Chapter One: The Time of Cleansing

In these times, corruption spreads far and wide. Very few remember when everything was exactly as it seemed. No one is pure anymore, even town guards were under the payroll of crime lords. When the corruption started to show it’s horrid face, He started showing up. There is a legend that has it, a pony that travels around the world, slaying the evil in the corrupted ponies, griffins, and changelings. He wore a raggedy black cloak, old and torn. No one knows his true name, only by what the crime lords call him. ‘The Angel of Death’, ‘The Grim Reaper’, ‘The Wondering Paladin’. He had many names that each pony from common thug to notorious Crime boss had a shiver run up and down their spin when heard. Some call him a monster, others call him a savior. Many want him dead, others wish to help him. When he shows up to town, some pony is always found dead. For now, we shall call him Grim.

Grim Looked down at the small town of Ponyville as his face was hidden in shadow from his cloak, a gentle breeze flowing down the hill towards town. “Sixteen years I have been searching around the world, cleansing the fires of corruption. Sixteen years I walked among the earth, killing of this global infection. Now, I have finally found the last stage of my journey. I have come a long way to kill off the final group of evil, but it is now the greatest challenge that stands before me. If I can complete this final task, then I may finally know peace,” he said mysteriously to himself. He slowly made his way to town as he flinched before making it halfway down the hill, his nose twitching.

“This city rekes with filth and decay. It will take quite a while to cleanse this city,” he said to himself annoyed. He took a deep breath and continued on. Once entering the town gates, he took a good look around. Most of the ponies that walked around wore old, torn up rages with a small group of town guards patrolling the streets. the houses were in shambles, stales and some stores staying up by only duct tape and what appears to be glue. Within in the few minutes Grim spent standing there, he witnessed a small foal clip a coin pouch from a passing colt and ran off. With a hatred sigh, he pressed forward. A few minutes after a small and young filly slowly walked up to him, holding out her two front hooves. She was clearly homeless with dirt all throughout her mane and all over her face.

“Excuse me sir, do you have a spare bit?” she asked innocently. Grim stared down at her, his face hidden in shadow from his cloak that draped over and around his face to conceal it. She started to take a step back, her eyes filling in tears. Grim reached down and patted the young fillies head, placing a pair of bits in her hooves. Her eyes lit up with joy and excitement as she looked at the pair of shining gold coins that laid in her hooves. She turned back up with a shining smile that would make Celestia’s sun proud.

“Make sure you get some food in you young one,” Grim instructed kindly. The filly nodded happily.

“Oh, thank you thank you thank you good sir!” she exclaimed in pure joy. She ran down towards an alley, carrying the newly obtained bits in her mouth. Grim grew curious and decided to follow her. When he peeked down the alley, he saw the same filly trot up to a small wooden box. She tapped it open and an even younger foal poked his head out. He seemed very ill but when he saw what the young filly held into her mouth, it looked as if he used every ounce of energy and strength to force a large smile to spread on his face.

“I should have given a bit more, but it is good to see that there is still some good in this city,” Grim whispered to himself as he started to move away when he heard a voice from that ally.

“Hey there kiddos. Whatcha got there?” the voice asked coldly. His voice was rough and raspy. ‘I do not like the sounds of that. I assume this would be my first step towards rebuilding this small town to it’s former glory,’ Grim thought to himself. He took a deep breath and turned the corner, heading down the alleyway. Two earth ponies cornered the two young ponies, the fillie held onto her two bits with a death grip in her mouth.

“Come on now, you don’t want to get hurt over two little pieces of metal, now do ya?” the other earth pony asked, a twisted smile formed on his face. He was a good bit bigger and taller than the other earth pony he was with. The young ponies’ backs were right up on the wall at this point.

“These little pieces of metal will feed us for three days!” The little filly barked back, taking a stance to defend the smaller pony cowering behind her.

“HEY!” Grim shouted out. The two earth ponies turned to him with annoyance.

“Look pal, this is no time to play hero, you’ll just end up getting cut, just keep walking,” the raspy one spoke, turning his gaze back at the two young ponies. Grim walked up to him, making sure his hoof steps could be heard by the two intruders. “Boras, kock his blocks off! Show him what happens to heros in this town!” he ordered his bigger companion.

