Der Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügersby SwimmingDalek98ChaptersI've been swinging so long, they call me the hatchet manGet your kicks on Route 66The question isn't who will let me, but who will stop meWell, screw you too, universe!I've been swinging so long, they call me the hatchet manDer Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers I've been swinging so long, they call me the hatchet man "Uh… Need… food…" I wheeze out, and I stagger along, trying to find my way to a meal. My throat is still sore, and the fact that all these girls have to dress me in is a few clothes that are a little too large isn't much comfort. Apparently, they were stolen from the nearby town, and I presume the same to be true of the food. I stagger around until I reach what must logically be the kitchen, and reach for a cupboard. My hand shakes, as it slowly edges towards the cupboard, which I draw open, and I'm greeted with the sight of… bread. I grin joyously, and slowly try to lower the loaf onto the counter, and notice out of the corner of my eye some butter. "Hey!" A high-pitched voice interrupts my carefully calculated and fragile thought processes, and I jolt in fear, dropping the bread. I look to the origin of the voice, and see one of my 'hosts', for lack of a better term. Yellow hair, and matching eyes, tied into twin tails that resemble drills. Drills. I know I shouldn't be surprised, with what I've seen, and more importantly done, but I'll be damned if this isn't one of the absolute weirdest things I've seen. I mean, how much gel is necessary for that? I return to reality, and note that she's dressed rather casually. Simple slacks, a dark yellow shirt. I look at the bread, now on the floor. I turn to her, and barely whisper, "So… rry…" I lean down to pick it up, but feel myself collapsing. As I drop, she quickly grabs me, and tries to steady me. My now blood-red hair falls around me, and I gaze past it straight at her. Her eyes are filled with warmth, and kindness, and the smile on her face brings forth memories of my own mother. She chuckles, "Careful now. You're still not up to full strength. Just tell us if you need anything, alright?" I nod slowly, then point to myself, "N… Night…" I find myself lacking further strength to speak, so she silences me with a finger. Her soft smile removes the irritation I would've otherwise had at my own weakness. "You don't need to strain yourself. Talk when you have the strength. You can call me Mami." She slowly carries me to my room, before laying me back on the bed. She smiles, before walking away. slide into my covers, and place my hands on my chin, pondering about my current situation. How long was I honestly asleep? Where has Soul Edge gone? Who are these mysterious five women? Why are they helping me? And why is it my body is so weakened? I cannot truly have been that dependent on Soul Edge's power, could I? Maybe I shouldn't be giving myself so much credit. I was running around in that for seven years. Maybe I should quit worrying and eat the food Mami's given me. Porridge, buttered toast, and tea. I look up to her slowly, with an expression saying 'are you serious' plastered to my face. "You're too weak to eat any big meals just yet. For now, just try to keep up your strength. Trust me, I'm a nurse. Or, I was, anyways…" She gives off a soft sigh, before placing a bell on my nightstand. "Use that if you need any of us." I nod, and slowly begin eating the porridge. I notice how slowly my hand moves, and internally groan. By the great Nyarlathotep, this is going to be a long recovery. 2006 Years Ago, Equestria Castle, Everfree Forest Many a merry laugh echoes through the mead hall. The people joyously drink and dance and sing all around, with Airy leading the charge. Her magic illuminates the hall brighter than the surrounding lamps, leaving me able to watch from the shadows. I sit in the corner, stroking Soul Edge's scabbard, a habit of mine which I developed during the year's passing. Solaris stands up, and calls the merry-makers to attention, "May… may I have everyone's attention, for a brief moment? Exactly one year ago, to this day, a stranger arrived in my custody…" A few laughs and hearty chuckles went around the room at that, "But had it not been for him, we would not have won the battle today!" A strong cheer follows that, and a few people top off their mugs. "Nightmare, come out from the dark." A round of applause fills the hall as I walk forwards. Solaris drapes his arm over my neck, "Take that damned helmet off, ya twit." Laughter fills the hall, and I slowly unbuckle it. As I remove it, a long set of blood-red hair falls from it. Over the past year, my continued usage of Soul Edge has died my formerly raven-black hair the color of my power. Luckily for me, the rest of the revelers are unaware of that. They just think I'm a really pronounced redhead. With a damn handsome face, if what I've heard from my fellow soldiers is correct. Solaris chuckles, "You have won us so much over the past year than we have in the past four. I am proud to call you my brother in arms…" He steps away, and dramatically turns back, pointing, "and it is my great pleasure to name you my fellow knight-captain!" At this, a loud cheer deafened all other noise in the room, even drowning out Airy's song- an extremely rare feat, to note. I chuckle in response, before stepping forwards, and silencing them with a wave of my demon claw, "A year ago, I was found in the forest. I was scared. I was alone. I was confused. And in need of a drink. But as time whittled away, I found myself not in the company of random faces, but of a new family. Of warriors, and loyal soldiers..." I wave to the guards in the room, who nod and smile at the attention I redirect to them, "Of children, kind and innocent…" I notice a Seraph boy trying to watch in the rafters above, and I bring him down slowly with a lightweight spell, "Of friends, strong and trustworthy…" I reach over, and knock Solaris on the shoulder, "And of a home. So now, I am taking that much needed drink…" As the crowd chuckles, I grab a mug, filled with ale, "And I make a toast. To this damnably crazy country. To Equestria!" "TO EQUESTRIA!" Airy spins about in air, and casts a large amount of light spheres, and the noise dies down as she prepares another song. I look to Airy, who nods in Solaris' direction, before continuing to sing. I look to him, and then I notice that he's deliberately averting his gaze from Artemis. A grin grows on my face. So far, it's basically become common knowledge among the guard that Artemis' affections aren't entirely one-sided. Which, honestly, makes this a whole lot more fun for me. So far, over the past four months, the two have been making this into a romantic comedy for me. Heavy emphasis on comedy. "Of course, our definition of comedy is a little different compared to most people's." Shut it before I get out the barrels. "Not the barrels! Anything but! I'll shut up now!" His voice disappears from my mind, and I breathe slowly. I notice that Faust is waiting at the door of the back room, motioning for me to follow. I down my mug, set it on a passing waiter's tray, and join her in the war room. I slide on my helmet, and notice her roll her eyes. "What?" "What's with you and that damned helmet?" "Makes me feel safe. Never know when an arrow might be coming at your head..." "… Cute. I have a paranoid knight-captain." "And I have a queen who lets said knight-captain keep his position." "Fair enough." "I'm certain you didn't call me back here so we could stand around and trade insults. Who do you want dead?" This is the relationship I have with the Queen. The title I made a year ago has come to reality. I'm a merciless hunter, striking from the shadows and consuming all of my master's prey. All enemies of the queen are mine. Be they brigands or one of our own. Think Black Butler, only without the butler, and even more demon. And less homoerotic scenarios. Well, there was that one accident... "Solaris. Pretty sure you know what's his problem." "He has quite a few, m'lady." "Well, the one with my daughter. That's the one we're discussing here." Cue inner shipper going 'squee'. "Ah. That one." "Well, a few nobles have also noticed it. They deem it a problem to their own successes." Oh, crap. "They'll all notice it sooner or later. Now, do you plan for me to kill my own best friend?" I raise Soul Edge, and plant it on the table, raising an eyebrow at her. "No. I, for one, am doing this for my daughter. She loves him. He loves her. Simple mathematics. Only a few actually are trying for the throne. So don't go getting all of them. These are the ones I picked out." She unfurls a scroll, which contains a small list of names. "Ah, yes. The ones which hired and slipped in the goons that almost got Solaris a few weeks ago. So this is why you wanted me to wait. Should they look like an accident? Or just make it look like brigands?" "Well, a few of them may be a bit harder to take out than just that… Look closer." I take the list from her hand, and analyze it a second time. One entry turns my blood to ice. "Nocturnus. The one dabbling in dark magic... His magic is far superior to my own sorcery." I draw my hand to my chin, attempting to get a bearing on the problem. Inferno begins hissing and raging, "That's the one! That's the one! It knows of us! It knows who we are! It toys with us! I feel its dark wizardry even from Astral Chaos!" "I understand that you are a little hesitant to deal with him, but I can arrange for another, indirect way of disposing of him." Inferno and I practically jump for joy at that, "Name it. Anything but dealing with that warlock head-on." "I plan on setting up an expedition to the far north, past the mountains." She unfurls a map, and shows an unknown area past the northern mountains. She taps it twice, "We can arrange for him to come along as… a diplomatic representative, so to speak. If they somehow get past the dragons, I predict that they won't survive the wendigoes." I look up to my queen, "Wendigoes, m'lady? I believe I've never heard of such a thing." "Creatures of ice. They feed off of hatred. They freeze you alive, then eat away at your soul through your very rage." "That just gave me several ideas." Me, too. "That… that could work. I've heard tell he's spiteful of his servants. That should be enough to lure the creatures more to him." Faust looks up to me from the table, "Then, you can take care of the others?" "I've already got at least four different ways to get rid of you, nine for you, oh, I've got over three dozen for this guy." I chuckle to myself, pointing at the various names on the list as Faust walks out. "It's party time." Two days. I've waited two days for this assignment. My target is Count Mott, of House Ceruleus, and he's now sitting in his estate, quite a ways from where everyone else is. The queen has actually decided to give me the chance I need by having a personal 'chat' with the man. Most of his guard have been let off for the night, and Her Majesty's own have also taken leave, due to a 'miscommunication' on my part. Needless to say, I'm more than a little happy at this opportunity. The remaining guards are mostly asleep. I'm not. I cast a few spells, and send the local wildlife into a frenzy. The rabid barking of dogs, and the mad flying patterns of birds covers the noise of my armor as I dash up to the side of the building, and the guards frantically wave their hands at the creatures. I grin, and cast a spell, unlocking the window from the inside. I aim Soul Edge inside, and let it look around. It notices a single maid walking down the hall, trying to ignore the noise. Her back is towards me. This is too easy. I jump in, and roll, before sliding right behind her. On spell later, she's unconscious. "I swear, it's like he WANTS to die..." I keep stalking the halls, cautiously avoiding as many servants as I can. As easy as it would be to simply magic them all to sleep, I do like to act with some finesse. It helps keep me in shape, too. "But is crawling along the ceiling really necessary?" … Shut up, it's fun. I drop down in front of Mott's bedroom door, and have Soul Edge scan the interior. Wow. Only Mott and Faust's inside. Should we play with it before we eat?" Of course, you imbecile. I step back, raise my foot, and then kick open the door with as much force as possible, "Boom, baby!" Mott, to my surprise, doesn't leap back in fear or anything of the sort. Instead, he acts as if I'm not even there. Not a hair on his blond head twitches or moves. "Hm. It looks like you need to put a tighter leash on your mastiff, Your Majesty." He scoffs, and simply takes a drink of wine. Faust merely smirks, "I would prefer that you not refer to a knight-captain as if he were some lowly beast, Count." Her tone indicates no irritation whatsoever, and neither does her body language. She turns to me, and motions that I sit down. "Hmph. "Ah… She wants information from the prey. She wouldn't stay us unless there was something she needed." It's not like I couldn't bleed it out of him. Nonetheless, I sit. My, this seat is really comfortable. I can feel it through my armor. I take my demon claw, and stroke the soft fabric. As I do, Mott's eyes practically boggle, "Your Highness, that couch is rather costly. I would prefer that your pet not leave any marks or stains on it." He's trying to not act out of line, but he does NOT like me where I am. Okay, you're now on 'the list'. I glare at him, and grasp Soul Edge by the scabbard. I turn to Faust, who shrugs, but still gives me the 'hold' signal. "Count, I do find that your continued referral to a knight of the realm as a mere animal is rather annoying." To this, Mott merely laughs, "Why should I not? I refer to those below us as what they truly are. You cannot deny that we rule over a land of beasts, Lady Faust. And, in fact, I-" He's cut off by my blade at his throat, and the harsh, animalistic growl that emanates from it. "Your continued audacity in the presence of the Queen, and towards her own people no less, is an offense I cannot afford to let stay. You have offended this country's honor, as well as Her Majesty's. Now, the normal route would be for the offended party to challenge the offender to a duel for their honor. But since the Queen cannot do such a thing, I shall take her place. I, the Azure Nightmare, hereby challenge thee, Count Mott of House Ceruleus, to a duel." I swing Soul Edge around, before tossing it in the air. I hold up its sheathe, and the blade lands perfectly, releasing a ghastly hiss. Mott stands shocked, before trying to regain his composure, "Your Majesty… this behavior by your pet is absolutely-" "Shut. Up." Both of us turn to her at that. Even Inferno quits toying with his souls in response. "M'lady, such-" The sound of a powerful 'SLAP' echoed through the halls, with Faust looking legitimately angry. "Such rage… such delicious anger… I've never seen it before on that one… ooh, it's delightful..." I silence Inferno, but find myself unable to disagree. Indeed, I have never seen her enraged. it's almost… enticing. It's like a train wreck, or a shoggoth cock fight (don't ask): It's absolutely horrific, but you can't look away. "I have heard enough out of you. You insult my people, you ridicule a knight-captain who has proven himself a worthy warrior, and ever since I've gotten here, you've been speaking of MY daughter as if she were an item to be bought or sold! Sir Nightmare may not be a nobleman by birth, but he IS a captain, which means he is more than capable of challenging you to a duel of honor, like any of his rank!" "The lady's anger is intriguing… but the look on the prey's face is even more delicious..." Y'know, for once I can't disagree with you. His face does this weird stretchy thing. "Tch! Y- Fine. If playing a game with your dog will silence you, so shall it be." He turns, and begins to walk outside, with Faust and I close behind. I lean in and whisper, "Should I wait until he tries to use a fatal blow? Or finish him right from the start?" Faust doesn't even bat an eye, "There are still some guards watching. If they see you flat-out cut him down, they might talk. If he doesn't try for one, do whatever's necessary." "Can do." "Okay. Now we're out in the cold. Are we going to get this out of the way, or not?" Mott's horn and hands glow a pale, icy blue, and I let myself be coated in the fiery red of Soul Edge. "Indeed. Let's go." I fling a burst of shadow magic at him, which he repels with a single barrier. He was supposed to. He flings a spell back at me, and I whack it away with my claw. He throws another, which I sidestep, and another, which is avoided with a simple duck. Mott grinds his teeth, and propels another spell at me, which I stop with another spell of equal force. Mott hisses, and throws another few at me, each of which I continue to out-maneuver, or simply stop. I continue to use this to close the gap between myself and him, until there's not even a meter's worth of distance between us. I raise Soul Edge to his neck, and he slowly raises his hands to surrender. "You wanted this out of the way, so I got it out of the way." I lower my blade, and turn away, "Be warned, next time such a transgression occurs, it will be a lot louder… and the witnesses won't be just a few of your guards..." I motion to the guards watching the event, who try to contain their glee. "… You… dare to… say such things… against me? You… MUTT!?" I feel a wave of magic smack me in the side, and knock me ass-over-head. I hit the ground hard, and slowly pick myself up. "You dun fucked up now." I stand up, and wave my claw, its dark magic forming a circle around Mott, who reacts with fear. "Wh-what is this?" Suddenly, glowing, red-hot chains leap out, and bind him down. I wave my hand, and the guards drop to the ground, unconscious. Mott turns to the Queen, who merely watches the surrounding animals, now calmed down from my spell. "You have just assaulted a knight of the realm. You dealt what would be a lethal blow, after a fair duel. The punishment is death." I walk into the circle, and then snap my fingers. The entire spell is replaced with a flash of light, and we disappear. "Gyagh!" I toss Mott down into a small ravine, and he lands in a river. He gasps, and drags himself from the shoreline, "Wh-who do you think you are? How DARE you lay a hand on me, dog? I will have your HEAD for this!" "Y'know, I must honestly thank you for this, Mott." I snicker, and watch as he heaves his waterlogged form from the river. "For what? Your swift and imminent DEATH?" He snarls, and tosses a spell at me. I catch it in my claw, and to his surprise, crush it completely. Then I let myself descend into demonic laughter. His expression goes from one of anger, to one of astonishment, to one of pure fear, all in an instant. "Heh, heh, heh... No… No, it's for something far, far more exhilarating… A chance to practice something I thought I'd never get the chance to… An old spell… A really, really old spell, to be honest. A complex summoning spell, one which brings out only the best of the beasts. And no, that wasn't a typo..." I raise my demon claw, and the very air turns dark. The moon's pure white light is tainted red, and the sky becomes a distorted array of colors from out of space. "No! Stop! I demand that you stop right this instant!" He waves his hands frantically, before launching several waves of magic. Alas, they dissipate upon getting a certain distance away. Y'AI 'NG'NGAH "I said STOP!" He casts even more bolts of magic, but the otherworldly barriers continue to prevent his attacks from even coming close to me. YOG-SOTHOTH Thunder crackles, and the winds howl. I notice the souls of animals running as far away as possible. Mott takes a page from their book, and dashes away into the forest, screaming his head off. It matters not how far it runs. 'They' shall take care of it." H'EE-L'GEB Inferno giggles as the symbols and magical circles appear on the ground. The various rocks begin to hum, as the very fabric of space-time warps. F'AI THRODOG The most narrow angles along the rock faces begin to emit a sort of strange, clear mist. A powerful series of growls, groans, and roars emit from them. UAAAH Finally, clear, glass-like heads emerge from the mist, followed by bone-like bodies. The heads resemble canine skulls, but are covered with crests. Their limbs are thin, jagged and warped, with spikes and protrusions. Inferno can barely speak, as the Eye of Soul Edge gazes in wonder and horror, "What ARE these creatures?" I chuckle, "These… are the Hounds of Tindalos... "Creatures that exist within the angles of time, while we live in the curves… It is impossible for beings of the third dimension to understand. And I do not wish to, with what I have been taught." I swing my claw out, and release some magic, to draw the beasts' attention, "Hear my voice, great Hounds! Know my power! I am the Nightmare, the Dark Blade of Equestria! You have been summoned for the sake of a hunt! Your prey lies within the forest. Feel free to do what you will to him. Now, GO!" I cast forth my magic, and it serves as a metaphorical whip-crack, forcing the beasts to move away, and chase after the Count. "Are you sure they can get him? He already has quite the head-start..." I imagine a bucket of water dropping onto Inferno, and he huffs. "None can escape the Hounds of Tindalos. They manipulate the very fabric of space-time. Attempting to run can only buy you mere seconds. And even then, those seconds might not even exist. I will show you what I mean..." I hold up Soul Edge, and use his power to cast our vision, and we lock onto Mott. "Huff, huff, huff…" Mott's running. Farther and faster than he ever had in his entire life. The Queen has abandoned him. And now, that demon of a dog is using black magic to hunt him down! 'The audacity… I swear, the rest of the Circle will find a way to put that despicable mastiff in the dirt like the beast he is!' Mott trips on a branch, but doesn't let it slow him down. He keeps running, then he stops at a cliff. Technically, it's too small to be called a 'cliff', but he doesn't really know that. The reason he stopped is because he doesn't have any other way out. "Pathetic, as always, Mott." Mott hears a curious voice. He looks up, and sees several figures on the top of the cliff, wearing hoods and plague masks. "You call yourself a 'noble Arcanus', but you cannot even win against a single brutish knight." One of the figures most to the left scoffs, and the others solemnly nod in agreement. "And now, here you are, about to be torn apart by a demon's apparitions." The figure in the center dryly tosses out, and the others practically chuckle. "My friends! What're you talking about? Why do you speak as if I am some kind of beast? Please, help me! I am one of the Circle, see?" He removes a glove on his hand, and displays a circular tattoo, which has a peculiar and unrecognizable symbol in the middle, "Get me out of here! I'm Count Mott! Not some common rabble!" "That's why we're leaving you." The color drains from Mott's face at that, "Wh-what?" He drops to his knees, and he reaches to them, "Is… is this some kind of jest?" "… No. We have heard a quote, from Nightmare, incidentally, which has changed our opinion of you amazingly. 'If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.' You, so far, have done nothing but treat your inferiors with disdain and hatred. You are useless to the Circle and its future." The figures all turn, and walk away, leaving Mott screaming for their assistance. A sudden, hissing, screech interrupts Mott's pleading. He turns, and sees… things, in the tree-line. They slowly stalk forwards, and Mott screams in horror, "No… Stay back… I SAID STAY BACK! I'M ORDERING YOU! Stay BACK!" He tosses a wave of magic at one of the beasts, which jumps away. Mott sees his opportunity, and proceeds to run past it as it leaps. Mott continues to speed through the forest, hearing the creatures as they leap and charge after him. He looks over his shoulder, and is absolutely horrified at what he sees. The beasts are charging, at incredible speeds, through the trees and plants. Worse, whatever they pass through seems to rapidly age at different rates, although Mott wasn't sure if it was merely the adrenaline showing him that or his own rapid descent into madness. As Mott keeps running, he sees a large tree in the midst of a small clearing ahead. Perhaps, if he were to climb it, he could be safe, at least until the beasts grew bored of hunting him. But his hopes quickly go out the window when one of the creatures leaps through the tree straight at him. He trips, and barely slides under it. As he does, he looks up, and sees the spot of bark that the beast climbed through. Certain parts of it seem to be growing older, others younger, at random rates and intervals. He turns, and sees the beasts now completely encircling him. He whimpers, before firing a bolt of magic, hoping to make another opening. To his surprise, the bolt goes through the creature without any harm done. "What? But… but my magic stopped it earlier! How did it not work? Unless…" 'Unless they were toying with me...' Mott drops his head into his hands and lets himself begin to cry. He slowly ups his wailing into mad laughter as the beasts close in, with one in particular sniffing him closely, and noting his loss of sanity. It then proceeds to look up at the sky and scream. I say scream because that's the only word broad enough to describe the noise it made. Not concentrated enough to be a howl, not lax enough to be a baying, and not high-pitched enough to be a screech. It was just a noise. A noise that spoke of the realm this thing came from. The realm where time and space are fractured into thin lines that intersect with themselves. The realm where the laws of casualty are null and void. The realm that the Count has just been stolen away into. "… Interesting, very interesting. It seems your hounds are more efficient than first I assumed. Now, what is our plan of action?" I now sit in Astral Chaos with Inferno, as we observe the last of the Hounds fading away. "Simple. Inform the Queen of this… Circle. A secret society… one that has moral standards… Color me intrigued." I stroke my chin, and review the footage of the figures on the cliff. A slow grin appears on my face, the one you have when you're about to do something that's to be challenging, but immensely entertaining. So, basically, what I'm about to undergo. "Couldn't we have just… eaten Mott and drained the necessary knowledge from his soul? And we wold've been saved plentiful time and resources?" My grin drops immediately. In hindsight, that WOULD have made things a LOT easier. No need for anything fancy. "Well… I already summoned the hounds, why bother un-summoning them and deny them their first really decent game in who knows how long?" I look to Inferno, hoping to gain some form of sympathy. I don't get any. "Uh-huh." "It was an unexpected development, understand? I cannot account for everything. I wouldn't have expected a narcissistic egotistic baboon like Mott to be part of anything special." "This is all you have to report?" Faust stares at me as we sit in the war room. So far, I've managed to keep my bearing, but my eyes keep falling onto the candles around the room, for some odd reason I grew a strange fascination with them in the past three minutes I debriefed her on the situation. I nod at Faust, "Yes, m'lady. The fool was approached by a group of cloaked individuals. He identified them as 'the Circle', and they apparently claimed he was of no further use to them. They disappeared immediately. I apologize for not attempting to at least capture one of them, but I was more occupied with… the matter at hand, you see." I have kept the full depths of my summoning magic to myself, if only for the sake of my own confidentiality. The Queen only knows that I get the job done, and that's enough for her. "It's alright. Mott's been removed from the equation, that's all that matters. He was one of the larger contestants for my daughter's hand. With him being gone, the threat against Solaris should decrease a fair portion." "Are we truly sure of that?" I ponder aloud, and Soul Edge rattles silently, as the candles around us flicker in the night. Author's Note Whoo! Back-to-back Nightmare! This… is probably gonna be a one-time thing, though… Expect the next few chapters to be uploaded at a more natural, slower pace than this in the future. Until next time, comrades! Get your kicks on Route 66Der Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers Get your kicks on Route 66 “C… Come… f… fo-” I descend into a hacking fit, and the spell I was making dissipates into dust. “D- damn… S- Still… w-weak…” I drop to my knees, and start coughing again. “Hey! *crunch* Don’t overexert yerself!” I turn my head to the door, and see a redheaded girl. She wears a green jacket, and- woah, those are some short shorts. I look to her hand to see the source of the crunching sound, and see she has a chocolate bar in one hand, and several bites in it. She walks over to me, and lifts me onto my bed, and scoffs, “Moron. You can’t even speak full sentences yet, and you think you can try to walk around? Let alone cast any kind of magic?” I shrug slowly, “One… way… find... out… right?” She scoffs, “Whatever. Hey, want one?” She holds another, unwrapped candy bar before me, which I take. I simply nod, before slowly taking off the wrapping. I sink my teeth into the candy, before moaning in delight. It’s been a while since I’ve had chocolate bars. Wait, they don’t even have a way to make chocolate into bars like this. How could she have gotten a chocolate bar? I turn to her inquisitively, motioning to the bar of candy. “... What about it?” “How… was… it… made?” Her expression changes, and now she looks rather confused. “Whaddya mean ‘how was it made’? It was made at a fact- oh. You really don’t know what happened to yourself, did you?” I shake my head in the negative, letting her eyes widen with awe, “W-well… I think you may wanna listen closely… it’s a long story.” I sit up as much as I can, and fold my hands upon my lap. I watch as the redhead bring up a chair, and sets it beside me. “See… it all starts in a kingdom, ruled by two pony sisters…” “That… That’s what this whole thing is all about…” She nervously looks about, trying to avoid eye contact with me. Holy shit. It’s all a show. A kid’s TV show. “How… long?” I rasp out, which catches her attention. “How long what?” “How… long… asleep?” The girl sighs, “From… from what I’ve seen, you’ve been turned to stone for at least two thousand years.” Two thousand. Two. Thousand. Years. That’s two thousands. And that’s terrible. “What… of… Sol… ar… is?” What happened? What happened to him? I raise my hand to my mouth, as my breath becomes rapid and unsteady. “Who’s that?” “Fa… ther… of… Tia…” I try to restrain myself, but enter a coughing fit. She places her hand on me, and holds me steady as I begin to hack up blood. “Hey! Calm down! Just take it-” “ANSWER!” My body surges with magic, as non-Euclidean shapes materialize around me. “Sakura!” The doorway is now filled with four other girls, my other caretakers, who look ready to attack. She looks legitimately scared, and almost reaches for a ring upon her finger, but I look her dead