened its mouth. Oh joy, fire breathing. Not wishing to become a black and armored crispy creme doughnut, I quickly rolled to the side as the fire bathed the area where I had just been standing. Circling the dragon warily, I heard the voice of Soul Edge speaking to me. "It seems this over-sized scaly flame cannon might stick to artillery now. But if you listen to me, and concentrate, we can turn that against it. It must have a most delectable soul within its body. And I want it." Cocking my head and looking at the sword, whose eye was focused on me, I whispered quietly to it. "What must I do?" "Concentrate on the souls swirling within me. They fuel my power, and slake my thirst. But you can use them, as well. Gather them around you, and build them into a vortex. Then, right when the fire connects with them, let them loose! Show this pitiful creature the power of Soul Edge!" I did as the sword commanded, and focused on the souls of the slain dogs. I watched as they were drawn from the sword, and began to concentrate on spinning them around me, faster and faster, until a greenish blue tornado swirled around me. I chanced a look at the dragon and noticed it was readying another fire attack. This had to be precisely done. Just like Just Impacting an opponent on Soul Calibur, I would have to expand this force exactly when the fire hits my soul field. The dragon opened its mouth, and I could see as the fire burst from its maw. Time seemed to slow as the fire neared me. I took a calming breath, watching as the fire crept closer and closer, until right when it hit my shield. I felt myself grin wickedly with all three of my mouths, and I unleashed the vortex. The fire spun into the souls as they expanded, and a large bubble of fire expanded quickly from me. Right before connecting with the dragon, I saw its eyes widen in shock. In the next moment, the force of my counter rushed into the dragon, and the large creature was sent flying backwards into the wall. Ponies near the landing point quickly scrambled out of the way, some barely making it in time before the creature came to a thudding halt against the wall. The explosion also caused a disturbance in the hoard of gems and coins, and a shower of gold and jewels came raining down around me as I walked towards the heavily bleeding and stunned dragon. "Now... Give me... give me its soul!!!" With a nod at the swirling and frantic eye of Soul Edge, I plunged the sword through the chest scales of the beast, and thrust until the entire sword, hilt and all, was embedded within its chest. The dragon's eyes snapped open, and an insanely loud wailing screech issued from its mouth. All the ponies within earshot covered their ears and closed their eyes against the noise, which rang like a sweet music within my ears. The sword finished its drinking, and I could feel its joy at finding such a worthy and tasty soul that was capable of slaking its thirst for the moment. The only thing left now was for me to recollect the souls expended in my attack, along with the souls that were escaping the dying dogs. I walked to the center of the cavern, and lifted the sword straight into the air. With a single, loud command, the sword's eye blazed open once more. "Blood... darkness... Come unto me!!!" I thrust the sword into the ground and backed away from it, watching as the souls in the room began to be drawn into it. The eerie blue and green tornado that formed was beautiful and terrible to behold. I looked behind me, and found that all of the ponies in the cave were huddled into a single group. I began to walk over to them, only for them to shrink back in fear. "Look, little ponies, I'm not going to hurt you." "Yeah, sure," a large dark grey stallion said, his horn pointed at me. "We all have souls, too, so you're going to kill us too!" Sighing, I looked back at the sword behind me before speaking. "Look, I know I probably scared you, but I swear I'm not going to harm any of you. I just want to leave this place." "You aren't taking my baby's soul!!!" a dark purple mare with a grey mane shrieked at me, standing defiantly in front of a foal that still had a mining pick held in its mouth. Jesus, these mutts forced children to work. Now I was really glad to kill them. I sighed in exasperation at the mother, but before I could speak, another voice spoke up. The same voice I remembered talking to the dragon about me earlier, to be precise. "I trust him," the mare said, coming into the open. She was a light blue pony with a long white mane and tail, that was reminiscent of Fluttershy from the show. Earth pony, judging from the lack of wings and horn. "He woke up and saved us all. He could easily have killed us if he wanted, instead of simply walking over and talking to us like he's doing." "Are you mad, Seafoam? He just