The Lost Serpents

Chapter 1: Descendant of the Sky serpents

Featherfang was flying high in the sky over ponyville. He looked down to see all the ponies getting on with their lives in the streets below, and saw some with open mouths, gawking in either amazement, or terror when they looked up to see him.

Featherfang didn’t even bat an eye or try to fly out of view. By now, he has gotten used to the looks of complete disgust as he flew around the sky. Hell, it wasn’t even his fault that he turned out the way he did. After all, he didn’t chose a mother that has worshipped the cousins of the dragons, the sky serpents. And he certainly did not wish for her to be offered to said sky serpents for some “cozy time.”

Featherfang was the end result of his mother’s “most sacred privilege” as she put it. It was because of this that he had the tail of a feathered serpent. Instead of hair, he was covered from head-to-tail with white feathers. His hind legs resembled that of a dragon, complete with talons. His eyes were the blue eyes of a serpent, and his teeth were pointed and serrated, preventing him from eating plants and restricting him to a carnivorous diet. Since all ponies are herbivores, this also put ponies on edge when they were near him, for they are afraid he would eat them. His forelegs and head shape were the only normal things about him, for his head was shaped just like a pony and so were his forelegs, complete with hooves. His wings resembled a pegasus’s wings, but three times as large and had more power behind them.

But the worst part of being born as a hybrid of sky serpents and a pegasus, was that he inherited the blood-call that cursed the sky serpents. It was a calling to kill whatever had blood coursing in it, and to completely devour the blood and meat of anything that moves. Because he is a hybrid, the blood-call is not as strong in him, but he still gets the urge to kill things every time he sees blood, just to see the crimson liquid pour out of whatever he hunts down in the Everfree woods.

Featherfang didn’t have friends, and he didn’t care. He loathed the idea of friends, borne from the pain he suffered. His social interactions with others only strengthen this.

But no creatures hated him more than the pegasus ponies.

His feud with pegasus ponies started when he was flying one day. He apparently crossed into airspace that belonged to the wonderbolts and the wonderbolts flew to confront him. During the resulting confrontation, the blood-call happened and the situation escalated into a full-fledged aerial battle that got so fierce, Celestia herself had to stop it. But she didn’t arrive in time to stop Featherfang from almost tearing apart the wonderbolts with fury to rival that of a class five tornado. Since every pegasus in Equestria adores the wonderbolts, they despised Featherfang for putting them in intensive care. They recuperated since then, but whenever they could, they would do a fly-by mocking spree.

Featherfang landed in the street, paying no attention tho those who gawk at him. He made his way to the market, to where he wanted to see if there was anything he could eat. The market was also the only place where he could talk to one merchant pony and not get stared at. He passed the stalls that were lively, quickly killing conversation as he passed by. He held his chin high though, in an effort to give himself some dignity. He arrived to his only favorite stall, the exotic beverage stall. The one pony that talked to him like any other was named Shrewd and he asked “More cocoa?”

Featherfang nodded. He gave the appropriate bits he earned through garbage pickup and took his cocoa. He held the cup with his tail and looked for a place to sit down and enjoy it. He found an empty table and began to drink.

Soon a unicorn mare with a mane colored a pale, light grayish cyan with white highlights, complete with sunglow eyes. Her body was a very light aquamarine, with a lyre mark on her flank. She was passing by Featherfang’s table with a pie she was carrying with magic. She tripped, and Featherfang’s tail acted on its own, stopping her fall. The mare quickly got up and accidentally hit her head on the table. She looked to Featherfang, fear in her eyes.

“You should be more careful,” Featherfang said.

The mare was still frozen in fear. Featherfang sighed and said “what’s your name?”

The mare stammered “I-I’m L-lyra Heartstrings.”

He finished his drink and said “Well Lyra, watch your hooves next time,” he turned to leave, when she said “what’s your name?”

Featherfang turned to her, and said “Featherfang-”

He spotted blood, blood on the corner of her mouth.