“I got it!” Boras exclaimed. He walked up to Grim and cracked his arms and neck. “You’re cruising for a bruising here, bucko,” he said towards Grim threateningly. He pulled his hoof back and charged at him for a swing at Grim. He smiled as he charged at Boras as well. Right before they made contact with each other, there was a flash of glowing red light both from Grim’s eyes and his right sleeve. The sound of a cold blade cutting through flesh was heard and a light thud on the ground. Boras froze as he slowly looked down at his hoof. It was completely severed clean and blood squirted out where his hoof used to be. He let out a blood curdling scream as he clutched his bleeding arm.

“What the hell?!” the other pony asked alarmed. He turned around and saw his comrade gripping his severed arm, his hoof a few inches behind him, a small pool of blood forming under his friend, and lastly, Grim. He had a black blade extended out of his sleeve of his right arm. The blade was as thick as his arm and curved. It had a waved pattern of blood red designed into the blade itself with a small streak of blood on the blade itself.

“You both have been judged, and found guilty!” Grim announced with a sudden deathly chill in his voice. The last earth pony took a step back cautiously but stood his ground, grinning.

“You can’t scare me so easily!” he declared as he pulled out a hidden blade in his sleeve as well, well over ten times smaller than Grim’s.

“Are you sure that is a wise idea?” Grim asked puzzled. The last earth pony charged with everything he’s got, aiming his knife right at Grim’s heart.

“Lack of size is made up for speed and agi-” he started. Grim took a step towards him and swung his blade down, breaking the blade in half. Before he could react, he swung back up, slicing his arm off from the shoulder and came back down to cut through his chest. Blood splattered all over the walls of the alley, the two ponies staring, watching and petrified with fear. Grim turned around so that he was facing both of the bleeding and screaming earth pony robbers.

“Your crimes are that of assault, burglary, theft, sales of narcotics, and bribery. You are corrupted, your sentence is death!” Grim declared. He raised his blade and striked down upon the first one closest to him who was near death. A small portion of blood spilled out upon impact as the final signs of life slowly left the earth ponies eyes. Boras slowly got up and turned to make a run for it. Grim turned over to him quickly and dashed over to him in three quick steps. He aimed low and cut off the legs. Boras fell onto his back, the air flushed out of his lungs upon falling on the hard ground, he was unable to scream, unable to move. He just laid there, slowly bleeding out as the ground absorbed the blood into the ground. Grim raised his blade once again and stuck it into Boras’ chest. The blade easily pierced through the flesh and ribcage and penetrated that heart with ease. His eyes showed pain as they slowly became extinguished with life.

“The blood of the innocent flows out of you and has been returned into the earth. What lives you have ruined shall be repaired. Rest now, for your life of sin is over. Rest in peace and may the gods have mercy upon your soul as you ascend to the great beyond,” Grim chanted in a peaceful tone. He closed his eyes and went to the other and did the same. He rose back up on all four hooves and raised his blade back into his sleeve. He glance back behind him to check on the young ponies. “Are you ok young ones?” he asked kindly and softly. The filly glared at him, going back into a defensive position in front of the young foal but he rushed past her and slowly ran up to Grim, hugging one of his legs.

“Thank you so much mister, you saved us from the monsters!” he called up. Grim smiled down at him and patted his head. He reached down into his pouch and pulled out two more bits, handing them to the young foal.

“Get well soon, young one,” Grim said kindly as he started to walk off. The young foal let go of Grim and held onto the two shining bits he held in his hooves. Grim walked out of the alley with a cheerful smile on his face that only lasted for a brief moment as he looked onto the city. “This city has become so dark with evil. The shadow of corruption shrouds this city and snuffs out any flame of innocence that ever sparks to life. I will not leave here till my work is done!” Grim exclaimed. With a determined look, he walked out into the middle of town, staring up onto the castle of Canterlot. “I’ll get you all you, you just wait!”

Author's Note

This story is an experiment and a test for writing gore and fight scenes. SO I will still do my best with this series, but it is an experiment, so styles of writing may change. I also strongly love criticism, it will help me build up and become better. Anyone who provides criticism, I will leave a thank you in the ending credits. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. As always, have a good morning/day/evening