in the eye, and she stops in her tracks. Killing intent. Even without physical strength, one’s killing intent can never be mistaken. She begins trembling in place, and I keep glaring at her. “Answer… now…” I ignore the blood slowly trickling down my mouth, and she nods in response. “H… Homura…” Sakura turns, and looks to the calm, dark-haired member of the group. “Yes?” The sheer level of control in her voice, despite my overwhelming killing intent, surprises me. Had I not been bedridden, lacking of all physical energy, and pissed off, I would probably be giving her a round of applause. But I’m not. Sakura steadies herself, “Wh-what… became… of Celestia and Luna’s dad in this world?” Homura stares at me for a moment, to which I respond by weakening my aura. She merely reaches for a book, and flips it open to a specific page. “After the defeat of the dæmonic Nightmare, King Solaris and Queen Artemis disappeared under mysterious circumstances. To this date, there has been no clear evidence of where they went, or why.” My heart sinks. Is this what you do to me, brother? After all we’ve been through… 2006 Years ago, Equestria Castle, Everfree Forest “... I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” The priest grins, and steps back as Solaris and Artemis embrace heartily. The crowd bursts into applause and cheers. I stand by Solaris’ side, proudly watching my friend, whose countless months of persistence finally blossoming into his one true goal in life. “Ah… young love…” I sigh dramatically, and clasp my hands together. Solaris shoots me a playful glare, before returning to his new bride. I grin, and walk to the side, taking for myself a glass of wine. My eyes begin darting about the place, nervously noting the exact quantity of people in the room, and the ratio of armed guardsmen to the civilians. I take in the quantity of Seraphs, and Hyur. I closely examine all of them to see any places where weapons could be kept. “Letting paranoia overtake common sense again, Nightmare?” Faust now stands beside me, grinning at my expression, or lack thereof, a trait I display when thoroughly analyzing a room. “Ma’am, I do believe that’s what I’m paid for.” I keep looking about, but maintain the illusion of my speaking with her. “You know, you CAN have off days. Just let loose for once. Come now, drink from that glass, before I do.” “Do you honestly want a dark sorcerer with alcohol in his bloodstream?” I raise an inquisitive eyebrow to the queen, who laughs in response. “C’mon, we got you out of the armor. Why not go all the way?” I look down to the azure suit I now sit in. My danger sense is only amplified with the frail cloth being the only thing protecting my body from would-be assassins. “... Because I’m a paranoid magic knight who is in a kingdom with a secret society.” Despite the few months that have passed since the discovery of the Circle’s existence, we have drawn no closer to uncovering them than before. None of Mott’s servants recognized the symbol of the Circle, and there’s no historical records relating to them. So far, I’ve become extremely pissed regarding them. Faust’s expression turns to a frown at that, “You are NOT to mention that. Not here. Not on the happiest day of MY daughter’s life. For once, just let yourself have FUN, for crying out loud!” “She’s right you know.” I look to my shoulder, and see Airy, waving her finger. “Tsk, tsk. Old Nighty can’t be a big sourpuss all the time.” “... Y’know what? You really wanna do this? Fine. But remember: I warned you.” I tilt the wine to my lips, and let it pass through. “You’d better not go overboard with this.” Bite me, hothead. “Nightmare? Are you alright? Certainly, you can hold your wine better than this?” “There are over thirty-eight males in the room, and an almost equal quantity of females. At least half are Hyur, another quarter is Seraph, and the remainder is Arcanus. Royalty notwithstanding.” “He’s fine.” Airy giggles, before jumping off of my shoulder, and floating away, following the movement of the crowd to the ballroom. I hold my dæmonic arm out at a crook, and Faust chuckles, “Oh? What’s this, then?” “What knight would I be if I didn’t escort my queen? And what kind of friend would I be if I did the same to my comrade’s mother-in-law?” “Well, this is a definite change in attitude. Mayhaps we’ll have you drink more often.” She slips her arm into mine, but slowly, letting her arm settle against the carapace, which pulses raw magic in response. We walk into the ballroom, and I see Airy sitting upon the piano, cheerfully waving for the guests to enter. Eventually, the room is filled aplenty, and the guests begin to dance a slow dance. I watch from the shadows, letting boredom take me over. In all of the recent excitement regarding the Circle and the wedding between my old friend, I’d forgotten the absolute tediousness of royal courts and ballroom dances. Great Cthulhu, the dances! I never thought something could drag on for so damnably long. I take a sip of wine, before stopping and staring dumbfounded at the glass. WOW, this is worse than I thought. Imma do it again. And again. And again. “I have an idea.” Shit, I’ll hear it. At this point, anything’s better than this. And again. “Airy. Song. Now.” … That is quite possibly the most brilliant thing you’ve ever said. Any recommendations you’d like me to give her? And again. “Oh, you should know…” Oh, fuck the hell yes. No wonder you’re my best friend, Inferno. I trot over to the fae, and whisper a few words into her ear, and step back. She jumps over to the musicians, and signals them to stop. “Ah-hem! Ladies and gentlemen, this song is hereby dedicated to our lovely bride and fantastic groom, courtesy of the Azure Nightmare!” A small round of applause fills the air, as I merely pull a Gatsby, raising my glass to Solaris as he chuckles, and covers his face in embarrassment. The pianist watches as music notes appear in the air before him, composed entirely of fae magic. He straightens up, and then begins tapping at the signalled notes. Hey, I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home, It’d be a home run Show me how you do I take another hearty gulp of wine, before refilling my glass. And then downing it. Whoo, why is it there’s more people than I remember counting? “Oh, shit, here we go.” I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh “Sir, please hold my drink. I do think shit’s about to get real.” In an instant, I feel myself flung onto the stage by a mysterious force, and before I’m even able to calculate what’s going on, I’m singing. I gotta get more of this stuff for later. I like crazy, foolish, stupid Party going wild, fist pumping music, I might lose it Blast to the roof, that’s how we do’z it I don’t care the night, she don’t care we like Almost dared the right five Ready to get live, ain’t no surprise Take me so high, jumping nose dive Surfing the crowd Ooh Said I gotta be the man I’m the head of my band, mic check one two Shut ‘em down in the club while the playboy does it, and y’all get lose, lose After bottle, we all get bent and again tomorrow Gotta break loose cause that’s the motto Club shuts down, a hundred super models Holy shit, where’d all that air come from? I’m not one to raise my voice. I was always quiet, even back home. I rarely yelled, except when a ritual would call for it. But before I can even make a move, Airy continues. Hey, I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home It’d be a home run Show me how you do I try to catch my breath, and I cast a spell, sending my drink back into my hand. I down it, and put it back into the crowd, “Refill that, please. I’m gonna need it.” I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh Here we go, round two. HAVE AT IT, THEN! Party rocker, foot-show stopper More Chambord Number one club-popper Got a hangover like too much vodka Can’t see me with ten binoculars So cool No doubt by the end of the night Got the clothes coming off Til I make that move Somehow, someway, gotta raise the roof, roof All black shades when the sun comes down Uh-oh, it’s on like everything goes Round up baby tilt the freaky show I release a mental squeal of joy when I see my glass being passed through the crowd and placed at the edge of the stage. What happens to that body, it’s a private show Stays right there, private show I like ‘em untamed, don’t tell me how pain Tolerance, bottoms up with the champagne My life, call my homie then we hit Spain Do you busy with the ball, we get insane The moment the fae magic releases its grasp on me, I drop to one knee, and gulp the drink down. I look around, and see Solaris standing in shock, with Artemis laughing, an arm draped over his shoulder. Hey, I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home It’d be a home run Show me how you do I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh I cast a spell, placing thin shadows over the candles and the chandelier, creating a completely different setting. Now, the room has become dark, and acquired a significantly more romantic atmosphere. The crowd gets the message, and parts, letting the couple hold each other closely, and begin to dance. I am a wild one Break me in Saddle me up let’s begin I am a wild one Tame me now Running with wolves and I’m on the prowl My enhanced eyes note that the newlyweds are completely focused on each other. Their bearing is better than most of the battalion. Hey, I could actually use that for recruits. Let me see… ‘The PRINCESS has better bearing than you maggots do, and she doesn’t even HAVE to stand at attention!’ Yeah, that’ll work. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Wine. Show you another side of me Another side you never thought you would see Tear up that body Dominate til you’ve had enough I hear you like The wild stuff Oh, shit. I forgot some of these lyrics are more than suggestive. Well, nobody seems to mind. I turn, and slowly begin walking to the hallway. I make a sharp turn, and enter another hallway. I walk until I see a door which has two guards on both its sides. “Gentlemen. Would you mind granting me entrance? There’s something I need to get.” They nod, and one grabs the keys, unlocking the door with ease, revealing the armory, and Soul Edge on the opposite wall, staring right back at me. Hey I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home It’d be a home run Show me how you do I let the suit burn away, and command Soul Edge into my hand, and around me, my azure armor builds up. I clip Soul Edge’s sheathe to my hip, and turn around, and I’m staring straight at Faust. I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh I stare at her, huff, then walk straight past her, ignoring her glare as I head to the gate. In the sky above, the moon shines brightly, reflecting off of my armor. I stare at it for but a moment, before leaping over the castle wall. I am a wild one Break me in Saddle me up and let’s begin I am a wild one Tame me now Running with wolves and I’m on the prowl As the sun rises into the air, I draw my blade from my latest kill, an extremely large manticore, and the soul wells up into me. I swing Soul Edge around, and sheathe it in a single motion. I grab the kill in my claw, and raise it into the air, and walk back to the castle. As I reach the gate, I toss a glare at the watchmen, who quickly call for it to open. As the gate opens, I’m greeted with Faust, with a few guards at her sides, “I see you’ve been having fun.” “Needed to patrol. Couldn’t handle the large crowd.” “Is that reason for you to walk out on your best friend’s wedding?” “Please, don’t test the limits of my patience right now. I already hate myself for it as is.” I walk past her, and adjust my grip on the kill. “... You also have a visitor waiting in the training yard.” At that, I turn my head, a look of panic betraying my features. Well, time to face the music. As I turn the corner, I hand the manticore over to the butcher, who I’ve formed a strange friendship with, and he nods his usual nod. I swear, he looks like Jamie Hyneman, too. The exact same glasses, bushy eyebrows, and walrus mustache. “Hello, old friend.” My heart stops. I turn, and my eyes fall upon Solaris, who’s currently leaning against a training wall. “... I apologize for my early absence last night. If I stayed any longer, I would’ve begun frisking everyone in the room.” “That’s not what I’m here for. Although, note that I do forgive you for that. I’ve become aware of your… issue with crowds. That ceremony let me realize something. You’re alone, Nightmare.” I scoff, “I needn’t company when I have my duties. You and I both know how I operate. Leave me to my work, and I’m just fine.” “But you can’t always bury your frustrations in your work. I’ve seen you, late at night. Hell, you let yourself be deprived of sleep for weeks at a time! And when you DO decide to sleep, it’s in the barracks, or sometimes right on your own desk! You don’t even use the room the queen has so graciously provided you! That bed has not seen an occupant since it’s been given to you! I just- Gah! Nightmare, hold out your hand.” I raise an eyebrow, but obey, showing him my dæmon claw. “Would’ve preferred you use the other one, but that’d mean taking off the armor. I… guess this is fine. For now.” As I go to question him, I watch as he raises his own arm, and- YOG-SOTHOTH’S TENTACLED BEARD! He just… He just STABBED HIMSELF IN THE HAND! With a knife? How long’s he had THAT on him? “Now… hold out your hand…” I tell myself not to, but this form’s need to feed on blood proves stronger than my own will. I wince as his knife dives into a soft spot on my palm, and then, he shakes my hand. With his injured one. “We are brothers. In blood, and in battle. Now and forever.” I stare at him, and watch as my own hand rapidly patches itself up, and absorbs his blood. Then I turn my gaze, and see my dæmonic ichor flow into his own wound, and rapidly repair itself. “S… Solaris… I… I don’t even know what to say… I… Why? You’ve no obligations to do such a thing… Solaris… I-I…” For the first time in the year and a half since I’ve arrived here, I cry. Tears flow under my armor, and I drop to my knees, “Solaris… B-b-brother…” I reach forth, and he steps down, hugging me tight. “Shh… Be at peace… It’s alright now… you’re not alone… You’re not alone…” Present Day, hidden cottage, White-Tail Woods Damn, Solaris, you couldn’t have run like that… it’s not like you… “Hey… are you alright?” I turn, to see the five staring right at me. I shake my head, and motion that I’m alright, although still rather weak. “Fine…” I wheeze, before taking a bite of chocolate, smiling to myself as the confection melts along my taste buds. “Well, if you need anything, just call us, okay?” The pink haired one places her hand on my shoulder, and gazes right into my eyes. I nod in the affirmative to this, and as they turn to leave, I wave at the black-haired one. “Yes?” She walks back to me, and then sits in the chair the redhead was in. “Need… answers… How… long… until… start… of… show?” Homura stares at me in a completely deadpan manner, before handing me a history book. “We have at least eight months before the events of the Season One opener begins. The one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration will begin then, and Nightmare Moon will be released. Six mares, or women in this case, will save the world from eternal night with the Elements of Harmony.” Elements of Harmony… where have I heard that before? And how is that supposed to help them against this Nightmare Moon? “Homura!” The blue-haired one dashes in, repeatedly gasping for breath. “What’s the problem?” “W-w-witch! Big one! In forest! Moving… to village!” “I’ll be ready in a moment.” This ‘Homura’ girl stands up, and then reaches for a ring upon her finger, similar to the one that the redhead has. It glows, and before my very eyes, she’s in an entirely new getup, now with a skirt… and is that pantyhose? “Wh… What… ha-” She raises a finger to my mouth, and shushes me, before turning and joining with her comrade. “Ready?” “Yes.” In a flash, the two are both gone, leaving me sitting in my bed, flabbergasted. Okay, THIS I gotta see! I don’t care if I’m aching! I slowly step out of bed, and begin to limp forwards, clinging to as many things as I can, and barely maintaining my balance. With effort, I reach the door, and pry it open, letting natural sunlight fall upon my skin. I feel the wind push my hair about, and feel a smile consume my features. That’s the last thing I do before passing out. 2006 Years Ago, Equestria, border of the Everfree Forest My patrol has taken me to the very edge of the forest. I stare out at the vast, unclaimed plains that lie before me. The planes that await Equestrian settlers. A smile grows on my face, and I grin at the untamed fields before me. Here, is where we shall expand. Here, is where- “Enjoying the view, old boy?” I turn, and notice Silkius standing beside me, checking her nails. “To say the least. This… this could become an amazing place to build upon. Imagine it… cities spreading out for miles, acres of homes, streets lined with goods…” I sigh, as the fantastic images coat my vision. “... Indeed. How very intriguing…” Silkius drones, and turns to me, “Say… I was planning on a large dinner with some of the other hives, and I thought ‘Hmm, why not invite those Equestrian nobles?’ I mean, how better to make introductions than with a grand display of our festivities, and immediately after a royal wedding, when everyone’s going to be absolutely ecstatic?” “... Y’know what? Why not. I’ll do it. It’d be a good way to kick off the honeymoon. Just don’t let Lady Faust at the wine. Trust me, it’s for the good of all involved. It took us weeks to remove the fish scent from the armory.” I take careful note of Silkius’ bewilderment, and inwardly chuckle. “What’re you talking about?” It’s better than saying she tries her hand at karaoke. THAT was a nightmare. “I’ll… keep that in mind…” Silkius shakes her head, before looking out again at the vast plains. “Hey… what’s that?” My honed, dæmonic vision notices a small form rapidly moving in the distance, and closing in fast. It appears to be a quadruped of some sort, but I still can’t exactly make out the features. I notice that around it, some larger creatures follow it, but are struggling to keep up. A hunt? Wait, something’s not right… “My word… is that a Dæmon Steed?” Silkius’ mouth now hangs agape, and I reach for my blade. “Mind telling me what one of those are, and how dangerous they could be? And who’s following it?” I draw Soul Edge out, and it morphs into its Male form instantly. I swing it about, before setting it in the ground in front of me, blade pointed to the incoming Steed. “A being bred in Tartarus for calvalry. But I’ve never seen one in person before… How did it get out of Tartarus? Those gates were to be unbreakable.” I roll my eyes. Girl, if you think that one gate is going to restrain dæmons, you need to do better research. The only way to even come close to restraining the great Yog-Sothoth was to cram him outside of conventional space-time, and that guy can STILL raise hell wherever he wants. Like Dunwich. That was a weird way to receive ‘the talk’. “If you’re done commenting on your little cult’s mortifying history lessons, can we get onto dealing with the problem at hand?” Whatever, barrel-man. “Shut the hell up.” The Dæmon Steed comes ever closer, and my eyes close in on the creatures following it. They appear to be on mounts of their own, similar to the Steed, but slower. They wield mainly axes and hammers. The lot of them have a dark green-gray skin, and have large boar-like tusks. Silkius gasps, “Dæmons… They’ve gotten out of Tartarus… They may not be particularly bright, but they are powerful… Oh, no...” I take a moment to analyze the souls of the creatures, “Oh, yes…” Large, and covered to the brim in sin. Soul Edge purrs in anticipation, and I feel my dæmon claw twitching with it. Well, I’m already going to hell. Why not get to know my neighbors? I leap from the tree-line, charging at full speed, and make a sharp slide, letting the Dæmon Steed pass me by, and hold up my own blade. The riders slow down, snarling and laughing. “Oi! Look wot we got ‘ere, boss! A lit’l mort’l knighty!” Okay, apparently dæmons have Cockney accents and say everything phonetically… Why does this seem so damnably familiar? “Whot’s da big idea? We waz about to get ourshelves a fancy new horsey!” Okay, that absolute massacre of the common language is an offense I absolutely cannot abide by. I swing Soul Edge about, before placing it before me, “If you want that Steed… You’ll have to take it from me.” The riders grew deathly silent, and their faces surprisingly grim. I use my Soul Sense, as I so dubbed it a while ago (copyrighted, too, bitches). I find that there are seven dæmons total. A smug grin manifests under my mask, and I lash out at the rider to my left, and completely sever his leg, leaving a small scratch along his Steed. “GAGH!” As he falls, another comes up behind me. I leap into the air, and drop my blade onto his head. I then grab his axe, and hurl it into another rider’s head. The crippled one throws a lasso onto my throat. “Got ye now, ya daft bashtard!” “Oh, do you, now?” I place my dæmon claw on the lasso, and it launches a wave of hellfire along it, before completely engulfing his arm. “AH! HELP ME! ITSH GOT ME! OH, IT BURNS!” I grab Soul Edge from the corpse of my second foe, and leap into the air away from them. I need a moment to decide what move I could use against them. Let’s see… Something classy... Ah! “Well, this has been fun. But now, it’s time to say good-bye!” I dash into the lot of them, and slam Soul Edge into the ground, creating a shockwave, propelling them into the air. As they all fall down, I reposition myself to make sure that they’re all in a single line… “Inferno Divider!” I hold Soul Edge out in the air, before slamming it down, making a wave of dark magic that travels straight out, perfectly bifurcating the lot of them, yet also ignoring the Steeds. “Hah. I expected more from the fabled dæmons of Tartarus… I didn’t even HAVE to transform to eliminate them. Pathetic.” I scoff, and turn away, letting Soul Edge draw in their flesh and souls. As I walk away, I hear whining of a sort. I turn, and notice that one of the Steeds is about to be caught up in Soul Edge’s feeding through a scar on its side. Its blood is adding to the small river that Soul Edge feasts on, as it whinnies in pain, being drawn in as if it were in quicksand. I momentarily consider adding it to my harvest, but decide against it. Too pure. Too beautiful and powerful a beast to ever be a meal. I exert my will over the blade’s hunger, letting the creature escape. “Bah. These dæmons are delicious enough. I needn’t add an animal to my feast.” I huff in return, before turning around again, and being face-to-face with the first Dæmon Steed I saw. Or rather, face-to-snout. It releases a single snort, leaving a small cloud of dust. I look up, and stare right into its scarlet eyes. I look further up, and see that it has a pair of ram’s horns atop its head, and a lion’s mane. Its entire body is coated in powerful muscles that ripple with every motion. “... Can I help you?” The Steed glares at me, pulling its lips back slowly, revealing a set of powerful, pearl-white teeth, and then- *SLURP* It licked me. The bugger licked me. I stare at it again, now noting that it has a slightly softer expression. Was it toying with me? I slowly reach my claw up to it, and to my surprise, it puts its head into my claw, and rubs it, almost demanding I pet it. “Uh… Inferno, what do I do?” “Mmph, can’t talk now, eating.” Fucking fatass. Of course you abandon me in the socially awkward moment. The beast whinnies at me, and- is it smiling? It’s so weird… but it looks so cool! I decide to let my inner man-child take over. I walk over to its side, before noting it swishing its tail. Which looks back at me. It’s a snake. The Dæmon Steed has a god-damn snake for a tail. That wasn’t innuendo. I slowly put my claw up on its side, before pushing down, and hopping atop the Steed. I nervously stare at the creature, who looks back with the best shit-eating grin I’ll ever see on a horse face. “Well… what now?” In that instant, the Steed makes a hard 180, and charges around the field, with my barely holding on. “AH! G-FORCE! IN! MY! FACE!” I sheathe Soul Edge, and use both my hands to carefully grasp its mane, as the creature keeps on running about at speeds that could make Sonic green with envy. “Okay! You wanna show off, huh? Well, let’s play a game...” I pull its mane up, and force it to rear up, and turn around, and dash into the woods. Within an instant, he reaches the tree line, and I look to Silkius, who is understandably shocked. “Hark! I hath found a fair lady at the forest’s edge! What is thy purpose in this wild, dangerous, unclaimed territory?” The Steed looks at me, confused for a moment, until I wink, at which it begins to- I kid you not- actually dramatically winnie. “... Is this a knight that stands before me?” Oh, by Hastur, is she playing along? Must. Resist. Urge. To. Squee! “Your eyes do not deceive you, m’lady! I am the Azure Nightmare, having just returned from slaying a band of vile dæmons who threatened this valiant and noble Steed’s freedom!” The Steed puffs its chest out, and trots around Silkius, displaying its raw muscle and finesse. “What a fortunate turn of events! I had lost my way in returning to my home, and I would much appreciate an escort, honorable Nightmare!” I look to the Steed, and give him a devious smile that shines through my eyes, to which he returns in full. “Oh! To deny such a request would disgrace my status as a knight of the great kingdom of Equestria! Verily, I shall take thee back to thy noble home, posthaste!” I reach out with my small hand, of which she takes, and uses to raise herself up. The Steed even kneels to assist, before standing again at his full height. “Mighty steed! Take us away from this place!” I lightly kick him, and he charges off, with Silkius now screaming at the top of her lungs. Completely un-lady-like, frankly. “AH! THIS! ISN’T! FUNNY! OH, BY THE GODS! SOMEONE MAKE THIS DEATH RIDE END! HELP!” The Steed and I laugh at her priceless reaction, before I pull him to make a turn to her cavern home. We slow to a weak trot, and finally halt. It and I look back, only to fall into a fit of laughter, and I off the Steed. “Hah, hah, hah. Very funny. If you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep. Good day, Nightmare.” She clambers off the steed, and walks back to the I look to the Steed, and raise an inquisitive eyebrow, “Should we tell her?” The Steed shakes his head in the negative, before trotting away. “Yeah… I think it’d be better if she found out for herself, anyways… You also might wanna speed it up a bit. Correction: Get us the FUCK out of here before she does.” When the Steed looks at me in a confused manner, I point my dæmon thumb at the cavern, which begins to shudder with raw magic. "WHAT IN THE NINE CIRCLES OF TARTARUS HAPPENED TO MY HAIR?” The Steed’s eyes widen, and before I know it, we’re already speeding through the forest. I guide him carefully in the direction of the castle, and we slowly come to a stop before its gates. “Okay, fairly certain we’re out of firing range. So, wanna meet my friends?” The Steed grins, if you can call it that, and we enter the castle. I guide the Steed into the armory, and step off, “Hello, boys! I got a ride that doesn’t buckle under my weight! Now I can ride with the cavalry division! Isn’t that swell?” Everyone pretty much stares openly, before shaking their heads and realizing it’s me that’s behind this, and resume work. “Just Nightmare doing his thing again.” I guide the Dæmon Steed into the stables, and I notice Gale, a Seraph and our quartermaster’s apprentice, approaching me, “Gale, old boy! Just the man I was looking for! now, could you go and get a really, REALLY big saddle for this one right here?” “Uhm… okay… I’ll… get it right away…” I swear, that boy has no backbone. He’s a doormat. The whole ‘pink hair’ problem doesn’t help matters. Solaris stomps over, “What in the hell is this, Nightmare? You’ve done a lot of stupid things, but a Dæmon Steed? These are wielded by those horrific dæmon raiders as they plunder and pillage OUR villages. They drove us here, into these woodlands, to hide away like beasts.” “But the Steeds themselves weren’t doing anything. They were tools, to be used by those raiders. I am simply being a pragmatist, something the lot of you have been having difficulty understanding.” I see Gale coming to me, with a large enough saddle for the Steed, though it is simple torn leather, and a matching harness. I slide the saddle on, and the Steed lets the harness onto his head surprisingly easily. