The Heir of Cinders

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter I
Chapter II
Chapter IV
Chapter V
Chapter VI
Chapter VII
Chapter III

Prologue

Ulric pulled his sword out of the Soul of Cinder's chest, watching as the tall man fell to the ground, lifeless. His body slowly began crackling, before bursting into nothingness. Ulric had finally completed his task, his purpose in life. However he felt... unsatisfied. Turning back to the Bonfire, he saw a glowing summon sign on the ground next to it.

Walking over to it, he summoned the maker of the summon sign. It was none other than the Firekeeper, who stared at him for a moment, before turning her attention to the First Flame. Slowly, she made her way over to it. Upon reaching it, she knelt down, reaching into the Bonfire and pulling out the First Flame. It tossed and turned in her hand, but she watched intently as it slowly began to die out.

Ulric looked at the flame with a hungry look as the world around him slowly dimmed. He didn't have to die in the darkness, but instead rule over all of Lordran. All he needed was the First Flame, and his wildest dreams could come true. But what would the others think of him for doing such a thing? Would Andre, Hawkwood, Siegward, Yuria, Horace, or Anri ever forgive him?

He hesitantly pointed the sword in his right hand, his breaths becoming hollow. If they couldn't forgive him, Ulric believed that he could never go on with his life. Even with all the power in the world, but he's never had such power. No, he was born unto a poor family. This would be a whole new experience for him, he could even possibly be a God.

He narrowed his eyes on the Firekeeper, and he thrust the sword into her back, causing the Firekeeper to gasp with shock. Ulric then pulled the sword out of her back and watched as she and fell on her side, clutching the First Flame.

He knew that she wouldn't give it up until the First Flame was doused, so he did what he had to.

He walked over to her, but as he neared she brought the flame closer to her chest to keep it away from Ulric. Ulric's patience had run thin, and so he stepped on her head, causing her to lose grip on the First Flame. He then reached down, the flames licking his fingertips. As his hand wrapped around it, he saw the world around him return to its old, light color.

He got on his knees, holding the First Flame up to the Eclipsed Sun in the sky; he wanted all to know that with this flame, he now had all the power in the world. His heart sank though as he looked down at the Firekeeper, but he pushed his sad thoughts aside. He was the strongest being alive, and no one could do anything about it.

He felt a tug on his shoulder, but he didn't budge. Then another, but his reaction was the same. Finally, when he was tugged, he turned his head to see what it was. He saw a bipedal creature walking up to him, and saw that it was no monster that he had fought before; it had red hair, along with a red tail. Unlike it's hair color, it's eyes were a baby blue. And while it had hands, it didn't have feet, but instead hooves. It also had a muzzle that was that of a horse, along with breasts of a human. It also had a horn and wings. She, as he guessed, was fully clothed wearing a silk dress that went down to her hooves.

He looked back at the Firekeeper, then back at this... creature. Standing up, he pointed his sword at the anthropomorphic horse, the First Flame clutched in his left hand; he wasn't going to die, not now. Not after he had come so far to reach this point. If this thing was going to attack and expect an easy win, she would have another thing coming.

"Hello." She said softly, startling him. How could she even speak? Her lips moved like a human's, but she had a muzzle. Maybe Ulric's just lost it. Maybe he's crazy?!

Ulric's grip on his sword tightened, and he made a grunting sound, taking a step backwards. He couldn't speak, but he was sure that this female creature would know what it meant. He saw her eyes look at the flame, then back at him. That's when he began glaring at her, putting the flame behind him.

"Is that what you are worried of? A flame?" She asked worryingly, giving Ulric a look that matched her tone. Ulric simply brought the flame up to his face, staring deeply into it. "Why do you care for that? Are you cold?" Ulric simply shook his head, bringing his sword to the ground and drawing letters. The lady read it as he wrote them, "P... O... W... E... R?" She looked back up at him. "Power?" Ulric nodded, bringing the flame to his chest. "Wai-!" It was too late, as Ulric pushed the flame into his chest. He grunted as pain crawled through his body. He fell face-first into the ground, clutching his chest where he put the flame. His eyes slowly close, and the last thing he saw was the lady standing over him with a worried look on her face before he passed out.

Lauren Faust

Lauren looked down at the man, worry on her face. He may have just risked his life for power, power that his mortal self couldn't handle! She didn't want him to die! Even if they just met, it wasn't right to just leave him there. There were few ways to save the poor fellow, but each one could harm him in the process. However, there was the chance that he would make a full recovery.

She sighed, lighting her horn up and preparing the spell; it would give him certain powers, and also stop the pain. But, hopefully, he doesn't abuse his power too greatly, otherwise Faust would have to pay him a visit. She then cast the spell, his body glowing a faint red color.

She looked at the world around her; nothing but ash and ruins as far as the eye could see... What happened here? Was there some kind of earthquake or war? No...

She looked at the man, studying him; he had said that he wanted power, but how could he do all of this? He had but a sword and armor. It was impossible... was it? No, this man was determined. He must have battled something that caused this destruction. But he wouldn't fight without reward, and he wanted power. Power that he got by fighting something here, and the power she just gave him.

She sighed, opening a portal that led to Equis. As she was about to enter, she stopped and looked at the man; she couldn't just leave him there, he would most likely die from the ash in his lungs. She was going to regret what he was about to do...

Using her magic, he lifted the man off the ground and brought him into the portal with her. If he was as powerful as she thought, he could easily beat her daughter, Celestia, in a fight. But if Celestia was with Luna, they might just beat him. Although, it wouldn't hurt to have a backup plan if they fail, maybe something that is stronger than Celestia or Luna combined. That would be something helpful, but there should be a limit to how much damage they do, maybe enough to where the foe is so weak he or she is unconscious, but not killed. Yes, that would work.

As she closed the portal behind her, she looked at the man that was floating in her magic aura next to her; he could prove a helpful friend, or a powerful foe. She would hate for him to be the latter. But, only time will tell.

Chapter I

Ulric awoke in complete and utter darkness, and he instantly began wondering where he was. He tried to move his arms, but they could barely move, along with his legs. He knew where he was; a coffin or sarcophagus of some sort. That damn lady put him there, most likely as punishment for using the First Flame to give him power. He knew that she would try to stop him, but no prison shall hold him.

Using his hands, he set them against the smooth surface in front of him, and pushed with all his might. He heard a creaking sound, and kept pushing. Soon, he saw a sliver of light pierce the darkness, and he could finally see himself. He saw that he was still in his armor, from the looks of things, but he needed to know where he was, so he pushed until the lid was off of him.

Once it was, he arose from where he was and hopped out of the sarcophagus, taking in his surroundings. He was amazed to see green grass and trees, never before had he seen such things in Lordran. No, he couldn't be in Lordran; the whole nation was turned to ash and rubble after the Lords of Ember were defeated. He was in a new land, a land he could conquer. But was he willing to take away this abundance of life just for power? He continued taking in his surroundings, and saw that there was just more trees behind him, but there was a trail. Maybe even civilization? Hopefully the land wasn't full of Hollows, otherwise he wouldn't care if he had power or not.

Walking towards the trail, he heard the wildlife of the forest; birds chirped, water ran down streams, vines hung from trees. It was all too good to be true! But here he was, standing in a non-hostile forest, where nothing would kill him unless provoked. He heard a loud howl come from behind him, quickly turning and finding wolves. However, they weren't ordinary wolves, but wolves made... of wood? He reached for his sword, only to find it wasn't there. Taking a glance down, he tried finding his sword, but to no avail. So he did the only thing he thought sane in the matter...

...fight with his fists.

He studied his enemy; there were ten of them, easy if he had a sword, but he doesn't, so it'll be a tough fight. They seemed a bit apprehensive at attacking him, but they still growled which meant they would. Ulric was armed to the teeth in armor, so he doubted the wolves could do that much damage to him. His gauntlets were made of stainless steel, so it would hurt if he hit them. Badly. The odds were in his favor.

One of the wolves jumped at Ulric, but he was prepared, and grabbed it by it's forelegs and used the momentum to slam it into a nearby tree. Another jumped at him while his back was turned, but Ulric has fought more clever foes. He quickly rolled out of the way, watching as the wolf landed in front of him. He then charged at it and threw his fist at it's face, surprising it with his courage and force. His punch was so strong, that it went straight through the wolf's head. Two decided to attack him, and he quickly used the decapitated wolf as a weapon; he pulled his hand out of it's head and grabbed onto it's neck with both hands, twirling it in a horizontal circle. The two jumped at him, to which he hit the first one across the face with it's fallen brethren, while the other jumped onto his back. He quickly dropped the dead wolf, reaching back and pulling the wolf off of him and throwing it onto the ground in front of him. He then stomped on it's head, sending green blood everywhere. He glared at the other six wolves, who backed away apprehensively. Ulric was not a foe to be taken lightly; he didn't fight five of the most powerful beings in his land just to be killed by wild wolves.

The wolves then howled sadly as they retreated, fearful of the creature in their forest. Ulric stayed still to see if anything else was going to attack him, but nothing tried. He then decided to let his guard down, and walked over to his sarcophagus and search for his sword. It was a powerful blade that he had Andre enhance for him. Andre's Magnum Opus, if you will. Upon finding nothing, Ulric slammed his fists on the sarcophagus, breaking the stone. He had to find the blade, otherwise he was going to be defeated by whatever powerful beings reside in this land.

He began studying the area around his sarcophagus closely; whatever took his sword must have left a trail, maybe it was some tomb raiders or something, he didn't know. His eyes locked onto a track that wasn't the wolves or his, but that of a large dog's, maybe it was Sif? No, he killed the poor dog. What would it be? It only seemed to walk on two legs, so it had to be another one of those anthropomorphic animals, like that horse he saw.

He saw that the tracks led elsewhere, and followed them closely, not wanting to be thrown off by the wolf trails. The trail led him throughout the forest, past a river, and into a cave of sorts. It was wide enough for a dragon, but the smell of brimstone wasn't there. Nor was there any ash. No, it had been occupied recently, as the tracks were fresh, and whatever is in there has the intelligence to make a home in the dark, perfect for an ambush.

Ulric readied himself, cracking his knuckles and rolling his shoulders. Once he was sure he was ready, he began his walk into the dark cave. If there were any... monsters, he would most likely die, but once he got his blade back, he'd would slay any and take their souls.

He entered the cavern, and saw that it wasn't as dark as he thought; there were torches along the walls, along with bones below them. He still continued, hearing loud, happy howls. It couldn't be the wooden wolves, so it may be another type of wolf. Or maybe a dog. He doesn't know, but he did find out as he peaked around a corner and saw a mess hall.

Dogs sat along the mess hall, eating... gems? Ulric didn't know dogs could eat gems. Hell, he doubted they ate gems back in Lordran. No, this new land poses a threat to him if dogs can eat gems. He looked around for his sword, his eyes crawling to the end of the room, where he saw a large mastiff-like dog who sat on it's throne with Ulric's icy blade in it's sheath. It literally had it's own snowstorm appearing around it, and if it hit enemies, it would freeze them or at least slow them down. If used on Ulric, it would slow him down a little, but not much to where it would be a challenge to fight the dogs in his current state.

By the looks of things, he could easily say these dogs haven't made it past the stone age, as they were living in a cave. Although they did have chains, he believed that they stole them from nearby civilizations and towns. But that didn't matter, all that mattered was that Ulric found his sword in the paws of a idiotic mongrel, and he would not stand for that.

He walked around the corner, his eyes on the mastiff who had taken notice of him and spoke in a low voice. "What is that?" All the dogs turned to Ulric, but he continued walking past each one and towards the mastiff. "Don't stare at him, get him!"

Every dog stood up and tried to block Ulric's way, but he simply grabbed onto their muzzles and squashed them into dust. When one stood directly in front of him, he punched it's stomach, sending it towards the mastiff. The mastiff arose and pulled Ulric's sword out of it's sheath, getting into a stance. Ulric simply glared at the dog, criticizing the dog's stance internally; the dog was too open, easy for an attack from behind, his footing was wrong, and he held the blade too far from himself. He would die if they were attacked by any novice warrior.

