The Tale Of Muramasa

“So my pony friends, why have you asked me here?” Zecora asked as she sat down on the offered chair of Applejack’s dinner table. While the rest of six mares were simply relaxing enjoying the apple snacks offered by the farmer of the group but Twilight gave Zecora her full attention.

“Oh nothing much you see Princess Celestia told me the recent open trades between Zebra kingdom hasn’t been successful, mostly because of the lack of Zebra traders coming into equestria and when the few traders were questioned about this all they said was because of the Muramasa” Twilight levitated up a parchment and quill not noticing Zecora’s eyes wide in shock.

“And she remembered you from a previous, so she asked if i could ask you for some insight.” Twilight gave a tiny smile and blushed. “I just couldn't resist the chance to learn about zebra-”

Twilight stopped short as she saw Zecora’s worried and fearful look.

“Zecora?” At the sound of Apllejack’s voice Zecora shook herself and sighed.

“Are you sure, it will be hard to unhear.” Her lack of Rhyming grabbed the attention of the rest of the five mare’s.

“Do..do you know what Muramasa is?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“I do, it was the name of a pony who lived over eleven hundred years ago.”

“That doesn't sound like an equestrian name.” Rarity said as a sense of uneasiness crept up her spine from Zecora.

“This tale has been passed taught to most Zebra children, i shall tell it to you as it was told to me.”

It seemed like any other day in Zebra kingdom especially for one of the many villages that lined the border between my home and Equestria , no one could've guessed what that peaceful day held

It was normal sunny day for the small peaceful village the foals were playing their games while the older zebra’s tended to the villages wheat farm and young colts that were almost stallion’s tended guarded the village from anything. But one of the guards who wore his leather armor proudly squinted his eyes as he saw a figure in the distance. As the figure got closer he noticed it was limping badly as his eye’s growing in shock as he noticed the black striped figure only had three legs. The guard ran towards the figure getting close enough to see it was a zebra mare her white fur stained by blotches of dried blood.

“O..O..oh my” His face visibly paled as he saw the cauterized stump that was her right foreleg.

“H..h..help” The three legged mare wheezed. Without a second thought he grabbed the mare and slung her across his back carrying her into the village.

“Help she needs help!” He ran into the heart of his village grabbing the stare of everyzebra there including the village chief who couldn't believe what he saw.

“What happened!?”

“I don’t know, i found her wandering to the village.” The guard placed her down on the ground as those that could give it started to aid and heal the mare applying medicine and gauze to her many wounds.

“A demon..” She wheezed out.“ A demon attacked...my village..... from out of nowhere.”

The mare wept openly as she opened her left eyelid revealing the empty socket. “She..it said i’d keep everything..else...if i told the next village.”

As tears came from her one eyes she finally fell into the sweet grip of unconsciousness. The guard looked on her in rage.

“We cannot let something like this past!”

The young zebra could not hold back his rage and despite some Zebra’s wishes he set out for the neighboring village with more than half of his villages guards so many young zebra’s just wanted to do what they thought was right and they were shown no mercy for it

The sun had begun to set over the horizon as the young zebra warriors made their way to the village and they all stopped as the smell hit them even from a far distance they could smell the scent of rot and decay. The smell only made the guard seethed in anger  as he remembered the mare. With anger overtaking his fear the guard and his companions continued their trot to the village the smell of decay becoming stronger and stronger to the point many of them started to gag on the smell.

“What in the jaaniw happened here?” One of the older guards cursed as he saw dried blood splatters litter the dirt road along with the broken weapons of the village guards,

“It doesn’t matter, we’ll make the one responsible answer for all of this.” The young zebra guard spoke his rage growing and growing. The village guards continued on seeing that not only the road but the ceilings held the marks of battle not only blood stains and broken weapons but now the cold unmoving bodies of the local guards. Their leather armored littered with burn marks and lacerations.