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to have some time to get used to me new friend. FORWARD!” I aim Soul Edge, and the Steed bursts from the stables, while I jump on as he charges away. Before long, we’ve reached the far coast, and now sit on the moonlit shore. The sand is constantly lashed at by the waves, like an unending assault against an invincible barrier. The wind flows, and I feel the salt-coated air lash against the opening of my helmet. I wince, and try to blink the salt from my eyes, as the Steed slows down. “Stop here… let me off… I would like… to do something… for a moment...” I step off the Steed, and hold out Soul Edge to its forehead. “An interesting specimen… But you surely don’t mean…” Yes, I do. I most certainly do. “But you’ve only the ability to make ONE of these at a time! To forge such a contract… with a beast like this!” Says the soul-eating blade that creates hellfire and looks like something out of a hentai. “Fair enough. Just don’t come crying back to me when it turns out to be useless.” Whatever. Soul Edge’s eye ‘widens’, even though it has no eyelids, really. The pupils sort of… contract, looking like it’s opening its eye. Anyways, its eye widens, and a crimson aura seeps out. I look to the Steed, who is now covered in a potent magical circle, “Noble Dæmon Steed of Tartarus… I am the Azure Nightmare, the Dark Blade of Faust, Servant to the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, and Master Sorcerer of the Cult of the Crimson Lamia. I bid thee… to be my familiar, here and forevermore! To serve me, and offer me your strengths! In exchange I offer thee asylum, from all thy enemies! Mighty Steed, what say you?” The Steed looks about for a moment at the runes and circles, before staring back at me. Its heavy gaze digs into my own, before it bows its head, and bends its legs, entering a bow. “Then rise, mighty Steed, and be baptized in the fires of Soul Edge, the Blade of the Damned!” The Steed rises, and even though the hellfire dances about its body, it receives no pain. It calmly steps through the fire, and presses its skull against my own. “You did not falter, and thus, the flames did not harm thee. Truly, you are a familiar most would beg for.” Take that, hothead. “Now, you are no longer a mere nameless beast of that infernal pit. You are reborn, as Cimarron, Stallion of the Azure Knight! Now, great Cimarron, SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO, AS MY FAMILIAR!” I leap over my newly contracted servant’s shoulder, and onto his back. I place Soul Edge in my dæmon claw, and use my more dextrous left hand to hold his reins. Cimarron rears, and his powerful cry echoes into the night. We ride out, into the night, as the moon and the stars illuminates our pathway. Behind us, the only sign of our passing is the rustling of leaves in the wind. Before us, enemies hiding in fear. I stand ready to face them, and now, I am not alone. I am the Azure Nightmare, and I fear nothing. The question isn't who will let me, but who will stop meDer azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers The question isn't who will let me, but who will stop me It's been a few weeks since I was made a knight of the realm. Apparently, this land, barely after gaining its status as an independent nation, has been relentlessly targeted by invading thieves and mercenaries, attempting to claim the vast land and resources this place has to offer. Now, I was sitting atop a tower, staring out at the drifting clouds. "Sir Nightmare?" I turn, and my gaze falls upon a young woman, with night-black hair. Upon her forehead, a horn extends, and her back has raven-like wings. Artemis, Faust's daughter, and next in line for the throne. Apparently, she was away during my first day here, and was trying to negotiate a peace treaty with another local species, in the hope of acquiring protection. "Can I assist you in some way, m'lady? And please, the 'sir' part is wholly unnecessary." I stand up, and stretch out my demon arm. "I simply wanted to talk." I raise an eyebrow. That's a new one. When we first met, she avoided me like the plague. I guess she wanted to change that. "I should warn you, if it has anything to do with politics, then you've come to the wrong swordsman." In response, she chuckles, "No, no… I wanted to ask a few questions." "Well… Ask away, then." "You claimed to have been from a far away land. Mind telling me what that land is like?" Ah, crap. I was worried about this. "It's a long, complicated story, m'lady. But, if you wouldn't mind hearing, then I shall explain..." I take a moment, trying to think about how to explain it without outright saying anything. "It is… a land of invention. A land where ideas and thoughts are traded easily. A land where education is a given to all, and opportunity is as plentiful as the air we breathe. It is a land where men can see their children's children, and their children after. A land where lives can be recovered from impossible odds. It's a land where the poor can be given kind words and warm food, and anyone can raise or lower along the social scale… But I have no love for it. The opportunities are drained away rapidly. The children are slaughtered for coin. The lives that could be saved aren't. The poor are more often ignored than helped. Death is an occupant in every home. The only way to truly escape it was when my family, and the sect we belonged to would practice our sorceries." I give an idle wave of my hand, casting forth a small hellfire. "The public at large believed magic to be myth. The stuff of children's stories. We had to train in secret. The miracles we sent out had to be kept from the waking world. Our endless good deeds went unknown, and unthanked. Of course, our sect was also filled with just as much evil as the rest of the world. Many tried to conjure abominations to rule the masses. My uncle, for instance, battled a man who tried to cast a mass hypnosis and turn thousands into his slaves, which would then proceed to slaughter countless more. His wife's cousin had to deal with someone who tried to summon creatures that would've conquered the surface world within minutes." I sighed, and shook my head, "Here, magic is a plenty. I can cast freely, and finally let others see the fruits of my efforts. Here, I can use a blade. Here, I can truly protect the innocent." I let my hand smoothly drag itself over Soul Edge's scabbard, which hums in response. "That… that must be horrible…" Artemis sighs, "But… do you miss them? Your sect, and your family?" I chuckle, "That's the understatement of the day, m'lady. My best friend… he taught me how to survive in the wild. My cousin… he helped me perfect the spell I use to summon Airy, so she may play with the children, and brighten up this place." I lean back, putting my hands behind my head and staring at the clouds once more. "Indeed. The gardens never looked so full of life until now." Artemis looks down, and lets out a deep sigh, to which I raise an eyebrow. I roll over to my stomach, to see what she may have been gazing at. There, was Solaris. He was walking through the gardens, inspecting the flowers, while Airy and the children danced around. Airy then landed on his head, before propelling high into the air. Solaris glared, attempting to swat at her, and growling. "Your Grace, I don't mean to imply anything, but that look in your eyes tells me that-" I was swiftly cut off by the speed she turned to me. "Please, tell no-one of this. The other noblemen have been vying for my hand and the throne. If I were to even hint of my affections, I fear that they would attempt to have him removed, in hopes of eliminating competition. These are dark times, Nightmare. A brigand could just as easily be working for the gryphons as he could another Equestrian." "… I understand. Your secret is safe with me, Your Highness." I nod, before marching to the edge of the balcony. I climb over, and leap off the edge into the woods. Present Day, Equestria, pre-Season 1, White Tail Woods Oh, my head… why does it ache so? Damnation, this is painful… I need an aspirin… My vision is blurred, I can barely make out anything. I can see sunlight, that's for sure. It's filtering in through a window, I think. As my vision recovers, I see that I'm in a cottage. I slowly raise myself up, looking about carefully. I try to stand, only to feel my legs give out beneath me. I fall to the ground, and land on my hands. I breathe heavily, and let my gaze fall unto the ground, and my hands. I gasp, and see that my right hand is no longer malfested. I now have a perfectly normal right hand. "…" I try to speak, but my throat is too hoarse for words. I begin to crawl, dragging myself along the ground until I reach the door. When I do, I am greeted with a shoe. On someone's foot. I slowly raise my head, my eyes trailing up the long socks, before seeing a skirt, and- Thank you, based Shub-Nigurrath, for I have seen heaven. And it is a bright white. "Pervert!" And now, I am greeted with hell. Which is a size 6 shoe. To the nose, I might add. "!" I grab at my nose, silently screaming, and trying to slither backwards, away from the offender. I slowly raise my head, holding my aching nose, and I'm greeted with a face. With blue hair, and eyes. And in an anime schoolgirl uniform. "…" I try to mime defensiveness, and apologies, and my host seems to understand. She backs off for a moment, and I mime for a glass of water. "I'll be right back. Don't try going anywhere." I nod sarcastically, stroking my aching throat. As my host walks away, I notice that the room is quite chilly. In fact, it's almost too cold for someone in armor- wait, I'm not in armor. I slowly turn my head down, and… I'm going commando. I was in my birthday suit. And I was just caught looking up someone's skirt. Holy Cthuga, I am boned beyond all relief at this point. Pun unavoidable. "Here ya go!" She walks right up to me, and hands me the water. I quickly throw some sheets on, trying to be somewhat decent, which leads her to laugh, "Oh, calm down. We'll get ya some clothes in a jiffy!" 'We'? There's more of them? I drink down the water, and feel the soreness dissipate somewhat. "H… Wh… Who…" I barely scratch out, before slapping my hand to my mouth. Where's the demonic echo? Why am I not spouting out some brand of evil auto-tune? "You've been asleep for along time. Just rest, for now." Asleep? What does she mean? I was never asleep. I've been awake the whole time. Wait… the sealing spell… that was no ordinary seal, was it? I look to her, but she's already gone. How long was I really sealed? What kind of magic was it, anyways? I don't remember anything. I just… kind of… blinked. It was only a minute in there. But… I feel darkness clouding my vision again, and I collapse onto the bed. 2007 years ago, Equestria, Everfree Forest I tear my blade from the manticore's skull, as Soul Edge drains its soul. I breathe as I feel the ever constant hunger for souls be soothed. At this rate, I'd have leather hides and manticore meat for everyone. As I grab onto the corpse, and raise it into the air, I hear a sort of low buzzing noise. Not unlike a fly's wings, but instead more like a bee's, or a beetle's. And much more powerful, to boot. I swing my head around, before casting my gaze onto a figure hiding behind a tree, who I can sense carries a good amount of magical energy. Around this figure, several others, wearing armor that resembles insect chitin, and wielding spears, lurch from the shadows. "Not many can have the claim of sneaking up on me, especially with the noise you make. Show me your face, and I may consider letting your presence here remain unnoticed… for now." I swing Soul Edge around, and it extends into its Male form. During the time I spent here, I had gained control over Soul Edge's transformation abilities. Now I was a full master of them, commanding my blade to turn from its short-sword form to its Male state in an instant. But much to my surprise, instead of any kind of gasp, I hear a low, feminine chuckle. "Now, now… wouldn't want to poke someone's eye out, now would we?" The figure steps out from the tree line and as the light casts upon her, I lower my blade. I would say that my heart stopped, but… blood flow appears to be normal. "… Identify yourself! Before I decide to pay attention to my better judgement." I swing Soul Edge around with ease, and then slam it into the ground, letting it release a surge of power. The wave washes over the various infantry surrounding her, yet it was only a show of force. The soldiers around her back away, yet she remains unaffected. "An impressive little magic display. But if you're trying to scare me, you'll have to do better than that..." She still walks forwards, and I take a step back. My eyes flicker all about, trying to look anywhere but directly at her, and instead at the environment. The sheer amount of magic on her, and its structure, lets me see that she uses some sort of low-level hypnosis. Instead, I let Soul Edge itself stare at her, seeing through its eye. Soul Edge's vision is rather curious. Rather than see physical things, it instead sees magical power, and the souls of living beings. Thus I am granted a form of X-Ray Vision. With this, I can see that she is surrounded by at least a couple dozen soldiers. All of them are mind-numbingly weak, but the sheer quantity lets me realize that's their strength. The Zerg Rush. So simple, and yet, so weak. Honestly, all I have to do is create a fire, and I can smoke out the lot of them. "I demand you tell me your name! Who are you! If you have any ill intent towards the Equestrian people, then I should warn you that I shall place your head on my wall as a trophy!" I now swing Soul Edge about in a tornado manner, trying to force her and her advancing allies to back off. "C'mon, just let a girl have a little fun." At that, I lower my blade. Right to her heart. "Name. Now." The glare in my eyes gives off full killing intent. I'm not taking any chances at this point. "If it's that important to you… I'm Queen Silkius, of the local Changeling hive. I'm simply greeting my neighbors." At that, I raise an eyebrow in curiosity, "Changelings? How come I've not heard of your kind from the Equestrians?" I jab Soul Edge forwards more, as if to make a point. No pun intended. "Those brigands that've been charging in here have made social interactions rather… difficult, to say the least. But from what I've seen..." At this, she slowly slips past my blade, and lets her hands slide over my armor, "You're the one who's been solving a good majority of the problem. Truth be told, I've never seen such ferocity on the battlefield. I just had to see if my children's' reports were true with my own eyes." I leap back, and try to gain some wiggle room from the 'Changelings', "As questionable as this story may be, I have no evidence to the contrary." I lower my blade, and it converts to its short-sword form. I sheathe it in a single motion. "Show me this 'hive' of yours." The grin on her face disturbs me to a degree, but I pass it off as my own paranoia. "Oh, indeed! Come along, come along!" She motions for me to follow, and she guides me through the forest. As we walk, I try to avoid casting my gaze on her clearly seductive movements. Key word being try. Hey, it's not like I have full control of myself or anything. The low, subtle swing of the hips, the clothing which is just designed to let you see only a portion of her- NOPE! BAD THOUGHTS! BAD THOUGHTS! NO! BAD BRAIN! THINK GOOD THOUGHTS! Puppies and cookies and ice cream! THINK RATED G! THINK RATED G! Puppies and cookies and ice cream! PUPPIES AND COOKIES AND ICE CREAM! Suddenly, my boot catches itself in a tree root, "Oh, bugger." As I fall, I reach out with my demon claw at a tree. But I misjudged, my claw wasn't long enough. Instead, I fall past it, and my claw lands on her dress. RIP Alert: Brain.exe has stopped working. Blood flow has altered to lower extremity. "The only reason you're not dead for that is because I like you." I slowly pick myself up, cast a spell on the torn half of the dress I'm holding, and I toss it at her. Swiftly, it begins to repair itself, binding to its other half. Silkius looks at her newly repaired dress, "… Impressive. I've never seen any Arcanus use magic like that before." Arcanus. The term used for the horned Equestrians, like Solaris. The winged ones, known as Seraphs, can fly, and even manipulate the weather. The featureless ones are known as Hyur, and appear to do little more than have slightly superior physical strength compared to the rest. Not exactly a fair trade, in my opinion. I give her a stare, "It's not Arcanus magic. In my world, it's a simple to understand spell, although for some reason many take forever in learning it." I wave my hand, an create a few sparks of light, to demonstrate my point. Silkius looks clearly impressed. "Magic from another world? Impressive, to say the least… Perhaps I could get a… demonstration, later?" And the gold star goes to Mr. Freud. "… I'll consider it..." Maybe I'll summon a shoggoth… nah, those take too long to dispel. Fel Hound? They hate closed spaces. How about a Star Vampire? Oh, that'd be a laugh! I continue to list the many 'demonstrations' I could perform in my own head, until we finally arrive at a large cave. Silkius takes me through the winding and easily confusing cave, with me having Soul Edge leave energy pulses to memorize the caverns, until we finally arrive in an extremely large section that looks like Ridley Scott's Alien hive. The walls are coated in a black, membranous material, which pulses and shivers when one steps on it. Every now and again, there's a large pustule sticking out filled with green, bioluminescent material, giving off a faint light. Some parts of the walls also have large 'roosts' of sorts, where the Changelings seem to crawl into, much like a doghouse. If it was built into the wall. "Sorry about the mess. We don't get many visitors. So, whaddya think?" Silkius' motions indicate this is solely to show off. She wants attention. If that's what she wants, she'll get it. I stare at the various bio-organic constructions, nodding slowly, "Hmm… Impressive… How far do these tunnels go?" She shrugs, "We've yet to fully explore them. All we do know is that they go down for miles. Plenty of room for a hive to rapidly grow." As she says this, I command Soul Edge to do a little exploring. It sends a pulse of energy which travels through the material along the walls, going on through wave after wave of rock until it finally runs out of gas. "These caverns go on for at least 8000 kilometers. Again, plenty of room to grow an army." In my mind's eye, I see Astral Chaos, and the image of Inferno, Soul Edge's spirit. He shows me various images to explain his findings, and I nod in return. "You have... a lot of untouched ground, I do believe. Far more than you think." Inferno snickers, "Understatement of the day. These incompetents haven't even touched half of this place." I order him to hush up, and I look to Silkius, who shows an expression of bewilderment, "My, my… Your otherworldly magic must be greater than I thought… Maybe you can be a bit more helpful than I first thought..." "Damn straight." Oh, hush, you. "Honestly, how much can you tell about this hive, with your powers?" This is the demonstration? Alright, then… Inferno, do your thing. "You don't tell me what to do." Bitch, don't test me. "Okay, okay, sheesh!" Soul Edge sends out a red pulse, which echoes through the cavern. I breathe slowly, processing what I was given. "Over four hundred strong. With at least three dozen eggs in the lower catacombs, and at least twenty nurses. How close am I?" To my surprise, Silkius was practically taking this like a joke, "Ooh! Someone's finally got it! You are very interesting, you know that?" "Mayhaps I am… but that's a matter of opinion. But I like to hear about fact. Why're you called 'Changelings' anyhow?" I lean forwards, but place my claw and hand behind my back, trying to give off the image of formality. Much to my surprise, Silkius is absorbed in a green wave of flame, and suddenly, Faust stands in her place. I almost drop to one knee, before I hear Silkius' distorted laugh coming from Faust. "My, my. You are a quick one. Maybe you should consider being the Captain of MY Guard?" The disguise dissolves just as quickly as it appeared. "Hah. Hah. Hah." My laugh, dryer than the Saharan Desert, echoes through the caverns. "But now you've piqued my curiosity. What use could your species have for this? I'm guessing you can't imitate animals, so hunting is out of the option. Espionage isn't a natural ability that evolution can provide for." "Well… maybe it's more for that first one than you think. See, Changelings can eat normal meats, and even a few rare vegetables and fruits, but our greatest meal is that of love." Wat. "… Might I ask, how do you consume an intangible concept? Do you actually deprive a living begin of feeling that emotion? " That's just the first of many questions I have about that topic. "Maybe I could've worded that more precisely. See, Changelings can use a sort of… natural empathy, if you will. We feel love coming from others, and we can use it to access their magic reserves. From their, we drain as much as their love allows us. But if the love is directed at the one we disguise as, we can drain even MORE..." She trots around me, dragging her claws along my armor, and I tighten my grip on Soul Edge. "Be cautious! She'll FEED on us! FEED!" I hush Soul Edge up with a thought, and turn to see her right in my face, with one hand grabbing me by the cheeks, a single finger dragging along my mouth-plate and the other pushing up her ample bo- RATED G THOUGHTS! RATED G THOUGHTS! PUPPIES, COOKIES, AND ICE CREAM! "Is there anyone… special, you have in mind? Any cute faces that you've seen around the castle?" I tear myself from her grasp, and feel Soul Edge rattling, begging to put her down. "… I pride myself on being efficient, and not letting myself fall prey to such feelings. I am a loyal servant of the crown of Equestria." I huff, and stroke Soul Edge's scabbard, trying to ignore my desire to burn her for her arrogance. Wait, why do I feel that need, anyways? Before I can contemplate my status as a sociopath any further, I am taken aback by the sudden arrival of a Changeling guard, "M'lady! Something's attacking! In the northwest section of the caverns!" Silkius turns and gives a sharp gasp, "What? What is it? What could be attacking now? What could possibly be trying to harm MY hive?" The guard opens his mouth to speak, but a sudden rumbling and a sharp, powerful roar interrupts him, "… That, Your Majesty." "Is that… a dragon? Oh, dear… Close off the passages! If that thing crawls its way in here, its flame could do untold damages to the hive!" The guard nods, and hastily runs back, calling other soldiers to arms. "… I'm guessing this isn't a normal occurrence for you?" I draw Soul Edge, and begin stomping the way that the guard came from. Silkius follows, her hands and horn glowing with magic, "To say the least. Dragons coming down from the western mountains are practically unheard of. They keep to themselves. We don't have enough riches for them to swim in." Of course it's a Tolkien-esque dragon. "So, what's the average size of a dragon round these parts? Eight, nine meters?" "Five. But that doesn't change the fact their breath still wreaks havoc on Changeling hives. This material on the walls? It's not just for fear. This is everything that a hive needs to operate with. When a Changeling sleeps in it, their wounds are healed. It naturally alters its temperature as an incubator for eggs. Yes, we lay eggs, don't look at me like that. It also is how we store food. Deer carcasses can sit in the hive walls for months and not even look as if they've aged a day." "You're surprisingly calm, considering how your children may or may not end up getting an early cremation." I swing Soul Edge about, and it shifts into its Male state. "Yes… Need souls… Yes… This is a strong soul… Give it to me!" Inferno cries out joyously. I apply a small amount of willpower, and a piece of imaginary duct tape flies over his would be 'mouth'. He shuts up swiftly after that. "… You know, I have a feeling that one sword, however large it may be, won't be enough to fell a dragon." Silkius stares at me with a look of bewilderment, and slight disappointment. "If you think that a single blade is all I have, then you've sorely underestimated me. My grandfather gave me lessons on combating larger targets. What I'm up against here is merely a way to see if I haven't gotten rusty over the years." I chuckle, and let Soul Edge leak out some of its power, casting a red mist in its path. I step outside of the cavern, and I'm greeted with, as was described, a five meter tall dragon. Its scales are a dark green, and its underbelly a bright blue. The eyes of the beast were a thick orange, which radiated almost like the sun. Changeling guards swarm about, and the beast swats at them, snarling and growling. "Hello there!" I call out. The guards drift out of the creature's range as it turns to me. I raise my hands into the air to demonstrate I mean no harm, and even set Soul Edge on the ground. I toss a look to Silkius, who nods in quiet understanding. I return to the problem at hand, "Why do you approach this Hive? Changelings invest not in gold or jewels. We beg of thee, please leave. There is nothing for any of us to gain in this continued violence." I drop to one knee, and hold out my hands in a pleading manner. The dragon stares at me, before simply scoffing, "You expect me to believe that there is nothing of value in those caverns? Do not underestimate the senses of a dragon, fool. I can smell silver across mountains. I can feel the hum of gold through the earth. Do not lie to a dragon, foolish boy." Yog-Sothoth save this bastard. Because I won't. "If there are precious metals in this mountain, we had no knowledge of their presence prior. Just leave this hive be, and we shall grant you the gold." At this he halts, and almost looks like he's considering. "You intend to stay by this arrangement, knave?" Okay, you've just bumped Solaris' place on 'the list' to #2. I walk closer, and slowly bow, "You have my word of honor. If the Changelings remain unharmed, you shall acquire whatever riches these caverns have in store." At this, he chuckles, "Fine. These caverns, and all their riches, belong to me, and the insects shall leave without any further injuries." I sigh deeply, "Okay, fuck this. Silkius!" She casts a spell, and Soul Edge flies in the air. I leap up, and grab the blade, before coming down on the dragon. It sidesteps, and then breathes a powerful wave of fire at me. "Hah! Is that the best of what the Changelings have to offer? Your pathetic species are better off remaining as spies!" "Who said I was a Changeling?" The flames dance about before flying into Soul Edge, and the dragon hisses at me. Oh, I think I feel a song coming on! I run forwards, sidestepping the blasts of flame, before sliding and taking a large swing at the behemoth's heel. A straight, clean gash appears, and a fair amount of blood spills. It roars in agony, and raises its injured foot, before bringing it back down on my head. I cast a spell, and create a wave of force, knocking the beast's claw up and off of me. "Gyagh!" It begins to tumble, before completely falling off balance. As this happens, I leap into the air, and let my fair (read: ludicrous) knowledge of video games guide me. "Aether!" I drop down, and create a single vertical slice along the drake's side, and he tumbles back. He roars, before swinging his tail at me, and knocking me into the air. Big mistake. I raise my demon claw up, and generate magic, before aiming it at him, "You're through!" The bolt of dark sorcery hits him dead in the head, and forms a pitch-black mist. "Hyah! I can't… see!" He swats at his head, but only succeeds in moving air. I jump against the rocky wall, and then use that to propel myself high into the air. As I bring my blade down, he randomly swats the air, and hits me, breaking my concentration. Once I hit the ground, the mist dissipates, and he raises his claw up, and slams it. THUD He raises his claw again, and this time, clenches it into a fist, before bringing it straight down on me. THUD I feel my bones start to give in. Audible cracks echo across the field as the beast's fist pulls off of me. He now brings it down again as a flat palm strike. THUD Now, my armor feels broken. A loud creak sounds about, and my senses begin to dull. In my mind's eye, Inferno scoffs, "Considering all I've done for you, and you can't even best one measly lizard? Fine, I suppose I'll give you this much… but I expect proper compensation in the future." The beast raises its claw once more, and then brings it down as a fist again. THUD Silkius' cry of fear fills the area. Fear that her last line of defense has fallen. Fear that she will lose her home. Fear that she and her children will starve. "Hah! You can't win in combat against a dragon! I take what I want, and I kill who I want! No mere mortal can hope to stop me! not now, not EVER!" He laughs maniacally, before feeling the weight under his claw shift. "Who said I was mortal?" I extend my legs, now holding up the dragon's fist with nothing but my demon claw. Soul Edge's red power surges forth around me, completely hiding my form. He snarls, "Still alive, eh? Let's see how well your magic protects your little roach friends!" He propels a ball of fire at Silkius, who screams in terror. The guards move, but they're too slow to approach in time. I dash forwards, grab her, and run up the stone wall. I stop for but a moment, and jump off, and land near her guards, and set her down slowly. "You may be swift, but speed cannot slay a DRAGON!" He launches a wave of fire, to which I raise Soul Edge, which glows with an equal ferocity. The flames are completely halted by the blade, which proceeds to consume the magic within them. I feel my broken ribs begin to move back in place, but not actually heal. I swing Soul Edge about, and chuckle, "Is that all you have?" The dust disperses, and I let the dragon revel in my new form. The dragon stands, bewildered, "H-how? What ARE you? You're a… a demon! A-a thing! A monster! A devil!" I walk forwards, morbidly chuckling while swinging Soul Edge around like a baton, "I am all of those things… and more. I am the Azure Knight. I am Equestria's Dark Blade. I am the Nightmare." I raise Soul Edge, and aim it at the drake, "And I am your worst fear." The creature gawks, before turning around and letting his wings take him into the sky. "Yes… It thinks it can run… hunt it down… Slay it as it flees! Give it no quarter!" Inferno laughs and bellows in Astral Chaos, madly gazing at the beast through Soul Edge's eye, locking onto the large soul it wields. "Oh, don't you worry about that. Just give me the power, and I'll handle the rest." I dash forwards, letting my body's new speed easily let me ascend the rock face, before leaping off, and propelling towards the dragon. I aim my demon arm, and cast a spell, which stops the beast where it stands. I raise Soul Edge, which glows with raw dark magic, funneling it until it peaks off, and Inferno's demonic roar goes through the blade into reality. "It's over! Omnislash!" I fly forwards, and completely cleave through its right wing, leaving a stump in its place. I land on the ground far below, and leap into the air, slicing at him again, through his already wounded claw. The one that stomped me repeatedly. I then curve through the air through Soul Edge, and proceed to repeat, instead taking out a chunk of his stomach. I continue this process of bending around in air until I find myself above the beast, high enough so that I can see its entirety without moving my eyes. "Say good night!" I swing my blade forwards, and continue to rotate, until I become a buzz saw, and land straight in his back, barreling through and going straight through his chest. I land at an angle, and as I continue to slide through the dirt, I plant Soul Edge, catching myself with him. I stare up as the dragon is consumed in red magic, before his body completely dissolves into a ridiculously large pool of blood, which flows into my blade. "Ah..." I give off a groan of satisfaction as the raw power of the dragon's soul flows into my body. I look about as the strains of blood also comes into my armor, and tends to my wounds. My nerves come alight with relief and joy as the aches and pain fades away. "Yes… this shall make up for the energy I had to expend to give you this power… And more..." Inferno chuckles, and holds the creature's soul in his claws. He mercilessly tosses it around, and juggles it before throwing it into the Star of Chaos, the place where souls are broken down into fuel for the blade. "Nightmare!" I turn to see Silkius and her guardsmen rush to me, but stop at a certain distance, their fear denying them the ability to go any further. "… What… what was that? Did you… did you eat that dragon?" I scoff, and inspect my new claw, "You're not the only one who feeds off of the power of others, Silkius. Soul Edge, my blade..." I hold up the blade, which turns its eye to them, "It is a living creature, too. Forged of dark magic and bathed in the blood of millions, it gained a will of its own. It changes form to suit the master, but they all have the same fate: to serve in collecting souls for the blade's continued existence. And enjoyment, but mostly the former. Now, before you freak out and stab me or something, realize that I am DIFFERENT from the rest. I have… bonded to the blade, in a way. Note how when I gained this new form, it changed. Soul Edge and I have harmonized. I assure you, I will not bring you or your children harm if you do the same to me." Suddenly, Soul Edge and I give off a red glow, before I feel it regress into its short-sword form, and I into my first form. "Stay calm. The form is still available to you. You just have to will it in battle. Just not now, of course. I would like some rest after that… interesting episode." I shake my head, and sheathe the demon blade. I turn to Silkius, "For now… can this remain our little secret? I'm already on bad enough terms with Solaris. I highly doubt that he'll let me live this one down. And I also doubt that Faust would honestly let me stick around, too. Even her generosity has limits..." Silkius nods slowly, "I… think I understand…" Well, there goes a possible friendship. "I-I'll arrange for you to be taken home. Worry not, I'll keep your secret safe. As long as it's useful to me." her seductive smile leaves all the color in my face completely drained. Ah, crap. Now she has blackmail on me. "Nice work, genius." I don't even respond as I follow the guards towards the fortress. Author's Note For those wondering about the name change, it's because a good little reviewer named SkeenDotGer decided to inform me of the proper way to say 'The Azure Knight of the Deceiver'. If you're wondering why this story is called that, or why it's German, I'll tell you right now: Nightmare's nickname is 'the Azure Knight'. And 'Puella Magi' can mean 'slave of the deceiver'. Why German? Because the Soul Calibur series takes place in ancient Europe, with lots of German characters and influence, and Madoka has a Faustian motif, and Faust is a German tale. I'm done. Ya happy? As for the images of Nightmare's forms? You guys may have to actually right click, and then hit 'open image in new tab'. You can see the image in its full size, which is much better than the measly itty bitty render FiMFiction allows us. Well, if it bothers you guys that much, maybe you should complain about it to Nighty. And for those of you who are loving Blazing Skies, I hate to break it to ya, but this is all you're going to get for a while. Blazing Skies will be on hiatus for a brief period, at least until some of my collaborators can warp up their parts. Happy New Year. Well, screw you too, universe!Der Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers Well, screw you too, universe! Darkness. Heh, they assume that darkness can restrain me? Soul Edge IS darkness. Whatever they are inclined to believe, it is a falsehood they shall soon be corrected in. Those two… they believe they can restrain me by sealing my senses? What utter incompetence they possess. Nonetheless, this struggle shall end the moment I decipher this binding spell. "May..." Was that a voice? Did I just hear someone's voice? Wow, this sealing spell is weaker than I thought. "if we..." C'mon, what else d'ya have to say? "ould… ight..." I can't piece together a conversation from such small fragments! C'mon! Speak more! I know there's more to this than that! Before I can come up with any other snarky commentary, a bright light fills my field of vision. All my wasted opportunities… And now, the chance comes… to FINISH THIS! I feel the stone around me shattering, and I look about for the first time in what seems to be forever. Now, is my time to strike against my captors! But I cannot sense them? Why? Why can I not sense their presence? I should be able to sense the fool's magic miles away! "GRAGH! HYAGH! C'MON! WHERE ARE YOU!? FACE ME, I SAY! FACE ME!" "Woah, woah, woah! Take it easy, take it easy!" A gruff, stern voice shouts, and I feel a series of limbs trying to hold me down. "C'MON! WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELF, SOLARIS! FACE ME! YOU DO NOT INTEND TO HIDE AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE TO ME, HUH? C'MON, C'MON, C'MON! I REFUSE TO- … Huh? Wh-where am I?" Where's the torn battlefield? The crimson king and ebony queen? A sudden spike of pain erupts in my chest, and I fall to my knees. My hand swings around, and I find that I cannot sense my blade, "Gah! Damnation… where… is Soul Edge? Gyagh! It… it hurts… I… need… my blade..." I raise my hand up, and cast a spell to reach out for it, and then I lose consciousness. 