Lyra started backing up slowly, aware that Featherfang was giving her quite the hungry stare.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Featherfang took to the skies. He made a sharp turn and flew out of Ponyville, the urge coming strong. He quickly flew away and was en route to the Everfree forest when he saw a simple rabbit. His eyes turned red as he let out an ear-piercing shriek and dove for the unfortunate rabbit, determined to tear it limb from limb.

Then, a pegasus swooped down and grabbed the rabbit.

Outraged, Featherfang gave chase. The pegasus tried to shake him off, but the hybrid kept up with the pegasus and they both flew into Ponyville, the place Featherfang did not want to be in, but the blood-call kept his sight on the rabbit.

Ponies in the streets looked up to see the two in the sky, going here and there, doing loops and rolls and all kinds of aerial maneuvers. The pegasus was desperately trying to get away, but Featherfang opened his mouth and snapped them shut on the pegasus’s rainbow mane. The pegasus cried out in pain as she was jerked and shook around so she could lose her grip on the terrified rabbit.

The rabbit flew out of her hooves and landed on the pavement. Seeing the prey free and helpless, Featherfang dove for it, shrieking for blood.

Featherfang completely smashed the rabbit in his jaws, causing blood to squirt onto the pedestrians.The crowd screamed and fled as Featherfang devoured the poor creature.

The blood-call sated, Featherfang’s mental stability returned to normal. To his surprise and horror, he just killed a creature in the middle of Ponyville. The guards were rushing towards him, spears poised to strike him. Soon he was surrounded by earth pony guards and pegasus guards in the air.

“That’s enough!” the captain said as he approached with his sword drawn, his gaze fierce.

“No.. you don’t understand! I-I- I needed to-”

“I’m pretty sure that no sentient creature under Equestrian law had to kill a rabbit! And on top of that, you assaulted Rainbow Dash when she tried to save it from you!”

“But-”

“Enough of your lies. Time to capture the abomination that had plagued the skies!”

He and the guards surged forward, bent on getting the hybrid.

With a guttural shriek of rage and sorrow, Featherfang took to the skies. Somewhere below, the captain ordered the pegasus guards to intercept him. They flew towards him, swords and spears reflecting in the sunlight. One of the pegasus’s actually managed to cut Featherfang’s cheek with a spear.

He did not know what happened, but it unleashed something inside him.

He cried out in fury as he once again confronted his enemies. Flashing his serrated teeth, he attacked the lead pegasus guard. He used his teeth to shred the armor of the pegasus and his hind legs to kick the pegasus out of the air. The pegasus landed on the ground with a terrible sounding crunch, indicating that he broke some bones. The rest of the pegasus guards stood in absolute horror of what happened to their comrade.

“Come on! Fight me you dickless cowards!!!” Featherfang shrieked as he began to beat the air with his large wings, causing the winds to lash out against the pegasus guards and earth pony guards. They were tossed like ragdolls into shops, walls, fountains and stalls and were blow straight on their asses.

The captain of the guard was either stupid, or brave. He held up his sword and and screamed a sort of challenge to Featherfang. Featherfang looked at the captain for one moment, then felt a spear run him through.

Featherfang looked down at the blade protruding from his belly. Somehow, a pegasus guard came from above and stabbed him in the back, literally.

Featherfang was losing consciousness and was losing a lot of blood. He lost all strength and slid off the spear and plummeted to the ground. He landed with a thud and looked up to see the captain raising his sword to finish him.

Then the same unicorn Featherfang met in the market, Lyra, had gotten in between the captain and him.

The captain snarled “Lyra Heartstrings, what’s the meaning of this?!”

“I thought we don’t kill other ponies, so why are you trying to?” Lyra asked.

“He is a filthy hybrid that killed in a no kill zone! Besides, Celestia authorized his death should he kill someone, or something.”

Lyra backed up, her face had shock written all over it. “B-but… why?!”

The captain answered by slashing his sword across her throat.