“Are those hoofsteps i hear?” The young taunting voice of a mare made them all jump. They ran toward the source of the voice. They moved toward the center of the village ignoring the gore that surrounded them the bodies of the young and old mutilated laid across the roads of the village some had looks of horror upon their faces others just had surprise frozen upon their faces.

“Well well well, about time i was getting bored.” The Zebra’s turned towards the village center were on the porch of the chiefs home an Equestrian mare sat on the corpse of the village chief slurping down water from a jug.

“Get off his body!” One of guards pointed his spear right at her throat but she paid no mind as she finished her drink and rudely tossed her the jug against wall breaking it giving the sper holding zebra a smile. Now with her face unobscured the guard got a look at her face she was a very young mare with a dark faded blue coat and as she licked the pearly white fangs that poked free of her lips her smile widen.

“Hello, can you entertain me?” she sat back running a hoof through her black mane not caring at all about the spear that is dangerously close to her neck.

“Are you the one who did all this!”

“Yes, shame it was over so quickly i thought a village would entertain me more.” With a roar of rage the young zebra tried to stab her through the throat but he was quickly frozen in place by red telekinetic magic hold over his body. A sparkling red glow that also surrounded the mare’s sharp horn and with a flick of her head she sent the young guard flying into another shack.

“You..what are you!?” The impromptu leader of the group yelled loud enough to make the mare’s fluffy ears flop in annoyance she stood up dusting off the dirty red light plate armor she wore over the black fabric of some uniform unrecognisable to the zebra’s.

“I’m just a bored mare looking for entertainment.” Her smile returned with a vengeance the slits in her red eyes becoming thinner and thinner. “So can you entertain me?”

“You call what you did entertainment!” The young guard yelled freeing himself from the rubble of the shack he was tossed into his helmet missing and new head wound was turned the white of his forehead red.

“No it was far too boring, too many cries of mercy not enough desperate attempts to kill me.” The guard roared in rage charging forward at her picking up a broken spear tip gripping it in his mouth like a dagger. As he tried to swipe at her neck she ducked under it her horn pointing at his chest.

FAAOOM!

The young guard's expression turned from one of rage to one of shock along with all of his comrades as a blade made of bright sparking red magic extended from her horn. With a giggle she tossed the young guard away.

“So he couldn't entertain me.” The magic spread from her horn to her hooves and as she stood on her hind hoofs two matching red sparking blades extended from her forehooves. “But can you!”

“Monster!” they all circled around her but with a flash she disappeared and another flash appeared above one of the guards capturing his neck in scissorhold before running her blades through the necks of the two guards on his side and with a quick squeeze of her thighs a sickening snap resounded throughout the village. While his friend was going limp another guard threw his spear at the mare.

“Heh” She snapped her head toward spear and caught it in her teeth and with muffled chuckle she bit the metal tip shattering it.

“You..spit..call...spit..that a..spit a tip.” She said in between spitting out metal chunks. She got up from the corpse and in the blink of an eye charged forward punching a one zebra so hard his eye’s nearly shot out of sockets before with quick use of magic forming a blade on her hind hoof and with a twirl she cut the stunned zebra in half. “I’m still not entertained.”

She teleported in front of the last of the zebra guard and slashed him across his face. She tapped her hoof in frustration as he squirmed on the ground and with a snort of mild annoyance she stomped her hoof on his chest.

“Listen here.” She levitated him to his hooves and dusted his armor off. “You get to live if you tell someone who can actually fight to come.”

“Yes mam” He stuttered out the pain of the bleeding scar across his face making him shake in pain. She smiled broadly licking a little blood from his scar humming in appreciation.

“Tell them, Muramasa hungers.”

“No way.” Rainbow dash looked Zecora in shock. “No way a pony could do all that.”

“Zecora I’m confused, your story has the pony having a horn and magic.” Twilight looked up from the notes she was taking. “But your description also matched that of a Thestral.”