2007 Years Ago, Earth, May 2015 AD, Salem, Massachusetts "C'mon, man! What the hell're ya doing? We're gonna be late!" A noisy, slightly high-pitched, but definitely masculine voice echoes through the corridors into my bedroom, where I'm admiring myself and my well-designed costume. My name is Wallace Delapore. I am currently dressed as Nightmare of the Soul Calibur series. Specifically, his first form, but since each design only has a few aesthetic changes per game, I doubt anyone's gonna notice. That aside, I am feeling quite content with myself and my work. "I'm coming, hold your horses!" My own deep, extremely level voice counters my friend's. Many say I have the voice of an angel. I think I sound a bit too much like Vin Diesel. But that's none of my business. Right now, I have a convention to attend to! I begin to walk out, when I notice that my doorway is blocked by my shoulder pads. "Uh… just a second!" I turn sideways, and barely waddle past the doorway, before striding with as much audacity as possible. I plan to milk every second of this. "About time, dude. I mean, c-" The higher-pitched voice comes from a slightly smaller man, who is currently dressed as Link, from Legend of Zelda. A decent costume, if not for the fact that he's a redhead. And he has no blonde wigs. Meh, everyone knows Link has no soul. This is just the proof we needed. "Come along, Kevin. Wouldn't want to be late, would we?" I walk straight past him, and wiggle my way through the door. "Hey! Wait up! Wow! That's… that's actually pretty badass." I chuckle, and climb into my friend's truck. I barely squeeze myself in, and silently thank my dad (may he rest in peace) for convincing me to help Kevin buy this thing. No other kind of car could possibly fit this costume. As the engine kicks up, and its roar fills the street, my ears pick up the sound of someone shouting. I gaze out my window, and notice an old woman, shouting at us. "Hey, Kevin. You see that?" Kevin rolls down his window, and he looks out, "Hey, Mrs. Brigsby! What's the matter?" Much to my surprise, she points at us, "Yer the matter, that's what! You kids and yer evil lil vidya games! Yer all gonna get yer souls swallowed up by Satan, ya hear?" I roll my eyes, and let the event be remembered as just one of the old crone's many attempts to demonstrate her Puritan beliefs. Kevin takes it the same way, and simply drives off. We ignore her as she continues to yell after us. Kevin sighs, "One of these days, I'm gonna tell her." I snort in response, "Tell her what?" He adjust his grip on the steering wheel, "About Cthulhu. And of the Deep Ones. And Azathoth. And all the other things out there that are FAR more dangerous than her 'Satan'." I let my hand fall to my chest, and recall the many tattoos upon it. The markings which display me as a worshipper of Great Cthulhu. My family was raised as part of the sect, and it was how I met Kevin. He is the child of a Deep One, and a human man. Truth be told, his fishy eyes are already materializing, and I've noticed that his hair is thinning in certain areas. I then give him a stern glare, "You know better than to make jokes like that. If anyone were to find out the truth, the world would let no resource lay idle until they had slain as many of your kin as possible, and torn apart the temples of the Great Old Ones…" I turn and stare out the window, "Then WE'D get in trouble." He gives a laugh, "Then I'll just summon a shoggoth. Eat her up, no big deal." I turn my gaze to him, and raise an eyebrow, "O… kay… How about we just listen to some music?" I reach over, and hit the power button to his Cd player. Kevin's eyes widen, "No, wait!" A moment of silence, then a song fills the air. I slowly turn to my best friend, "…" He stares back, and a slow pause comes between us. We both breathe in, "True love, true love It must be true love Nothing else can break my heart like True love, true love, It must be true love No one else can break my heart like you!" We continue to sing along as the truck rolls down the highway. Eventually, we slow down, in front of a stadium, with a large banner displaying 'Salem Comic-Con 2015'. I chuckle, "Heh, that was fun…" Kevin laughs with me, before pulling his keys out, and stepping out of the car. We enter, and are greeted with a ridiculous quantity of stalls, filled to the brim with a variety of goods and trinkets. "Damn, this is impressive…" I look around in bewilderment. "Hah! This is what a con's like, man! Get used to it! C'mon, get out there and enjoy yourself! Take some pictures, meet a girl, live a little!" Kevin gives me a hearty shove, and then proceeds to head off in the general direction of the food courts. "Typical, can't keep his belly full. But he's right, though… I have lacked interaction with the rest of the world for… quite a while… Mayhaps I should see what they have to offer…" I walk around for a while, before letting my eyes fall upon one item hanging in the back of one of the stalls. It's a crusty, rustic, dark red blade, with an eye embedded in the cross-guard, and a skull beneath it. It's Soul Edge, the blade of Nightmare. It may be in its short-sword form, but it's still the same thing. "Oh, look! Someone I can sell that to!" I look at the shopkeeper, an aged, yet nonetheless physically fit man. But as I stare, I notice that his eyes bear a curious complexion, that of someone who knows things others don't. "Er… how much?" He grins, and leans forwards, "For anyone else, I would've made it $70. But for you? I'll give you a deal: $55." I swipe out my wallet, "Deal." He hands me the blade, which I swing about for a moment, mentally thanking my mother for swordsmanship lessons. The merchant, though, lets his grin grow even wider, and I notice on the back of his hand, there is a mark. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu…" "R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." I instinctively follow up. I turn to him, and let my eyes widen, "By the Great Cthulhu…" His grin somehow grows, and I notice his marked hand reach up to a book. One look at its title, and I instantly turn and begin briskly walking from his stall, trying to mentally funnel out the words I hear from him. OGTHROD AI'F "Hey!" Kevin walks up to me, holding a half-eaten hot dog in one hand, and a candy bar in the other, "I was lookin' fer ya! Want some chocolate?" I push him aside, "Not right now. Gotta do something." I raise my pace even quicker, and hear as Kevin calls after me. GEB'L-EE'H NO! I will NOT let this happen! Leave me be! As I walk to the front door, a sudden mist of varying colors rises standing between me and the outside. "Damnation! Why? Why are you doing this? Do not use that incantation!" I plant my hand onto my armor, recalling the many marks and tattoos on me, hoping one of them involves canceling out magic like this. YOG-SOTHOTH "Do not do this! Such a spell is not meant for mortal men to see! Great Nyarlathotep, save me!" I ignore the stares, and put my hands to my head, as I feel the sorcery tear into my mind. 'NGAH'NG AI'Y I drop to my knees, and plant the sword before me, muttering many an incantation, hoping to deny him his goal. ZHRO "AAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!" As a bright light surrounds me, the screams and confused cries of those around me. Silence. The only thing which confirms my continued existence in the mortal world is the distinct throbbing headache I'm feeling. Definitely from the third dimension. Nothing else could possibly provide such irritation. I groan, and open my eyes, which are filled with a bright, unstoppable light. I put my hand up, trying to cover my eyes, before they slowly adapt to my surroundings. I slowly rise to my feet, before looking around. This is certainly a three-dimensional world. I've been above and below 3D, I'd know if it wasn't. However, it is unlike any worlds belonging to any of the Great Old Ones. Yuggoth is a barren wasteland on the surface, and they have no methods of replicating anything this… vibrant. Trees can't grow, and neither can grass. The Dreamlands are absolutely out of the question. It's too consistent. Dreams are always varying, and the air lacks the sheer vividness of the Dreamlands. I've never been to Yaddith, so I can't comment. But this world DOES hold a large quantity of magic power in the air. Enough so even a complete amateur sorcerer like myself could operate here with ease. But why bring me here? "And where IS here? Wait, what's with my voice? Gah!" I jump back, "Testing, testing, one, two, three..." My voice now has a dark, demonic echo to it. "By Cthulhu's beard… I sound AWESOME! Wait, wait, wait… Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba!" I laugh aloud for a moment at my newfound vocal trick. "Hah! This might actually be rather fun! Huh, my nose itches..." I raise my right hand, and as I grab onto the mask to remove it, I notice something. The plastic around my hand looks a lot less… plastic. And for some reason, I don't feel plastic on my arm anymore… And now I feel the cold metal of my helmet… through the claws of my new right hand… "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "Okay, calm down. Wouldn't be the first time someone's used polymorphic magic on you. Remain calm. It's okay… there should be a cancellation spell… Okay, what am I saying? THIS IS PERMANENT!" Apparently, the universe deems me more fit as Nightmare than as Wallace Delapore. "Okay, c'mon… I think I should focus on mapping out the surrounding area… Best to find high ground..." I look around, and notice a large hill, with a small section of woodland about it. As I briskly walk in this forest, I hear a sound. A guttural, feral sound. The sound of a predator watching its next meal. I look around for some form of defense. I notice that the Soul Edge replica is still on my person, now clinging to my side in a scabbard. "Well, if this is the only tool the gods shall let me defend myself with, then I must use it." I grab at it with my claw-hand, but find that it is too large to hold the short-sword properly. I roll my eyes, and grab it with my left hand. I hold it in front of me, and quickly begin turning, eyeing the shrubbery and bushes about, hoping to see whatever might be hunting me as they strike, rather than after. "ROOOOOAAAAAGGHHH!" Behind me, I hear the beast leap from its hiding spot. I turn, too late. I see feline-esque claws closing in on my head, but then the creature is knocked aside with a single attack. I look curiously to my blade, mainly because I had not even struck yet, before noticing that it was a feat of sorcery that defeated the beast. I look to my right, from which the attack came, and I gaze upon… another man? He is tall, around his early or mid twenties, and wearing bright crimson armor, with gold lining. In his left hand rests a mighty hammer. In his right, an orb of bright yellow magic crackles. He turns to me, and lets me witness the scars that adorn his face. And the strange horn protruding from his forehead, but that's beside the point. I mutter a short incantation, and let myself see into the realm of mana. His aura is bright, akin to the sun itself. I step back, apprehensively grasping at my blade, fumbling with it in my grasp. "Th-thank you, mighty warrior. This beast would've gotten the better of me had it not been for you. I owe you my life." I drop to my knee, and place my blade into the earth. This one is easily on par with significantly more experienced sorcerers than I. It would be suicide to tangle with him. I keep my head bowed, and listen as he slowly walks closer to me. I feel him place his hand on my shoulder, "Rise." I am swift to obey, and I note that he and I are at eye level with each other. "May I inquire your name, great one?" "I am Solaris. Sir Solaris, a knight of Equestria. And you are my prisoner." You have got to be fucking kidding me. Solaris has taken me to a fortress of sorts. It's mind-numbingly primitive, but it appears that it is still well-defended. As we enter, I notice a multitude of archers hiding in towers, taking aim at me. Solaris raises his hand in a most curious signal, and the archers lower their bows. Some run off, apparently to lower the gate. Sure enough, the drawbridge lowers, and we enter. Inside, I'm greeted with the sight of a crowded, filthy ghetto. "What is this place? Why're you all in such terrible conditions?" My demonic voice doesn't exactly help display my concern, but being a skilled actor, I more demonstrate it in my motions. However, that proves to be a mistake, as I am struck on the back of the head with the butt of his hammer. "You will not speak unless spoken to." The hell is this? I literally did nothing wrong! At least, I don't think I did! I thanked him for saving my life, and now I'm his prisoner? The hell is going on? We enter the inside of the fortress, and I see something out of Game of Thrones. No, Game of Thrones is still cleaner. This is more Vikings. I'm amazed I'm the only one among my circle of friends who watches that show. "Your Majesty." To quote Hellboy: Ah, crap. I turn, and see a woman upon a throne. She appears to be in her early or mid-forties. She has long, dark red hair, and somewhat motherly features. Wait, is that fucking Lauren Faust? Well, last I recall, she doesn't have a horn. Or wings. Before I can ponder any further, I feel a powerful strike in my knee, "On your knees, fool." Well, this is fantastic. "What is this, Solaris?" Shit, it really is her. She's talking extra lofty, but I'll be damned if that's not the voice of one particular Lauren Faust. "Lady Faust, I found this cretin wandering about in the woods." Yep, it's Lauren. And who you calling a cretin? "Clearly, he was crafted by gryphon sorcerers and sent to strike at us while our guard is down." "I know nothing of any gryphons!" I shoot daggers at Solaris, before receiving a swift blow to the back of the head, sending me to the ground. "GYAGH!" "I said you will speak only if spoken to, brigand!" As I try to pick myself up, I receive a sharp kick to the stomach. "Cease this, Solaris. We are not barbarians. Let him speak." I slowly rise, silently thanking every god I can name off the top of my head, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I honestly have no idea where I am. I know not of how far away my home is. All I know is that I was cast here through a great and ancient magic." "A likely story." Okay, you're on the list! "As I was trying to find some high ground to acquire some reference of my location, I was attacked by a wild beast. Your warrior Solaris here saved me, if only to detain me afterwards." "M'lady, surely you cannot believe this beast's story! Look at its arm! 'Tis unnatural for any such limb to exist on such a body!" "Please, Your Majesty. I know not where I am. I… am alone… and at your mercy." I've been before royalty and other such beings of power before. But Solaris' commentary, not to mention the fact that they're apparently fighting some enemy, narrows down my options for worming my way into a favorable position. Right now, there's no evidence to say I AM a construct made to slay them all, but no evidence saying I'm NOT. It's my word against his. But he's the knight who's clearly holding up a frail little nation. I'm the guy in armor who appeared out of nowhere with a mutated arm and glowing eyes. "Your Highness!" A guard slams open the door, looking rather exhausted and coated in scars, "There's… invaders! Coming… this way! Gryphons… dozens of them!" The reactions of the surrounding people clearly says that this is a bad thing. "Solaris! Ready the guard!" Faust stands up immediately, and points at Solaris, who nods and runs off without a word. She looks to another guard, "Get the people to the stronghold!" "M'lady! What of this one?" One of the guards points at me. So much for a sneaky getaway. "Bring him with us. We'll have to deal with him later. Well, this sucks. We're currently stuck in a literal hole in the ground with candles and a few iron bars. Above, the rumbling of feet and the cries of battle rage. I watch as the people sit and cry, whispering silent please to be kept safe, or for their family to remain safe. The guards, too, are whimpering. My mind is boggled by the sheer simplicity of the problem. I could easily end this with a single incantation. It would only take a couple of Fel Hounds to deal with these invaders. I let my vision waver, before falling on the children in the room. One of them locks eyes with me, and motions for me to come closer. I slowly go through the crowd, until I'm next to them. I lower to my knees, and one whispers in my ear, "Can you make the monsters go away?" I think for a moment, before getting an amazing idea. I hold up my right hand, and keep it closed tight. I use a simple conjuration spell, creating a bright light in my hand. As I open my hand, a single, small, twinkling shape materializes. "This is a fae. Her name is Airy, and she's an old companion of mine. Say hello, Airy." The fae smiles, before opening her mouth, "Hello! Nice to- *BUUURP*. Ooh! Excuse me!" The children, and several surrounding adults, laugh. "… Eloquent as always, Airy. Now, would you mind singing a song? To make the monsters go away, of course?" She taps her chin, "Well… let me think..." She drags out every syllable, childishly grinning. I give her a simple glare, and she huffs, "Alright, alright! No need to be rude! Ah-heh-hem!" She clears her throat, and sits down, before singing. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? They strung up a man They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. As she sings, various specks of light appear around us. Fae magic, the magic of song. The magic of life, and nature. Their kind are notorious for outdoing even the best of poets and botanists in their sleep. In several cases, almost literally. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where dead man called out For his love to flee. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The children gaze in awe, and one taps a ball of light, which shines brighter, and then spins away. Her music slowly drowns out the sounds of chaos above Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where I told you to run, So we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The adults around look to me with faces of silent gratitude, of which I respond to with a simple nod. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Wear a necklace of hope, Side by side with me. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The sounds of the outside become muted, and I let my eyelids grow heavy. I sit down in the dirt by the gate, and let my head fall. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where I told you to run, So we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. Airy now jumps and flies about, leaving behind twinkles and sparks of light. The people join in with her, and I find myself muttering the tune as well, trying to let myself be lulled to sleep. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? They strung up a man They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The children join hands, and make a circle, of which they dance around. Airy jumps around the circle, letting her magic fly freely. Flowers, weeds, and plants stretch, writhe, and blossom in the vault, and Faust simply stares at me with a silent smile. I return it, beneath the helmet, before standing up, and reaching for Soul Edge. I draw it, and swing it out, holding it at the throat of the brigand who had knocked open the door. I force him back, "Oh, come now. Wouldn't want the children's' game to end so soon, right?" I force him outside, and- maybe I made a mistake. He has four buddies. All armed with axes, knives, and swords. "Er… can we talk this out?" I let my gaze flicker between the lot of them, noting their stances, the paw-like arms, the wings, and the angles they hold their tools. "How about we play a game of our own?" Craptacular. This is not going to end well. "Well, that doesn't seem like a bad idea. How does hangman sound?" The look on their faces says they have no idea what that is. I chuckle, and stand easy, placing Soul Edge on my shoulder in a relaxed manner, while kicking the door shut,"I'm thinking of a word. The goal is to guess a letter. The word I'm thinking of has nine letters. Note that some letters repeat." I wave my right hand, casting the basic 'Hangman' setup on the wall. "Alright, this is a load o' minotaur shit. Get 'em!" One lunges at me, and I simply kick him in the gut, "You're not very good at this game, are you?" In return, he spits, "Tch!" I make a 'T' at the middle of the slots for letters, "Yes, 'T' IS a letter in this word. Very good for your first try!" Another two leap at me, and I smack them both aside with a kick and a backhand. "EEEYYYAAGGH!" "Oof!" I shake my head, and summon the noose, as well as an 'E' at the end, "Yes, 'E' is a letter in the word, but 'O' isn't." Another swings at me, "Yeeaaggghh!" I parry idly, before pushing him back, and conjuring the head of the stick figure, "No, 'Y' isn't there either. Okay, here's a hint. It's something you can't escape from." "Wagh!" Three of them leap at me, but I duck under, and make the neck and body, "'W' isn't a letter, either. Okay, another hint: It makes you wet the bed." "Hah!" Another swing from behind me, which I block with ease, before sliding around and tossing him back, "Good! 'H' IS a letter!" I summon the 'H' to the left of the 'T'. "AIIIIIIII!" I grin, and jump over my would-be assailant, and land on his back, forcing him to fall down, "Now you're getting it! 'I' is a letter in the word! Oh, so close!" "Nrgh!" #4, as I am now dubbing him, raises his axe, and brings it down on my head. I sidestep, and with a simple flick, remove the weapon from his hand, "'N' is a letter, too! The very first letter!" I place the 'N' to the far left, before lunging out of #3's knife range, leaving him to trip. "MPH!" He calls as his mouth hits the floor. "You're good! That's there, too!" I place the 'M' to the right of the 'T', and then duck under #5's broad sword. "AAAAAAAGH!" "Yes! 'A' is there! Wow, for a bunch of barbarians, you guys are good at this! You might actually solve this!" I place the 'A' to the right of the 'M'. "RGH!" I feel one of them grabbing onto a cinder block, and chucking it at my head. I turn, and swipe it away with my right hand, "'R', as well? Not half bad!" I place the 'R' to the right of the 'A'. "YUH!" One of them sneaks up on me, and slams a piece of timber onto my helmet. The timber snaps, and completely falls apart. "Little bitch! Not so tough now, are ya?" "'Y' isn't a letter in this word..." The arms materialize on the drawing. "Whuh?" One of the barbarians jumps back, and I hold up my blade in as dangerous an angle as possible, "And neither is 'W'." I let the legs materialize, "Too bad, only one letter left. Looks like you lost the game. Would you like to know what the word is?" I point my claw to the magic drawing on the wall, and the last letter, a 'G' appears. NIGHTMARE "Fuck you, AND yer game!" One of them raises his sword, and runs me through with his sword, straight between my chest plates. "… Heh, what's the matter? Don't be a sore loser..." He leaps back, and I wrench his sword from between my armor. "Wh-whot the hell kinda thing IS that?" The barbarians lean back in fear, holding up their tools in a desperate and frightened manner. I chuckle, and motion to the word on the wall, "That? Why… that's my name." Soul Edge begins to stretch, and shift. It lets itself warp, and become fleshy, with one of its blades fading away. The skull disappears entirely, and the eye turns yellow, and stretches. Soul Edge has assumed its first, 'male' form. "I'm your worst fear." "GYYYAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" The torn corpses sit in the chamber before the stronghold, and I hold Soul Edge up, then plant it in the ground, and release a guttural growl, "The children should not see this… I must do something about this… Ah, I know just the thing..." Soul Edge turns its eye towards them, then its eye on the other side looks to me, as if to say 'Are we really doing this?' "Yes… Come unto me..." The corpses sit still for a moment, but their blood begins drifting towards me. Through the stone slabs, the blood flows, until it hits the tip of my blade. The scarlet streams trail up, and into the blade, and myself, "Ooh… Yes, this is nice… Yes… Become a part of me…" The corpses begin to dissolve, being reduced to piles of blood, which follow suit. I hear the sound of footsteps going down the stairs. I raise my blade up, and command it to shrink to a short-sword, "Halt! Who goes there!?" "It is I, Solaris." The knight steps down the stairs slowly, holding his hammer, "Where is Her Majesty?" I scoff, "In there." I slam my fist against the door, "It's alright now. They're all gone." The door swings open, and I see Airy on Lady Faust's shoulder. I drop to one knee instantly, "Your Grace. I trust my companion was of no trouble to you?" Faust grins, "I assure you, Airy did more good than harm." Airy jumps from Faust, onto my shoulder, and then blows a raspberry at me. "M'Lady, are you alright? I apologize for having to leave you alone for so long. I trust no trouble came to you?" Faust grinned, "Well, nothing really big. A few gryphons came by, though." Solaris leapt in the air at that, "What? M'lady, did they hurt you?" Faust motions for him to be silent, "Our friend here escorted them away, though. No harm done, right?" I look up from the ground, "Indeed. Those… interesting fellows went away. Didn't even leave a trace." I bear a proud smile, but it quickly fades as Solaris walks up to deliver what I assume to be several harsh words, and the business end of his hammer. The children dash to my rescue, "That was amazing!" "Can we sing and dance with Airy again some time?" "Do you have any other friends like her?" I look at Solaris, and give a simple shrug. Airy yawns, "Gee, I'm really tired. But maybe I'll come back again later! See ya!" She waves, and disappears in a small green glow. Faust shakes her head, "Such an energetic little one… Now, what to do with you?" Uh-oh. Now I'm back in the throne room, with more guards, and the various citizens surrounding me as well. Solaris now stands next to Faust, who is contemplating what to do. "Young knight, you claim to know not why you are here, nor where here is. You had no obligation to assist us, and yet you defended us from gryphon brigands, and cast aside our children's' fears. Why?" "Because, Your Grace, I would not be able to call myself a knight if I turned away when children cried. Nor would I be able to call myself that if I looked away as innocents were butchered." "I see. All in favor of allowing this young man to stay as a knight of the realm?" Wow, I've got a 99% approval rating. Of course, Solaris is the 1%, but he's not important. "… I see. Now, before we do anything else, would you mind telling us your name, stranger?" This feels like an RPG moment. Well, better now than never. "I… I am the Azure Nightmare." I drop to one knee, and hold Soul Edge in front of me, "And my blade is yours to command." Author's Note Merry Christmas, everyone! This may not be what you're expecting from me, but honestly, I don't give a damn. Considering how wacky some of these other Displaced are, this isn't all that surprising.