As Ulric got closer, the dogs began backing up, letting Ulric stand directly in front of the mastiff, who spoke coldly, "What are you?" Ulric simply stared, pointing at the dog. It seemed to understand and answered spot on, "I am Chief Bone Grinder of the Grey Rocks, King of the Diamond Dogs." He looked down at you, "And who are you, if I may ask?" For a creature who still hasn't gotten past the Stone Age, he spoke clearly and politely. Ulric pointed at the blade then at himself, and the dog saw the motion, replying with a questionable look, "What?" Ulric did it again, and Bone Grinder looked past Ulric and at the dogs behind him, "Which one of you dogs brought me this blade?"

One greyhound arose, his skinny, frail body looking as though it would collapse in a second, "I, Your Majesty."

"Where did you get this blade?"

"I found it in dead thing chest, next to dead thing."

Bone Grinder nodded, "Ah, I see now." He looked down at Ulric, "This your blade?" Ulric nodded, but Bone Grinder shook his head, "I can not return this blade to you, creature. It has dark magic on it, I can sense it." He turned to Ulric, to which he could hear a quiet growl, "But I can give a different blade-" He was cutoff when Ulric punched him across the face, causing him to drop the blade and be sent flying against his throne. Ulric picked up the blade and twirled it in his hand, looking back at Bone Grinder with a calm smile that no one could see. "You bastard!" Bone screamed, standing up. But stopped halfway when he found that a blade was pointed at his throat. "What is the meaning of this?!"

Ulric simply glared, pointing his thumb at his neck and dragged it across till it reached the other side, making a cutting noise. Bone understood the notion, and growled at Ulric, "You coward! Can't fight me dog-to-dog?!" Ulric stared at Bone and cocked his head, stabbing his sword into the ground, cutting through the stone. Ulric respected battle traditions of different cultures, and this was an interesting one. Ulric then turned on his heel, walking over to the tables and kicking them away with his boot. He then turned to Bone, making the 'come-and-get-me' motion with his hand.

Bone chuckled, "I see that you have some respect, letting me die with honor." He walked towards Ulric, "I know you'll be a tough opponent, but let me lay down the ground rules." Ulric nodded, folding his arms. Bone continued, "You will win if your opponent is broken and can not fight no more or your opponent is knocked unconscious. There are no weapons but your fists, and magic is not allowed. Understood?" Ulric nodded, getting into an aggressive stance. Bone did the same, a smug look on his face, "Good. Now let's FIGHT!"

Ulric charged Bone, and Bone did the same. As they were about to meet, Bone swung his fist, but Ulric saw this and quickly rolled to avoid the attack. Ulric then jumped onto Bone's back and began punching the side of the mastiff's head with powerful strikes. Bone reached back and grabbed Ulric, throwing him across the room. Ulric smiled behind his helmet, looking at Bone; it was going to be a fun fight.

Bone charged Ulric, roaring at him the entire time. Ulric stood his ground, preparing himself by digging his feet into the stone ground. If he was lucky, his plan would work and the mastiff would lose. Bone continued to charge Ulric, preparing another swing. Ulric held his hands back, preparing to use his hands as a weapon. Bone then sent a jab at Ulric, and in an instant, Ulric sent a powerful strike towards Bone, making contact with the mastiff's fist. The result was astounding to the dogs watching; a loud crack was heard as they saw Bone pull back from the punch, seeing as Bone's right hand was now limp. Bone began screaming in agony, knowing what had happened, while Ulric smirked triumphantly behind his helmet. It had worked, Ulric had shattered Bone's paw; the stainless steel took most of the force, allowing Ulric to not do much as his stance did the rest. He watched as the mastiff looked at him fearfully, backing up. "Stop! I yield!" Ulric stood triumphantly, looking at Bone with an unimpressed look. He expected more of a challenge from a savage dog like this, but it seemed the dog wasn't savage enough to fight through the pain. Ulric walked past the mastiff, walking up the stepping stones that lead to the throne. Mastiff lost, and from previous cultures, should mean that Ulric was now Chief and King of the Diamond Dogs.

Once Ulric reached the top, he sat on the throne, pulling the sword out of the stone and leaned it against his new throne.

However, Bone was confused, "What do you think you are doing?!" Ulric decided to reeducate the filthy mutt.

Ulric arose from his throne, grabbing his sword, and walking over to Bone Grinder maliciously. Bone tried to back up, but the momentum moved his paw, which hurt him greatly. He could only watch in terror as Ulric tapped his leg with the blade. The effect was instant, as ice began crawling up his leg like a snake. Once it reached both legs, he knew that he couldn't move any longer, and watched as the ice crawled onto his arms and finally reached his head, to which he was finally frozen solid. The other dogs watched in horror as Ulric leaned in and tapped the ice-statue of Bone Grinder with his stainless-steel gauntlet. They heard Ulric chuckle, before he leaned back and kicked the frozen dog, sending pieces of frozen dog everywhere. The dogs stood still, shaking with anxiety and fear. For this... thing killed their leader and kind king, but ancient law means that this thing is now king, as it was the only one to defeat Bone Grinder.

Ulric didn't pay attention to the dogs, instead sitting upon the stone throne and leaning back with a blank look on his face. He looked around the room, seeing all the dogs staring at him fearfully. His eyes wandered the room, then he saw a map of some sort next to him. He saw that it was a map of the land, as the cave he was in was marked as, 'Diamond Dog Alpha Cave'. He saw that there were many cities and towns, the nearest one being Ponyville... he sighed at the stupidity of the city name, but continued searching the map. He saw that there was one in the center that appeared to be on a mountain, labeled Canterlot... he sighed once more at the stupidity of the names. He pushed those thoughts aside as he focused in one Canterlot, seeing as it looked harder to build than the other cities. So that was where another leader was, and every leader has a throne of sorts. Ulric always liked thrones, but he needed to take things slow. This 'Ponyville' was going to be his first target. He held the map high for all the dogs to see, pointing at Ponyville.

The dogs saw this, and one strong looking dog stood (a Rottweiler) and saluted, "Your Majesty, you are saying that you want to attack the pony town of Ponyville and start a war with Equestria, correct?" Ulric nodded, and the dog continued, "Do you want to come along during the raid?" Ulric nodded once more.

Another thing that Ulric likes; his hunger for power and his devotion to do so.

Chapter II

Ulric stood outside of the cave, the darkness of the night making a perfect cover for his Diamond Dog troops. Word had traveled quickly, allowing the other Diamond Dog tribes realize who their new king was. Ulric knew that some would dislike him as the new king, saying that it was 'unfair'. Some may even send assassins, but Ulric was confident that none would dare do so.

His eyes were scanning the forest, taking in the fine details. Leaving the forest under the cover of night was perfect, as all of the ponies would be asleep while they got into position. Ulric sent a few scouts ahead to scan the town, and learned that there were no guards at all protecting the town. A foolish mistake that Ulric was going to take advantage of.

The Rottweiler that had spoken to him earlier in the day, who was named Tough Rock, approached him from the side, wearing full armor that covered him head to toe. "Your Majesty, our troops are ready for the raid, but are you sure it is wise to go to war with Equestria?" Ulric turned to Tough with a small glare. Tough quickly looked away from Ulric's gaze, "I see, Your Majesty. We will start when you give the order at the edge of the forest." Tough walked away, his ears flattened on his head. It was obvious that he had no faith in Ulric, but it took time to put faith into someone you just met.

Ulric followed Tough's tracks, as Ulric had no idea how to get out of the forest. Better safe than sorry, he guessed. Last thing he wanted was to get lost in a forest that was probably infested with monsters and magic.

He eventually reached the end of the tracks, and he saw ahead of him were plenty of houses. The roofs were made of hay, while the walls and foundations seemed to be made of stone and wood. This seemed to be too easy; the ponies must have some sort of defense against monsters, especially those that come from the forest behind Ulric. There was only one way to find the a defense of some sort.

Ulric looked around, seeing at least a few hundred dogs behind him, growling and hitting their hand-made weapons on the ground to make themselves seem scary. It may have worked for the other creatures of this world, but not on Ulric; he had too much experience, from the creepiest of slime monsters to the king of dragons.

Tough walked up to him, saluting, "Your Majesty, we await your order to attack. Should I give the order?" Ulric nodded, turning away from Tough, who wanted a bit more, "Your Majesty?" Ulric turned to Tough with mild annoyance. "May we take any or all loot we find back to the cave?" Ulric nodded, not really caring what they do during the raid; they can kill each other or all the ponies, Ulric didn't care. He just wanted the ruler of this nation's attention, make him or her know what is to come in this war.

Tough turned towards the Diamond Dogs, howling loudly for all of them to hear. The other dogs howled back, charging forward. They moved around Ulric, as to not accidently trample him or catch his ire. If one were to do so, they wouldn't stand a chance against him. He made that painfully clear after what he did to Bone Grinder.

Ulric watched as lights in the houses turned on, and the screams of the residents met his ears in seconds. He chuckled to himself; the ponies never expected this attack, and he wouldn't be surprised if the Princesses of Equestria took notice of this little attack. While he was waiting for nightfall back in the cave, he did some research on the history of Equestria and learned a few things. For example, Equestria's been at peace for the past thousand years, and Ulric believed they had no way of defending themselves after so many years of peace. Even if they did, their army must be lazy by now. Ulric also learned there was no king or queen, not even a chief, but there were three Princesses; Celestia, Luna, and Mi Amore Cadenza. The first two rule Equestria, while the last one rules the Frozen North and is a vassal to Equestria. Plus the fact that she is related to both Luna and Celestia. Ulric was surprised the Diamond Dogs even had historical books at all, as he expected them to be illiterate. But, he was proven wrong by the steward who helped Bone Grinder.

He cleared his mind as he left the forest after every Diamond Dog was ahead of him, waiting to destroy things that they had missed. Surprisingly, they didn't leave a single building standing, not even a bird house was left standing. So Ulric just passed the burning houses as he walked down the main road, pulling out his sword. Now that he thought of it, he didn't give his blade a name yet. He knew that it would be silly to give it a name, but he didn't really care what others thought, and decided it was going to be a 'he'. Thinking of a name, he looked ahead to see that his army of dogs was getting pushed back by something powerful. Ulric decided that he would name his blade later, and stood his ground as the dogs began retreating back to the forest. A few bumped into him, but he stood still, hoping to see what caused his entire army to turn tail and run.

His eyes fell upon six mares, each two feet smaller than himself. Each seemed to have an angry look on their faces, and while they acted so confident, Ulric decided to take in their appearances. The first on the left was a shy-looking pony with wings, her long, pink mane covering most of her face. Her coat color was a banana yellow, something unexpected.

The second was a pony with a horn, her purple mane curled and kempt, surprising for a creature in her current situation. Her coat was white, almost like that one pony who brought him here.

The next was a lavender pony with a horn, her mane also kempt, but not as much. It was a dark purple with a stripe going through it, one a normal purple while the other was light pink.

The fourth was a pink mare, her mane and tail looking like pink cotton candy. She seemed a bit more threatening than the others.

The fifth was a tan pony with no horn or wings, her mane being a blonde color. She seemed a bit buffer than the rest. She also wore a hat, a Stetson, to be precise.

The sixth and final one was a cyan winged pony, her mane being the color of the rainbow. Ulric wished he could know their names before they fought, but that was going to be impossible since he had no means to speak to them apart from motions with his hands. Ulric sighed, swearing on his life that he would find a way to speak in the world he was trapped in.

He glared at them through his helmet, stabbing his sword into the ground and sitting down, waiting for the dogs to pass him. Seriously, he had a huge army of Diamond Dogs, but they were all cowards, and he was surely going to discipline them when he returned to the cave. As they all finally passed him, he arose from the large smoke and ash cloud that had covered the area from the sudden retreat, looking at the anthropomorphic ponies with a small grin. Hopefully they weren't an easy fight. Ulric always did like challenges.