Featherfang was disturbed by the complete lack of emotion he displayed while he slashed her throat. The poor unicorn flopped to the ground, choking on her own blood.

The captain raised his sword again, this time to finish the job of killing Featherfang.

As if by a miracle, an earth pony wearing jaguar skin like a poncho appeared and swung a massive sword-club-thing with an edge made of obsidian at the captain, taking his head clean off. As soon as that happened, a small group of similarly dressed pony warriors picked him up just as Featherfang blacked out.

******

Celestia loved tea. She loved it during her favorite time of day, morning. In fact, the guards have a saying about her. It goes “One does not simply interrupt Celestia’s morning tea… lest he be thrown in jail for the rest of the day.”

So you can imagine how she felt when a guard galloped into the throne room.

All thoughts on tea evaporated when she heard the doors slam open in the throne room. Celestia gave a angry glare to the guard that had the balls to bring terrible news to Celestia during her tea time.

“I implore your forgiveness, my highness. I bring-”

“Spit it out already!”

The guard gulped “it’s about the hybrid. He killed a rabbit in Ponyville and injured several guards.”

Celestia sighed in annoyance. She knew that he was talking about Featherfang. Celestia knew it was a matter of time before he killed in public, but she also knew he was a threat to the safety of her citizens. She was the only one that knew Featherfang’s pedigree, and the curse that followed it. She had given the orders to the guards to take him out should he show signs of bloodlust.

“Anything else?” Celestia asked.

The guard said “yes, a bunch of jungle ponies came out of nowhere and fought the guards, killing several of them. They also captured a citizen by the name of Lyra Heartstrings.”

Celestia was shocked and angered when she heard this. Outraged about the killings and the kidnapping. She ordered the guard to double the watches while she thought about what to do next.

Celestia didn’t tell the guard that she knows who these jungle ponies are. They’re the reason why she placed Ahuitzotl in charge of the forbidden jungle, to suppress the civilization that existed there before Equestria became a kingdom.

She knew what Featherfang’s parentage all too well. She knew why the jungle ponies saved him, and where they will bring him.

She wanted to go after them, but she knew that by the time she get together a small force, they will be long gone. She is willing to bet that they have already almost made it to Apple Loosa. She needed a solution quickly, or Featherfang will discover who he is.

Celestia decided to see if Luna could help her come up with a plan.

Luna thought about all the possible solutions to this problem. After all, as royalty it was her problem too. They both needed something…

Luna then yelled “That’s it!”

Celestia turned to Luna “What?”

“We get a hired sword to do it!”

Celestia frowned “a hired sword? I don’t think so.”

Luna rolled her eyes “come on Celestia, usually hired swords track down whatever you pay them to track. They are better than regular guards and won’t stop till the job is done.”

“Even if we decided to do that, the only hired swords near us are the ones in the Badlands, and they are too busy fighting for their outlaw gangs to even bother with our troubles.”

“Then we summon one.” Luna said.

Celestia raised an eyebrow “summon one?”

“Yep.”

******

“Where do we begin?” Celestia asked Luna as they flipped through the Gazer, a magical book that targets beings in other universes and gives information on certain people.

Luna asked the book to find notable hired swords, and the book compiled, flipping to a page with the most notorious hired swords. Luna read over their names.

“Deadpool, Deathstroke, Boba Fett… these guys got some weird names.” she said.

Celestia pointed to another name in the book with her hoof “what about this one?”

“Erron Black.” Luna said.

“Sounds interesting…”

Luna spoke to the book “Gazer, show us Erron Black.”

The book flipped through its pages until it found its data that was gathered on Erron Black. Luna scanned through the info, including his most notable deeds.

“Fought and killed Black dragon member Kobra, can ricochet a bullet of a spinning coin, notable gunslinger, marksman, swordsman, fistfighter, Always gets the job done…”

Luna then paused.

“What is it sister?”

Luna sighed in disappointment “He is currently employed by the khan of Outworld, Kotal Khan.”

Celestia said “then summon him anyway. They cannot trace our magic back to us.”