I've been swinging so long, they call me the hatchet manDer Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers I've been swinging so long, they call me the hatchet man "Uh… Need… food…" I wheeze out, and I stagger along, trying to find my way to a meal. My throat is still sore, and the fact that all these girls have to dress me in is a few clothes that are a little too large isn't much comfort. Apparently, they were stolen from the nearby town, and I presume the same to be true of the food. I stagger around until I reach what must logically be the kitchen, and reach for a cupboard. My hand shakes, as it slowly edges towards the cupboard, which I draw open, and I'm greeted with the sight of… bread. I grin joyously, and slowly try to lower the loaf onto the counter, and notice out of the corner of my eye some butter. "Hey!" A high-pitched voice interrupts my carefully calculated and fragile thought processes, and I jolt in fear, dropping the bread. I look to the origin of the voice, and see one of my 'hosts', for lack of a better term. Yellow hair, and matching eyes, tied into twin tails that resemble drills. Drills. I know I shouldn't be surprised, with what I've seen, and more importantly done, but I'll be damned if this isn't one of the absolute weirdest things I've seen. I mean, how much gel is necessary for that? I return to reality, and note that she's dressed rather casually. Simple slacks, a dark yellow shirt. I look at the bread, now on the floor. I turn to her, and barely whisper, "So… rry…" I lean down to pick it up, but feel myself collapsing. As I drop, she quickly grabs me, and tries to steady me. My now blood-red hair falls around me, and I gaze past it straight at her. Her eyes are filled with warmth, and kindness, and the smile on her face brings forth memories of my own mother. She chuckles, "Careful now. You're still not up to full strength. Just tell us if you need anything, alright?" I nod slowly, then point to myself, "N… Night…" I find myself lacking further strength to speak, so she silences me with a finger. Her soft smile removes the irritation I would've otherwise had at my own weakness. "You don't need to strain yourself. Talk when you have the strength. You can call me Mami." She slowly carries me to my room, before laying me back on the bed. She smiles, before walking away. slide into my covers, and place my hands on my chin, pondering about my current situation. How long was I honestly asleep? Where has Soul Edge gone? Who are these mysterious five women? Why are they helping me? And why is it my body is so weakened? I cannot truly have been that dependent on Soul Edge's power, could I? Maybe I shouldn't be giving myself so much credit. I was running around in that for seven years. Maybe I should quit worrying and eat the food Mami's given me. Porridge, buttered toast, and tea. I look up to her slowly, with an expression saying 'are you serious' plastered to my face. "You're too weak to eat any big meals just yet. For now, just try to keep up your strength. Trust me, I'm a nurse. Or, I was, anyways…" She gives off a soft sigh, before placing a bell on my nightstand. "Use that if you need any of us." I nod, and slowly begin eating the porridge. I notice how slowly my hand moves, and internally groan. By the great Nyarlathotep, this is going to be a long recovery. 2006 Years Ago, Equestria Castle, Everfree Forest Many a merry laugh echoes through the mead hall. The people joyously drink and dance and sing all around, with Airy leading the charge. Her magic illuminates the hall brighter than the surrounding lamps, leaving me able to watch from the shadows. I sit in the corner, stroking Soul Edge's scabbard, a habit of mine which I developed during the year's passing. Solaris stands up, and calls the merry-makers to attention, "May… may I have everyone's attention, for a brief moment? Exactly one year ago, to this day, a stranger arrived in my custody…" A few laughs and hearty chuckles went around the room at that, "But had it not been for him, we would not have won the battle today!" A strong cheer follows that, and a few people top off their mugs. "Nightmare, come out from the dark." A round of applause fills the hall as I walk forwards. Solaris drapes his arm over my neck, "Take that damned helmet off, ya twit." Laughter fills the hall, and I slowly unbuckle it. As I remove it, a long set of blood-red hair falls from it. Over the past year, my continued usage of Soul Edge has died my formerly raven-black hair the color of my power. Luckily for me, the rest of the revelers are unaware of that. They just think I'm a really pronounced redhead. With a damn handsome face, if what I've heard from my fellow soldiers is correct. Solaris chuckles, "You have won us so much over the past year than we have in the past four. I am proud to call you my brother in arms…" He steps away, and dramatically turns back, pointing, "and it is my great pleasure to name you my fellow knight-captain!" At this, a loud cheer deafened all other noise in the room, even drowning out Airy's song- an extremely rare feat, to note. I chuckle in response, before stepping forwards, and silencing them with a wave of my demon claw, "A year ago, I was found in the forest. I was scared. I was alone. I was confused. And in need of a drink. But as time whittled away, I found myself not in the company of random faces, but of a new family. Of warriors, and loyal soldiers..." I wave to the guards in the room, who nod and smile at the attention I redirect to them, "Of children, kind and innocent…" I notice a Seraph boy trying to watch in the rafters above, and I bring him down slowly with a lightweight spell, "Of friends, strong and trustworthy…" I reach over, and knock Solaris on the shoulder, "And of a home. So now, I am taking that much needed drink…" As the crowd chuckles, I grab a mug, filled with ale, "And I make a toast. To this damnably crazy country. To Equestria!" "TO EQUESTRIA!" Airy spins about in air, and casts a large amount of light spheres, and the noise dies down as she prepares another song. I look to Airy, who nods in Solaris' direction, before continuing to sing. I look to him, and then I notice that he's deliberately averting his gaze from Artemis. A grin grows on my face. So far, it's basically become common knowledge among the guard that Artemis' affections aren't entirely one-sided. Which, honestly, makes this a whole lot more fun for me. So far, over the past four months, the two have been making this into a romantic comedy for me. Heavy emphasis on comedy. "Of course, our definition of comedy is a little different compared to most people's." Shut it before I get out the barrels. "Not the barrels! Anything but! I'll shut up now!" His voice disappears from my mind, and I breathe slowly. I notice that Faust is waiting at the door of the back room, motioning for me to follow. I down my mug, set it on a passing waiter's tray, and join her in the war room. I slide on my helmet, and notice her roll her eyes. "What?" "What's with you and that damned helmet?" "Makes me feel safe. Never know when an arrow might be coming at your head..." "… Cute. I have a paranoid knight-captain." "And I have a queen who lets said knight-captain keep his position." "Fair enough." "I'm certain you didn't call me back here so we could stand around and trade insults. Who do you want dead?" This is the relationship I have with the Queen. The title I made a year ago has come to reality. I'm a merciless hunter, striking from the shadows and consuming all of my master's prey. All enemies of the queen are mine. Be they brigands or one of our own. Think Black Butler, only without the butler, and even more demon. And less homoerotic scenarios. Well, there was that one accident... "Solaris. Pretty sure you know what's his problem." "He has quite a few, m'lady." "Well, the one with my daughter. That's the one we're discussing here." Cue inner shipper going 'squee'. "Ah. That one." "Well, a few nobles have also noticed it. They deem it a problem to their own successes." Oh, crap. "They'll all notice it sooner or later. Now, do you plan for me to kill my own best friend?" I raise Soul Edge, and plant it on the table, raising an eyebrow at her. "No. I, for one, am doing this for my daughter. She loves him. He loves her. Simple mathematics. Only a few actually are trying for the throne. So don't go getting all of them. These are the ones I picked out." She unfurls a scroll, which contains a small list of names. "Ah, yes. The ones which hired and slipped in the goons that almost got Solaris a few weeks ago. So this is why you wanted me to wait. Should they look like an accident? Or just make it look like brigands?" "Well, a few of them may be a bit harder to take out than just that… Look closer." I take the list from her hand, and analyze it a second time. One entry turns my blood to ice. "Nocturnus. The one dabbling in dark magic... His magic is far superior to my own sorcery." I draw my hand to my chin, attempting to get a bearing on the problem. Inferno begins hissing and raging, "That's the one! That's the one! It knows of us! It knows who we are! It toys with us! I feel its dark wizardry even from Astral Chaos!" "I understand that you are a little hesitant to deal with him, but I can arrange for another, indirect way of disposing of him." Inferno and I practically jump for joy at that, "Name it. Anything but dealing with that warlock head-on." "I plan on setting up an expedition to the far north, past the mountains." She unfurls a map, and shows an unknown area past the northern mountains. She taps it twice, "We can arrange for him to come along as… a diplomatic representative, so to speak. If they somehow get past the dragons, I predict that they won't survive the wendigoes." I look up to my queen, "Wendigoes, m'lady? I believe I've never heard of such a thing." "Creatures of ice. They feed off of hatred. They freeze you alive, then eat away at your soul through your very rage." "That just gave me several ideas." Me, too. "That… that could work. I've heard tell he's spiteful of his servants. That should be enough to lure the creatures more to him." Faust looks up to me from the table, "Then, you can take care of the others?" "I've already got at least four different ways to get rid of you, nine for you, oh, I've got over three dozen for this guy." I chuckle to myself, pointing at the various names on the list as Faust walks out. "It's party time." Two days. I've waited two days for this assignment. My target is Count Mott, of House Ceruleus, and he's now sitting in his estate, quite a ways from where everyone else is. The queen has actually decided to give me the chance I need by having a personal 'chat' with the man. Most of his guard have been let off for the night, and Her Majesty's own have also taken leave, due to a 'miscommunication' on my part. Needless to say, I'm more than a little happy at this opportunity. The remaining guards are mostly asleep. I'm not. I cast a few spells, and send the local wildlife into a frenzy. The rabid barking of dogs, and the mad flying patterns of birds covers the noise of my armor as I dash up to the side of the building, and the guards frantically wave their hands at the creatures. I grin, and cast a spell, unlocking the window from the inside. I aim Soul Edge inside, and let it look around. It notices a single maid walking down the hall, trying to ignore the noise. Her back is towards me. This is too easy. I jump in, and roll, before sliding right behind her. On spell later, she's unconscious. "I swear, it's like he WANTS to die..." I keep stalking the halls, cautiously avoiding as many servants as I can. As easy as it would be to simply magic them all to sleep, I do like to act with some finesse. It helps keep me in shape, too. "But is crawling along the ceiling really necessary?" … Shut up, it's fun. I drop down in front of Mott's bedroom door, and have Soul Edge scan the interior. Wow. Only Mott and Faust's inside. Should we play with it before we eat?" Of course, you imbecile. I step back, raise my foot, and then kick open the door with as much force as possible, "Boom, baby!" Mott, to my surprise, doesn't leap back in fear or anything of the sort. Instead, he acts as if I'm not even there. Not a hair on his blond head twitches or moves. "Hm. It looks like you need to put a tighter leash on your mastiff, Your Majesty." He scoffs, and simply takes a drink of wine. Faust merely smirks, "I would prefer that you not refer to a knight-captain as if he were some lowly beast, Count." Her tone indicates no irritation whatsoever, and neither does her body language. She turns to me, and motions that I sit down. "Hmph. "Ah… She wants information from the prey. She wouldn't stay us unless there was something she needed." It's not like I couldn't bleed it out of him. Nonetheless, I sit. My, this seat is really comfortable. I can feel it through my armor. I take my demon claw, and stroke the soft fabric. As I do, Mott's eyes practically boggle, "Your Highness, that couch is rather costly. I would prefer that your pet not leave any marks or stains on it." He's trying to not act out of line, but he does NOT like me where I am. Okay, you're now on 'the list'. I glare at him, and grasp Soul Edge by the scabbard. I turn to Faust, who shrugs, but still gives me the 'hold' signal. "Count, I do find that your continued referral to a knight of the realm as a mere animal is rather annoying." To this, Mott merely laughs, "Why should I not? I refer to those below us as what they truly are. You cannot deny that we rule over a land of beasts, Lady Faust. And, in fact, I-" He's cut off by my blade at his throat, and the harsh, animalistic growl that emanates from it. "Your continued audacity in the presence of the Queen, and towards her own people no less, is an offense I cannot afford to let stay. You have offended this country's honor, as well as Her Majesty's. Now, the normal route would be for the offended party to challenge the offender to a duel for their honor. But since the Queen cannot do such a thing, I shall take her place. I, the Azure Nightmare, hereby challenge thee, Count Mott of House Ceruleus, to a duel." I swing Soul Edge around, before tossing it in the air. I hold up its sheathe, and the blade lands perfectly, releasing a ghastly hiss. Mott stands shocked, before trying to regain his composure, "Your Majesty… this behavior by your pet is absolutely-" "Shut. Up." Both of us turn to her at that. Even Inferno quits toying with his souls in response. "M'lady, such-" The sound of a powerful 'SLAP' echoed through the halls, with Faust looking legitimately angry. "Such rage… such delicious anger… I've never seen it before on that one… ooh, it's delightful..." I silence Inferno, but find myself unable to disagree. Indeed, I have never seen her enraged. it's almost… enticing. It's like a train wreck, or a shoggoth cock fight (don't ask): It's absolutely horrific, but you can't look away. "I have heard enough out of you. You insult my people, you ridicule a knight-captain who has proven himself a worthy warrior, and ever since I've gotten here, you've been speaking of MY daughter as if she were an item to be bought or sold! Sir Nightmare may not be a nobleman by birth, but he IS a captain, which means he is more than capable of challenging you to a duel of honor, like any of his rank!" "The lady's anger is intriguing… but the look on the prey's face is even more delicious..." Y'know, for once I can't disagree with you. His face does this weird stretchy thing. "Tch! Y- Fine. If playing a game with your dog will silence you, so shall it be." He turns, and begins to walk outside, with Faust and I close behind. I lean in and whisper, "Should I wait until he tries to use a fatal blow? Or finish him right from the start?" Faust doesn't even bat an eye, "There are still some guards watching. If they see you flat-out cut him down, they might talk. If he doesn't try for one, do whatever's necessary." "Can do." "Okay. Now we're out in the cold. Are we going to get this out of the way, or not?" Mott's horn and hands glow a pale, icy blue, and I let myself be coated in the fiery red of Soul Edge. "Indeed. Let's go." I fling a burst of shadow magic at him, which he repels with a single barrier. He was supposed to. He flings a spell back at me, and I whack it away with my claw. He throws another, which I sidestep, and another, which is avoided with a simple duck. Mott grinds his teeth, and propels another spell at me, which I stop with another spell of equal force. Mott hisses, and throws another few at me, each of which I continue to out-maneuver, or simply stop. I continue to use this to close the gap between myself and him, until there's not even a meter's worth of distance between us. I raise Soul Edge to his neck, and he slowly raises his hands to surrender. "You wanted this out of the way, so I got it out of the way." I lower my blade, and turn away, "Be warned, next time such a transgression occurs, it will be a lot louder… and the witnesses won't be just a few of your guards..." I motion to the guards watching the event, who try to contain their glee. "… You… dare to… say such things… against me? You… MUTT!?" I feel a wave of magic smack me in the side, and knock me ass-over-head. I hit the ground hard, and slowly pick myself up. "You dun fucked up now." I stand up, and wave my claw, its dark magic forming a circle around Mott, who reacts with fear. "Wh-what is this?" Suddenly, glowing, red-hot chains leap out, and bind him down. I wave my hand, and the guards drop to the ground, unconscious. Mott turns to the Queen, who merely watches the surrounding animals, now calmed down from my spell. "You have just assaulted a knight of the realm. You dealt what would be a lethal blow, after a fair duel. The punishment is death." I walk into the circle, and then snap my fingers. The entire spell is replaced with a flash of light, and we disappear. "Gyagh!" I toss Mott down into a small ravine, and he lands in a river. He gasps, and drags himself from the shoreline, "Wh-who do you think you are? How DARE you lay a hand on me, dog? I will have your HEAD for this!" "Y'know, I must honestly thank you for this, Mott." I snicker, and watch as he heaves his waterlogged form from the river. "For what? Your swift and imminent DEATH?" He snarls, and tosses a spell at me. I catch it in my claw, and to his surprise, crush it completely. Then I let myself descend into demonic laughter. His expression goes from one of anger, to one of astonishment, to one of pure fear, all in an instant. "Heh, heh, heh... No… No, it's for something far, far more exhilarating… A chance to practice something I thought I'd never get the chance to… An old spell… A really, really old spell, to be honest. A complex summoning spell, one which brings out only the best of the beasts. And no, that wasn't a typo..." I raise my demon claw, and the very air turns dark. The moon's pure white light is tainted red, and the sky becomes a distorted array of colors from out of space. "No! Stop! I demand that you stop right this instant!" He waves his hands frantically, before launching several waves of magic. Alas, they dissipate upon getting a certain distance away. Y'AI 'NG'NGAH "I said STOP!" He casts even more bolts of magic, but the otherworldly barriers continue to prevent his attacks from even coming close to me. YOG-SOTHOTH Thunder crackles, and the winds howl. I notice the souls of animals running as far away as possible. Mott takes a page from their book, and dashes away into the forest, screaming his head off. It matters not how far it runs. 'They' shall take care of it." H'EE-L'GEB Inferno giggles as the symbols and magical circles appear on the ground. The various rocks begin to hum, as the very fabric of space-time warps. F'AI THRODOG The most narrow angles along the rock faces begin to emit a sort of strange, clear mist. A powerful series of growls, groans, and roars emit from them. UAAAH Finally, clear, glass-like heads emerge from the mist, followed by bone-like bodies. The heads resemble canine skulls, but are covered with crests. Their limbs are thin, jagged and warped, with spikes and protrusions. Inferno can barely speak, as the Eye of Soul Edge gazes in wonder and horror, "What ARE these creatures?" I chuckle, "These… are the Hounds of Tindalos... "Creatures that exist within the angles of time, while we live in the curves… It is impossible for beings of the third dimension to understand. And I do not wish to, with what I have been taught." I swing my claw out, and release some magic, to draw the beasts' attention, "Hear my voice, great Hounds! Know my power! I am the Nightmare, the Dark Blade of Equestria! You have been summoned for the sake of a hunt! Your prey lies within the forest. Feel free to do what you will to him. Now, GO!" I cast forth my magic, and it serves as a metaphorical whip-crack, forcing the beasts to move away, and chase after the Count. "Are you sure they can get him? He already has quite the head-start..." I imagine a bucket of water dropping onto Inferno, and he huffs. "None can escape the Hounds of Tindalos. They manipulate the very fabric of space-time. Attempting to run can only buy you mere seconds. And even then, those seconds might not even exist. I will show you what I mean..." I hold up Soul Edge, and use his power to cast our vision, and we lock onto Mott. "Huff, huff, huff…" Mott's running. Farther and faster than he ever had in his entire life. The Queen has abandoned him. And now, that demon of a dog is using black magic to hunt him down! 'The audacity… I swear, the rest of the Circle will find a way to put that despicable mastiff in the dirt like the beast he is!' Mott trips on a branch, but doesn't let it slow him down. He keeps running, then he stops at a cliff. Technically, it's too small to be called a 'cliff', but he doesn't really know that. The reason he stopped is because he doesn't have any other way out. "Pathetic, as always, Mott." Mott hears a curious voice. He looks up, and sees several figures on the top of the cliff, wearing hoods and plague masks. "You call yourself a 'noble Arcanus', but you cannot even win against a single brutish knight." One of the figures most to the left scoffs, and the others solemnly nod in agreement. "And now, here you are, about to be torn apart by a demon's apparitions." The figure in the center dryly tosses out, and the others practically chuckle. "My friends! What're you talking about? Why do you speak as if I am some kind of beast? Please, help me! I am one of the Circle, see?" He removes a glove on his hand, and displays a circular tattoo, which has a peculiar and unrecognizable symbol in the middle, "Get me out of here! I'm Count Mott! Not some common rabble!" "That's why we're leaving you." The color drains from Mott's face at that, "Wh-what?" He drops to his knees, and he reaches to them, "Is… is this some kind of jest?" "… No. We have heard a quote, from Nightmare, incidentally, which has changed our opinion of you amazingly. 'If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.' You, so far, have done nothing but treat your inferiors with disdain and hatred. You are useless to the Circle and its future." The figures all turn, and walk away, leaving Mott screaming for their assistance. A sudden, hissing, screech interrupts Mott's pleading. He turns, and sees… things, in the tree-line. They slowly stalk forwards, and Mott screams in horror, "No… Stay back… I SAID STAY BACK! I'M ORDERING YOU! Stay BACK!" He tosses a wave of magic at one of the beasts, which jumps away. Mott sees his opportunity, and proceeds to run past it as it leaps. Mott continues to speed through the forest, hearing the creatures as they leap and charge after him. He looks over his shoulder, and is absolutely horrified at what he sees. The beasts are charging, at incredible speeds, through the trees and plants. Worse, whatever they pass through seems to rapidly age at different rates, although Mott wasn't sure if it was merely the adrenaline showing him that or his own rapid descent into madness. As Mott keeps running, he sees a large tree in the midst of a small clearing ahead. Perhaps, if he were to climb it, he could be safe, at least until the beasts grew bored of hunting him. But his hopes quickly go out the window when one of the creatures leaps through the tree straight at him. He trips, and barely slides under it. As he does, he looks up, and sees the spot of bark that the beast climbed through. Certain parts of it seem to be growing older, others younger, at random rates and intervals. He turns, and sees the beasts now completely encircling him. He whimpers, before firing a bolt of magic, hoping to make another opening. To his surprise, the bolt goes through the creature without any harm done. "What? But… but my magic stopped it earlier! How did it not work? Unless…" 'Unless they were toying with me...' Mott drops his head into his hands and lets himself begin to cry. He slowly ups his wailing into mad laughter as the beasts close in, with one in particular sniffing him closely, and noting his loss of sanity. It then proceeds to look up at the sky and scream. I say scream because that's the only word broad enough to describe the noise it made. Not concentrated enough to be a howl, not lax enough to be a baying, and not high-pitched enough to be a screech. It was just a noise. A noise that spoke of the realm this thing came from. The realm where time and space are fractured into thin lines that intersect with themselves. The realm where the laws of casualty are null and void. The realm that the Count has just been stolen away into. "… Interesting, very interesting. It seems your hounds are more efficient than first I assumed. Now, what is our plan of action?" I now sit in Astral Chaos with Inferno, as we observe the last of the Hounds fading away. "Simple. Inform the Queen of this… Circle. A secret society… one that has moral standards… Color me intrigued." I stroke my chin, and review the footage of the figures on the cliff. A slow grin appears on my face, the one you have when you're about to do something that's to be challenging, but immensely entertaining. So, basically, what I'm about to undergo. "Couldn't we have just… eaten Mott and drained the necessary knowledge from his soul? And we wold've been saved plentiful time and resources?" My grin drops immediately. In hindsight, that WOULD have made things a LOT easier. No need for anything fancy. "Well… I already summoned the hounds, why bother un-summoning them and deny them their first really decent game in who knows how long?" I look to Inferno, hoping to gain some form of sympathy. I don't get any. "Uh-huh." "It was an unexpected development, understand? I cannot account for everything. I wouldn't have expected a narcissistic egotistic baboon like Mott to be part of anything special." "This is all you have to report?" Faust stares at me as we sit in the war room. So far, I've managed to keep my bearing, but my eyes keep falling onto the candles around the room, for some odd reason I grew a strange fascination with them in the past three minutes I debriefed her on the situation. I nod at Faust, "Yes, m'lady. The fool was approached by a group of cloaked individuals. He identified them as 'the Circle', and they apparently claimed he was of no further use to them. They disappeared immediately. I apologize for not attempting to at least capture one of them, but I was more occupied with… the matter at hand, you see." I have kept the full depths of my summoning magic to myself, if only for the sake of my own confidentiality. The Queen only knows that I get the job done, and that's enough for her. "It's alright. Mott's been removed from the equation, that's all that matters. He was one of the larger contestants for my daughter's hand. With him being gone, the threat against Solaris should decrease a fair portion." "Are we truly sure of that?" I ponder aloud, and Soul Edge rattles silently, as the candles around us flicker in the night. Author's Note Whoo! Back-to-back Nightmare! This… is probably gonna be a one-time thing, though… Expect the next few chapters to be uploaded at a more natural, slower pace than this in the future. Until next time, comrades!