Main Six

They fended off the Diamond Dogs, allowing Spike to get the message to Celestia and Luna about the situation. Twilight was concerned as to why the Diamond Dogs would attack so suddenly, as Equestria had good relations with their king, Bone Grinder. He was even a good friend to Celestia and Luna. It was just too hard to believe that he would attack so suddenly without declaring war.

Rainbow Dash cheered as the Diamond Dogs retreated, "Yeah, get outta here you stupid dogs! Tell your king that this is our land!" She turned to the group, a big smile on her face, "Well that's that, we just beat a huge army of Diamond Dogs!"

Applejack nodded, "Yeah, we did. Ah can't believe we actually jus' did that!"

Twilight watched as the ash began to settle, her eyes seeing a tall, muscular figure arising from the ash and smoke. "Um, girls?" They looked to her, then followed her gaze, turning their attention to the cloud of smoke.

Rainbow Dash scoffed, "It's just one Diamond Dog, what can he do to us?" The sound of footsteps made it's way to their ears, the figure getting closer. Rainbow turned to it, her face contorting into different emotions; first curiosity, confusion, then fear. "What is that?!"

The figure was armored head-to-hoof with some sort of armor. A fur cape of sorts was laid upon his shoulders, which seemed wider than a stallion's. His elbows were covered in chainmail, along with the back of his knees and the palms of his hands. Everything else was just covered in a light gray armor. His sword chilled Twilight to the core, as the blade seemed to be frozen solid with snow falling from it. His face was hidden behind a mask with a T-opening at the front. He was a frightening sight, and he was definitely not a pony. Twilight knew it was a male, judging from the broad shoulders and muscular stature.

"Dash, that isn't a Diamond Dog. I'm not even sure if it's native to Equis." Twilight stated, giving the creature a curious look.

Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight, "Well, it's obviously a threat to Equestria, so we gotta beat it up." Dash turned and flew at the creature as fast as she could, but he was already in a stance of sorts and was prepared for a fight. With his free hand, he curled it into a fist and threw it at Rainbow Dash, making contact and causing her to do many backflips before hitting the ground. He then grabbed onto her tail and tossed her back to the group with ease.

Twilight sighed at the injured Rainbow Dash, "You should've gone with all of us, instead of charging head-on alone." Twilight turned to the creature, who stabbed his sword into the ground and cracked his knuckles, a low, dark chuckle resonating from his being. He then held out his hand, making a gesture Twilight knew all to well; 'come-and-get-me'.

"What in tarnation did that thing do to Dash?!" Applejack asked with worry, trotting over to Rainbow.

"Well, he obviously has lots of strength and skill in fighting, which means that fighting him alone is a terrible idea." She looked down at Rainbow Dash with worry.

"Well ah'm goin' out there to give him a good kickin', who's with me?" Twilight nodded to Applejack, along with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. "Good, now let's go get'em!" The charged towards him, but he showed no signs of worry or distress. He was perfectly calm, which worried Twilight, but she continued charging at him.

Ulric

Ulric smiled as the group charged him, the adrenaline in his body reaching new heights. Never in his life has he fought such creatures, and he could tell, for once in his life, that he might get his voice back. But fighting them wouldn't achieve his goal, but it was too late. He is more aggressive than passive, especially from the past events in Lordran. The things he had seen... they're impossible to forget.

He brought his mind back to the fight, watching as the one leading the charge, the tan pony, brought back her left hand and curled it into a fist, quickly sending it to Ulric. Said man grabbed onto her fist and placed his hand on her stomach, to which he used the momentum to throw her over him.

The next was the pink one, who looked as though she was going to kick Ulric. Ulric prepared for that, but instead was met with a punch to the helmet, riddling him with dizziness. He shook the dizziness away, giving a quick glare towards the pink one, who prepared a kick. But Ulric was prepared; as she was about to do her move, Ulric feigned trying to block a kick, and when she went to punch him, he leaned to the left of the punch. He then grabbed onto her arm and brought his elbow down upon it, snapping it. She screamed in pain, falling to the ground and screaming. Her once puffy hair falling straight.

Next was the white one, who decided to use her magic and sent a blue bolt from her horn straight towards Ulric. Using his skill of dodging, he rolled out of the way with finesse, watching as the bolt struck a nearby house and set it ablaze. The white horned pony was stunned at what she had done, and Ulric took this chance and charged at her. She noticed him charging but it was too late, as he tackled her to the ground. He then sent a barrage of fists at her, making contact with her face. When she was incapacitated, Ulric turned to the lavender horned pony.

She was cautious about attacking Ulric, that was plain to see, but she had a plan. Oh, the look on her face almost made Ulric cautious of attacking her. Suddenly, her horn glowed and she vanished. Ulric's eyes widened, and he quickly looked around to try and find her. He suddenly heard a yell from above him. Looking up, he saw the lavender pony land on his shoulders where she proceeded to beat on his head with her elbow, which made him dizzy quickly. He fell to his knees, the world around him spinning like some sort of circus. He reached back and threw her off, removing his helmet and tossing it onto the ground. He gripped his head, watching as the world slowly stopped spinning.

Twilight/Third Person Perspective

Twilight tried to remove the creature's hands off of her, but he grabbed onto her arms and threw her away from him. She landed on her back, but rolled back onto her feet. She learned her skills of fighting from her years being Celestia's Personal Student at Canterlot from the guards. She didn't always learn from books.

Her eyes went back to the creature, but suddenly went wide as she saw him remove his helmet. He had no fur, just skin that was a pale white, and had a short, brown mane. There was a deep, long scar that started from one his right yellow eye all the way to the back of his head. He also seemed to have a short beard. Twilight deducted that he was definitely not from Equis.

The creature raised his head and glared at Twilight, putting a scowl on his face. He brought his right leg forward, balancing himself as he stood straight up. He took a look at his helmet before reaching down and picking it up, slowly putting it on his head.

Ulric

As Ulric slid on his helmet, he thought of the lavender pony in front of him; her skill in combat was indeed impressive, especially since she combined it with her magic in teleportation. But everyone makes mistakes, and Ulric wasn't going to make the same one. This pony was the challenge Ulric was looking for, but he needs to get the upper hand.

Ulric turned to his sword which was in between him and the pony, watching in the corner of his eye as the pony followed his gaze. When she realized what he was looking at, Ulric broke out into a sprint, surprising the pony. He was quick and agile, proving that as he summersaulted over his sword, grabbed it, then prepared to swing at the pony.

However, the lavender pony proved that she could think faster than Ulric, teleporting out of sight before the blade made contact. Ulric stood still, however, not making a move. The battlefield got silent all of a sudden, his hearing focusing on the area around him. He was planning a trap for the lavender pony, as he was going to spring at her when she got close. However, he heard a soft whimpering a ways away from him. If the area wasn't silent, he wouldn't of heard it.

Turning his head to where the sound came from, he saw the yellow Pegasus with the pink mane hiding behind rubble. Ulric arose and began walking over to her, keeping his guard up if the lavender pony tried to sneak up on him. When he reached his destination, he saw that it was the yellow Pegasus from before. He watched as she looked up at him, and went from whimpering quietly to crying in fear at the sight of Ulric. He almost felt bad for her, to where he would just leave and end this war. Almost.

He needed a hostage in case they tried to attack his base of operations, and she seemed to be the perfect candidate; her friends seemed to have had some sort of political power here, and seemed respected enough to where they were listened to. Plus they seemed to care for each other and the protection of others.

Ulric grabbed her arm and sheathed his sword, lifting her up in the air. He was easily a foot or so taller than her, so when he lifted her off the ground by her arm, she was hanging from Ulric's grip.

She started screaming in fear, tears streaming down her face as she tried to get her arm free, but to no avail. Ulric then slung her over his shoulder, making his way back to the forest. He whistled loudly, and in an instant, two Diamond Dogs grabbed two other ponies, the tan and cyan ones. He wanted extras in case the nation was willing to bargain for them.

As he was walking back to the forest with the two Diamond Dogs, he looked over his shoulder and wasn't surprised to see the lavender pony looking at him with anger. He smirked, knowing that he had made himself an arch-nemesis, and that it would be like that until one of them fell in battle. Ulric knew the lavender pony wasn't going to attack him right now, not when there was the chance that his army of Diamond Dogs would spring out of the ground and take her captive. But later... that's another story.

Ulric could feel the yellow Pegasus hitting his armored back, along with hearing her pleas to let her go. He shook his head, sighing quietly. He started feeling a bit bad for capturing her, but not even his sorrow would stop him from his quest for power. With his eyes forward, he followed the dogs back to the cave where he and the other dogs would interrogate the new captives. Hopefully the dogs had a dungeon of sorts, which was most likely since he passed a few slaves on the way out of the cave. He also hoped that the pony he was carrying currently would talk rather than keep quiet, because he would hate to force her to talk.

Chapter IV

Ulric studied the stances, attacks, and blocks of the Diamond Dogs closely as they fought one another. To say it was sloppy was an understatement, as Ulric saw nothing but toddlers fighting each other with useless slaps! They even held their weapons wrong; a dog held a dagger two-handed. TWO-HANDED!! Ulric sighed, face-palming as each dog continued to fight. He was surprised they were able to raid Ponyville without getting beaten by the ponies!

Ulric looked down at Tough, who had just returned from setting Fluttershy outside the Everfree, and tapped his shoulder. Tough looked up, watching as Ulric pointed at the dogs and shook his head. Tough sighed, looking the dogs over, "Yes, Your Majesty, I know they are terrible at fighting." He turned his head back to Ulric, "But we haven't had a war in a thousand years! There are no veterans to train these useless mongrels, and we haven't any mercenaries!" He hung his head, "Only you can train them, but they probably won't understand a thing."

Ulric turned his head to the dogs, who seemed to overhear what both he and Tough were discussing. They seemed a bit angry at Tough, but that was understandable. Ulric stepped forward, removing his helmet and glaring at each and every dog. They were stunned, as they have never seen their king without his helmet off. The scar only increased their amazement. Tough even stood there, wide eyed and jaw dropped.

Ulric didn't care.

He simply pulled out his sword and stabbed it into stone, all the way to the handle. He then pointed at it, then to one of the dogs. Said dog looked at Ulric with a confused look, so Tough decided to explain it like always. "He wants you to simply pull it out of the stone, soldier." A wave of realization hit the dog, and he walked over to the sword. Reaching down and gripping the sword with one hand, he pulled with minor strength, but it didn't budge. The dog was confused, and he tried to pull it with all of his might. Nothing. He then tried to do it with both hands, but to no avail.

The dog stepped back, shaking his head. Ulric stepped forward, wrapped his hand around his sword, and pulled it out of the ground. He then stared at the dogs, then looked down to Tough. The dog nodded solemnly once more, looking at the dogs, "Dogs, we and the His Majesty are here to prepare you for the assault on Appleloosa and Dodge City, but from what we've seen and experienced during the raid on Ponyville and here in the barracks, we have a few things to say."

He glared at all of them, "You are all cowards, undisciplined, unskilled, and completely useless. You all know that you should be killed for abandoning your king on the battlefield, but he needs you for the raids. Your combat," he scoffed, "Terrible in every way shape and form." He pointed at Ulric, "His Majesty is going to train you, discipline you, and put you through the toughest conditioning you have all ever seen in your lives!" He turned to Ulric with a nod, then back to the dogs, "Now, I want you all to stand in a line, weakest to strongest." The dogs stood still, "I said NOW!" That got their attention, and they began getting in line.

Once they finished, it was obvious that there were more weak dogs than strong, which Ulric would change. Said man walked up to the strongest dog, who stared at him with a straight face. The dog was two feet taller than Ulric, and most dogs believed that this dog could beat up Ulric in a second. Ulric lifted his chin, then smacked his cheek lightly, clenching his jaw. The dog knew what it meant, and reeled his fist back, before sending it at Ulric.

Ulric surprised the dog by dodging his punch with quick speed and used the dog's forearm to pull him to the ground. The dog was stunned as Ulric stood still with a glare. Ulric then kicked the dog, giving him what he heard as a satisfying yelp. Ulric turned to the dogs, who stared in amazement; their king just took out their toughest dog in less than three seconds. Ulric turned back to the burly dog, reaching down and lifting him by the scruff of his neck, to which Ulric then tossed the dog toward the line.