slaughtered them so he could have us for himself! If he isn't going to kill us, he's going to make us mine for him instead." The dark red pegasus who had just spoken up was irritating me already. Blowing a wisp of his orange mane out of his eye, he regarded me coldly. With a sigh, I stood and began to turn before Seafoam spoke to me. "Where are you going?" "I'm finding a way out. You ponies can sit here and bicker all you want, but I am sick of this place already. I'm going to find a way out, find the nearest transportation I can, take as much of this dragon's treasure as I can carry, and I'm getting the hell away from here." "I'm coming with you, then." Turning around in shock, I noticed that she was standing right behind me, with the rest of the ponies regarding her with amazement as well. Chuckling softly, which was a terrifying noise that caused some of them to shuffle uncomfortably, I reached towards her with my claw. To her credit, she didn't run away, even as her eyes betrayed her fear, and the other ponies gasped and readied to run or attack me. But I simply picked her up gently, cradling her against my chest like a kitten. "You're a cute pony. I wouldn't mind having some company. After all, I'm in quite a strange land." Turning around, I walked to my sword, which had finished it's business, and picked it up. Without looking at the gaggle of ponies standing behind me, I began to walk towards the only hole that left this cavern.
A Soul's Hope"So, umm, can you put me down, please? I can lead you out, instead of suffering while watching you get lost again..." I looked down at the mare cradled in my arm. Her yellow eyes were flashing with amusement with her jesting, but there was still a trace of fear. Perhaps I was making her uncomfortable with this monstrous arm of mine. "Sure thing, little pony," I said, setting her gently on the ground. "All better?" "I have a name, it's Seafoam! And yes, much better," she sighed, relief washing over her face. "Alright, so which way do we go, Little Pony?" I smirked underneath my helmet, where she couldn't see. The look of indignation and annoyance on her face was priceless. With a huff, she turned and chose the left fork before us. Strange, I thought I chose that path before. But I followed her anyway, and took the opportunity to scan her Cutie Mark. She had a cresting wave, which I wasn't surprised to see. After only a couple moments, she came to a stop and I watched as she turned towards a wall about five feet in. She raised a hoof, and after a bit of contemplation, she tentatively touched the wall, about three feet from the floor. With a grinding noise, the wall began to slowly shift, grating and sliding to reveal a massive archway, which would be big enough for the dragon I had slain. Had it been alive, that was. When the wall finally finished opening, I turned around to go retrieve some of the treasure, but found the group of ponies from earlier standing behind me. Cocking my head to the side, I watched as the red pegasus with an orange mane from earlier shuffled forward. He cleared his voice a few times before speaking to me. "We're sorry about what we said to you earlier. We hope you will forgive us. We gathered most of the treasure from the cavern, remembering that you mentioned taking it when you left." He stood to the side and I watched in amazement as about six very large stallions, all earth ponies, came forth. Each one was laden with four saddlebags, and those were each filled to bulging with all manners of gem and coin. I raised my eyebrow before looking back to the red pony, who was looking at me with fear, apprehension, hope, and a small bit of surprise when he regarded Seafoam coming to stand by my side. Working on a hunch, I spoke up once more. "No, you aren't being honest with me," and I saw the pegasus flinch slightly at my words. "Now, why don't you tell me the truth, and see if your fears of me are grounded in reality." "Alright, alright... We thought for sure you would have killed or otherwise harmed Seafoam when you took her away, alone. We brought the treasure, hoping you would be appeased with it and not hurt us..." Leaning in very close, I watched as his eyes began to widen. His irises shrank to pinpricks in his fear, and he let out a breathless prayer when I spoke again. "Very good. Telling the truth is far better to earning my peace instead of lying," and as I stood up, I surveyed them all. "Know this! Speak the truth to me at all times, and I will protect you as you begin to return to your homes. Lie to me, and I will leave you in my wake to fend for yourself." When I finished, a young unicorn mare rose her hoof tentatively. When I nodded to her to speak, she took a few moments to collect her thoughts before she did so. "Not all of us have homes..." she said, casting