Get your kicks on Route 66Der Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers Get your kicks on Route 66 “C… Come… f… fo-” I descend into a hacking fit, and the spell I was making dissipates into dust. “D- damn… S- Still… w-weak…” I drop to my knees, and start coughing again. “Hey! *crunch* Don’t overexert yerself!” I turn my head to the door, and see a redheaded girl. She wears a green jacket, and- woah, those are some short shorts. I look to her hand to see the source of the crunching sound, and see she has a chocolate bar in one hand, and several bites in it. She walks over to me, and lifts me onto my bed, and scoffs, “Moron. You can’t even speak full sentences yet, and you think you can try to walk around? Let alone cast any kind of magic?” I shrug slowly, “One… way… find... out… right?” She scoffs, “Whatever. Hey, want one?” She holds another, unwrapped candy bar before me, which I take. I simply nod, before slowly taking off the wrapping. I sink my teeth into the candy, before moaning in delight. It’s been a while since I’ve had chocolate bars. Wait, they don’t even have a way to make chocolate into bars like this. How could she have gotten a chocolate bar? I turn to her inquisitively, motioning to the bar of candy. “... What about it?” “How… was… it… made?” Her expression changes, and now she looks rather confused. “Whaddya mean ‘how was it made’? It was made at a fact- oh. You really don’t know what happened to yourself, did you?” I shake my head in the negative, letting her eyes widen with awe, “W-well… I think you may wanna listen closely… it’s a long story.” I sit up as much as I can, and fold my hands upon my lap. I watch as the redhead bring up a chair, and sets it beside me. “See… it all starts in a kingdom, ruled by two pony sisters…” “That… That’s what this whole thing is all about…” She nervously looks about, trying to avoid eye contact with me. Holy shit. It’s all a show. A kid’s TV show. “How… long?” I rasp out, which catches her attention. “How long what?” “How… long… asleep?” The girl sighs, “From… from what I’ve seen, you’ve been turned to stone for at least two thousand years.” Two thousand. Two. Thousand. Years. That’s two thousands. And that’s terrible. “What… of… Sol… ar… is?” What happened? What happened to him? I raise my hand to my mouth, as my breath becomes rapid and unsteady. “Who’s that?” “Fa… ther… of… Tia…” I try to restrain myself, but enter a coughing fit. She places her hand on me, and holds me steady as I begin to hack up blood. “Hey! Calm down! Just take it-” “ANSWER!” My body surges with magic, as non-Euclidean shapes materialize around me. “Sakura!” The doorway is now filled with four other girls, my other caretakers, who look ready to attack. She looks legitimately scared, and almost reaches for a ring upon her finger, but I look her dead in the eye, and she stops in her tracks. Killing intent. Even without physical strength, one’s killing intent can never be mistaken. She begins trembling in place, and I keep glaring at her. “Answer… now…” I ignore the blood slowly trickling down my mouth, and she nods in response. “H… Homura…” Sakura turns, and looks to the calm, dark-haired member of the group. “Yes?” The sheer level of control in her voice, despite my overwhelming killing intent, surprises me. Had I not been bedridden, lacking of all physical energy, and pissed off, I would probably be giving her a round of applause. But I’m not. Sakura steadies herself, “Wh-what… became… of Celestia and Luna’s dad in this world?” Homura stares at me for a moment, to which I respond by weakening my aura. She merely reaches for a book, and flips it open to a specific page. “After the defeat of the dæmonic Nightmare, King Solaris and Queen Artemis disappeared under mysterious circumstances. To this date, there has been no clear evidence of where they went, or why.” My heart sinks. Is this what you do to me, brother? After all we’ve been through… 2006 Years ago, Equestria Castle, Everfree Forest “... I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” The priest grins, and steps back as Solaris and Artemis embrace heartily. The crowd bursts into applause and cheers. I stand by Solaris’ side, proudly watching my friend, whose countless months of persistence finally blossoming into his one true goal in life. “Ah… young love…” I sigh dramatically, and clasp my hands together. Solaris shoots me a playful glare, before returning to his new bride. I grin, and walk to the side, taking for myself a glass of wine. My eyes begin darting about the place, nervously noting the exact quantity of people in the room, and the ratio of armed guardsmen to the civilians. I take in the quantity of Seraphs, and Hyur. I closely examine all of them to see any places where weapons could be kept. “Letting paranoia overtake common sense again, Nightmare?” Faust now stands beside me, grinning at my expression, or lack thereof, a trait I display when thoroughly analyzing a room. “Ma’am, I do believe that’s what I’m paid for.” I keep looking about, but maintain the illusion of my speaking with her. “You know, you CAN have off days. Just let loose for once. Come now, drink from that glass, before I do.” “Do you honestly want a dark sorcerer with alcohol in his bloodstream?” I raise an inquisitive eyebrow to the queen, who laughs in response. “C’mon, we got you out of the armor. Why not go all the way?” I look down to the azure suit I now sit in. My danger sense is only amplified with the frail cloth being the only thing protecting my body from would-be assassins. “... Because I’m a paranoid magic knight who is in a kingdom with a secret society.” Despite the few months that have passed since the discovery of the Circle’s existence, we have drawn no closer to uncovering them than before. None of Mott’s servants recognized the symbol of the Circle, and there’s no historical records relating to them. So far, I’ve become extremely pissed regarding them. Faust’s expression turns to a frown at that, “You are NOT to mention that. Not here. Not on the happiest day of MY daughter’s life. For once, just let yourself have FUN, for crying out loud!” “She’s right you know.” I look to my shoulder, and see Airy, waving her finger. “Tsk, tsk. Old Nighty can’t be a big sourpuss all the time.” “... Y’know what? You really wanna do this? Fine. But remember: I warned you.” I tilt the wine to my lips, and let it pass through. “You’d better not go overboard with this.” Bite me, hothead. “Nightmare? Are you alright? Certainly, you can hold your wine better than this?” “There are over thirty-eight males in the room, and an almost equal quantity of females. At least half are Hyur, another quarter is Seraph, and the remainder is Arcanus. Royalty notwithstanding.” “He’s fine.” Airy giggles, before jumping off of my shoulder, and floating away, following the movement of the crowd to the ballroom. I hold my dæmonic arm out at a crook, and Faust chuckles, “Oh? What’s this, then?” “What knight would I be if I didn’t escort my queen? And what kind of friend would I be if I did the same to my comrade’s mother-in-law?” “Well, this is a definite change in attitude. Mayhaps we’ll have you drink more often.” She slips her arm into mine, but slowly, letting her arm settle against the carapace, which pulses raw magic in response. We walk into the ballroom, and I see Airy sitting upon the piano, cheerfully waving for the guests to enter. Eventually, the room is filled aplenty, and the guests begin to dance a slow dance. I watch from the shadows, letting boredom take me over. In all of the recent excitement regarding the Circle and the wedding between my old friend, I’d forgotten the absolute tediousness of royal courts and ballroom dances. Great Cthulhu, the dances! I never thought something could drag on for so damnably long. I take a sip of wine, before stopping and staring dumbfounded at the glass. WOW, this is worse than I thought. Imma do it again. And again. And again. “I have an idea.” Shit, I’ll hear it. At this point, anything’s better than this. And again. “Airy. Song. Now.” … That is quite possibly the most brilliant thing you’ve ever said. Any recommendations you’d like me to give her? And again. “Oh, you should know…” Oh, fuck the hell yes. No wonder you’re my best friend, Inferno. I trot over to the fae, and whisper a few words into her ear, and step back. She jumps over to the musicians, and signals them to stop. “Ah-hem! Ladies and gentlemen, this song is hereby dedicated to our lovely bride and fantastic groom, courtesy of the Azure Nightmare!” A small round of applause fills the air, as I merely pull a Gatsby, raising my glass to Solaris as he chuckles, and covers his face in embarrassment. The pianist watches as music notes appear in the air before him, composed entirely of fae magic. He straightens up, and then begins tapping at the signalled notes. Hey, I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home, It’d be a home run Show me how you do I take another hearty gulp of wine, before refilling my glass. And then downing it. Whoo, why is it there’s more people than I remember counting? “Oh, shit, here we go.” I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh “Sir, please hold my drink. I do think shit’s about to get real.” In an instant, I feel myself flung onto the stage by a mysterious force, and before I’m even able to calculate what’s going on, I’m singing. I gotta get more of this stuff for later. I like crazy, foolish, stupid Party going wild, fist pumping music, I might lose it Blast to the roof, that’s how we do’z it I don’t care the night, she don’t care we like Almost dared the right five Ready to get live, ain’t no surprise Take me so high, jumping nose dive Surfing the crowd Ooh Said I gotta be the man I’m the head of my band, mic check one two Shut ‘em down in the club while the playboy does it, and y’all get lose, lose After bottle, we all get bent and again tomorrow Gotta break loose cause that’s the motto Club shuts down, a hundred super models Holy shit, where’d all that air come from? I’m not one to raise my voice. I was always quiet, even back home. I rarely yelled, except when a ritual would call for it. But before I can even make a move, Airy continues. Hey, I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home It’d be a home run Show me how you do I try to catch my breath, and I cast a spell, sending my drink back into my hand. I down it, and put it back into the crowd, “Refill that, please. I’m gonna need it.” I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh Here we go, round two. HAVE AT IT, THEN! Party rocker, foot-show stopper More Chambord Number one club-popper Got a hangover like too much vodka Can’t see me with ten binoculars So cool No doubt by the end of the night Got the clothes coming off Til I make that move Somehow, someway, gotta raise the roof, roof All black shades when the sun comes down Uh-oh, it’s on like everything goes Round up baby tilt the freaky show I release a mental squeal of joy when I see my glass being passed through the crowd and placed at the edge of the stage. What happens to that body, it’s a private show Stays right there, private show I like ‘em untamed, don’t tell me how pain Tolerance, bottoms up with the champagne My life, call my homie then we hit Spain Do you busy with the ball, we get insane The moment the fae magic releases its grasp on me, I drop to one knee, and gulp the drink down. I look around, and see Solaris standing in shock, with Artemis laughing, an arm draped over his shoulder. Hey, I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home It’d be a home run Show me how you do I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh I cast a spell, placing thin shadows over the candles and the chandelier, creating a completely different setting. Now, the room has become dark, and acquired a significantly more romantic atmosphere. The crowd gets the message, and parts, letting the couple hold each other closely, and begin to dance. I am a wild one Break me in Saddle me up let’s begin I am a wild one Tame me now Running with wolves and I’m on the prowl My enhanced eyes note that the newlyweds are completely focused on each other. Their bearing is better than most of the battalion. Hey, I could actually use that for recruits. Let me see… ‘The PRINCESS has better bearing than you maggots do, and she doesn’t even HAVE to stand at attention!’ Yeah, that’ll work. Where was I? Oh, yeah. Wine. Show you another side of me Another side you never thought you would see Tear up that body Dominate til you’ve had enough I hear you like The wild stuff Oh, shit. I forgot some of these lyrics are more than suggestive. Well, nobody seems to mind. I turn, and slowly begin walking to the hallway. I make a sharp turn, and enter another hallway. I walk until I see a door which has two guards on both its sides. “Gentlemen. Would you mind granting me entrance? There’s something I need to get.” They nod, and one grabs the keys, unlocking the door with ease, revealing the armory, and Soul Edge on the opposite wall, staring right back at me. Hey I heard you were a wild one Ooh If I took you home It’d be a home run Show me how you do I let the suit burn away, and command Soul Edge into my hand, and around me, my azure armor builds up. I clip Soul Edge’s sheathe to my hip, and turn around, and I’m staring straight at Faust. I wanna shut down the club With you Hey I heard you like the wild ones Ooh I stare at her, huff, then walk straight past her, ignoring her glare as I head to the gate. In the sky above, the moon shines brightly, reflecting off of my armor. I stare at it for but a moment, before leaping over the castle wall. I am a wild one Break me in Saddle me up and let’s begin I am a wild one Tame me now Running with wolves and I’m on the prowl As the sun rises into the air, I draw my blade from my latest kill, an extremely large manticore, and the soul wells up into me. I swing Soul Edge around, and sheathe it in a single motion. I grab the kill in my claw, and raise it into the air, and walk back to the castle. As I reach the gate, I toss a glare at the watchmen, who quickly call for it to open. As the gate opens, I’m greeted with Faust, with a few guards at her sides, “I see you’ve been having fun.” “Needed to patrol. Couldn’t handle the large crowd.” “Is that reason for you to walk out on your best friend’s wedding?” “Please, don’t test the limits of my patience right now. I already hate myself for it as is.” I walk past her, and adjust my grip on the kill. “... You also have a visitor waiting in the training yard.” At that, I turn my head, a look of panic betraying my features. Well, time to face the music. As I turn the corner, I hand the manticore over to the butcher, who I’ve formed a strange friendship with, and he nods his usual nod. I swear, he looks like Jamie Hyneman, too. The exact same glasses, bushy eyebrows, and walrus mustache. “Hello, old friend.” My heart stops. I turn, and my eyes fall upon Solaris, who’s currently leaning against a training wall. “... I apologize for my early absence last night. If I stayed any longer, I would’ve begun frisking everyone in the room.” “That’s not what I’m here for. Although, note that I do forgive you for that. I’ve become aware of your… issue with crowds. That ceremony let me realize something. You’re alone, Nightmare.” I scoff, “I needn’t company when I have my duties. You and I both know how I operate. Leave me to my work, and I’m just fine.” “But you can’t always bury your frustrations in your work. I’ve seen you, late at night. Hell, you let yourself be deprived of sleep for weeks at a time! And when you DO decide to sleep, it’s in the barracks, or sometimes right on your own desk! You don’t even use the room the queen has so graciously provided you! That bed has not seen an occupant since it’s been given to you! I just- Gah! Nightmare, hold out your hand.” I raise an eyebrow, but obey, showing him my dæmon claw. “Would’ve preferred you use the other one, but that’d mean taking off the armor. I… guess this is fine. For now.” As I go to question him, I watch as he raises his own arm, and- YOG-SOTHOTH’S TENTACLED BEARD! He just… He just STABBED HIMSELF IN THE HAND! With a knife? How long’s he had THAT on him? “Now… hold out your hand…” I tell myself not to, but this form’s need to feed on blood proves stronger than my own will. I wince as his knife dives into a soft spot on my palm, and then, he shakes my hand. With his injured one. “We are brothers. In blood, and in battle. Now and forever.” I stare at him, and watch as my own hand rapidly patches itself up, and absorbs his blood. Then I turn my gaze, and see my dæmonic ichor flow into his own wound, and rapidly repair itself. “S… Solaris… I… I don’t even know what to say… I… Why? You’ve no obligations to do such a thing… Solaris… I-I…” For the first time in the year and a half since I’ve arrived here, I cry. Tears flow under my armor, and I drop to my knees, “Solaris… B-b-brother…” I reach forth, and he steps down, hugging me tight. “Shh… Be at peace… It’s alright now… you’re not alone… You’re not alone…” Present Day, hidden cottage, White-Tail Woods Damn, Solaris, you couldn’t have run like that… it’s not like you… “Hey… are you alright?” I turn, to see the five staring right at me. I shake my head, and motion that I’m alright, although still rather weak. “Fine…” I wheeze, before taking a bite of chocolate, smiling to myself as the confection melts along my taste buds. “Well, if you need anything, just call us, okay?” The pink haired one places her hand on my shoulder, and gazes right into my eyes. I nod in the affirmative to this, and as they turn to leave, I wave at the black-haired one. “Yes?” She walks back to me, and then sits in the chair the redhead was in. “Need… answers… How… long… until… start… of… show?” Homura stares at me in a completely deadpan manner, before handing me a history book. “We have at least eight months before the events of the Season One opener begins. The one thousandth Summer Sun Celebration will begin then, and Nightmare Moon will be released. Six mares, or women in this case, will save the world from eternal night with the Elements of Harmony.” Elements of Harmony… where have I heard that before? And how is that supposed to help them against this Nightmare Moon? “Homura!” The blue-haired one dashes in, repeatedly gasping for breath. “What’s the problem?” “W-w-witch! Big one! In forest! Moving… to village!” “I’ll be ready in a moment.” This ‘Homura’ girl stands up, and then reaches for a ring upon her finger, similar to the one that the redhead has. It glows, and before my very eyes, she’s in an entirely new getup, now with a skirt… and is that pantyhose? “Wh… What… ha-” She raises a finger to my mouth, and shushes me, before turning and joining with her comrade. “Ready?” “Yes.” In a flash, the two are both gone, leaving me sitting in my bed, flabbergasted. Okay, THIS I gotta see! I don’t care if I’m aching! I slowly step out of bed, and begin to limp forwards, clinging to as many things as I can, and barely maintaining my balance. With effort, I reach the door, and pry it open, letting natural sunlight fall upon my skin. I feel the wind push my hair about, and feel a smile consume my features. That’s the last thing I do before passing out. 2006 Years Ago, Equestria, border of the Everfree Forest My patrol has taken me to the very edge of the forest. I stare out at the vast, unclaimed plains that lie before me. The planes that await Equestrian settlers. A smile grows on my face, and I grin at the untamed fields before me. Here, is where we shall expand. Here, is where- “Enjoying the view, old boy?” I turn, and notice Silkius standing beside me, checking her nails. “To say the least. This… this could become an amazing place to build upon. Imagine it… cities spreading out for miles, acres of homes, streets lined with goods…” I sigh, as the fantastic images coat my vision. “... Indeed. How very intriguing…” Silkius drones, and turns to me, “Say… I was planning on a large dinner with some of the other hives, and I thought ‘Hmm, why not invite those Equestrian nobles?’ I mean, how better to make introductions than with a grand display of our festivities, and immediately after a royal wedding, when everyone’s going to be absolutely ecstatic?” “... Y’know what? Why not. I’ll do it. It’d be a good way to kick off the honeymoon. Just don’t let Lady Faust at the wine. Trust me, it’s for the good of all involved. It took us weeks to remove the fish scent from the armory.” I take careful note of Silkius’ bewilderment, and inwardly chuckle. “What’re you talking about?” It’s better than saying she tries her hand at karaoke. THAT was a nightmare. “I’ll… keep that in mind…” Silkius shakes her head, before looking out again at the vast plains. “Hey… what’s that?” My honed, dæmonic vision notices a small form rapidly moving in the distance, and closing in fast. It appears to be a quadruped of some sort, but I still can’t exactly make out the features. I notice that around it, some larger creatures follow it, but are struggling to keep up. A hunt? Wait, something’s not right… “My word… is that a Dæmon Steed?” Silkius’ mouth now hangs agape, and I reach for my blade. “Mind telling me what one of those are, and how dangerous they could be? And who’s following it?” I draw Soul Edge out, and it morphs into its Male form instantly. I swing it about, before setting it in the ground in front of me, blade pointed to the incoming Steed. “A being bred in Tartarus for calvalry. But I’ve never seen one in person before… How did it get out of Tartarus? Those gates were to be unbreakable.” I roll my eyes. Girl, if you think that one gate is going to restrain dæmons, you need to do better research. The only way to even come close to restraining the great Yog-Sothoth was to cram him outside of conventional space-time, and that guy can STILL raise hell wherever he wants. Like Dunwich. That was a weird way to receive ‘the talk’. “If you’re done commenting on your little cult’s mortifying history lessons, can we get onto dealing with the problem at hand?” Whatever, barrel-man. “Shut the hell up.” The Dæmon Steed comes ever closer, and my eyes close in on the creatures following it. They appear to be on mounts of their own, similar to the Steed, but slower. They wield mainly axes and hammers. The lot of them have a dark green-gray skin, and have large boar-like tusks. Silkius gasps, “Dæmons… They’ve gotten out of Tartarus… They may not be particularly bright, but they are powerful… Oh, no...” I take a moment to analyze the souls of the creatures, “Oh, yes…” Large, and covered to the brim in sin. Soul Edge purrs in anticipation, and I feel my dæmon claw twitching with it. Well, I’m already going to hell. Why not get to know my neighbors? I leap from the tree-line, charging at full speed, and make a sharp slide, letting the Dæmon Steed pass me by, and hold up my own blade. The riders slow down, snarling and laughing. “Oi! Look wot we got ‘ere, boss! A lit’l mort’l knighty!” Okay, apparently dæmons have Cockney accents and say everything phonetically… Why does this seem so damnably familiar? “Whot’s da big idea? We waz about to get ourshelves a fancy new horsey!” Okay, that absolute massacre of the common language is an offense I absolutely cannot abide by. I swing Soul Edge about, before placing it before me, “If you want that Steed… You’ll have to take it from me.” The riders grew deathly silent, and their faces surprisingly grim. I use my Soul Sense, as I so dubbed it a while ago (copyrighted, too, bitches). I find that there are seven dæmons total. A smug grin manifests under my mask, and I lash out at the rider to my left, and completely sever his leg, leaving a small scratch along his Steed. “GAGH!” As he falls, another comes up behind me. I leap into the air, and drop my blade onto his head. I then grab his axe, and hurl it into another rider’s head. The crippled one throws a lasso onto my throat. “Got ye now, ya daft bashtard!” “Oh, do you, now?” I place my dæmon claw on the lasso, and it launches a wave of hellfire along it, before completely engulfing his arm. “AH! HELP ME! ITSH GOT ME! OH, IT BURNS!” I grab Soul Edge from the corpse of my second foe, and leap into the air away from them. I need a moment to decide what move I could use against them. Let’s see… Something classy... Ah! “Well, this has been fun. But now, it’s time to say good-bye!” I dash into the lot of them, and slam Soul Edge into the ground, creating a shockwave, propelling them into the air. As they all fall down, I reposition myself to make sure that they’re all in a single line… “Inferno Divider!” I hold Soul Edge out in the air, before slamming it down, making a wave of dark magic that travels straight out, perfectly bifurcating the lot of them, yet also ignoring the Steeds. “Hah. I expected more from the fabled dæmons of Tartarus… I didn’t even HAVE to transform to eliminate them. Pathetic.” I scoff, and turn away, letting Soul Edge draw in their flesh and souls. As I walk away, I hear whining of a sort. I turn, and notice that one of the Steeds is about to be caught up in Soul Edge’s feeding through a scar on its side. Its blood is adding to the small river that Soul Edge feasts on, as it whinnies in pain, being drawn in as if it were in quicksand. I momentarily consider adding it to my harvest, but decide against it. Too pure. Too beautiful and powerful a beast to ever be a meal. I exert my will over the blade’s hunger, letting the creature escape. “Bah. These dæmons are delicious enough. I needn’t add an animal to my feast.” I huff in return, before turning around again, and being face-to-face with the first Dæmon Steed I saw. Or rather, face-to-snout. It releases a single snort, leaving a small cloud of dust. I look up, and stare right into its scarlet eyes. I look further up, and see that it has a pair of ram’s horns atop its head, and a lion’s mane. Its entire body is coated in powerful muscles that ripple with every motion. “... Can I help you?” The Steed glares at me, pulling its lips back slowly, revealing a set of powerful, pearl-white teeth, and then- *SLURP* It licked me. The bugger licked me. I stare at it again, now noting that it has a slightly softer expression. Was it toying with me? I slowly reach my claw up to it, and to my surprise, it puts its head into my claw, and rubs it, almost demanding I pet it. “Uh… Inferno, what do I do?” “Mmph, can’t talk now, eating.” Fucking fatass. Of course you abandon me in the socially awkward moment. The beast whinnies at me, and- is it smiling? It’s so weird… but it looks so cool! I decide to let my inner man-child take over. I walk over to its side, before noting it swishing its tail. Which looks back at me. It’s a snake. The Dæmon Steed has a god-damn snake for a tail. That wasn’t innuendo. I slowly put my claw up on its side, before pushing down, and hopping atop the Steed. I nervously stare at the creature, who looks back with the best shit-eating grin I’ll ever see on a horse face. “Well… what now?” In that instant, the Steed makes a hard 180, and charges around the field, with my barely holding on. “AH! G-FORCE! IN! MY! FACE!” I sheathe Soul Edge, and use both my hands to carefully grasp its mane, as the creature keeps on running about at speeds that could make Sonic green with envy. “Okay! You wanna show off, huh? Well, let’s play a game...” I pull its mane up, and force it to rear up, and turn around, and dash into the woods. Within an instant, he reaches the tree line, and I look to Silkius, who is understandably shocked. “Hark! I hath found a fair lady at the forest’s edge! What is thy purpose in this wild, dangerous, unclaimed territory?” The Steed looks at me, confused for a moment, until I wink, at which it begins to- I kid you not- actually dramatically winnie. “... Is this a knight that stands before me?” Oh, by Hastur, is she playing along? Must. Resist. Urge. To. Squee! “Your eyes do not deceive you, m’lady! I am the Azure Nightmare, having just returned from slaying a band of vile dæmons who threatened this valiant and noble Steed’s freedom!” The Steed puffs its chest out, and trots around Silkius, displaying its raw muscle and finesse. “What a fortunate turn of events! I had lost my way in returning to my home, and I would much appreciate an escort, honorable Nightmare!” I look to the Steed, and give him a devious smile that shines through my eyes, to which he returns in full. “Oh! To deny such a request would disgrace my status as a knight of the great kingdom of Equestria! Verily, I shall take thee back to thy noble home, posthaste!” I reach out with my small hand, of which she takes, and uses to raise herself up. The Steed even kneels to assist, before standing again at his full height. “Mighty steed! Take us away from this place!” I lightly kick him, and he charges off, with Silkius now screaming at the top of her lungs. Completely un-lady-like, frankly. “AH! THIS! ISN’T! FUNNY! OH, BY THE GODS! SOMEONE MAKE THIS DEATH RIDE END! HELP!” The Steed and I laugh at her priceless reaction, before I pull him to make a turn to her cavern home. We slow to a weak trot, and finally halt. It and I look back, only to fall into a fit of laughter, and I off the Steed. “Hah, hah, hah. Very funny. If you don’t mind, I’m going to get some sleep. Good day, Nightmare.” She clambers off the steed, and walks back to the I look to the Steed, and raise an inquisitive eyebrow, “Should we tell her?” The Steed shakes his head in the negative, before trotting away. “Yeah… I think it’d be better if she found out for herself, anyways… You also might wanna speed it up a bit. Correction: Get us the FUCK out of here before she does.” When the Steed looks at me in a confused manner, I point my dæmon thumb at the cavern, which begins to shudder with raw magic. "WHAT IN THE NINE CIRCLES OF TARTARUS HAPPENED TO MY HAIR?” The Steed’s eyes widen, and before I know it, we’re already speeding through the forest. I guide him carefully in the direction of the castle, and we slowly come to a stop before its gates. “Okay, fairly certain we’re out of firing range. So, wanna meet my friends?” The Steed grins, if you can call it that, and we enter the castle. I guide the Steed into the armory, and step off, “Hello, boys! I got a ride that doesn’t buckle under my weight! Now I can ride with the cavalry division! Isn’t that swell?” Everyone pretty much stares openly, before shaking their heads and realizing it’s me that’s behind this, and resume work. “Just Nightmare doing his thing again.” I guide the Dæmon Steed into the stables, and I notice Gale, a Seraph and our quartermaster’s apprentice, approaching me, “Gale, old boy! Just the man I was looking for! now, could you go and get a really, REALLY big saddle for this one right here?” “Uhm… okay… I’ll… get it right away…” I swear, that boy has no backbone. He’s a doormat. The whole ‘pink hair’ problem doesn’t help matters. Solaris stomps over, “What in the hell is this, Nightmare? You’ve done a lot of stupid things, but a Dæmon Steed? These are wielded by those horrific dæmon raiders as they plunder and pillage OUR villages. They drove us here, into these woodlands, to hide away like beasts.” “But the Steeds themselves weren’t doing anything. They were tools, to be used by those raiders. I am simply being a pragmatist, something the lot of you have been having difficulty understanding.” I see Gale coming to me, with a large enough saddle for the Steed, though it is simple torn leather, and a matching harness. I slide the saddle on, and the Steed lets the harness onto his head surprisingly easily. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I would like to have some time to get used to me new friend. FORWARD!” I aim Soul Edge, and the Steed bursts from the stables, while I jump on as he charges away. Before long, we’ve reached the far coast, and now sit on the moonlit shore. The sand is constantly lashed at by the waves, like an unending assault against an invincible barrier. The wind flows, and I feel the salt-coated air lash against the opening of my helmet. I wince, and try to blink the salt from my eyes, as the Steed slows down. “Stop here… let me off… I would like… to do something… for a moment...” I step off the Steed, and hold out Soul Edge to its forehead. “An interesting specimen… But you surely don’t mean…” Yes, I do. I most certainly do. “But you’ve only the ability to make ONE of these at a time! To forge such a contract… with a beast like this!” Says the soul-eating blade that creates hellfire and looks like something out of a hentai. “Fair enough. Just don’t come crying back to me when it turns out to be useless.” Whatever. Soul Edge’s eye ‘widens’, even though it has no eyelids, really. The pupils sort of… contract, looking like it’s opening its eye. Anyways, its eye widens, and a crimson aura seeps out. I look to the Steed, who is now covered in a potent magical circle, “Noble Dæmon Steed of Tartarus… I am the Azure Nightmare, the Dark Blade of Faust, Servant to the Crawling Chaos, Nyarlathotep, and Master Sorcerer of the Cult of the Crimson Lamia. I bid thee… to be my familiar, here and forevermore! To serve me, and offer me your strengths! In exchange I offer thee asylum, from all thy enemies! Mighty Steed, what say you?” The Steed looks about for a moment at the runes and circles, before staring back at me. Its heavy gaze digs into my own, before it bows its head, and bends its legs, entering a bow. “Then rise, mighty Steed, and be baptized in the fires of Soul Edge, the Blade of the Damned!” The Steed rises, and even though the hellfire dances about its body, it receives no pain. It calmly steps through the fire, and presses its skull against my own. “You did not falter, and thus, the flames did not harm thee. Truly, you are a familiar most would beg for.” Take that, hothead. “Now, you are no longer a mere nameless beast of that infernal pit. You are reborn, as Cimarron, Stallion of the Azure Knight! Now, great Cimarron, SHOW ME WHAT YOU CAN DO, AS MY FAMILIAR!” I leap over my newly contracted servant’s shoulder, and onto his back. I place Soul Edge in my dæmon claw, and use my more dextrous left hand to hold his reins. Cimarron rears, and his powerful cry echoes into the night. We ride out, into the night, as the moon and the stars illuminates our pathway. Behind us, the only sign of our passing is the rustling of leaves in the wind. Before us, enemies hiding in fear. I stand ready to face them, and now, I am not alone. I am the Azure Nightmare, and I fear nothing.