The dog arose, holding his gut and getting back in line. The dogs were worried, now knowing that their king is stronger, smarter, and more agile than them. It would be impossible to remove him from the throne, and if they tried to run, he would hunt them down! Oh, the thought of what he would do if he caught them when they ran... it sent shivers down every dogs' spine.

Tough Rock stepped forward, "As your king has shown, you are all poorly trained, and now he will dish out the punishment; non-stop conditioning, training, and the honing of your skills! However, not only will you be training, I'll be training as well. So get to it!"

Eight Hours Later

Ulric watched as all the dogs' tongues were hanging out of their mouths, each dripping with sweat and still working. Ulric taught them all the basics of sword fighting, defensive tactics, and hand-to-hand combat. The higher ranked ones were trained in ordering the troops around along with extensive sword fighting, hand-to-hand combat, and how to get a one-shot punch on a pony. Tough, however, was trained to be almost as good as all the dogs combined, the only one stronger and smarter being Ulric.

Tough was tired, and yelled as loud as he could at the dogs, "Alright, dogs! You can rest!" The dogs sighed with relief, as did Tough, who's legs were trembling as they felt as though they were carrying two-ton weights. Ulric, however, felt accomplished; it had been awhile since he had honed his skills in an actual training ground. Although fighting Dark Spirits and Phantoms was entertaining and skillful, it just didn't give him a feeling of accomplishment that he got from practicing.

He yawned, turning and leaving with Tough in tow. "Your Majesty, you must teach any new recruits the skills you have taught me and the other dogs." Ulric nodded, stretching his arms and yawning; he needed a nap. Everything must sleep, eventually, and now was Ulric's time.

Stopping and turning to Tough, Ulric patted the dog on the shoulder and pointed to the other end of the hall. Tough nodded, "You need sleep, it's obvious. Goodnight, Your Majesty." Ulric nodded and watched as Tough walked away from him, Ulric's eyes never leaving the dog until he was out of sight.

Once he was, he turned to the door at the end of the hall; his room, or as most prefer to call it, the Royal Bedroom. Ulric walked over to the door and opened it, taking in what he had ordered the dogs to build again; there was a fireplace, which was lit and aloud the room to be filled with a comforting warmth that wasn't to hot or cold. A pot hung over the fire, where Ulric would do his best to make tea this evening if he remembered the recipe Siegward taught him after he recovered his armor. The walls had the texture of cobblestone that the dogs had to carve in, which took them roughly two hours. The floors were covered in neat, evenly placed floorboards that were sanded to be smooth and comfy for bare feet.

The furniture consisted of stuff that the dogs had gotten him during the raid; two chairs, a sofa, a coffee table, a nightstand, and a king-sized bed in the far left corner of the room. The sofa sat in front of the fireplace and each of the chairs sat next to said sofa. The coffee table sat in front of the sofa, as a place to set drinks or plates of food. The nightstand sat right next to the bed, like most nightstands in Lordran. Nothing more to describe.

Ulric walked over to the pot that hung over the fire and filled it with a bucket of water that was meant to put out the fire. Pure rainwater, the best kind. He then reached down and grabbed some ingredients that were laid out in order on the coffee table. First was a lilac, to which he removed the flowers from the stems and threw said flowers into the pot. He then reached down and lifted up a honeycomb that was on a plate, tossing it into the pot as to make sure it was not going to get honey everywhere. He grabbed a wooden spoon and began mixing the ingredients together, giving the water a light brown color with a hint of pink.

After a few minutes of non-stop stirring, Ulric pulled the wooden spoon out of the pot and leaned it against the wall. He then grabbed a small cup that sat on the coffee table and scooped some of the tea into it. Once he did that, he went over to the sofa and sat on it, sipping at his warm tea while staring at the comforting fire. He had never had such a luxurious life as this one, as he was always in the cold hands of death wherever he was in Lordran.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he continued to sip at the cup of tea that warmed his stomach. After he finished drinking his cup of tea, he was going to take a long-needed sleep. His rest would help him get prepared for the assault on Appleloosa, and it would be the first rest he has had since he absorbed the First Flame.

Suddenly a thought hit him; what if he could use magic now because of the power he gained from the First Flame? That is something he will try tomorrow, and he was sure that the prisoners would 'volunteer' to be the test subjects for such an experiment in power. Oh yes, but that is for tomorrow, not now.

Now he must sleep, in the comfy bed that was in the corner of the room. Removing his armor, he saw that his body appeared to be more... muscular than he last thought. His chest had scars all over it, looking as though he had been cut to shreds and put back together. But the muscle... Sure, the extra muscle would be useful, but he never remembered getting such muscle. Hell, he didn't even do anything or work to get them that big. It felt... unnatural. That is yet another thing he must look into.

Sighing, he tucked himself in bed once his armor was off, laying his head on the pillow and closing his eyes. He needed a goodnight's rest after what had occurred that day and the day before, and despite the fact he felt a shred of guilt for what he did for Fluttershy, he would sleep peacefully that night. Because things were looking up for him, and no one could do anything to change that.

Chapter V

Ulric was sitting in a dark void in full armor, on a chair with his head down and his arms resting on his lap. The void he was in made no noise, not even white noise, not the beating of his heart, just silence. Here, in Ulric's mind, he could meditate, think of every possible scenario that he could ever be in. Although, in that particular moment, Ulric could tell that something was off. The sound of something breathing...

Ulric raised his head, looking into the void with minor curiosity; whatever was breathing had decided to try and hide from Ulric, but not being a very patient man, Ulric morphed the area around him to become a white void instead of a dark one. His eyes fell upon a dark blue mare in a silk dress that covered her arms and legs, who seemed to be surprised that the once black void had changed to the opposite color. This particular mare had wings and a horn, just like that one he saw when he first arrived in Equestria.

He arose from his seat and slowly walked over to the mare, his footsteps echoing across the vast plain of nothingness. The mare looked at him, and she slowly backed away cautiously. "So thou art the creature that hath been attacking Our citizens?" Ulric stopped, his eyes narrowing. The mare took notice of this, "Ah, I see that thou are not just a mere monster, but understand Our words." She cleared her throat, "We are Princess Luna of the Night and Dreams, sister to Princess Celestia of the Sun and aunt to Princess Cadence."

Ulric cocked his head to the side; a Princess? Why would a Princess visit his dreams? Ulric smirked, returning to his chair and sitting in it, watching as Luna approached him cautiously. This wasn't going to be their only confrontation, Ulric knew that much, but the fact that she was the first to take notice of the attack is rather surprising. Ulric honestly expected Celestia to take notice, being as she is the basically the main Princess. But, sometimes Ulric can be wrong.

"Can thou speak?" Luna asked, and Ulric shook his head, a smile still on his face. Luna rubbed her chin, "Hmm, if thou can't speak, then how hath thee gotten the Diamond Dogs to follow thee?" Ulric sighed, rolling his eyes as the memory came up and filled the whole room of what happened through seen images. First, it showed Ulric fighting Bone, then beating Bone, then sitting on the throne. "Ah, I think We see what hath happe-" Then it showed Ulric killing Bone in cold blood.

Luna was dead silent, her eyes wide with shock as the particular image sent shivers down her spine. Just the sight and the echo of Bone screaming as his body slowly froze over, then Ulric shattering the frozen Bone without a sliver of remorse or care. She slowly turned to Ulric, her eyes still wide, "H-How could thou do that t-to a defenseless dog?"

Ulric smirked, and an image appeared of Ulric sitting on the Diamond Dog throne with the sword leaning on the side of it. Then it flashed and showed from a different angle the defeated Bone Grinder, the echo of Bone Grinder's words causing Ulric to smile, "What do you think you're doing?!" Then the image disappeared, leaving a shocked Luna staring into the white void.

"Thou killed a defenseless dog for questioning what thou were doing...?" She asked, turning to Ulric with a look of anger. Ulric chuckled, shrugging. Luna glared at him, "Thou hath turned out to be the monster Our sister suspected you to be." She approached Ulric, narrowing her eyes, "Thou hath best hope that We don't find thou on the battlefield." Then, just like that, she disappeared.

Ulric began to burst into laughter, slapping his knee; it was almost impossible not to laugh at this one, as she threatened him without a thought of how he took Ponyville or how skilled he was. Hell, for all he knew she probably only knew just what he looked like. Perhaps a bit wary if she heard what happened to Ponyville, but not enough to consider Ulric as the biggest target.

The white void Ulric was laying in slowly turned to that of a familiar place; the ash on the ground, the destroyed ruins of a once great city, the black sun in the sky... the place he claimed power. But, looking ahead of him, he saw that the Soul of Cinder was sitting next to the Bonfire, his sword stuck in the ground next to him. Ulric smiled, walking up next to the Soul of Cinder and sitting next to him.

The Soul of Cinder turned to Ulric momentarily, before turning back to the Bonfire, "I see that you have not come to fight me like you usually would. Your skills have been honed greatly over the many days that took you to get to me, so now I'm sure that you could probably beat me with the flick of your wrist." The Soul of Cinder stated in his low, raspy voice. He then sighed, "And the fact that you didn't absorb my soul when you defeated me means you have something planned." He turned to Ulric with minor interest, "Whatever you have planned, I hope you know what you're doing." He sighed sadly this time, turning back to the Bonfire, "King Gwyn didn't when he linked the First Flame. The Age of Dark should've began." He turned to Ulric, "Yet, when you fought him, you decided to allow the Flame to prolong the inevitable. Then came the time when you fought dear Nashandra to get the little Throne of Want to just, once more, prolong the inevitable." He chuckled, "Then came my time to fight you. I defeated you many a time, Ulric, with all the skills of every Lord of Cinder that existed. But, you quickly caught on and learned every attack I threw at you, rendering me almost powerless. When you defeated me, you didn't use my soul like the others, but kept me as either a souvenir or ally of sorts." He arose from his sitting position, looking up to the black sun, "But instead of linking the First Flame, you decided to instead summon that worthless Firekeeper who was going to bring about the Age of Dark. But, when the Age of Dark almost began, you killed her." He looked down at Ulric, "Then offered it to the Sun like it was some sort of deity looking for a sacrifice!" He chuckled, "But, it turns out in the end, you just wanted power. So what did you do? You absorbed the Flame."

Ulric arose, turning to the Soul of Cinder with an amused smile. And, for the first time, Ulric used his matured, brute voice that could only be used in his dreams, "Absorbing the Flame was the beginning of my plan to rule the world." He turned to the black sun, "However, discovering a pony-like creature was not part of the plan. But," he sighed, "I can adapt."

"So, if you do have a plan to use my power, I would like to know when it is and who I'll be using it on." The Soul of Cinder stated, pulling the coiled sword out of the Bonfire and twirling it in his hand.

"Simple," he replied, "When I fight one of the Princesses." He unsheathed his sword, walking to the other end of the wide space they were in. The Soul of Cinder did the same, turning around to face Ulric once he reached the edge. Ulric continued, "Although, I would prefer it if you helped me whenever I damn well please."

The soul of Cinder chuckled, "I don't think so." He then rolled his shoulders, "Now, for the event we've both been waiting for. Another honing of your skills." The Soul of Cinder charged at Ulric, his sword dragging on the ground. Ulric did the same, albeit twirling his sword as he ran. This was their second of many fights to come, and Ulric was glad to challenge the toughest enemy he had fought in his lifetime.

Canterlot Castle, Twelve Hours After Dream

Celestia sat on her throne, rubbing her temples as she went over what she knew about this new enemy; from what Twilight had told her, he has superior skills combat and strength, probably better than her own self; Luna had told her how he got the Diamond Dogs to follow him, and knows that he is ruthless when it comes to getting power and respect; then there is indeed the fact that he spared Fluttershy but marked her. Unfortunately, when Fluttershy tried to talk about what had happened, she experienced an immense amount of pain, definitely caused by the mark the new villain had given her.

