Chapter 4: Forged, and Broken.

“He is known by many names. He is The Alpha Predator, Herne the Hunter, God of the Green Woods, Warrior’s Bane, and He who hunts the Bloodmoon.”

-Soul Scatter describing the god Cernunnos in the book, Dangers by the Wayside.

Applejack sucked at making haiku.

She has tried to write them everyday in

hopes that she will get better. She sighed in annoyance as she crumpled and tossed another ruined haiku, and began trying to write another one.

Suddenly, a pony ninja appeared.

“What is it, ninja? Can’t ya see ah’m busy?” Applejack said as she continued to write.

“A hundred apologies, marelady. Princess Luna is in the throne room. She says she wishes to speak with you,” the ninja said.

Applejack put down her writing utensil. She grabbed her Darksaber, (just in case) and began to trot to the throne room when a searing pain halted her in her tracks and she gasped in pain. She looked down to the wound she received from King Helm Lunar. It was a now-healing gash on her right hind leg, a memento of his new sword. She wounded the king as well, but his wound was less serious than this.

She gritted her teeth in pain, and kept walking.

When she got to the throne room, Luna was gazing at the Applekoto throne. probably lost in thoughts.

“Howdy, Princess Luna.”

Luna turned to Applejack, a sad smile on her face, “greetings, daimyo.”

“How are things back home?”

Luna answered bitterly, “terrible.”

Applejack frowned, “Ah swear, if those Lunardites are causing trouble with you guys-”

“No, it’s not the Lunardites. It’s the Serponies,” Luna said.

Applejack looked puzzled, “what?! Then what happened when they brought their filly to you?”

“The ponies of Canterlot rioted because somepony told them that she was there. Featherfang and Aurora and countless royal guards died.”

Applejack’s eyes widened with horror.

Luna drew her sword, Moonbolt. She then said, “Applejack, I have a favor to ask you.”

(жиж)

Fluttershy let the body of a drunken stallion flop to the ground, wiping the blood off her face as she did so.

She has been feeding on the populace of the Crystal empire for quite some time now. It seems that every three days she drains a stallion who thinks that they will get a one night stand with her, only to find out that they are her dinner. She doesn’t turn them, she kills them.

Fluttershy let her tongue lick her crimson-coated lips and leaves the body there, not really caring about the police discovering the body.

In fact, nopony can figure out that it is her that is committing the murders. If anypony came close to solving the riddle, she would be tapping their windows at night, begging to get in, and then make them into dinner as soon as they open the window.

Shining Armor can’t track her down, Princess Cadance can’t either. The Crystal Empire citizens are terrified, and that fear always leads to more meals.

It now seems that immortality has changed Fluttershy.

She spread her demonic bat wings and flew out of the alley she used as a dining table.

“She said that the temple was near the south, near the border of the Crystal Empire…”

Fluttershy was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she failed to notice a guard taking aim with his bow. The guard let the arrow fly, and it got Fluttershy in the eye.

Fluttershy screeched, and immediately turned to face the guard. The guard had one moment to think “oh shit” before Fluttershy descended from the sky and tackled the guard.

Fluttershy opened her mouth, a mouth filled with savage fangs, and bit down with the force of a shark. Her fangs sliced easily through the throat of the guard. She ripped the unfortunate soul’s throat out, then plunged her mouth into the throat, gorging herself on the life blood of the guard like a pony who had found water in the desert.

The arrow fell out of her eye and her eye completely healed.

She spread her wings and took off again, heading towards Alduin’s temple.

(#д#)

“N-no, please, I beg you to let me go!”

“I don’t think so.”

Lurtz raised his sword, ready to sacrifice the soldier that got away from him on the stone altar of Cernunnos. The soldier’s partner yelled, “Let him go! Let me take his place instead!”

Lurtz lowered the sword and slowly turned to the hog-tied stallion. He growled as he said, “I don’t think so. You have more meat on you than your friend does, so you are dinner. Your friend will be the sacrifice to summon the instruments of my vengeance. As soon as this ritual is completed, I will travel back to Middle Earth and kill Aragorn.”

Lurtz raised his sword, and in one fell swoop, cut the head of the sacrificial soldier from his body, causing a fountain of blood to erupt from the stump neck. The blood practically watered the ruin’s ground, causing the grass to glow an unholy red in the light of the fire. The twitching body vanished into thin air.

Then, Cernunnos appeared in the middle of the pool of blood. The blood began to slither up Cernunnos’s spectral body like red snakes, slowly wrapping around the spirit of the god. Then the blood completely covered him.

In a vicious shockwave, the blood was blown from the spirit, causing it to splatter all over the grounds.

Cernunnos stood still, then he opened his skeletal jaw and roared. The roar was so powerful, it caused the very ground beneath Lurtz to tremble. Cernunnos’s eye sockets now glowed a sinister green.

Cernunnos spoke, “many thanks, mortal. You have restored my physical body, the body that Apocalypse destroyed all those years ago. I now name you my champion.”

Lurtz growled, “what about my revenge?”

Cernunnos tilted his skeletal head, “patience. In due time, I will send you back.”

Lurtz brandished his sword, “send me back, NOW!”

Cernunnos was silent for a bit, then he stood on his hind legs and held out his left hoof. A tomahawk made of bone and the size of an earth pony appeared in the air, and Cernunnos grabbed it. Cernunnos’s skull transformed into a ram’s skull with the horns larger and sharper than regular ram horns.

“You challenge me, mortal?”

“I do! I had enough time spent here and tracking down those two meatbags to summon you so I could go home. You didn’t even give me any powers yet!” Lurtz spat.

Cernunnos replied, “You revived me, but you haven’t shown your worth to me. I must see if you are worthy of being my champion.”

“Fuck you! I will make you take me back!”

Lurtz charged at the god, swinging his sword. Cernunnos blocked the strike with his tomahawk, then grabbed the blade of Lurtz’s sword. “If you want to leave so badly, then allow me to punch your ticket to Tartarus!” Cernunnos roared. He tore the sword out of Lurtz’s hooves and gored him in the throat with his horns, causing blood to gush unto Cernunnos. Cernunnos then took the Uruk hai off his horns and threw him onto a tree trunk. Before Lurtz could fall to the ground, Cernunnos threw his tomahawk, splitting Lurtz’s skull and pinning his body to the tree. Cernunnos turned and said as his skull transformed back into a deer’s skull, “the moon will turn red soon. I must prepare for the hunt, and call the deer out of hiding.”

He left the body of Lurtz hanging there for the crows to eat.

Author's Note

Sorry for the short chapter, but this chapter is a kind of prelude to the next chapter. The next chapter should be about 20% cooler, and the chapter should be released tonight. Stay tuned!