“What if they can?” Luna asked.

“They can’t. I’m done beating around the bush, so let’s summon him.”

Luna and Celestia went to a secret chamber known only to the royalty of # for generations. It had a huge magic symbol on the floor with bronze braziers that lit up the room.

Both sister began to hum ancient incantations as their horns glow. The magic circle began to glow and crackle with energy as a portal opened in the middle of the ceiling in the room. A large Boom was heard and two figures that were grappling with each other fell out of the portal and onto the floor, breaking their fight. The two ponies slowly got up and looked around, wondering where they were and why the fuck they turned into ponies.

And the worst part?

They were easily the best specimens of stallions that the two sisters had ever seen.

One stallion had a dark brown body with a dark blonde mane. He wore a leather vest, a poncho over its back that it most of his right foreleg. He had a rifle and a tarkatan blade on his back and two six-shooters in their holsters that were strapped to his flanks. Bandoliers were on his forelegs and hindlegs. He had a mask that hid the lower half of his face. A Stetson hat was on top of the stallion’s head.

The other stallion had a light grey body and had samurai armor on. He had a grey mane. A mask also covered the lower half of his face, while his eyes glowed an eerie blue. A Katana was on his back as well.

The stallion with the hat spoke first “where the hell are we?”

The stallion with the katana spoke “No idea.”

Celestia slowly padded her way to them saying “welcome.”

The dark brown stallion brought out one of his six shooters so fast, that by the time Celestia said the first part of welcome, he already had his sights on capping her ass.

Celestia stopped dead in her tracks. Luna got in between the stallion and her and said “Erron Black, I presume?”

“How did you know my name?” Erron said, his gun lowering.

“We known about you for quite some time. We wish to hire you.” Luna said.

Celestia looked over Luna’s shoulder “Who’s the grey one?’

“The name is Kenshi-”

“He was my target,” Erron said with mild annoyance “I was trying to fulfill a contract for his death.”

Luna whispered to Celestia “two for the price of one!”

“I don’t think that the one with the glowing sword is a bounty hunter.”

Kenshi frowned “so that’s why you brought us here.”

“Sorry ladies, but I already have an employer.” Erron said.

Celestia stepped forward “We will offer you five million bits if you take the work we have planned for you.”

Erron gave a snort “Bits? Is that what you call your money? I’m sorry girl, but I don’t do “Bits””

“What about gold and jewels?” Luna asked.

Erron’s eye gave a slight twinkle when he heard gold. “You got my attention. Now, how much gold are we looking at here?”

Kenshi face-hooved.

“We are willing to give half of our treasury if you carry out this task,” Celestia said. Luna Looked at her like she was crazy.

“Half the treasury…, “ Erron mused “Isn’t that deal a bit reckless?”

“I swear on my honor as the the ruler of Equestria, That if you succeed in the task I want to give you, I will pay you half of the gold and jewels in the treasury.”

Luna’s jaw dropped.

Erron looked to Luna and said “I’m guessing that what she said is one of the most serious oaths you… ponies can make?”

“Yep,” Celestia said. She walked up to Erron and stood face to face with him “do you accept?”

Erron searched for weakness in those eyes. But after a while, their staring contest started to bore Erron. But he figured that if the conviction in her voice was true, she was serious about the whole thing. Erron also knew that there was a fat chance Kotal Kahn would find him here, for even he could sense strong magic at work here. After all, he could use a break from the watchful eyes of Outworld.

Finally, Erron spoke “Alright… what am I looking for and how can I find it?”

Celestia smiled and called for Shining Armor, the commander of her royal guards. “He will tell you all you need to know.” Celestia said.

Erron followed Shining Hoof while Kenshi asked “What about me? Why am I here?”

Luna spoke “We didn’t mean to pull you here, just Erron Black. But, perhaps you can help him?”

“Oh, he doesn't need help. That, i’m sure of.” Kenshi said as Celestia watched Erron Black leave the room, hoping that she made the right choice.