She sighed, leaning on her hand; such a powerful and tactful enemy poses a threat to the entirety of Equestria and Equus. However, if she were to attack, he would probably use Applejack or Rainbow Dash as a means of keeping Celestia away. She would need to plan what were to happen if he did indeed continue his attacks on the more larger cities instead of small ones like Ponyville.

A guard barged into the throne room, quickly saluting before speaking rather quickly, "Princess Celestia! The Diamond Dogs have attacked Dodge City!"

Celestia raised a brow, "Well, send soldiers to assist in it's defense!"

"But that's not all; they're also attacking Appleloosa!" His words sounded rather nervous, as though he was going to lose one.

Celestia arose from her seat, walking down from her throne, "Divert three-quarters of the Royal Guard to Dodge City, I will go to Appleloosa to assist with its defense." The guard nodded, running out of the throne room to give the orders. Celestia quickly ran to her personal armory, her eyes falling upon a steel door that was locked both physically and magically. She pulled a key out of a pocket in her dress, unlocking the door. She then used her magic to disable the magic barrier holding the door shut, and she opened it quickly.

Walking in and shutting the door behind her, she began putting her golden armor on; it covered every part of her body, the only part that was visible being her face. The armor itself was made of iron, but painted gold to give it a pristine look. It had markings and symbols along the arms and legs, and a big symbol of the sun was imprinted on her chest. She then reached down and wrapped her hand around a large yet light spear, a dark yellow ribbon tied between the staff and bladed part of said spear. She then grabbed two daggers and put one into each of her boots. A silly but required tactic if she were to lose her spear for whatever reason.

Leaving her personal armory, she turned and saw her sister Luna running down the hallway dressed in her own armor; it was almost the same as Celestia's, the only difference being the dark blue color and moon symbol on the chest plate. Luna saw her sister, "Dear sister, thou hath received the news too?" Celestia nodded, and Luna continued, "Then we must make haste! Two cities depend on us!" They both ran down the hallway together, making their way outside the palace. Once that was accomplished, they both expanded their wings and flew into the air, Celestia heading towards Appleloosa while Luna flew towards Dodge City.

Chapter VI

Ulric stood atop a hillside in the light day, holding his helmet at his side while looking down on the town known as Appleloosa; the town had apple trees all around it, each one full of juicy red apples (he knew since he tried one) despite the desert environment. The dogs were trained well, and for once they were well-equipped; a few had iron armor on that they had stolen from kidnapped guard patrols. They also had a few iron swords as well that only the higher ranking dogs had, while the lower ranked dogs had clubs and curved daggers; Ulric had to tell them where to hit a pony specifically to get the best results of damage, mainly around the back of the head, back of the legs, neck, or balls if necessary.

He turned to his dogs with a large smile, each one staring at him with greedy smiles. These dogs were again allowed to steal anything that was valuable, whether it be worth intel or gold. This time, hopefully, they won't retreat without Ulric's word. If they do, more discipline through fear would fall upon these mutts.

He yelled a battle-cry, raising his sword to the sky, the dogs yelling along with him and howling, pointing their weapons towards the sky too. Ulric then turned to Appleloosa, pointing at it with his sword. Then came the rumble of hundreds of stampeding dogs, each howling and roaring as they ran towards the poor town.

As he watched the dogs charge, he saw the citizens of Appleloosa kick over barrels to take cover behind as they began throwing... pies? They threw pies?! How stupid are these ponies?! Unless the pies were laced with acid, there is no possible way that they'll do damage to the dogs! Sighing, Ulric continued to watch as his dogs jumped over the barrels, knocking ponies out and killing a few. It continued like that as he watched the dogs break into homes, steal some valuables, set them on fire, and go onto the next home. But, when they reached a saloon of sorts, they were pushed out, surprisingly.

Ulric smiled as he saw three large and bulky creatures push the dogs back, their bodies covered in more fur than a pony. Taking a guess, Ulric guessed that they were the natives of the land who have good relations with the ponies. Taking a closer look, Ulric saw that a smaller version of the large creatures was jumping on top of the bigger creatures and cutting at the dogs while said bigger creatures pushed them back.

It was working, and Ulric needed to intervene to show that it wasn't just a random Diamond Dog raid. Of course, they'd be blind if they didn't recognize it yet.

Ulric approached the dogs that were trying to push through bulky creatures guarding the place, and he whistled as loud as he could, catching their attention. They all took a few steps away from the bulky creatures, turning their heads to acknowledge the whistle. When they all saw Ulric, they smirked smugly at the bulky creatures before backing away and giving Ulric enough space to fight.

Ulric stepped forward, taking in the looks of the bulky creatures as they eyed him cautiously; each one had brown fur, wearing a loincloth to cover up. Primitive. The first one to speak wasn't the big creatures, but the small one instead, who wore a loincloth and a cloth that covered her flat chest, "You are no Diamond Dog." Ulric nodded in agreement, motioning towards them suggestively, "What is it?"

Ulric sighed before whistling, Tough appearing from the crowd of Diamond Dogs. Tough was Ulric's voice for the time being, and so he spoke, "His Majesty would like to know your names before the fight."

The small one eyed Tough cautiously, "I am Little Strongheart of the Buffalo, and these are my bodyguards." She leaned forward and glared at Ulric, "State your name."

Tough glared at Strongheart, "You best show a little respect towards His Majesty, otherwise you'll find your tongue removed from your mouth. And his name is Ulric, King of the Diamond Dogs." Ulric bowed; he may attack unprovoked, but at least he still has manners.

Strongheart glared daggers at Ulric, "You attack this happy town, kill at least a dozen ponies, burn homes, steal valuables, and for what?! Personal gain?!"

"His Majesty doesn't ha-"

"YES HE DOES!" Strongheart exclaimed, turning her glare to Tough, "He has ordered you all to kill innocents! Even if you do receive a few Bits, what of your morals? How could you follow him without question?!"

Tough sighed, "Because, he could easily kill us all with ease, even when he is unarmed." Ulric nodded approvingly; at least someone knows what'll happen if he is betrayed. Then Tough smirked at Strongheart, "But he is indeed a terrific and generous leader."

Strongheart glared at Ulric, "I, Little Strongheart along with my bodyguards, challenge you to a fight to the death!" Ulric raised a brow, cocking his head to the side. "Don't let my stature fool you, I am a powerful foe." Sighing, Ulric lightly pushed Tough back into the sea of Diamond Dogs that surrounded the outside of the saloon, unsheathing his sword and pointing it at Buffalos.

They instantly took action, charging at him at the same time. Ulric has been in a situation like this back in Drangleic, and will not fail like he had long ago. He threw his sword at the Buffalo on his left, piercing through the Buffalo and freezing him. Ulric then charged at the other two who had hesitated when they saw their friend get stabbed, quickly kicking the one in the middle in the stomach, while the one on the right took notice and sent a curled fist at Ulric. Said man grabbed the Buffalo's fist, stopping the punch easily while the Buffalo stood in awe. Ulric shoved the Buffalo back, taking the time to snap the other one's neck quickly. He then charged at the other, kicking the Buffalo's leg inward and snapping his neck like the other.

He slowly stood straight, turning his head to Strongheart who glared at him. She pulled out a dagger and charged at Ulric, screaming in rage and sadness. Before she could hit Ulric, he grabbed onto her wrist, causing her to drop the dagger as he twisted her hand and she screamed in pain. He then kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying into the saloon. Such a weak foe... she's probably not even worth Ulric's time. He should just order the dogs to capture her while he continued the raid, but where's the fun in that?

Strongheart ran out of the saloon and towards Ulric, a smashed bottle in her hand. When she lunged at Ulric, he side-stepped out of harms way casually and watched as she lunged again as soon as she landed. It continued on like that; side-step, lunge, side-step, lunge... until Ulric got bored.

When she lunged, Ulric side-stepped like usual, but grabbed onto her hind-leg and slammed her on the ground. Strongheart groaned in pain, while Ulric smiled victoriously, walking over to her and putting his foot on her back. He reeled his head back, letting out a barking laugh as he raised his fist in the air. The dogs cheered, glad that their leader had won the fight.

As the dogs continued to cheer, Ulric looked down at Strongheart with minor disdain; she said she'd be a powerful foe, but turned out to be no better than these dogs. He turned to the dogs, pointing at Strongheart and nodding. A few dogs nodded back, running over and grabbing Strongheart. They then began walking in the direction of the Everfree, taking Strongheart as prisoner. Ulric may allow his dogs to kill innocents, but allowing them to kill a child is not allowed.

Ulric then looked to Tough, who nodded back at Ulric while turning to the dogs, "Alright, mutts! Last building! Bring it down!" The dogs went to work, barging into the saloon with their weapons bared and howling. The screams of the innocents were short-lived as the dogs cut them down with ease and little resistance, stealing valuables and any weapons. Hell, he saw one taking a few pies out of the saloon.

Then the dogs began ripping at the walls and supports of the saloon, their claws easily tearing them to shreds. Soon enough, the entire saloon began groaning and wobbling, and with one gust of wind, it fell. The dogs howled and cheered, raising their weapons in the air as a few other dogs threw torches at the rubble, setting it ablaze.

As the dogs howled, Ulric's ears perked as he heard the clanking of armor; it wasn't his dogs, they all heard it too and were looking around. Someone was hiding, but not for long as Ulric watched Tough order a few dogs to check what it was. Said dogs silently searched, each one cautiously looking around corners. Of course, as Ulric suspected, the sound of yelps met his ears as the dogs had most likely been killed or knocked unconscious. Ulric sighed, whistling to the other dogs and catching their attention. He then pointed his finger to the sky and made a circle motion.

The dogs nodded, surrounding him in a circle while facing outwards, their weapons at the ready. Once they were in position, Ulric held his fist in the air, the area around them as silent as it could be. Anything that sounded or looked out of place would be attacked; best strategy if something is hiding. Well, maybe not as good as hunting them, but Ulric saw how well that went.

After a few minutes of silence, Ulric was about to let his guard down until he heard the clanking of armor. His head snapped towards the end of the street, and what he saw almost amazed him; golden-armored ponies walking in an orderly line. The front wielded spears, while the back wielded swords, and behind the swords were the archers.

As Ulric was about to order the dogs to attack, Ulric heard the sound of clanking armor coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw that their were more ponies, just like the others. But the one leading them stood out more than the rest; a tall, white mare with wings and a horn dressed in golden armor, with a spear that she held at her side. It was probably the other Princess, Celestia.

Ulric smiled, turning to Tough and nodding. Tough nodded back, turning to the others, "Alright, mutts! Let's do what we do best! ATTAAAACK!" The dogs howled, each one charging the pony soldiers with the ferocity of dragons. The ponies pointed their spears at the dogs, but the dogs charged anyways, a few allowing themselves to be stabbed so their brethren could get through and kill the ponies. The clash was loud as the screams of both Diamond Dog and Pony were heard. Dust was in the air as each side began suffering heavy losses, the bodies of both Diamond Dogs and Ponies cut open like gutted fish.

But, the Princess charged Ulric, who stood still with a smile on his face. She leaped into the air, pulling her spear back and preparing to skewer Ulric. He saw this coming, stepping to the side as the spear stabbed the air while raising his sword, quickly bringing it down on the spear. It was cut in half, removing the sharp tip from it's wooden body. He then grabbed onto the end that Celestia was holding onto and pulled it towards himself with great strength.

Celestia pulled back with the same amount, before letting go and causing Ulric to lose his footing. As he tried to regain his footing, Celestia flew straight towards him and gave his jaw a swift uppercut before kicking back a few feet. Ulric shook his head, getting rid of the dizziness and allowing himself to focus on the battle. Looking at Celestia, his eyes locked onto hers, even though both of their eyes were almost hidden behind a helmet. As they stared each other down, Ulric began walking forward, dropping his weapon onto the ground. Celestia saw this and looked down at the sharp tip of her spear, then back to Ulric.

As foolish as it was, Ulric decided that fighting an unarmed enemy with a blade was unfair. He always respected fair fights, so if his enemy loses a weapon, he loses his. Celestia took in a deep breath, before letting it out in a long sigh, walking towards Ulric with a glare. She appeared to see it the same way, unless she decided to suddenly grab the tip of her spear. But Ulric decided to take the risk.