her eyes down to the floor. "Some of us... were born and raised here." Looking at them in shock, I saw many eyes looking away while some of the ponies cried softly. This was pretty brutal for them... Making up my mind and nodding to myself, I spoke out once more. "Very well. Those without homes are welcome to stay with me. Anyone else who has a home can return home. If you have any attachments to the homeless ones, I implore you to think about opening up and helping those in need." The ponies looked up in surprise as I suggested that they do something out of kindness. The red pegasus, who I really needed to learn the name of, was staring at me with newfound wonder in his eyes. When he raised his hoof, I smiled, using the mouth on my chest so he could see it. With a quick look of fear at it, he looked back at me and spoke. "Umm... Sir, what if some of us who have homes would like to... stay with you?" "And your name is? Sorry to be so rude as to not ask sooner, but it's starting to bug me now." "My name is Burnt Cinnamon, sir." "Well, Cinnamon, and this goes for all of you as well," I said, my gaze washing over them as they stared at me expectantly. "Anypony, who has skills and is willing to work for the betterment of all of us, or is willing to learn, is welcome to stay along with me for as long as they can stand a monster like me." The cheer and sheer radiant joy that spread across them washed over me like a tidal wave, and I couldn't help but smile at them. They each took a moment to personally come up to me and bump their hooves with my fist. A few, like Cinnamon, had even gained the nerve to bump against my claw. Some of the foals even climbed on it and played around with it. I noticed that the parents weren't comfortable with it, but at least they weren't shouting at me like the mother from earlier. Speaking of the devil... "Excuse me, sir..." the purple mare spoke quietly behind me. Turning to her, I nodded for her to continue. She took a deep breath before holding her foal out to me. "My name is Wrench Twist. I can help us get out of here if you can help me find materials. And also... My baby would like you to cradle her like you did Seafoam..." Looking down at the foal, she giggled and raised her hooves out towards me. I gently reached out with the claw, and she latched onto the middle digit. She giggled wildly as I bent it in, holding her in my 'hand' while her mother looked on. I rose up to my full height, which, now that I was paying attention, was a good two times as tall as the ponies. Looking around, I noticed that it was just me, Twist, and Seafoam, with the others having gone ahead of us. With my left hand outstretched, I bowed and motioned the mares to go on ahead, and followed them as they walked into the darkness. "They fear you... And yet you do not slaughter them... Why?" the voice of Soul Edge spoke in my mind. Because. I will not be the monster you make out of people. I will feed you the souls of those who attack me. But do not try to harm these ponies. I heard the voice of the cursed sword laughing in my head, with it only giving one final warning. Don't let them touch the sword.
The Most Powerful Weapon(s)The sword went quiet after it gave me its warning. Don't let them touch Soul Edge. I suppose that meant it wouldn't make me hurt them, but would not guarantee their safety if they tried to wield it. Fair enough. This was MY weapon, this was MY form in this world. Lost in my musings as I was, I failed to notice that the ponies ahead of me had stopped until I almost stepped on one. Deftly stepping to the side and depositing the foal I carried on her mother's back, I made my way through the crowd to see the cause of their pausing. I eventually managed to make my way out of the cave, next to Seafoam, and saw what had her stopping the other ponies from moving. Standing at the entrance of the cave was a large group of Diamond Dogs. When they saw me, they quickly parted and let a large dog come through. He stood twice as tall as I did, but he was far more muscled. His every movement sent a rippling through his flesh. I noticed to my surprise that he had a small, thin blade strapped to his hip. After surveying me as I surveyed him, he opened his mouth and began to speak in a deep and gravelly voice. "So, you are the creature that defeated the dragon leader here? And now you seek to free these ponies?" "Yes," I said casually. "These ponies will be returned home. Any more questions?" "Just one," he said, his mouth curling into a smile. "What if I want to make them my slaves instead?" "I'm afraid you'll have to kill me first." "Then I shall do so." Without another word, he drew his weapon and sprinted to me in a flash. I had barely brought Soul Edge up to block his attack, but he feinted quickly and snaked his weapon