“I’m afraid that’s how the story has been told, it's possible it has been exaggerated  over the years.” Zecora sighed again. “But with the ending itself i doubt it.”

In the destroyed village the mare sat in her claimed village any warrior that came in the months she had stayed there. No matter who came she defeated each her excitement of a new challenger met with only dissapointment. Each and every time some were fearful others boastful but it always ended the same after months of battles all she had to show for it were her blue hooves tinted brown from dried blood.

“Such a shame.” She sat back taking a bite from a potato one she took from the zebra warrior she had killed yesterday. “What was her name again, shakra?”

Her eye’s snapped open as she heard a hoof step. She held up the potato with her magic making it intercept a thrown dagger. She sat up and looking toward the source of the knife were a larger than life zebra Stallion walked towards her every step he took full of determination and rage. He wore A black panther pelt over his black and ivory armor that covered his body and hooves leaving his joints free and his face having an expression of pure rage.

“Are you the mare that has been theorizing my subjects, are you Muramasa?” His deep voice reverberated through her chest making Muramasa smile and laugh giddily.

“Yes i am.” She gave a wide a smile licking her fangs. “I’m the pony of your subjects nightmares.”

The large zebra snorted. “I doubt your a pony, more like a demon in pony shape.”

“Oh i can assure you, i’m a genuine pony.” She smiled proudly holding a hoof over her heart. “According to others, some ponies would consider me a lower life-form.”

She raised her hooves gesturing to the carnage around her destroyed and half-eaten or decomposing bodies lying around them the former home’s filled with holes and covered with old and new blood stains. She looked upon the the sight with pride and gusto.

“But does this look like the work of a lower life-form!” As she was gloating the Zebra had charged her and ram his hoof into her stomach the blades on his hoof guard piercing her light armor. She merely giggled to his surprise and grabbed his hoof pulling it from her new bleeding wound.

“What are you!?” He yelled at her seething as she twisted his hoof just stopping short of breaking it. “What reason do you have to attack us!?”

“I am merely doing what Unicornia created me to do, to destroy.” He punched her with all his might his hoof connecting with her nose knocking her back a bit releasing his hoof. She quickly regained her balance licking the blood from her new nose bleed.

“You were made to destroy the Zebra Kingdom!” Muramasa shrugged.

“No not you specifically, just anything Unicornia told me do.” She then pouted like a little filly. “But then they just stopped all the fighting and made Equestria or whatever, and i was just so bored without any fighting.”

The zebra grinded his teeth as with a flick of his wrist the claws from his other hoof guard extended.

“You killed several of my people, maimed and crippled innocents, ALL BECAUSE YOU WERE BORED!”  With a roar the claws with of his hoof guards seem to glow silver. “As the Kaiser of this land, i will defeat you.”

He charged at her raising one of his claws to strike her and she raised her hoof her red magic blade extending to block his strike.

“Kaiz-WHAT?” She shouted as the claws cut through her blade and slashed into her chest. With a look of shock she teleported away onto the roof of one of the houses resting a hoof the three gauges on her chest. Her look of shock turned into an excited grin. “Finally an actual warrior.”

She flipped down from the roof trying to deliver a kick to the back of the Kaizer’s head but he easily caught her leg and slammed her to the ground. With a growl she kicked her leg into his shoulder the magic blade the stretched from it cutting through his shoulder armor and into shoulder. With a cringe of pain he tossed her away like she weighs nothing but in red flash she disappeared and reappeared roundhouse kicking him across his jaw knocking him on his back. Muramasa jumped on the Kaizer’s chest aiming her forehoof blade aimed for his head as she thrusted the blade toward he dodged it in time to only get a cut on his cheek he punched his clawed hoof toward her cutting her cheek as she jumped off in time.

“Hehehe!” She back flipped away laughing to gain distance. “You fight just like a vesper!”

She drew twin glowing blades on each forehoof.