As they neared each other, Ulric slowly picked up the pace by jogging. Celestia did the same, and soon enough they were both sprinting towards each other. Ulric raised his fist and leaped into the air, before quickly bringing it down on Celestia. But Celestia dodged the punch and grabbed onto his arm, using Ulric's momentum to slam him onto the ground. Ulric quickly arose, but was quickly put back into harms way as Celestia sent a flurry of punches at him. He blocked most of them, but a few got to him. And just when he thought she was going to continue her flurry of punches, she decided to give him a powerful uppercut that sent his helmet flying off. He reeled back from that attack, his mind sent into more dizziness. Once he got his senses back, he glared at Celestia, who was stunned, probably because of his facial appearance. Ulric took this time to charge Celestia, and as she stopped staring at the scar on his head, her muzzle was met with a punch from Ulric, sending her into the sea of Ponies and Diamond Dogs clashing.

He took the time to get some stamina back into his system by standing straight and putting his hands on his hips. What a trying battle, probably worse than when he fought the Nameless King. He had died many a time during it, but he eventually studied the Nameless King's moves and got the hang of it. But for some odd reason, his body already knew when to dodge and when to attack. Usually, when he goes up against an opponent as strong as Celestia, he dies at least once. Maybe it's his battle-hardened senses from the many years of rekindling the First Flame and defeating those guarding it.

He soon heard Celestia flying towards him, and he turned just in time to see her grabbing under his armpits while flying into the air. He was brought along with her, and he watched as the ground got further and further away, and soon enough he and Celestia were above the clouds. He could see the bright sun in the distance sitting upon the horizon, but that's not what he was focusing on. No, the fact he was still going up worried him. He had to stop this, but if he goes crashing down, he'll die. If he keeps going up, he'll die from the lack of oxygen. Only the Gods can survive any higher.

He cursed himself for what he was about to do, reaching past Celestia and grabbing onto her wings, snapping them like twigs. She screamed in pain, letting go of Ulric. But Ulric didn't let go of her, instead continuing to hold onto her wings as they got closer to the ground. Ulric climbed up Celestia like a rope and grabbed onto her head, using the weight of her body to make it to where her head was pointing at the ground. He then began punching her, and she punched back with full force. As they fell through the sky, the Dogs and Ponies stopped fighting and watched in awe as the two leaders proceeded to fight to the death even as they fell to the ground. Then, when their bodies almost hit the ground, Ulric pushed himself away from Celestia and pulled out his golden drink, the Estus Flask, and took a full swig. Then their bodies smashed into the ground a millisecond later, causing dirt and dust to be sent into the air.

The Diamond Dogs and Ponies ran to their respected leaders, forgetting about the fight. Each side held their breath as they awaited to see if their leader had been killed, and the area was silent. Suddenly, the Ponies cheered as Celestia arose painfully, the dented armor and mangled wings doing a number on her body. However, the Dogs were not so cheerful as their leader was still lying in the dirt, not breathing and his eyes remaining closed. The Dogs' ears were folded, and they heard the Ponies surrounding them, but didn't even flinch. Their leader was laying on the ground, but appeared almost unharmed! Yet he isn't breathing... he could be dead...

No, the Dogs wouldn't accept it, their leader couldn't be dead! He wouldn't simply die on the battlefield, that wasn't the way he worked! But yet there he was, laying on the ground without moving a muscle in his body. As the Ponies surrounded them, the soldiers brought cages and opened them. The Ponies then poked the dogs into the cages, and took them away. However, Celestia and two other guards approached Ulric and stared at him.

"He drank something before he hit the ground." Celestia stated, leaning over him and studying him closely, "It just wouldn't make sense if he simply did that for no reason..."

The guard on her right spoke, "Princess, permission to speak freely?"

"Granted, Shining Armor."

"I must say that it is likely that it was a healing potion mixed with a sedative. He could very well be alive, but unbreathing; I learned this during my time in Zebrica. And the fact that he is a different creature than a pony could mean that he doesn't need to breathe as much as Ponies do." He put his horn against Ulric's head to check for a heart beat, but quickly removed it in shock.

Celestia took notice of this, "Captain Armor, what is it?"

He blinked twice at Ulric, before turning to the Princess with shock, "He has dark magic inside of him, Princess. A lot of it."

Dark magic? Why would dark magic be inside of a creature such as this? Celestia put her horn on Ulric's head, "I will remove the dark magic from this creature, but I suggest you two stand back." Shining and the other guard took a few steps back, watching as Celestia proceeded to remove the dark magic. Suddenly, Ulric screamed in pain, his body shaking rapidly as his eyes were wide with shock. He screamed for almost a full five minutes before Celestia pulled out some sort of black liquid through his mouth. Ulric had stopped twitching rapidly, but the black liquid didn't. It was shaking rapidly and trying to reach Ulric. Celestia glared at it, "This is indeed dark magic, but a unique one."

"Which is?" Shining asked, looking at the black liquid in a disgusted manner.

Celestia looked over her shoulder at Shining Armor, "A curse."

Shining sighed, "That could explain why he has killed so many innocents without a sliver of remorse." He looked down at Ulric, "Although I find it unlikely."

Celestia nodded, "I do too, but if it didn't influence him at all, then what did it do?"

Shining thought for a moment, before looking at Ulric quizzically, "Maybe it removed his voice..." He nodded, "That must be the reason! He didn't command his Diamond Dogs with words, but instead whistled. Then there's the fact that he made one of the Diamond Dogs order the others around instead of doing it himself! It all adds up!"

Celestia nodded in agreement, "I do believe so, and we will see when we interrogate him in the dungeon." As she said those words, two guards carrying a metal box landed next to Celestia, as if on cue. The two guards lifted Ulric together, tossing him into the box and closing the lid. They then locked it. That would prevent Ulric from trying to escape. The guards then ran over to the train station that was somehow still standing and put him onto the military train that was waiting to move back to Canterlot. Celestia turned back to Shining, "Would you please keep an eye on the creature? If he were to escape, he'd continue this slaughter." Shining nodded, turning and heading to the train. "Oh, and Captain?" Shining turned back to Celestia, "If he at all talks, ask him questions." Shining nodded, continuing to the train.

Celestia sighed, turning to the other guard that had yet to speak, "Lieutenant Shield Wall, you have yet to speak. What is on your mind?"

Shield sighed nervously, "If I may say this, Princess, I do believe that taking this creature into Canterlot, our capital, isn't wise. We should kill it while we still have the chance."

Celestia shook her head, "Lieutenant, not only is that considered dishonorable, it would be unwise."

Shield sneered, "Please explain how it would be dishonorable and unwise."

"Simply put it would be murder, as he is unarmed and defeated. We are a country that promotes peace and tranquility, not savagery or execution! And the reason to it being unwise is that we can learn a lot about what he is and what his people acted like. As far we can tell, that creature is not native to Equus." She finished with minor curiosity.

Shield shook his head, "He killed several innocents today, Princess. He should be executed, and the fact you're not taking responsibility of it is all the more concerning."

"Watch yourself, Shield." Celestia stated, glaring at Shield.

Shield sighed, "I hope you know what you're doing." He then walked off, probably going to walk all the way to Canterlot. Celestia rolled her eyes, walking to the military train. Although this creature did indeed kill many innocents today, Celestia refused to step down to his level by killing an unarmed foe that has no way of fighting back. She knew why Shield was upset, but that did not give him an excuse to bring up execution as an option. It had been banned from Equestria long ago. But... if the creature continues the way he is, they may have to use execution as a way of ridding the world of such a beast.

Author's Note

If you find any errors, please leave them in the comments! And while you do take the time to comment, please leave your opinion on how you think of the story so far!

Chapter VII

Ulric awoke to nothing but darkness, the rumbling of something that sounded like thunder making the ground shake; that Estus Flask didn't work the way he wanted it to, but it was better than death. But the true question was; where the hell was he? He sniffed the air, but found nothing particularly out of place. He then moved his arms, which touched a cold surface in front of him, a quiet 'ding' being heard since his metal gauntlet made contact with it. Hmm, he knew that the Ponies would capture him if there was ever the chance, but to put him in another coffin? That wasn't their way. No, this had to be some sort of cage.

Hesitantly, Ulric used his knuckle to knock on the lid of the cage. He heard something jump and land, despite the fact that the rumbling was loud. When Ulric got no response, he knocked on the lid again, his ears straining to hear something other than the rumbling of... whatever he was on.

A voice called out to him, "You awake in there?" Ulric didn't know how to respond, and whoever was outside noticed, "The Princess removed the curse that theoretically wouldn't allow you to speak, so try and use your voice." Ulric's eyes widened with shock; he can use his voice...? But...

Ulric cleared his throat nervously, his heartbeat growing ever so slightly. If he can indeed use his voice once more, then he owes the Ponies for giving it back to him. Ulric hesitantly spoke the first words of many to come, "I... I can speak...?" And just like that, he stared in shock at the darkness as the words left his mouth. His voice was low, just as he remembered it, but still... Words... true words! Not just sounds of growls and grunts, but words! Sophisticated, understandable, clear words! But there was still the fact that he didn't know where he was, so he asked the one outside the box his first question, "Where am I?"

The voice stayed silent for a minute, before replying, "How about this; you ask a question, then I ask one. Fair, yes?"

Ulric shrugged, "Alright, I do not see the problem with it."

The voice continued, "You are on a military train on its way to Canterlot, but you are in a metal box as a way to restrain yourself for the protection of others and myself." The voice seemed to lean on the box, as the thumps of his elbows were heard, "My turn; who and what are you?"

"My name is Ulric Nyström, and I am a Human." Ulric yawned, "Who and what are you?"

"I am a Pony and my name is Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard. What land are you from and how did you get here, Ulric?"

"I originated from the land of Balder, but was brought here by one of your kind." The darkness allowed Ulric to see images of what happened easier, but he still continued the talk with Shining Armor, "And, if I may be so inclined to ask, what is this 'Canterlot' you spoke of?"

"The capital of Equestria. Who brought you here?"

Ulric sighed, "A mare with both wings and a horn. She had a red mane and tail, and she was as white as your Princess, but I wasn't able to get her name." He smirked, a plan formulating in his mind; if he is indeed going to get thrown in a dungeon, he'll need an escape plan, along with something to mislead the Ponies if they were to hunt him. He had a way, "What is the closest nation to Equestria from its capital?"

"What kind of question is that?" Shining inquired, but Ulric rolled his eyes.

"It's my turn to ask the question, Captain Armor, not you." Ulric replied harshly.

He heard Shining snort, "Fine. The closest nation would be the Griffin Empire. Now, why did you kill so many innocent people?"

Ulric smirked, "I was trapped in my own body, watching as the evil magic within my being cut down the undeserving." An obvious lie, at least to Ulric.

"Yes, we do believe that it did have an influence on you." Suddenly, the train came screeching to a halt, sending Ulric and his metal box sliding across the ground. "What the hell is going on out there?!" Shining exclaimed. The sound of a door being kicked open followed by the shouts of Shining, "Who are you?!"

Another voice entered Ulric's ears, but was much lower than Shining's, "I am Iron Hoof, here to take whatever loot you got on this train!"

Ulric heard Shining speak in feigned fear, "Please don't hurt me! The treasure is in that metal box!" Ulric smirked, knowing how what he was going to do and following along with the idea. Staying silent, Ulric pulled off some of the chain mail from his armor, and when the box was kicked, he shook the chainmail. Sounded a lot like coins.

The low voice chuckled, "Open it up, boys!" The lid was removed, allowing light fill the box as Ulric silently chuckled. The low voice turned out to be some sort of creature; a little like a pony, but more burlier in the torso and arms with tiny legs, and he even had horns on the side of his head like a cow. The two next to him were something out of fairytales; Griffins. Yes, lion bodies and eagle heads. Although, he shouldn't be surprised since he has seen dogs chew through gems. The leader went wide-eyed, "What the buck is that?!"