for my throat. With a quick twist to the side, I narrowly managed to evade having my neck sliced neatly through. I twisted away from the dog and brought Soul Edge up in a sweeping attack, tearing apart the ground in the process. But I missed. The dog swiftly spun to the side and came back for me in a flash, stabbing his weapon forward in a series of extremely fast thrusts and feints. I managed to hold him off by sheer luck and the fact that my weapon was large enough to block his weapon a bit easier. But a few of his attacks still scored. I came away from him with a nick in my left shoulder, a long scratch down the right side, and three punctures in my claw. "Is this the best you can do, freak?" he laughed aloud. "You'll never beat me with such slow attacks. I am the fastest dog around." I knew his words rang with some truth. He was indeed extremely fast, so much so that I could barely follow his movements at all. I might need to find or borrow another weapon for the time being... "Are you seriously considering abandoning me over this arrogant fool's claims?" Unless you have a better idea, I'm going to be drowning under the flood of attacks he puts out. "Then it's decided. You will gain a new weapon, but you will never think about abandoning me again after this..." Before I could question its intentions, Soul Edge began to grow hot in my hands. The heat intensified quickly, almost causing me to drop it. It began to be enveloped in a dark purple glow which emanated from the eye, and I could feel it draining some of its reserved souls. Finally, when I was starting to feel unable to hold it, the glow brightened to a soft lilac hue, and the blade began to change before my very eyes. It slimmed down, becoming extraordinarily light. When the blade finished, the glow moved up my arm and covered me. Instantly, I was flooded with a new knowledge of fighting, a more elegant and refined style than what the sword transmitted to me when I fought the dragon. I recognized it, too. Raphael Sorel, master of the Rapier. I looked up after my mind finished processing the new information flooding it, and noticed something rather surprising. While it had felt like a few minutes, the transformation seemed to really only take a few seconds. The dog I was fighting still had the ghost of his jeering laugh fading as he regarded my new weapon and stance. I looked back at Soul Edge in my hand and let out a harsh, barking laugh. The eye of the sword had moved into the pommel, which completely encased my left hand. My right arm was still malformed, but in a new way. The claw had been replaced with a single, viciously long and sharp spike. It felt strange as well, and upon moving it I deduced that it was now boneless, since it seemed to move with fluid, tendril-like motions. I looked back at the dog, and just in time. The dog had tried to take advantage of my study of my new form by launching an attack at my heart. Whipping my right 'arm' up, I snaked it around his left arm and drove the spike into his shoulder. His right arm still swung his sword at me, but I quickly brought my new weapon up and blocked it with ease. I then let loose a laugh at the newfound speed I possessed. "Why do you fight, when you know you will lose?" I asked him, and tightened the hold on his left arm, drilling the spike further into him. He let out a ragged whimper at the pain, but bared his teeth and attempted to bring his sword low and slash at my legs. Without any effort, I easily parried the weak attack and brought my sword to his throat. Without showing fear, he spat in my face. Grimacing at the wet sensation dripping down my face, I drew my sword along his throat and watched in satisfaction as blood spurted from his neck. I noticed Soul Edge greedily drinking his soul, which flashed red in my mind. Recognizing it, I searched my memory and found it matched the dragon's soul from earlier. He was that powerful? Intriguing. Most intriguing. Looking up at the pack of dogs that followed him, I laughed. "So, who's next?"
Unquenchable ThirstTime passed in a blur. Soul Edge flashed, I danced through the ranks of the dogs, swinging my sword, which had reverted back to the zweihander form, and cleaved the dogs who threatened me with ease. Some tried to run, but were easily dispatched with a quick weapon transformation into Cervantes de Leon's gun and sword form, allowing me to shoot the pathetic runaways in the back. After all of my opposition lay still and quiet upon the battlefield, I once more stuck Soul Edge into the ground and allowed it to consume the souls floating around the area. Looking back, I saw that the ponies had huddled together and were regarding me with fear again. I smiled with the mouth on my chest, and Seafoam, Cinnamon, and Twist were some of the few who were brave enough