The question isn't who will let me, but who will stop meDer azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers The question isn't who will let me, but who will stop me It's been a few weeks since I was made a knight of the realm. Apparently, this land, barely after gaining its status as an independent nation, has been relentlessly targeted by invading thieves and mercenaries, attempting to claim the vast land and resources this place has to offer. Now, I was sitting atop a tower, staring out at the drifting clouds. "Sir Nightmare?" I turn, and my gaze falls upon a young woman, with night-black hair. Upon her forehead, a horn extends, and her back has raven-like wings. Artemis, Faust's daughter, and next in line for the throne. Apparently, she was away during my first day here, and was trying to negotiate a peace treaty with another local species, in the hope of acquiring protection. "Can I assist you in some way, m'lady? And please, the 'sir' part is wholly unnecessary." I stand up, and stretch out my demon arm. "I simply wanted to talk." I raise an eyebrow. That's a new one. When we first met, she avoided me like the plague. I guess she wanted to change that. "I should warn you, if it has anything to do with politics, then you've come to the wrong swordsman." In response, she chuckles, "No, no… I wanted to ask a few questions." "Well… Ask away, then." "You claimed to have been from a far away land. Mind telling me what that land is like?" Ah, crap. I was worried about this. "It's a long, complicated story, m'lady. But, if you wouldn't mind hearing, then I shall explain..." I take a moment, trying to think about how to explain it without outright saying anything. "It is… a land of invention. A land where ideas and thoughts are traded easily. A land where education is a given to all, and opportunity is as plentiful as the air we breathe. It is a land where men can see their children's children, and their children after. A land where lives can be recovered from impossible odds. It's a land where the poor can be given kind words and warm food, and anyone can raise or lower along the social scale… But I have no love for it. The opportunities are drained away rapidly. The children are slaughtered for coin. The lives that could be saved aren't. The poor are more often ignored than helped. Death is an occupant in every home. The only way to truly escape it was when my family, and the sect we belonged to would practice our sorceries." I give an idle wave of my hand, casting forth a small hellfire. "The public at large believed magic to be myth. The stuff of children's stories. We had to train in secret. The miracles we sent out had to be kept from the waking world. Our endless good deeds went unknown, and unthanked. Of course, our sect was also filled with just as much evil as the rest of the world. Many tried to conjure abominations to rule the masses. My uncle, for instance, battled a man who tried to cast a mass hypnosis and turn thousands into his slaves, which would then proceed to slaughter countless more. His wife's cousin had to deal with someone who tried to summon creatures that would've conquered the surface world within minutes." I sighed, and shook my head, "Here, magic is a plenty. I can cast freely, and finally let others see the fruits of my efforts. Here, I can use a blade. Here, I can truly protect the innocent." I let my hand smoothly drag itself over Soul Edge's scabbard, which hums in response. "That… that must be horrible…" Artemis sighs, "But… do you miss them? Your sect, and your family?" I chuckle, "That's the understatement of the day, m'lady. My best friend… he taught me how to survive in the wild. My cousin… he helped me perfect the spell I use to summon Airy, so she may play with the children, and brighten up this place." I lean back, putting my hands behind my head and staring at the clouds once more. "Indeed. The gardens never looked so full of life until now." Artemis looks down, and lets out a deep sigh, to which I raise an eyebrow. I roll over to my stomach, to see what she may have been gazing at. There, was Solaris. He was walking through the gardens, inspecting the flowers, while Airy and the children danced around. Airy then landed on his head, before propelling high into the air. Solaris glared, attempting to swat at her, and growling. "Your Grace, I don't mean to imply anything, but that look in your eyes tells me that-" I was swiftly cut off by the speed she turned to me. "Please, tell no-one of this. The other noblemen have been vying for my hand and the throne. If I were to even hint of my affections, I fear that they would attempt to have him removed, in hopes of eliminating competition. These are dark times, Nightmare. A brigand could just as easily be working for the gryphons as he could another Equestrian." "… I understand. Your secret is safe with me, Your Highness." I nod, before marching to the edge of the balcony. I climb over, and leap off the edge into the woods. Present Day, Equestria, pre-Season 1, White Tail Woods Oh, my head… why does it ache so? Damnation, this is painful… I need an aspirin… My vision is blurred, I can barely make out anything. I can see sunlight, that's for sure. It's filtering in through a window, I think. As my vision recovers, I see that I'm in a cottage. I slowly raise myself up, looking about carefully. I try to stand, only to feel my legs give out beneath me. I fall to the ground, and land on my hands. I breathe heavily, and let my gaze fall unto the ground, and my hands. I gasp, and see that my right hand is no longer malfested. I now have a perfectly normal right hand. "…" I try to speak, but my throat is too hoarse for words. I begin to crawl, dragging myself along the ground until I reach the door. When I do, I am greeted with a shoe. On someone's foot. I slowly raise my head, my eyes trailing up the long socks, before seeing a skirt, and- Thank you, based Shub-Nigurrath, for I have seen heaven. And it is a bright white. "Pervert!" And now, I am greeted with hell. Which is a size 6 shoe. To the nose, I might add. "!" I grab at my nose, silently screaming, and trying to slither backwards, away from the offender. I slowly raise my head, holding my aching nose, and I'm greeted with a face. With blue hair, and eyes. And in an anime schoolgirl uniform. "…" I try to mime defensiveness, and apologies, and my host seems to understand. She backs off for a moment, and I mime for a glass of water. "I'll be right back. Don't try going anywhere." I nod sarcastically, stroking my aching throat. As my host walks away, I notice that the room is quite chilly. In fact, it's almost too cold for someone in armor- wait, I'm not in armor. I slowly turn my head down, and… I'm going commando. I was in my birthday suit. And I was just caught looking up someone's skirt. Holy Cthuga, I am boned beyond all relief at this point. Pun unavoidable. "Here ya go!" She walks right up to me, and hands me the water. I quickly throw some sheets on, trying to be somewhat decent, which leads her to laugh, "Oh, calm down. We'll get ya some clothes in a jiffy!" 'We'? There's more of them? I drink down the water, and feel the soreness dissipate somewhat. "H… Wh… Who…" I barely scratch out, before slapping my hand to my mouth. Where's the demonic echo? Why am I not spouting out some brand of evil auto-tune? "You've been asleep for along time. Just rest, for now." Asleep? What does she mean? I was never asleep. I've been awake the whole time. Wait… the sealing spell… that was no ordinary seal, was it? I look to her, but she's already gone. How long was I really sealed? What kind of magic was it, anyways? I don't remember anything. I just… kind of… blinked. It was only a minute in there. But… I feel darkness clouding my vision again, and I collapse onto the bed. 2007 years ago, Equestria, Everfree Forest I tear my blade from the manticore's skull, as Soul Edge drains its soul. I breathe as I feel the ever constant hunger for souls be soothed. At this rate, I'd have leather hides and manticore meat for everyone. As I grab onto the corpse, and raise it into the air, I hear a sort of low buzzing noise. Not unlike a fly's wings, but instead more like a bee's, or a beetle's. And much more powerful, to boot. I swing my head around, before casting my gaze onto a figure hiding behind a tree, who I can sense carries a good amount of magical energy. Around this figure, several others, wearing armor that resembles insect chitin, and wielding spears, lurch from the shadows. "Not many can have the claim of sneaking up on me, especially with the noise you make. Show me your face, and I may consider letting your presence here remain unnoticed… for now." I swing Soul Edge around, and it extends into its Male form. During the time I spent here, I had gained control over Soul Edge's transformation abilities. Now I was a full master of them, commanding my blade to turn from its short-sword form to its Male state in an instant. But much to my surprise, instead of any kind of gasp, I hear a low, feminine chuckle. "Now, now… wouldn't want to poke someone's eye out, now would we?" The figure steps out from the tree line and as the light casts upon her, I lower my blade. I would say that my heart stopped, but… blood flow appears to be normal. "… Identify yourself! Before I decide to pay attention to my better judgement." I swing Soul Edge around with ease, and then slam it into the ground, letting it release a surge of power. The wave washes over the various infantry surrounding her, yet it was only a show of force. The soldiers around her back away, yet she remains unaffected. "An impressive little magic display. But if you're trying to scare me, you'll have to do better than that..." She still walks forwards, and I take a step back. My eyes flicker all about, trying to look anywhere but directly at her, and instead at the environment. The sheer amount of magic on her, and its structure, lets me see that she uses some sort of low-level hypnosis. Instead, I let Soul Edge itself stare at her, seeing through its eye. Soul Edge's vision is rather curious. Rather than see physical things, it instead sees magical power, and the souls of living beings. Thus I am granted a form of X-Ray Vision. With this, I can see that she is surrounded by at least a couple dozen soldiers. All of them are mind-numbingly weak, but the sheer quantity lets me realize that's their strength. The Zerg Rush. So simple, and yet, so weak. Honestly, all I have to do is create a fire, and I can smoke out the lot of them. "I demand you tell me your name! Who are you! If you have any ill intent towards the Equestrian people, then I should warn you that I shall place your head on my wall as a trophy!" I now swing Soul Edge about in a tornado manner, trying to force her and her advancing allies to back off. "C'mon, just let a girl have a little fun." At that, I lower my blade. Right to her heart. "Name. Now." The glare in my eyes gives off full killing intent. I'm not taking any chances at this point. "If it's that important to you… I'm Queen Silkius, of the local Changeling hive. I'm simply greeting my neighbors." At that, I raise an eyebrow in curiosity, "Changelings? How come I've not heard of your kind from the Equestrians?" I jab Soul Edge forwards more, as if to make a point. No pun intended. "Those brigands that've been charging in here have made social interactions rather… difficult, to say the least. But from what I've seen..." At this, she slowly slips past my blade, and lets her hands slide over my armor, "You're the one who's been solving a good majority of the problem. Truth be told, I've never seen such ferocity on the battlefield. I just had to see if my children's' reports were true with my own eyes." I leap back, and try to gain some wiggle room from the 'Changelings', "As questionable as this story may be, I have no evidence to the contrary." I lower my blade, and it converts to its short-sword form. I sheathe it in a single motion. "Show me this 'hive' of yours." The grin on her face disturbs me to a degree, but I pass it off as my own paranoia. "Oh, indeed! Come along, come along!" She motions for me to follow, and she guides me through the forest. As we walk, I try to avoid casting my gaze on her clearly seductive movements. Key word being try. Hey, it's not like I have full control of myself or anything. The low, subtle swing of the hips, the clothing which is just designed to let you see only a portion of her- NOPE! BAD THOUGHTS! BAD THOUGHTS! NO! BAD BRAIN! THINK GOOD THOUGHTS! Puppies and cookies and ice cream! THINK RATED G! THINK RATED G! Puppies and cookies and ice cream! PUPPIES AND COOKIES AND ICE CREAM! Suddenly, my boot catches itself in a tree root, "Oh, bugger." As I fall, I reach out with my demon claw at a tree. But I misjudged, my claw wasn't long enough. Instead, I fall past it, and my claw lands on her dress. RIP Alert: Brain.exe has stopped working. Blood flow has altered to lower extremity. "The only reason you're not dead for that is because I like you." I slowly pick myself up, cast a spell on the torn half of the dress I'm holding, and I toss it at her. Swiftly, it begins to repair itself, binding to its other half. Silkius looks at her newly repaired dress, "… Impressive. I've never seen any Arcanus use magic like that before." Arcanus. The term used for the horned Equestrians, like Solaris. The winged ones, known as Seraphs, can fly, and even manipulate the weather. The featureless ones are known as Hyur, and appear to do little more than have slightly superior physical strength compared to the rest. Not exactly a fair trade, in my opinion. I give her a stare, "It's not Arcanus magic. In my world, it's a simple to understand spell, although for some reason many take forever in learning it." I wave my hand, an create a few sparks of light, to demonstrate my point. Silkius looks clearly impressed. "Magic from another world? Impressive, to say the least… Perhaps I could get a… demonstration, later?" And the gold star goes to Mr. Freud. "… I'll consider it..." Maybe I'll summon a shoggoth… nah, those take too long to dispel. Fel Hound? They hate closed spaces. How about a Star Vampire? Oh, that'd be a laugh! I continue to list the many 'demonstrations' I could perform in my own head, until we finally arrive at a large cave. Silkius takes me through the winding and easily confusing cave, with me having Soul Edge leave energy pulses to memorize the caverns, until we finally arrive in an extremely large section that looks like Ridley Scott's Alien hive. The walls are coated in a black, membranous material, which pulses and shivers when one steps on it. Every now and again, there's a large pustule sticking out filled with green, bioluminescent material, giving off a faint light. Some parts of the walls also have large 'roosts' of sorts, where the Changelings seem to crawl into, much like a doghouse. If it was built into the wall. "Sorry about the mess. We don't get many visitors. So, whaddya think?" Silkius' motions indicate this is solely to show off. She wants attention. If that's what she wants, she'll get it. I stare at the various bio-organic constructions, nodding slowly, "Hmm… Impressive… How far do these tunnels go?" She shrugs, "We've yet to fully explore them. All we do know is that they go down for miles. Plenty of room for a hive to rapidly grow." As she says this, I command Soul Edge to do a little exploring. It sends a pulse of energy which travels through the material along the walls, going on through wave after wave of rock until it finally runs out of gas. "These caverns go on for at least 8000 kilometers. Again, plenty of room to grow an army." In my mind's eye, I see Astral Chaos, and the image of Inferno, Soul Edge's spirit. He shows me various images to explain his findings, and I nod in return. "You have... a lot of untouched ground, I do believe. Far more than you think." Inferno snickers, "Understatement of the day. These incompetents haven't even touched half of this place." I order him to hush up, and I look to Silkius, who shows an expression of bewilderment, "My, my… Your otherworldly magic must be greater than I thought… Maybe you can be a bit more helpful than I first thought..." "Damn straight." Oh, hush, you. "Honestly, how much can you tell about this hive, with your powers?" This is the demonstration? Alright, then… Inferno, do your thing. "You don't tell me what to do." Bitch, don't test me. "Okay, okay, sheesh!" Soul Edge sends out a red pulse, which echoes through the cavern. I breathe slowly, processing what I was given. "Over four hundred strong. With at least three dozen eggs in the lower catacombs, and at least twenty nurses. How close am I?" To my surprise, Silkius was practically taking this like a joke, "Ooh! Someone's finally got it! You are very interesting, you know that?" "Mayhaps I am… but that's a matter of opinion. But I like to hear about fact. Why're you called 'Changelings' anyhow?" I lean forwards, but place my claw and hand behind my back, trying to give off the image of formality. Much to my surprise, Silkius is absorbed in a green wave of flame, and suddenly, Faust stands in her place. I almost drop to one knee, before I hear Silkius' distorted laugh coming from Faust. "My, my. You are a quick one. Maybe you should consider being the Captain of MY Guard?" The disguise dissolves just as quickly as it appeared. "Hah. Hah. Hah." My laugh, dryer than the Saharan Desert, echoes through the caverns. "But now you've piqued my curiosity. What use could your species have for this? I'm guessing you can't imitate animals, so hunting is out of the option. Espionage isn't a natural ability that evolution can provide for." "Well… maybe it's more for that first one than you think. See, Changelings can eat normal meats, and even a few rare vegetables and fruits, but our greatest meal is that of love." Wat. "… Might I ask, how do you consume an intangible concept? Do you actually deprive a living begin of feeling that emotion? " That's just the first of many questions I have about that topic. "Maybe I could've worded that more precisely. See, Changelings can use a sort of… natural empathy, if you will. We feel love coming from others, and we can use it to access their magic reserves. From their, we drain as much as their love allows us. But if the love is directed at the one we disguise as, we can drain even MORE..." She trots around me, dragging her claws along my armor, and I tighten my grip on Soul Edge. "Be cautious! She'll FEED on us! FEED!" I hush Soul Edge up with a thought, and turn to see her right in my face, with one hand grabbing me by the cheeks, a single finger dragging along my mouth-plate and the other pushing up her ample bo- RATED G THOUGHTS! RATED G THOUGHTS! PUPPIES, COOKIES, AND ICE CREAM! "Is there anyone… special, you have in mind? Any cute faces that you've seen around the castle?" I tear myself from her grasp, and feel Soul Edge rattling, begging to put her down. "… I pride myself on being efficient, and not letting myself fall prey to such feelings. I am a loyal servant of the crown of Equestria." I huff, and stroke Soul Edge's scabbard, trying to ignore my desire to burn her for her arrogance. Wait, why do I feel that need, anyways? Before I can contemplate my status as a sociopath any further, I am taken aback by the sudden arrival of a Changeling guard, "M'lady! Something's attacking! In the northwest section of the caverns!" Silkius turns and gives a sharp gasp, "What? What is it? What could be attacking now? What could possibly be trying to harm MY hive?" The guard opens his mouth to speak, but a sudden rumbling and a sharp, powerful roar interrupts him, "… That, Your Majesty." "Is that… a dragon? Oh, dear… Close off the passages! If that thing crawls its way in here, its flame could do untold damages to the hive!" The guard nods, and hastily runs back, calling other soldiers to arms. "… I'm guessing this isn't a normal occurrence for you?" I draw Soul Edge, and begin stomping the way that the guard came from. Silkius follows, her hands and horn glowing with magic, "To say the least. Dragons coming down from the western mountains are practically unheard of. They keep to themselves. We don't have enough riches for them to swim in." Of course it's a Tolkien-esque dragon. "So, what's the average size of a dragon round these parts? Eight, nine meters?" "Five. But that doesn't change the fact their breath still wreaks havoc on Changeling hives. This material on the walls? It's not just for fear. This is everything that a hive needs to operate with. When a Changeling sleeps in it, their wounds are healed. It naturally alters its temperature as an incubator for eggs. Yes, we lay eggs, don't look at me like that. It also is how we store food. Deer carcasses can sit in the hive walls for months and not even look as if they've aged a day." "You're surprisingly calm, considering how your children may or may not end up getting an early cremation." I swing Soul Edge about, and it shifts into its Male state. "Yes… Need souls… Yes… This is a strong soul… Give it to me!" Inferno cries out joyously. I apply a small amount of willpower, and a piece of imaginary duct tape flies over his would be 'mouth'. He shuts up swiftly after that. "… You know, I have a feeling that one sword, however large it may be, won't be enough to fell a dragon." Silkius stares at me with a look of bewilderment, and slight disappointment. "If you think that a single blade is all I have, then you've sorely underestimated me. My grandfather gave me lessons on combating larger targets. What I'm up against here is merely a way to see if I haven't gotten rusty over the years." I chuckle, and let Soul Edge leak out some of its power, casting a red mist in its path. I step outside of the cavern, and I'm greeted with, as was described, a five meter tall dragon. Its scales are a dark green, and its underbelly a bright blue. The eyes of the beast were a thick orange, which radiated almost like the sun. Changeling guards swarm about, and the beast swats at them, snarling and growling. "Hello there!" I call out. The guards drift out of the creature's range as it turns to me. I raise my hands into the air to demonstrate I mean no harm, and even set Soul Edge on the ground. I toss a look to Silkius, who nods in quiet understanding. I return to the problem at hand, "Why do you approach this Hive? Changelings invest not in gold or jewels. We beg of thee, please leave. There is nothing for any of us to gain in this continued violence." I drop to one knee, and hold out my hands in a pleading manner. The dragon stares at me, before simply scoffing, "You expect me to believe that there is nothing of value in those caverns? Do not underestimate the senses of a dragon, fool. I can smell silver across mountains. I can feel the hum of gold through the earth. Do not lie to a dragon, foolish boy." Yog-Sothoth save this bastard. Because I won't. "If there are precious metals in this mountain, we had no knowledge of their presence prior. Just leave this hive be, and we shall grant you the gold." At this he halts, and almost looks like he's considering. "You intend to stay by this arrangement, knave?" Okay, you've just bumped Solaris' place on 'the list' to #2. I walk closer, and slowly bow, "You have my word of honor. If the Changelings remain unharmed, you shall acquire whatever riches these caverns have in store." At this, he chuckles, "Fine. These caverns, and all their riches, belong to me, and the insects shall leave without any further injuries." I sigh deeply, "Okay, fuck this. Silkius!" She casts a spell, and Soul Edge flies in the air. I leap up, and grab the blade, before coming down on the dragon. It sidesteps, and then breathes a powerful wave of fire at me. "Hah! Is that the best of what the Changelings have to offer? Your pathetic species are better off remaining as spies!" "Who said I was a Changeling?" The flames dance about before flying into Soul Edge, and the dragon hisses at me. Oh, I think I feel a song coming on! I run forwards, sidestepping the blasts of flame, before sliding and taking a large swing at the behemoth's heel. A straight, clean gash appears, and a fair amount of blood spills. It roars in agony, and raises its injured foot, before bringing it back down on my head. I cast a spell, and create a wave of force, knocking the beast's claw up and off of me. "Gyagh!" It begins to tumble, before completely falling off balance. As this happens, I leap into the air, and let my fair (read: ludicrous) knowledge of video games guide me. "Aether!" I drop down, and create a single vertical slice along the drake's side, and he tumbles back. He roars, before swinging his tail at me, and knocking me into the air. Big mistake. I raise my demon claw up, and generate magic, before aiming it at him, "You're through!" The bolt of dark sorcery hits him dead in the head, and forms a pitch-black mist. "Hyah! I can't… see!" He swats at his head, but only succeeds in moving air. I jump against the rocky wall, and then use that to propel myself high into the air. As I bring my blade down, he randomly swats the air, and hits me, breaking my concentration. Once I hit the ground, the mist dissipates, and he raises his claw up, and slams it. THUD He raises his claw again, and this time, clenches it into a fist, before bringing it straight down on me. THUD I feel my bones start to give in. Audible cracks echo across the field as the beast's fist pulls off of me. He now brings it down again as a flat palm strike. THUD Now, my armor feels broken. A loud creak sounds about, and my senses begin to dull. In my mind's eye, Inferno scoffs, "Considering all I've done for you, and you can't even best one measly lizard? Fine, I suppose I'll give you this much… but I expect proper compensation in the future." The beast raises its claw once more, and then brings it down as a fist again. THUD Silkius' cry of fear fills the area. Fear that her last line of defense has fallen. Fear that she will lose her home. Fear that she and her children will starve. "Hah! You can't win in combat against a dragon! I take what I want, and I kill who I want! No mere mortal can hope to stop me! not now, not EVER!" He laughs maniacally, before feeling the weight under his claw shift. "Who said I was mortal?" I extend my legs, now holding up the dragon's fist with nothing but my demon claw. Soul Edge's red power surges forth around me, completely hiding my form. He snarls, "Still alive, eh? Let's see how well your magic protects your little roach friends!" He propels a ball of fire at Silkius, who screams in terror. The guards move, but they're too slow to approach in time. I dash forwards, grab her, and run up the stone wall. I stop for but a moment, and jump off, and land near her guards, and set her down slowly. "You may be swift, but speed cannot slay a DRAGON!" He launches a wave of fire, to which I raise Soul Edge, which glows with an equal ferocity. The flames are completely halted by the blade, which proceeds to consume the magic within them. I feel my broken ribs begin to move back in place, but not actually heal. I swing Soul Edge about, and chuckle, "Is that all you have?" The dust disperses, and I let the dragon revel in my new form. The dragon stands, bewildered, "H-how? What ARE you? You're a… a demon! A-a thing! A monster! A devil!" I walk forwards, morbidly chuckling while swinging Soul Edge around like a baton, "I am all of those things… and more. I am the Azure Knight. I am Equestria's Dark Blade. I am the Nightmare." I raise Soul Edge, and aim it at the drake, "And I am your worst fear." The creature gawks, before turning around and letting his wings take him into the sky. "Yes… It thinks it can run… hunt it down… Slay it as it flees! Give it no quarter!" Inferno laughs and bellows in Astral Chaos, madly gazing at the beast through Soul Edge's eye, locking onto the large soul it wields. "Oh, don't you worry about that. Just give me the power, and I'll handle the rest." I dash forwards, letting my body's new speed easily let me ascend the rock face, before leaping off, and propelling towards the dragon. I aim my demon arm, and cast a spell, which stops the beast where it stands. I raise Soul Edge, which glows with raw dark magic, funneling it until it peaks off, and Inferno's demonic roar goes through the blade into reality. "It's over! Omnislash!" I fly forwards, and completely cleave through its right wing, leaving a stump in its place. I land on the ground far below, and leap into the air, slicing at him again, through his already wounded claw. The one that stomped me repeatedly. I then curve through the air through Soul Edge, and proceed to repeat, instead taking out a chunk of his stomach. I continue this process of bending around in air until I find myself above the beast, high enough so that I can see its entirety without moving my eyes. "Say good night!" I swing my blade forwards, and continue to rotate, until I become a buzz saw, and land straight in his back, barreling through and going straight through his chest. I land at an angle, and as I continue to slide through the dirt, I plant Soul Edge, catching myself with him. I stare up as the dragon is consumed in red magic, before his body completely dissolves into a ridiculously large pool of blood, which flows into my blade. "Ah..." I give off a groan of satisfaction as the raw power of the dragon's soul flows into my body. I look about as the strains of blood also comes into my armor, and tends to my wounds. My nerves come alight with relief and joy as the aches and pain fades away. "Yes… this shall make up for the energy I had to expend to give you this power… And more..." Inferno chuckles, and holds the creature's soul in his claws. He mercilessly tosses it around, and juggles it before throwing it into the Star of Chaos, the place where souls are broken down into fuel for the blade. "Nightmare!" I turn to see Silkius and her guardsmen rush to me, but stop at a certain distance, their fear denying them the ability to go any further. "… What… what was that? Did you… did you eat that dragon?" I scoff, and inspect my new claw, "You're not the only one who feeds off of the power of others, Silkius. Soul Edge, my blade..." I hold up the blade, which turns its eye to them, "It is a living creature, too. Forged of dark magic and bathed in the blood of millions, it gained a will of its own. It changes form to suit the master, but they all have the same fate: to serve in collecting souls for the blade's continued existence. And enjoyment, but mostly the former. Now, before you freak out and stab me or something, realize that I am DIFFERENT from the rest. I have… bonded to the blade, in a way. Note how when I gained this new form, it changed. Soul Edge and I have harmonized. I assure you, I will not bring you or your children harm if you do the same to me." Suddenly, Soul Edge and I give off a red glow, before I feel it regress into its short-sword form, and I into my first form. "Stay calm. The form is still available to you. You just have to will it in battle. Just not now, of course. I would like some rest after that… interesting episode." I shake my head, and sheathe the demon blade. I turn to Silkius, "For now… can this remain our little secret? I'm already on bad enough terms with Solaris. I highly doubt that he'll let me live this one down. And I also doubt that Faust would honestly let me stick around, too. Even her generosity has limits..." Silkius nods slowly, "I… think I understand…" Well, there goes a possible friendship. "I-I'll arrange for you to be taken home. Worry not, I'll keep your secret safe. As long as it's useful to me." her seductive smile leaves all the color in my face completely drained. Ah, crap. Now she has blackmail on me. "Nice work, genius." I don't even respond as I follow the guards towards the fortress. Author's Note For those wondering about the name change, it's because a good little reviewer named SkeenDotGer decided to inform me of the proper way to say 'The Azure Knight of the Deceiver'. If you're wondering why this story is called that, or why it's German, I'll tell you right now: Nightmare's nickname is 'the Azure Knight'. And 'Puella Magi' can mean 'slave of the deceiver'. Why German? Because the Soul Calibur series takes place in ancient Europe, with lots of German characters and influence, and Madoka has a Faustian motif, and Faust is a German tale. I'm done. Ya happy? As for the images of Nightmare's forms? You guys may have to actually right click, and then hit 'open image in new tab'. You can see the image in its full size, which is much better than the measly itty bitty render FiMFiction allows us. Well, if it bothers you guys that much, maybe you should complain about it to Nighty. And for those of you who are loving Blazing Skies, I hate to break it to ya, but this is all you're going to get for a while. Blazing Skies will be on hiatus for a brief period, at least until some of my collaborators can warp up their parts. Happy New Year.