Ulric chuckled, grabbing onto the leader's chest fur and bringing his head close to Ulric's, "I'm the one thing you should've prepared for." Ulric then head-butted the leader, sending him staggering after the hurtful blow. Ulric then turned to the other two, who were still shocked, and grabbed onto each of their heads, smashing them together. Brains and blood went all over the place, not fazing Ulric, but the leader was a different story.

When the leader saw what Ulric had done to the Griffins, he backed up fearfully, sputtering words, "W-Wait! Please don't kill me! Take everything I got, but let me live!" Ulric slowly walked over to the leader with an evil look in his eye, the leader falling down and was against the wall. "P-Please! Have mercy!"

Ulric shook his head, "Sorry, survival of the fittest. Nothing personal." He then raised his boot and kicked the leader's head in, sending blood up and onto the wall. Ulric took in a deep breath, then let it out with a chuckle. He turned to Shining, taking in the stallion's appearance; dark blue mane with little hints of a lighter blue, along with a white coat, add that with the lean body, then you got Shining Armor's physical appearance in a nutshell. "Look a little different than I expected." Ulric stated. Seeing as Shining was staring at the leader with shock and disgust, Ulric snapped his fingers, catching the stallion's attention.

Shining took another look at the leader, "Was killing him necessary?"

Ulric nodded, "Where I lived, yes. I'm not surprised you Ponies can't wrap your heads around the fact that killing the weak is needed."

Shining glared at Ulric, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Ulric replied in a snarky tone, "It means you Ponies are cowards." He looked around the place he was in, "Where is your Princess? I'd expect her to guard this since I could easily kill you and all of the other soldiers."

Shining rolled his eyes, "She left since we were nearing Canterlot."

Ulric nodded, "Understandable. Anyways, we must find a way to get this contraption moving again."

"It's called a train, and we're in a storage car right next to many passenger cars. But anyways, follow me." Shining stated, and Ulric followed, his fists at the ready. He could've picked up a weapon from his fallen foes, but he needed to instill fear into these pirates, and brutally bashing their heads in with his fists would do just that!

As they made their way through the many passenger cars, Shining sadly passed the dead bodies of his fallen comrades. Ulric understood the reason for the sadness, as losing a close friend has happened to him many times, especially on his adventures to defeat the Lords of Cinder.

Suddenly, as they reached the end of the final passenger car, a voice chuckled behind them, "Ah, what do we have here?" Ulric turned and smirked when he saw a fine looking mare with an eyepatch, who's mane and tail were black, and her coat was a light red. Her body would be perfect if she were a Human, but Ulric wasn't sure if it was good in Pony standards; her birthing hips were just the right size, along with her size B breasts. Her clothing was normal cloth covered by a leather jacket that allowed some cleavage, her brown pants only reaching down to her knees. She also wore a captain's hat and had a toothy grin. "A freak of nature and the Captain of the Royal Guard. Wonderful. Boys?" She asked, and ten bandits entered the passenger car, all of them were Earth Ponies and almost made it cramped.

Ulric turned to Shining and whispered, "You go and get this contraption working again, I'll deal with this... pirate." Shining nodded hesitantly, exiting the passenger and most likely going to have trouble figuring out how to work this... train, he called it?

Ulric turned back to the large group of bandits, and their leader smirked, "Well, freak, how 'bout you just give up now and we won't kill you?"

Ulric chuckled, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "Oh, that's rich! Me? Surrender? Sorry, but that word doesn't go with my personality." His face unnervingly turned to that of a blank look quickly, his eyes meeting the leader's, "May I have your name before we fight?"

The leader smirked, "Ooooh~," she purred, "I like you; manners even when you're going to possibly die." She chuckled, "Anyways, my name is Crimson Fire, captain of this... lovely crew." She expressed to the ten bandits in front of her. "What's yours?"

Ulric smirked, "Ulric Nyström, once King of the Diamond Dogs until... well, if both of us are alive at the end of this, I'll tell you." He raised his fists, his smirk fading, "Alright, boys, come get me."

All of the bandits charged, their cutlasses raised in the air almost comically as they were grouped together. The first one charged, attempting to stab Ulric quickly. Ulric used his metal gauntlet to parry it, surprising and stunning the bandit. Ulric then punched the bandit in the gut, watching as the bandit held his stomach in pain. Once the bandit lifted his head to look at Ulric, he was met with a powerful punch that sent his head flying off his body, the blood spurting out like water in a fountain. One of the bandits caught the head in his hands, his eyes wide with fear. Ulric tackled him to the ground, grabbing the head that the bandit was holding and began smashing said bandit's head with it. When the bandit's face was unrecognizable, Ulric stood straight and looked at the last eight bandits, fear plastered on their faces. Hesitantly, the bandits looked to each other momentarily, then back to Ulric. They gulped, turning to Crimson. She shrugged, "Lads, you're all good bandits, and I'd hate to lose you, so go into the other passenger car while I deal with this one."

The bandits sighed with relief, heading into the passenger car behind their captain. Once they left, Crimson turned to Ulric with yet another toothy grin, "You're more brutal than I thought, just like me." She picked up the decapitated head that Ulric used as a weapon, looking into the dead eyes of it. "I want to ask you something." When Ulric didn't respond, she continued, "Why are you on this train?"

Ulric chuckled, "I was defeated in battle by the Ponies, mostly because it was my fault when I went against Princess Celestia alone and she carried me into sky." Crimson raised a brow, and Ulric explained it all; starting from how he was brought to Equestria, how he became King of the Diamond Dogs, then got defeated during a raid.

"So you're an alien that survived falling from the sky with Celestia as you dragged her down with you?" Ulric nodded, and Crimson nodded approvingly, "That is one of the bravest things I've ever heard in my lifetime." She then smirked, "How about I make you a deal?"

Ulric gave her a cautious look, "What kind of deal are you thinking of?" Crimson pulled out a bottle of a glowing gold liquid, one Ulric knew as the Estus Flask. Ulric gave her a questionable look, "How did you get that?"

She shrugged, "I'm resourceful." She smirked, "In exchange for this... drink, you join my crew!" When Ulric frowned, she frowned back, "It's not like staying with that guard is going to do you any good; based off what you've told me, I'm pretty sure you'll be thrown in the dungeon for the rest of your life. At least if you join me, you get freedom and respect."

Ulric thought for a moment, looking over his shoulder before looking back at Crimson with a smile, "Fine, give me the bottle and we both work together as bandits." Crimson tossed him the bottle, and he caught in his hand. He then looked behind him, "There's one last thing I must do." Suddenly, the train shook and began moving. It seemed that Shining had figured out how to start this damned thing. Ulric turned back to Crimson, "I'll leave as soon as I deal with this last guard."

Crimson nodded, opening one the door that was on the side of the train and hopping out. Ulric turned and began heading towards the door that lead to the head of the train, his eyes cautiously looking over the door. Surely Shining didn't need to die, at least not yet. Ulric decided that a more non-lethal means of dealing with him would be the best way to go, since Ulric didn't enjoy killing those he had fought alongside.

However, when Ulric opened the door, he was met with a kick that sent him flying towards the other end of the train. He slammed through several doors before he reached the last caboose, where he slid across the ground and reached a slow stop. He slowly arose, the pain that his back was feeling was almost unbearable. Looking through the passenger cars, his eyes widened when he saw Celestia charging at him, her eyes full of anger; she was still wearing her golden armor that had all the dents and scratches from the fight before, and her wings had yet to heal.

Ulric quickly took a sip of the Estus, his back pain going away. He then put it into a pouch on his belt, turning back to Celestia who seemed to be getting faster and faster. He smirked, "Ah, I knew something was wrong. Shining would've came back to at least support me, and now I know never to trust him." Celestia stopped, a shocked expression on her face. Ulric chuckled, "Oh yes, that... curse you lifted? That was what had prevented me from talking, and I do truly thank you for doing so."

Celestia's eyes narrowed, "You're a traitor!"

Ulric replied with plenty of venom in his voice, "I am no traitor, Princess Celestia. Captain Armor was never an ally to me, and never will be. He should've killed me from the start, but he decided to trust me like a fool. Partially, anyways." He snickered, "And the fact that he didn't kill me after I finished off the difficult enemies... it surprises me."

Celestia ran towards Ulric, glaring daggers while doing so. Ulric charged forwards, his body ready for another fight after a good rest.

Upon reaching each other, Celestia threw a fist that Ulric dodged with ease, kicking her knee joint inwards. It snapped, and Celestia fell to the ground while holding onto her knee. Ulric then raised his boot to stomp on her, but Celestia teleported, and Ulric snarled when his boot went through the floor of the train car and not through Celestia's head. He removed his foot from the floor, looking around furiously as he saw nothing but an empty train car. He heard a *pop* in the train car ahead of him, and he looked up and saw Celestia on the ground while a yellow aura was around her knee. Ulric was about to storm over to her, but he heard a familiar voice call out behind him, "Hey, she ain't getting up anytime soon!"

Ulric looked over his shoulder and saw Crimson, who was riding on the back of a griffon that used his large wings to keep up with the train. Surprisingly, the griffon didn't seem to mind the fact that a stunning mare like Crimson was riding on his back. Crimson beckoned Ulric over to her, "Come on! Let's get outta here before she can do anything to stop you!"

Ulric looked back at Celestia, who was looking at him while she continued to heal her knee. Ulric glared at her, "Yet another sign of mercy, Celestia. Remember who defeated you this day and spared your life, for it was the fact you removed the curse that I'm doing so." He then turned on his heel and walked over to Crimson, "It seems that there is only one seat on that griffon."

Crimson giggled, "You can ride on my lap~"

Ulric sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Ugh... fine. If it's the only way off this damned train." He jumped off the back of the train, landing in Crimson's lap who giggled happily as they flew away. Ulric rolled his eyes, "Please don't make this more uncomfortable than it is, Crimson."

She looked at him with a lustful look, "Oh, but I want to~!" She giggled, but was silenced when Ulric gave her a deadpanned look. She huffed, folding her arms, "Ugh, you're no fun."

Ulric replied in a calm tone, "I am a king. 'Fun' isn't a thing."

She gave him an incredulous look, "You're not one of those snobby kings, right?"

Ulric scoffed, "Please, once you get to know me you'll realize that I'm not that bad." He looked at the train as it slowly disappeared into Canterlot. Ulric was lucky that he got off when he did, otherwise he would have been surrounded by guards that even he wouldn't be able to defeat. He then turned back to Crimson with a curious look, "Where are we going now?"

"Our hideout along the rim of Equestria." She replied with a smile, while Ulric nodded approvingly; a hideout along the rim of Equestria was perfect, since most would hide somewhere in the cities or caves. His face faltered; what of his Diamond Dogs? Surely he would go back for them, and possibly destroy Canterlot while he was doing so. But will they be alright while he finds the proper allies? He shook his head while stroking his beard; Tough had learned plenty of things under Ulric's rule, the most notable one being to never give up on hope. And Ulric knew that Tough understood what the Estus did, hopefully realizing that he wasn't dead. But only time will tell.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, school started a few days ago and I've been doing homework ever since.

Chapter III

Ulric stood by the cage that held the three ponies, each sitting close to one another. It was time for their interrogation, and Ulric needed to be sure that they didn't try to fight when one of the dogs took them away. He would interrogate them himself, but he couldn't speak, which was yet another task he had to complete; finding his voice. He was sure that since this world had magic, that someone or something would have the power to give him his or a voice. He just wanted to speak words that would send terror down his enemies' spines.

He heard the sound of footsteps, and he turned to see that it was Tough Rock, the general of the Diamond Dog army. He bowed once he got to the cage door, "Your Majesty." Ulric motioned his hand upwards and Tough stood straight. "Which one do you want to interrogate first?" Ulric turned, noticing that what Tough said caught the ponies' attention. The cyan and tan one simply glared at Ulric menacingly, while the yellow hid behind them. He pointed his hand at the tan one, and Tough went in to grab her.