“Is that what they call demons like you!”

“Yes!” She teleported were her blades connected with his armor. But he pushed her blades away before elbowing her in her slitted eye blinding her her as the eye started to swell with a bruise. As she regained her balanced she was sent flying but the Kaizer bucking her in the face sending her flying into a building as one of her fangs were knocked loose.

“So how about i send you to tartarus where demons belong!” She teleported out of the rubble slashing at his him giving him a slash across his chest. He punched his claw right into her stomach knocking the wind out of her causing her blades to dissipate. With a sneer she reached over and bit into his neck her one fang punching through his skin.

“Get off!” He grabbed her and pulled her with all his might the one fang dragging making a small gash on the side of his neck.

“I liked that fang!” She yelled with blood stained teeth. He swiped at her but she ducked under him and charged horn first.

“It was fun, but it’s over kaizer!” As her sharp horn pierced his armor a magic blade extended stabbing him right through his guts splattering her face with blood.

“Yeah..” He wheezed but raised his hooves bringing them together. “IT'S OVER!”

With a mighty roar he smashed his hooves to her head making her release a loud screech as her horn cracked the magic blade dissipating. Muramasa curled her forehooves around her head feeling like her head like it was on fire.

“Screeehh” She let out a tiny pathetic screech as she falls to the ground curling up.

“So, any words.” The Kaizer pulled the mare’s horn from his stomach. “I’ll give you this demon, you fight like warrior so despite your actions i’ll you the privilege of a warrior's death.”

He walked toward her putting the sharp horn away on a pouch on his side. She looked up to him and despite the pain in her head smiled at him.

“Thank you...for giving me a fight...i can happily say i lost.” She rolled over revealing her belly to him. “All i knew growing up was fighting, so i thought why not end it that way.”

“Such a sad existence wasted only on violence.” He looked upon Muramasa his anger now gone only replaced with pity for her.

“I know it's why i came here, the others of my kind have grand ambitions i do not.” The Kaizer looked upon her his eyes filling the caution.

“Others?”

“Don’t worry kaizar there are hundreds like me but they are not as bored of me, again grand ambitions i’m a simple warrior who just wanted to keep on fighting for the heck of it.” She laughed feeling contempt with her live. As she laughed the Kaizer raised his hoof before in an instant the laughing stopped.

“Oh my.” Rarity gasped not fully able to understand the story Zecora just told.

“But it's just story right, just a little foals story right?” Rainbow looked up to Zecora who had a somber look.

“Sadly no it's zebra history.” Zecora looked toward Twilight who stopped taking notes a while ago out of shock of the story. “Believe me or not but the horn of that mare is on display in the palace of our capital so that we may never forget the tragedy of that day”

“There’s no way, i have never heard of a vesper or anything like that in ancient equestrian history.” Twilight looked flabbergasted a she replayed Zecora’s tale in her head over and over again. “I’ve read nearly every history book there is, no mention of anything like that Muramasa existing.”

Zecora gave her a sideways glance as she gave the mare a disappointed sigh.

“Maybe, maybe you ponies purposefully forgot them.”

“RRRRAAAHHH!” The mugger fell back clutching the as his horn was cracked from a punch of a stallion he didn't see in the darkness of the canterlot alleyway. The silhouette of the stallion that attacked him stood in front of the young couple he was previously mugging was getting closer and closer to him as he crawled away.

“Imagine my surprise, i was bored on my patrol when i come on upon as a scumbag like you.” The only thing he could see from the silhouette was a single slitted golden eye. “I was bored out of my mind, you have no idea how happy this makes me.”

A red glow from a sharp horn glowed bright enough to reveal a fanged smile.

“Please i’m sorry, i’ll do anything just don’t hurt me!” A red sword made of magic appeared next to the stallion before he gripped it in his hoof.

“Sorry mister scumbag but.” He raised his sword ready to bring it down on the mugger. “I could use a little entertainment!”