Well, screw you too, universe!Der Azurblaue Ritter des Betrügers Well, screw you too, universe! Darkness. Heh, they assume that darkness can restrain me? Soul Edge IS darkness. Whatever they are inclined to believe, it is a falsehood they shall soon be corrected in. Those two… they believe they can restrain me by sealing my senses? What utter incompetence they possess. Nonetheless, this struggle shall end the moment I decipher this binding spell. "May..." Was that a voice? Did I just hear someone's voice? Wow, this sealing spell is weaker than I thought. "if we..." C'mon, what else d'ya have to say? "ould… ight..." I can't piece together a conversation from such small fragments! C'mon! Speak more! I know there's more to this than that! Before I can come up with any other snarky commentary, a bright light fills my field of vision. All my wasted opportunities… And now, the chance comes… to FINISH THIS! I feel the stone around me shattering, and I look about for the first time in what seems to be forever. Now, is my time to strike against my captors! But I cannot sense them? Why? Why can I not sense their presence? I should be able to sense the fool's magic miles away! "GRAGH! HYAGH! C'MON! WHERE ARE YOU!? FACE ME, I SAY! FACE ME!" "Woah, woah, woah! Take it easy, take it easy!" A gruff, stern voice shouts, and I feel a series of limbs trying to hold me down. "C'MON! WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELF, SOLARIS! FACE ME! YOU DO NOT INTEND TO HIDE AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE TO ME, HUH? C'MON, C'MON, C'MON! I REFUSE TO- … Huh? Wh-where am I?" Where's the torn battlefield? The crimson king and ebony queen? A sudden spike of pain erupts in my chest, and I fall to my knees. My hand swings around, and I find that I cannot sense my blade, "Gah! Damnation… where… is Soul Edge? Gyagh! It… it hurts… I… need… my blade..." I raise my hand up, and cast a spell to reach out for it, and then I lose consciousness. 2007 Years Ago, Earth, May 2015 AD, Salem, Massachusetts "C'mon, man! What the hell're ya doing? We're gonna be late!" A noisy, slightly high-pitched, but definitely masculine voice echoes through the corridors into my bedroom, where I'm admiring myself and my well-designed costume. My name is Wallace Delapore. I am currently dressed as Nightmare of the Soul Calibur series. Specifically, his first form, but since each design only has a few aesthetic changes per game, I doubt anyone's gonna notice. That aside, I am feeling quite content with myself and my work. "I'm coming, hold your horses!" My own deep, extremely level voice counters my friend's. Many say I have the voice of an angel. I think I sound a bit too much like Vin Diesel. But that's none of my business. Right now, I have a convention to attend to! I begin to walk out, when I notice that my doorway is blocked by my shoulder pads. "Uh… just a second!" I turn sideways, and barely waddle past the doorway, before striding with as much audacity as possible. I plan to milk every second of this. "About time, dude. I mean, c-" The higher-pitched voice comes from a slightly smaller man, who is currently dressed as Link, from Legend of Zelda. A decent costume, if not for the fact that he's a redhead. And he has no blonde wigs. Meh, everyone knows Link has no soul. This is just the proof we needed. "Come along, Kevin. Wouldn't want to be late, would we?" I walk straight past him, and wiggle my way through the door. "Hey! Wait up! Wow! That's… that's actually pretty badass." I chuckle, and climb into my friend's truck. I barely squeeze myself in, and silently thank my dad (may he rest in peace) for convincing me to help Kevin buy this thing. No other kind of car could possibly fit this costume. As the engine kicks up, and its roar fills the street, my ears pick up the sound of someone shouting. I gaze out my window, and notice an old woman, shouting at us. "Hey, Kevin. You see that?" Kevin rolls down his window, and he looks out, "Hey, Mrs. Brigsby! What's the matter?" Much to my surprise, she points at us, "Yer the matter, that's what! You kids and yer evil lil vidya games! Yer all gonna get yer souls swallowed up by Satan, ya hear?" I roll my eyes, and let the event be remembered as just one of the old crone's many attempts to demonstrate her Puritan beliefs. Kevin takes it the same way, and simply drives off. We ignore her as she continues to yell after us. Kevin sighs, "One of these days, I'm gonna tell her." I snort in response, "Tell her what?" He adjust his grip on the steering wheel, "About Cthulhu. And of the Deep Ones. And Azathoth. And all the other things out there that are FAR more dangerous than her 'Satan'." I let my hand fall to my chest, and recall the many tattoos upon it. The markings which display me as a worshipper of Great Cthulhu. My family was raised as part of the sect, and it was how I met Kevin. He is the child of a Deep One, and a human man. Truth be told, his fishy eyes are already materializing, and I've noticed that his hair is thinning in certain areas. I then give him a stern glare, "You know better than to make jokes like that. If anyone were to find out the truth, the world would let no resource lay idle until they had slain as many of your kin as possible, and torn apart the temples of the Great Old Ones…" I turn and stare out the window, "Then WE'D get in trouble." He gives a laugh, "Then I'll just summon a shoggoth. Eat her up, no big deal." I turn my gaze to him, and raise an eyebrow, "O… kay… How about we just listen to some music?" I reach over, and hit the power button to his Cd player. Kevin's eyes widen, "No, wait!" A moment of silence, then a song fills the air. I slowly turn to my best friend, "…" He stares back, and a slow pause comes between us. We both breathe in, "True love, true love It must be true love Nothing else can break my heart like True love, true love, It must be true love No one else can break my heart like you!" We continue to sing along as the truck rolls down the highway. Eventually, we slow down, in front of a stadium, with a large banner displaying 'Salem Comic-Con 2015'. I chuckle, "Heh, that was fun…" Kevin laughs with me, before pulling his keys out, and stepping out of the car. We enter, and are greeted with a ridiculous quantity of stalls, filled to the brim with a variety of goods and trinkets. "Damn, this is impressive…" I look around in bewilderment. "Hah! This is what a con's like, man! Get used to it! C'mon, get out there and enjoy yourself! Take some pictures, meet a girl, live a little!" Kevin gives me a hearty shove, and then proceeds to head off in the general direction of the food courts. "Typical, can't keep his belly full. But he's right, though… I have lacked interaction with the rest of the world for… quite a while… Mayhaps I should see what they have to offer…" I walk around for a while, before letting my eyes fall upon one item hanging in the back of one of the stalls. It's a crusty, rustic, dark red blade, with an eye embedded in the cross-guard, and a skull beneath it. It's Soul Edge, the blade of Nightmare. It may be in its short-sword form, but it's still the same thing. "Oh, look! Someone I can sell that to!" I look at the shopkeeper, an aged, yet nonetheless physically fit man. But as I stare, I notice that his eyes bear a curious complexion, that of someone who knows things others don't. "Er… how much?" He grins, and leans forwards, "For anyone else, I would've made it $70. But for you? I'll give you a deal: $55." I swipe out my wallet, "Deal." He hands me the blade, which I swing about for a moment, mentally thanking my mother for swordsmanship lessons. The merchant, though, lets his grin grow even wider, and I notice on the back of his hand, there is a mark. "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu…" "R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn." I instinctively follow up. I turn to him, and let my eyes widen, "By the Great Cthulhu…" His grin somehow grows, and I notice his marked hand reach up to a book. One look at its title, and I instantly turn and begin briskly walking from his stall, trying to mentally funnel out the words I hear from him. OGTHROD AI'F "Hey!" Kevin walks up to me, holding a half-eaten hot dog in one hand, and a candy bar in the other, "I was lookin' fer ya! Want some chocolate?" I push him aside, "Not right now. Gotta do something." I raise my pace even quicker, and hear as Kevin calls after me. GEB'L-EE'H NO! I will NOT let this happen! Leave me be! As I walk to the front door, a sudden mist of varying colors rises standing between me and the outside. "Damnation! Why? Why are you doing this? Do not use that incantation!" I plant my hand onto my armor, recalling the many marks and tattoos on me, hoping one of them involves canceling out magic like this. YOG-SOTHOTH "Do not do this! Such a spell is not meant for mortal men to see! Great Nyarlathotep, save me!" I ignore the stares, and put my hands to my head, as I feel the sorcery tear into my mind. 'NGAH'NG AI'Y I drop to my knees, and plant the sword before me, muttering many an incantation, hoping to deny him his goal. ZHRO "AAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!" As a bright light surrounds me, the screams and confused cries of those around me. Silence. The only thing which confirms my continued existence in the mortal world is the distinct throbbing headache I'm feeling. Definitely from the third dimension. Nothing else could possibly provide such irritation. I groan, and open my eyes, which are filled with a bright, unstoppable light. I put my hand up, trying to cover my eyes, before they slowly adapt to my surroundings. I slowly rise to my feet, before looking around. This is certainly a three-dimensional world. I've been above and below 3D, I'd know if it wasn't. However, it is unlike any worlds belonging to any of the Great Old Ones. Yuggoth is a barren wasteland on the surface, and they have no methods of replicating anything this… vibrant. Trees can't grow, and neither can grass. The Dreamlands are absolutely out of the question. It's too consistent. Dreams are always varying, and the air lacks the sheer vividness of the Dreamlands. I've never been to Yaddith, so I can't comment. But this world DOES hold a large quantity of magic power in the air. Enough so even a complete amateur sorcerer like myself could operate here with ease. But why bring me here? "And where IS here? Wait, what's with my voice? Gah!" I jump back, "Testing, testing, one, two, three..." My voice now has a dark, demonic echo to it. "By Cthulhu's beard… I sound AWESOME! Wait, wait, wait… Nants ingonyama bagithi Baba!" I laugh aloud for a moment at my newfound vocal trick. "Hah! This might actually be rather fun! Huh, my nose itches..." I raise my right hand, and as I grab onto the mask to remove it, I notice something. The plastic around my hand looks a lot less… plastic. And for some reason, I don't feel plastic on my arm anymore… And now I feel the cold metal of my helmet… through the claws of my new right hand… "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "Okay, calm down. Wouldn't be the first time someone's used polymorphic magic on you. Remain calm. It's okay… there should be a cancellation spell… Okay, what am I saying? THIS IS PERMANENT!" Apparently, the universe deems me more fit as Nightmare than as Wallace Delapore. "Okay, c'mon… I think I should focus on mapping out the surrounding area… Best to find high ground..." I look around, and notice a large hill, with a small section of woodland about it. As I briskly walk in this forest, I hear a sound. A guttural, feral sound. The sound of a predator watching its next meal. I look around for some form of defense. I notice that the Soul Edge replica is still on my person, now clinging to my side in a scabbard. "Well, if this is the only tool the gods shall let me defend myself with, then I must use it." I grab at it with my claw-hand, but find that it is too large to hold the short-sword properly. I roll my eyes, and grab it with my left hand. I hold it in front of me, and quickly begin turning, eyeing the shrubbery and bushes about, hoping to see whatever might be hunting me as they strike, rather than after. "ROOOOOAAAAAGGHHH!" Behind me, I hear the beast leap from its hiding spot. I turn, too late. I see feline-esque claws closing in on my head, but then the creature is knocked aside with a single attack. I look curiously to my blade, mainly because I had not even struck yet, before noticing that it was a feat of sorcery that defeated the beast. I look to my right, from which the attack came, and I gaze upon… another man? He is tall, around his early or mid twenties, and wearing bright crimson armor, with gold lining. In his left hand rests a mighty hammer. In his right, an orb of bright yellow magic crackles. He turns to me, and lets me witness the scars that adorn his face. And the strange horn protruding from his forehead, but that's beside the point. I mutter a short incantation, and let myself see into the realm of mana. His aura is bright, akin to the sun itself. I step back, apprehensively grasping at my blade, fumbling with it in my grasp. "Th-thank you, mighty warrior. This beast would've gotten the better of me had it not been for you. I owe you my life." I drop to my knee, and place my blade into the earth. This one is easily on par with significantly more experienced sorcerers than I. It would be suicide to tangle with him. I keep my head bowed, and listen as he slowly walks closer to me. I feel him place his hand on my shoulder, "Rise." I am swift to obey, and I note that he and I are at eye level with each other. "May I inquire your name, great one?" "I am Solaris. Sir Solaris, a knight of Equestria. And you are my prisoner." You have got to be fucking kidding me. Solaris has taken me to a fortress of sorts. It's mind-numbingly primitive, but it appears that it is still well-defended. As we enter, I notice a multitude of archers hiding in towers, taking aim at me. Solaris raises his hand in a most curious signal, and the archers lower their bows. Some run off, apparently to lower the gate. Sure enough, the drawbridge lowers, and we enter. Inside, I'm greeted with the sight of a crowded, filthy ghetto. "What is this place? Why're you all in such terrible conditions?" My demonic voice doesn't exactly help display my concern, but being a skilled actor, I more demonstrate it in my motions. However, that proves to be a mistake, as I am struck on the back of the head with the butt of his hammer. "You will not speak unless spoken to." The hell is this? I literally did nothing wrong! At least, I don't think I did! I thanked him for saving my life, and now I'm his prisoner? The hell is going on? We enter the inside of the fortress, and I see something out of Game of Thrones. No, Game of Thrones is still cleaner. This is more Vikings. I'm amazed I'm the only one among my circle of friends who watches that show. "Your Majesty." To quote Hellboy: Ah, crap. I turn, and see a woman upon a throne. She appears to be in her early or mid-forties. She has long, dark red hair, and somewhat motherly features. Wait, is that fucking Lauren Faust? Well, last I recall, she doesn't have a horn. Or wings. Before I can ponder any further, I feel a powerful strike in my knee, "On your knees, fool." Well, this is fantastic. "What is this, Solaris?" Shit, it really is her. She's talking extra lofty, but I'll be damned if that's not the voice of one particular Lauren Faust. "Lady Faust, I found this cretin wandering about in the woods." Yep, it's Lauren. And who you calling a cretin? "Clearly, he was crafted by gryphon sorcerers and sent to strike at us while our guard is down." "I know nothing of any gryphons!" I shoot daggers at Solaris, before receiving a swift blow to the back of the head, sending me to the ground. "GYAGH!" "I said you will speak only if spoken to, brigand!" As I try to pick myself up, I receive a sharp kick to the stomach. "Cease this, Solaris. We are not barbarians. Let him speak." I slowly rise, silently thanking every god I can name off the top of my head, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I honestly have no idea where I am. I know not of how far away my home is. All I know is that I was cast here through a great and ancient magic." "A likely story." Okay, you're on the list! "As I was trying to find some high ground to acquire some reference of my location, I was attacked by a wild beast. Your warrior Solaris here saved me, if only to detain me afterwards." "M'lady, surely you cannot believe this beast's story! Look at its arm! 'Tis unnatural for any such limb to exist on such a body!" "Please, Your Majesty. I know not where I am. I… am alone… and at your mercy." I've been before royalty and other such beings of power before. But Solaris' commentary, not to mention the fact that they're apparently fighting some enemy, narrows down my options for worming my way into a favorable position. Right now, there's no evidence to say I AM a construct made to slay them all, but no evidence saying I'm NOT. It's my word against his. But he's the knight who's clearly holding up a frail little nation. I'm the guy in armor who appeared out of nowhere with a mutated arm and glowing eyes. "Your Highness!" A guard slams open the door, looking rather exhausted and coated in scars, "There's… invaders! Coming… this way! Gryphons… dozens of them!" The reactions of the surrounding people clearly says that this is a bad thing. "Solaris! Ready the guard!" Faust stands up immediately, and points at Solaris, who nods and runs off without a word. She looks to another guard, "Get the people to the stronghold!" "M'lady! What of this one?" One of the guards points at me. So much for a sneaky getaway. "Bring him with us. We'll have to deal with him later. Well, this sucks. We're currently stuck in a literal hole in the ground with candles and a few iron bars. Above, the rumbling of feet and the cries of battle rage. I watch as the people sit and cry, whispering silent please to be kept safe, or for their family to remain safe. The guards, too, are whimpering. My mind is boggled by the sheer simplicity of the problem. I could easily end this with a single incantation. It would only take a couple of Fel Hounds to deal with these invaders. I let my vision waver, before falling on the children in the room. One of them locks eyes with me, and motions for me to come closer. I slowly go through the crowd, until I'm next to them. I lower to my knees, and one whispers in my ear, "Can you make the monsters go away?" I think for a moment, before getting an amazing idea. I hold up my right hand, and keep it closed tight. I use a simple conjuration spell, creating a bright light in my hand. As I open my hand, a single, small, twinkling shape materializes. "This is a fae. Her name is Airy, and she's an old companion of mine. Say hello, Airy." The fae smiles, before opening her mouth, "Hello! Nice to- *BUUURP*. Ooh! Excuse me!" The children, and several surrounding adults, laugh. "… Eloquent as always, Airy. Now, would you mind singing a song? To make the monsters go away, of course?" She taps her chin, "Well… let me think..." She drags out every syllable, childishly grinning. I give her a simple glare, and she huffs, "Alright, alright! No need to be rude! Ah-heh-hem!" She clears her throat, and sits down, before singing. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? They strung up a man They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. As she sings, various specks of light appear around us. Fae magic, the magic of song. The magic of life, and nature. Their kind are notorious for outdoing even the best of poets and botanists in their sleep. In several cases, almost literally. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where dead man called out For his love to flee. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The children gaze in awe, and one taps a ball of light, which shines brighter, and then spins away. Her music slowly drowns out the sounds of chaos above Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where I told you to run, So we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The adults around look to me with faces of silent gratitude, of which I respond to with a simple nod. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Wear a necklace of hope, Side by side with me. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The sounds of the outside become muted, and I let my eyelids grow heavy. I sit down in the dirt by the gate, and let my head fall. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? Where I told you to run, So we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. Airy now jumps and flies about, leaving behind twinkles and sparks of light. The people join in with her, and I find myself muttering the tune as well, trying to let myself be lulled to sleep. Are you, are you Coming to the tree? They strung up a man They say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met at midnight In the hanging tree. The children join hands, and make a circle, of which they dance around. Airy jumps around the circle, letting her magic fly freely. Flowers, weeds, and plants stretch, writhe, and blossom in the vault, and Faust simply stares at me with a silent smile. I return it, beneath the helmet, before standing up, and reaching for Soul Edge. I draw it, and swing it out, holding it at the throat of the brigand who had knocked open the door. I force him back, "Oh, come now. Wouldn't want the children's' game to end so soon, right?" I force him outside, and- maybe I made a mistake. He has four buddies. All armed with axes, knives, and swords. "Er… can we talk this out?" I let my gaze flicker between the lot of them, noting their stances, the paw-like arms, the wings, and the angles they hold their tools. "How about we play a game of our own?" Craptacular. This is not going to end well. "Well, that doesn't seem like a bad idea. How does hangman sound?" The look on their faces says they have no idea what that is. I chuckle, and stand easy, placing Soul Edge on my shoulder in a relaxed manner, while kicking the door shut,"I'm thinking of a word. The goal is to guess a letter. The word I'm thinking of has nine letters. Note that some letters repeat." I wave my right hand, casting the basic 'Hangman' setup on the wall. "Alright, this is a load o' minotaur shit. Get 'em!" One lunges at me, and I simply kick him in the gut, "You're not very good at this game, are you?" In return, he spits, "Tch!" I make a 'T' at the middle of the slots for letters, "Yes, 'T' IS a letter in this word. Very good for your first try!" Another two leap at me, and I smack them both aside with a kick and a backhand. "EEEYYYAAGGH!" "Oof!" I shake my head, and summon the noose, as well as an 'E' at the end, "Yes, 'E' is a letter in the word, but 'O' isn't." Another swings at me, "Yeeaaggghh!" I parry idly, before pushing him back, and conjuring the head of the stick figure, "No, 'Y' isn't there either. Okay, here's a hint. It's something you can't escape from." "Wagh!" Three of them leap at me, but I duck under, and make the neck and body, "'W' isn't a letter, either. Okay, another hint: It makes you wet the bed." "Hah!" Another swing from behind me, which I block with ease, before sliding around and tossing him back, "Good! 'H' IS a letter!" I summon the 'H' to the left of the 'T'. "AIIIIIIII!" I grin, and jump over my would-be assailant, and land on his back, forcing him to fall down, "Now you're getting it! 'I' is a letter in the word! Oh, so close!" "Nrgh!" #4, as I am now dubbing him, raises his axe, and brings it down on my head. I sidestep, and with a simple flick, remove the weapon from his hand, "'N' is a letter, too! The very first letter!" I place the 'N' to the far left, before lunging out of #3's knife range, leaving him to trip. "MPH!" He calls as his mouth hits the floor. "You're good! That's there, too!" I place the 'M' to the right of the 'T', and then duck under #5's broad sword. "AAAAAAAGH!" "Yes! 'A' is there! Wow, for a bunch of barbarians, you guys are good at this! You might actually solve this!" I place the 'A' to the right of the 'M'. "RGH!" I feel one of them grabbing onto a cinder block, and chucking it at my head. I turn, and swipe it away with my right hand, "'R', as well? Not half bad!" I place the 'R' to the right of the 'A'. "YUH!" One of them sneaks up on me, and slams a piece of timber onto my helmet. The timber snaps, and completely falls apart. "Little bitch! Not so tough now, are ya?" "'Y' isn't a letter in this word..." The arms materialize on the drawing. "Whuh?" One of the barbarians jumps back, and I hold up my blade in as dangerous an angle as possible, "And neither is 'W'." I let the legs materialize, "Too bad, only one letter left. Looks like you lost the game. Would you like to know what the word is?" I point my claw to the magic drawing on the wall, and the last letter, a 'G' appears. NIGHTMARE "Fuck you, AND yer game!" One of them raises his sword, and runs me through with his sword, straight between my chest plates. "… Heh, what's the matter? Don't be a sore loser..." He leaps back, and I wrench his sword from between my armor. "Wh-whot the hell kinda thing IS that?" The barbarians lean back in fear, holding up their tools in a desperate and frightened manner. I chuckle, and motion to the word on the wall, "That? Why… that's my name." Soul Edge begins to stretch, and shift. It lets itself warp, and become fleshy, with one of its blades fading away. The skull disappears entirely, and the eye turns yellow, and stretches. Soul Edge has assumed its first, 'male' form. "I'm your worst fear." "GYYYAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" The torn corpses sit in the chamber before the stronghold, and I hold Soul Edge up, then plant it in the ground, and release a guttural growl, "The children should not see this… I must do something about this… Ah, I know just the thing..." Soul Edge turns its eye towards them, then its eye on the other side looks to me, as if to say 'Are we really doing this?' "Yes… Come unto me..." The corpses sit still for a moment, but their blood begins drifting towards me. Through the stone slabs, the blood flows, until it hits the tip of my blade. The scarlet streams trail up, and into the blade, and myself, "Ooh… Yes, this is nice… Yes… Become a part of me…" The corpses begin to dissolve, being reduced to piles of blood, which follow suit. I hear the sound of footsteps going down the stairs. I raise my blade up, and command it to shrink to a short-sword, "Halt! Who goes there!?" "It is I, Solaris." The knight steps down the stairs slowly, holding his hammer, "Where is Her Majesty?" I scoff, "In there." I slam my fist against the door, "It's alright now. They're all gone." The door swings open, and I see Airy on Lady Faust's shoulder. I drop to one knee instantly, "Your Grace. I trust my companion was of no trouble to you?" Faust grins, "I assure you, Airy did more good than harm." Airy jumps from Faust, onto my shoulder, and then blows a raspberry at me. "M'Lady, are you alright? I apologize for having to leave you alone for so long. I trust no trouble came to you?" Faust grinned, "Well, nothing really big. A few gryphons came by, though." Solaris leapt in the air at that, "What? M'lady, did they hurt you?" Faust motions for him to be silent, "Our friend here escorted them away, though. No harm done, right?" I look up from the ground, "Indeed. Those… interesting fellows went away. Didn't even leave a trace." I bear a proud smile, but it quickly fades as Solaris walks up to deliver what I assume to be several harsh words, and the business end of his hammer. The children dash to my rescue, "That was amazing!" "Can we sing and dance with Airy again some time?" "Do you have any other friends like her?" I look at Solaris, and give a simple shrug. Airy yawns, "Gee, I'm really tired. But maybe I'll come back again later! See ya!" She waves, and disappears in a small green glow. Faust shakes her head, "Such an energetic little one… Now, what to do with you?" Uh-oh. Now I'm back in the throne room, with more guards, and the various citizens surrounding me as well. Solaris now stands next to Faust, who is contemplating what to do. "Young knight, you claim to know not why you are here, nor where here is. You had no obligation to assist us, and yet you defended us from gryphon brigands, and cast aside our children's' fears. Why?" "Because, Your Grace, I would not be able to call myself a knight if I turned away when children cried. Nor would I be able to call myself that if I looked away as innocents were butchered." "I see. All in favor of allowing this young man to stay as a knight of the realm?" Wow, I've got a 99% approval rating. Of course, Solaris is the 1%, but he's not important. "… I see. Now, before we do anything else, would you mind telling us your name, stranger?" This feels like an RPG moment. Well, better now than never. "I… I am the Azure Nightmare." I drop to one knee, and hold Soul Edge in front of me, "And my blade is yours to command." Author's Note Merry Christmas, everyone! This may not be what you're expecting from me, but honestly, I don't give a damn. Considering how wacky some of these other Displaced are, this isn't all that surprising.