The cyan Pegasus flew at Tough, yelling and screaming, "Don't you dare touch her, you freak!" However, Ulric instantly stepped into action, entering the cage quickly and catching the cyan Pegasus by the throat before she could lay a finger on Tough Rock. She was still throwing her fists at Tough, but couldn't go anywhere as she was in Ulric's grasp. Tough continued, grabbing the tan pony by the arm and dragging her out of the cage. Once Tough was out, Ulric tossed the cyan Pegasus to the ground, turning around and closing the cage door behind him.

The Pegasus coughed a little, glaring at Ulric, "When I get outta here, I'm going to hurt you so bad you'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life." Ulric simply chuckled, shaking his head while walking away. The cyan Pegasus took notice, "What's so funny, huh?! Huh?!" Ulric continued walking away, out of the dungeons and through the large tunnels that the dogs had dug out. He continued to walk until he came to the door that led to the interrogation room. Opening it, he took in what he had made; he had to command the dogs to dig one out, since there wasn't one. It had stone seats one stone seat on both sides, along with a little crystal that acted as a light. It would be pitch black in there if there wasn't one. Plus it adds to the gloomy effect that the room already gave.

The pony was sitting on one side, while Tough sat on the other. The pony simply glared at Ulric as he entered and stood next to Tough, Ulric glaring right back.

Tough cleared his throat, catching the tan pony's attention, "I am going to ask a fe-"

"Why are you talkin' and not him?" The tan pony asked with a southern accent.

Tough turned to Ulric, who simply nodded to him. Tough turned back to the tan pony, "You see, His Majesty can not speak because he does not have a voice. And without that, he can't do the normal things like... say; interrogations, speeches, commands, etcetera. So, I am his voice for the time being."

"'For the time being'?"

Tough gave the pony a plain look, "I am the one asking questions, not you." The tan pony leaned back, folding her arms. Tough continued, "Alright, first question; What is your name?"

"Mah name is Applejack."

"Last name?" Tough asked, leaning forward on the table.

"Ah don' have one."

Tough shrugged, "Alright, next question; What is so special about you and your friends?"

Applejack glared at him, "Why should ah tell ya?"

Tough faked a smile, "Do remember that I'm the one asking questions, Applejack. Now I shall repeat myself; What is so special about you and your friends?"

"Ah ain't gonna tell ya. Ah know exactly what you plan to do with that information!" She stated, shaking her head.

Tough smirked, "What would that be, exactly?"

"You and your varmint of a king here are gonna use what ah say against me and mah friends!" She stated, slamming her fist on the stone table. Ulric smiled behind his mask, turning around and heading back to the dungeons. What he was going to do was going to be cruel, but it would give him much, much faster.

Entering the dungeons, he stopped by the cage that held the two Pegasi. The cyan one simply glared her usual glare, asking in a voice filled with malice, "What do you want?" Ulric smiled behind his helmet, opening the cage door and walking into the cage. The cyan Pegasus hid the yellow Pegasus behind her protectively, "Don't you dare."

Ulric rolled his eyes, walking closer to the two Pegasi until he was practically looming over them. He reached down and grabbed the cyan one's mane, throwing her to the side. He then took a glance down at the yellow one, who wept at the sight of him, before grabbing her arm and walking to the door at the edge of the cage. He stopped walking to see if the cyan Pegasus was going to charge at him, but saw that she was still laying on the ground. He believed that he had knocked her out with the throw, and just went with that.

Once he left the cage with the yellow Pegasus in tow, he closed the door behind him and went on his journey to the interrogation room. Applejack seemed to care for her friends, and hopefully this would make her talk. Ulric didn't exactly want to do this, but he wants results instead of the long, boring task of prying until he or she gives.

Ulric stopped at the door of the interrogation room, taking a look at the yellow Pegasus; there were tear stains on her cheeks, along with bags under her eyes. She had obviously been crying for the entirety of the time she had been here. For some odd reason, Ulric felt sad for the Pegasus. Maybe because it hadn't put up a fight when he attacked the town of Ponyville.

Pushing those thoughts aside, he opened the door that led to the interrogation room. Applejack glared at Ulric, who pulled the yellow Pegasus inside, instantaneously getting the wanted effect...

...Applejack screamed at Ulric, "WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN' WITH FLUTTERSHY?!" Ulric wasn't stunned, nor was Tough.

Tough spoke calmly, "Applejack, I believe I see what is going on here." He pointed a finger at Ulric, "He is going to damage your friend until you speak, whether you like it or not." He then brought his paws forward and set them upon the cold stone table, "Now will you answer our questions?"

Applejack bit her lip, folding her arms and looking away from Fluttershy. "No..." Ulric smiled, pulling out his sword slowly so that Applejack had enough time to recognize what the sound was. Ulric then brought it up to Fluttershy's neck where he proceeded to bring it closer and closer. Applejack brought her gaze back to Fluttershy, who was paler than a ghost at that point; her eyes pinpricks and she began hyperventilating. Applejack clenched her jaw and fists, before sighing and shouting, "Fine!!!"

Ulric pulled the blade away and sheathed it, still having a hold on Fluttershy's arm. Fluttershy... what a strange name, although it does make some sense.

Tough spoke clearly, "Now, will you answer our questions?" Applejack nodded, biting her lip. Tough continued, "Alright, Applejack, tell us what is so special about you and your friends."

Applejack nodded slowly, "Me and mah friends are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, a powerful magic that not even the Princesses can beat. It can only be used on them villains that we all been fightin' lately."

"Lately?" Tough asked, and Applejack nodded.

"Yes, there have been many fights that have decided the fate o' Equestria that concerned us." She scoffed, "If we all never met each other, Equestria woulda' been nothing but ash and rubble."

"How so?"

"Most of the villains we'd fought wanted nothing more than to rule over Equestria. Like Nightmare Moon, who wanted to make Equestria live in eternal night. And there was also Discord, who wanted nothing more than a reign of chaos."

"Reign of chaos, sounds interesting."

"It was, for Pinkie at least."

"Pinkie?"

"One of mah friends and another Bearer."

Tough nodded, folding his arms, "How do you categorize these... Elements of Harmony, exactly?"

"Well, there's only six; Generosity, Honesty (which is me), Kindness, Laughter, and Loyalty."

"And can you please tell us who the Element Bearers' names please?"

Applejack sighed, "Generosity is Rarity, Kindness is..." she motioned to Fluttershy who was still in Ulric's grasp, "Laughter is Pinkie, and Loyalty is Rainbow."

Tough nodded, "And is there any specific areas that contain many soldiers in Equestria?"

Applejack looked at Tough incredulously, "And what makes ya think ah know that?"

Tough shrugged, "I don't, which is why I want you to take a guess on which ones have a lot."

"Umm... well, ah gonna have to go with Canterlot."

"Canterlot, you say?"

Applejack nodded, "Yes, Canterlot. Ah'm not so sure with others, though."

Tough nodded, "Alright, that's it. You've given enough info and may now return to your cell." Tough turned to see Ulric, who was holding out Fluttershy's arm. Tough took it, giving Ulric a questionable look. "Interrogation, Your Majesty?" Ulric shook his head, walking Applejack back to her cell. He quickly threw her inside, and made his way back to the interrogation room.

Stepping inside, he closed the door behind him and folded his arms, watching as Tough was confused, "Your Majesty, if you don't want to interrogate her, then what do you intend to do?" Ulric pointed at Fluttershy, then pointed a thumb behind his back. Tough tried to make sense of the motion, "You want to send her back to her cell?" Ulric shook his head. "Make her a slave?" Another shake of the head. Tough bit his lip, "You want to set her free?"

Ulric nodded.

Fluttershy looked up at Ulric, and for once felt thankfulness towards him. Tough, however, saw differently, "Your Majesty, may I remind you that these are prisoners of war. We can't just let them go, otherwise they may give away our plans to the enemy!" Ulric clenched his fists, which Tough noticed. "Y-Your Majesty! I-I was j-just warning y-you o-of what could h-happen!" Ulric shook his head, pointing a thumb behind his back. Tough sighed, "Outside of the forest or outside the cave?" Ulric held up his index finger, and Tough nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Tough left the room, cursing under his breath with Fluttershy in tow. Ulric knew that most of the dogs would see this as foolish, but he didn't just want to be seen as an evil tyrant, but instead a merciful king. Something that most of Equestria's villains have yet seen, judging from the history that the dogs had showed him of Equestria.

Ulric left the interrogation room and went to the throne room to see Fluttershy off. She probably was surprised by the sudden kindness, but this would be the first of few times that Ulric would decide to be merciful. The only reason he was merciful this day was because he wanted to fool the Princesses into believing he wasn't just some cruel raider, but an insane king. Sure, they may see through the deceitful plan, but there is also the chance that, when the time comes, they'll spare him if he loses to them.

Ulric scoffed; although it was a one in a million chance, there was that possibility. During his time here, he must hone his combat skills in order to defeat his enemies with greater efficiency. Another task he must complete is make plans for the assault on Dodge City and Appleloosa, to which he shall accompany the troops during the assault on the latter.

Ulric sat upon his throne, watching as Fluttershy walked in with Tough following. Ulric kept his face straight, watching Fluttershy with minor disdain. She hesitantly bowed, before raising her head and stating quietly, "Um... uh... t-thanks for setting me free... I am v-very thankful..." Her words were so soft that even an assassin's footsteps would be louder, to which Ulric was surprised he could even understand her.

Ulric nodded, arising from his throne and walking down to her. She arose from her bow and, with one look at Ulric, began shrinking back in fear. Ulric stopped in front of her, stretching out a hand. Fluttershy looked at it questioningly, and Ulric emphasized it's meaning by moving it up and down. Fluttershy realized what it was, and hesitantly reached up to his hand and shook it slowly.

Suddenly, she screamed in pain as her hand felt just that; complete and utter pain. It was almost unbearable for her, and she would've passed out, but the pain stopped as quickly as it began. Taking a look at her hand, she found that there was a symbol that appeared to be a sword that was pointed at her forearm. She squeaked fearfully, looking up at Ulric, who simply stared back.

Tough came to see what happened, looking at Ulric with a perplexed face, "Your Majesty, what is this?" Ulric pointed at Fluttershy, then to his face, then brought his thumb up to his neck and made a slicing sound. Tough's eyes widened, "Your Majesty, y-you... you marked her?"

"M-Marked?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly, her face paling.

Tough nodded, turning to Fluttershy, "Yes. It means that if you speak a word of what had occurred, or tell anyone about the interrogation, you will feel great pain for an hour, to the least." Fluttershy's face paled even more, her eyes pinpricks.

She turned to Ulric, tears streaming down her face, "W-Why...?" Ulric stared at her, before turning around and heading back up to his throne. He didn't need to tell her, and that is just what he shall do. He'll leave her to learn if the mark takes effect or not, whatever will keep her mouth shut.

Tough walked in front of her, "His Majesty doesn't need to answer you, now please leave. We must get you to the town of Ponyville. That is where you live, correct?" Fluttershy didn't answer, but instead continued to stare at Ulric as he sat upon his throne. How could he do such a thing?! He acted as though he was kind, then smashed her dreams of him changing...

...why?

Tough shoved her towards the door, "We must go, now." Fluttershy hesitantly agreed, turning around and leaving the room with Tough to go to Ponyville.

Ulric leaned back, a smile on his face; the Princesses may find it difficult to get information on what had occurred, along with that lavender pony... Twilight, was it? Bah, who cares? Nothing but useless information that he has no need for. Unless, of course, she was in the interrogation room.

Ulric brought the map that was next to the throne onto his lap, tactfully planning the assault on both cities. He'd need to spread the troops evenly, so that each side had enough to fight. Although he could remove some on Appleloosa and give it to Dodge City since he was attacking Appleloosa. Yes, that seemed wise and fair. Ulric decided that he counted as three-hundred of these worthless mutts, so sparing some to Dodge City would be nice. Next was discipline, which he would do during preparation. Training them seemed better, and if any failed during their training, he'd simply have Tough scream at he/she. He set the map aside; perfect plans and preparations, so there would be no chance of them losing. Unless... no, not possible. The Princesses shouldn't receive any information in the next two to three days.

Ulric arose, getting to the barracks with a smile on his face; time for some high-class discipline!