to smile back. With a sigh, I picked up Soul Edge, which seemed to have entered a dormant state, and walked back to the ponies. "So, Seafoam, where exactly are we?" "I think we are in Southern Equestria, on an island," she said, closing her eyes and concentrating. "We're actually in a previously uncharted island. I was down here to make a map for the Royal Sisters when I was ambushed and abducted by the dogs working for the dragon," an older stallion spoke up. "Thanks for saving me, by the way, my name is Spot Tracker." I looked over at the speaker, a dark grey unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail. Huh, so some of the bright ponies can look like normal horses back home. Wait a minute... Hah, he's the stallion who told me they had souls, and didn't trust me to leave theirs alone. "So, how much of this place did you manage to scout before your little adventure into Hell?" "Ah, a sense of grim humor. Well, I suppose with the craft you seem to have mastered, a grim sense is better than no sense, I suppose. Unfortunately, the area is very bleak. I saw naught but scrubs and bushes in my travels here, and I surmise that only Diamond Dogs have ventured into these lands. Alas, there will be no other ponies to flash your award winning 'smiles' upon in this area." "Hmph," I said, turning back to my sword. "So basically, we have nowhere to gather any building materials, as there are no trees, and no pony settlements?" "I'm afraid so." "Well, Wrench Twist, I believe this throws a wrench into your offer to build anything helpful." The purple mare closed her magenta eyes and furrowed her brow. After a couple moments she opened her eyes and looked at me, but hesitated when she opened her mouth. "Yes?" "Well, sir, I detest saying this... We ponies are a peaceful species, we don't really relish the thought of battle. But you seem to have quite a way with it, and you seem to also harbor no qualms with doing so. I propose that we locate more burrows of these dogs, and maybe they have materials we can use. I only request that you, umm, don't kill anything before we at least have a chance to ask for things, first." "That sounds half great, and half horrible of an idea. Great to find more mutts, horrible to think they'd willingly help us, from what I've seen. But, as you wish, I'll let you guys try to negotiate." "Then it's settled!" Spot Tracker spoke up. "I do know of a few nearby places that struck me as possible Dog lairs. I can lead us to them." "Very well, lead the way." I took a couple moments to pick up Soul Edge, which had seemingly slaked it's thirst for the time being, and hurried to follow the line of ponies. It turns out it's not easy to negotiate with mutts when you look like something straight out of Hell. Even harder to negotiate with Dogs when their basest desire is to enslave intruders in their lairs. Oh, and did I mention that negotiations are near impossible when you are ambushed and locked in a cell? Yeah... Very hard to ask for things properly from behind iron bars. And harder still to make threats when you aren't carrying a weapon. Two hours after setting out to find a lair, night fell over the island. We decided to set up camp, and I took up first watch. The mares managed to make a meager meal from the surrounding bushes, mostly helped by magic to taste good. At least, the stallions SAID it tasted good, but I was betting a good mind reader would have found a deep desire to save their own hides in their thoughts. I politely declined the food, mostly because it had no meat, and because I found that souls seemed like a normal food to this body. Well... Chinese food maybe... Two hours after my watch started, when all the ponies were asleep, I began to get quite hungry. My stomach, which surprised me to realize it existed, began to growl non stop. I'd like to think it growled loud enough to distract me, but I know I merely overlooked the sounds of quiet digging I heard. I was in a strange land, but the noises I heard (which I didn't recognize as digging, just so you know) didn't sound threatening. Three hours into my shift, the earth gave a mighty rumble and heave, and our entire camp fell into a large sinkhole. I barely regained my senses when a large Dog smashed me over the head with a hammer, knocking me out cold. When I regained my senses, I found my entire group in a large holding cell, but they were lucky, since they weren't chained to the wall like I was. Thick iron chains bound my legs, arms, torso, and neck, effectively limiting my movements. I could look around, and I noticed that the unicorns in the group had a black slime on their horns, which seemed near impossible to manually remove. And judging by the fact that none were glowing, I guessed the slime had magic stopping ability. Perfect, just perfect.
