Death Dealer

A Moment's Rest

Celestia's eyes scanned over the contents of the letter that had mere moments before materialized by her throne. The seal on the letter was that of her captain of the guard Shining Armor. The contents held a report on the investigation that had taken place where Discord was reported to have been spotted.

"This is grave news indeed. And if I know Chrysalis's methods, she will already have many more hives up and running." Celestia said to her younger sister.

"So the detachment Shining Armor lead succeeded in destroying the hive they found then?" Luna inquired her sister.

"No, Shining Armor is the only survivor of his unit. Most of the villagers that were kidnapped are still alive, but it appears Gath appeared and intervened during the fight." Celestia responded, her voice matching the sorrowful look on her face.

"That is quite the distance from where we suspected he holed himself up at." Luna said with a surprised look on her face.

"Yes, we will have to question Shining Armor further when he returns. The letter does not have anything further than after he returned the villagers home..." Celestia sighed out.

"It's all happening again isn't it?" Luna asked somberly.

"Yes, he once again brings war in his wake." Celestia said with her brow furrowed.

Twilight held a smile on her face as she made her way towards where her friend's cottage sat on the edge of Ponyville. Fluttershy had sent a letter via one of her birds for Twilight to visit her and have some tea. While the invitation seemed out of the blue, the young librarian was more than happy however to spend time with her friend.

As she made it over the small bridge not far from Fluttershy's cottage the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She could feel someone very powerful nearby, and though it did not seem like a threatening presence, she could not help but notice the massive amount of magic that was in its aura. Casting her eyes to the treeline of the Everfree Forest Twilight spotted a tall and slender woman among the trees. The woman was too far for Twilight to distinguish any noticeable features aside from the robe she wore that seemed to shimmer as if made from hundreds of scales.

Twilight readied herself and began to channel her magic in case she needed to use it for her own defense. The figure did not move however, it just stood as still as the trees around it. As time stretched on for what felt like hours, though Twilight suspected they were mere seconds, Twilight grew more and more on edge at the sight of the woman.

"Oh, Twilight there you are." The soft and gentle voice of Fluttershy called from not far off.

Twilight jumped at the sound and let loose a magical blast that arced harmlessly into the sky. The young sorceress clutched her chest and stared wide eyed at her friend as she attempted to calm her racing heart.

"A-are you alright Twilight?" Fluttershy asked in a concerned tone.

"Y-yeah, you just scared me there..." Twilight said with a nervous giggle.

"Sorry... You were spacing out there though, just staring at the forest. What were you looking at?" Fluttershy asked with a small but reassuring smile.

Twilight whipped her head back to where the woman previously stood in the distance, but the figure was no longer there. There was also no trace of the massive magical presence she previously felt as well.

"Nothing... I must have been seeing things..." Twilight said as she began to walk with Fluttershy to the cottage.

As they made it up to the cottage Twilight noticed that all of the animals seemed on edge, as if they were on guard because of something. This only caused Twilight's thoughts to go back to the strange woman she saw in the trees.

"Fluttershy, is there something wrong with your animals? Is this why you asked me to visit with you over tea?" Twilight asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

"What? No, my friends are all fine. My other visitor has merely spooked them a little bit." Fluttershy said with a knowing smile.

Twilight gulped at the look her friend was giving her. Something was off about all of this, first the appearance and sudden disappearance of such a powerful woman, and now Fluttershy was clearly keeping something from her. Who was the other visitor, could it possibly be the woman Twilight saw?

Twilight frowned but decided to meet the situation head on and opened the door and strode into the dark cottage.

Something inside the dark cottage stirred and made a noise from the back of the room. Twilight slowly and cautiously advanced on where she had heard the noise coming from. Once she made it almost to the back of the room she could barely make a figure out in the dim room that lay on Fluttershy's couch. Twilight then decided to illuminate the room with a magical flame, and she immediately gasped.

Gath lay on his back, clad in ancient looking black armor. There was a large metal shield along with an axe laying on the floor next to where the man slumbered. Twilight's breath caught in her throat as she noticed Gath spasm in his sleep, as if wrestling something in a nightmare.

"He showed up early this morning and asked about any news around Ponyville. He fell asleep while I was telling him about it though..." Fluttershy said, the shy girl rustling her wings nervously after surprising her friend like this.

"But... Why did you ask me over here then?" Twilight asked, slightly flustered.

Fluttershy smiled knowingly at her friend in answer, causing Twilight to go red in the face at the implications Fluttershy was making. The young sorceress raised her hands and began babbling, trying feebly to make a coherent response to what she had been silently accused of in this gesture.

Fluttershy however pressed a finger to her lips and made a stern face causing Twilight to cease her gibbering and fall silent, "He is very tired and needs his rest, I merely thought you would enjoy being in his company while he slept."

Twilight's face was now a deep shade of crimson as she looked down at her own feet. Fluttershy simply giggled to herself as she quietly strode back to the door and shut it as she exited to take care of her animals. Twilight in the meantime now gazed at the form of the large man on the couch. All of his muscles seemed tensed as he slept, as if struggling against an invisible snake that had wrapped around his body.

Twilight approached Gath and clutched a hand to her heart as she gazed down at the man who had previously saved her life when she was in peril. She shakily reached a hand toward the chest of the man, but flinched away as he spasmed against something in his nightmares.

Twilight glanced around the dark cottage to make sure no one was watching her through a window or anything, before she reached a hand towards the helmet. She had removed the helmet once before, not knowing the implications of what that meant. Now that Celestia had told her however that a pure heart and love was needed to remove the helmet, she felt nervous about it.

Slowly and gently Twilight slid the cursed helmet from the head of Gath. She gazed not at the helmet after removing it, but at the face of the man. As soon as the helmet was removed, Gath's breathing slowed down to a more restful state, and his muscles relaxed. A sigh even escaped the man's lips as he fell into a truly restful sleep.

Twilight set the helmet on Gath's chest, moving one of his hands to rest on top of the Horned Helmet to ensure it did not fall off him in his slumber. Twilight then pulled a chair next to the sofa Gath slept on and sat herself down next to him. Her eyes drifted away from his face and down to the strange armor he had shown up in.

Every piece looked ancient in design, but not a single spot of rust could be seen. The metal itself was strange as well, holding an ebony color with a brilliant sheen. The black armor contrasted with the nearly white skin of the large man, and in the middle of his great belt a large white horned skull. The entire display made Twilight feel slightly uneasy, despite her trust in the man.

The shield and axe then caught her eye though, there was definitely something special about them. Twilight lifted the shield into her hands and examined the kite shield, scrutinizing it under her gaze. There was definitely a magical enchantment on it, but it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. Normally enchantments were woven over an item after it was forged. But this shield held the spell as if it was forged alongside the spell.

Twilight set the shield down, her brow furrowed at the fact she could not discern what kind of enchantment was on the item. She then lifted the axe into her hands, and immediately let out a sharp gasp. The axe, while holding a magical aura of its own that could be felt when wielded, was not enchanted. Twilight had read about and studied the kind of item she now held in her hands. The axe was cursed. The only way an item could become cursed without being enchanted, was for it to take thousands of lives, the hatred and rage of its victims manifesting in the item, and causing it to become more powerful with every life it took. The blade was notched in placed, but Twilight could tell it was still razor sharp. She also assumed the blade would never dull unless it struck something of a higher magical power than itself.

Twilight set the axe down where she had picked it up, and eyed Gath warily. Perhaps there was a reason to Celestia's distress at Gath being free once more. He had definitely committed horrors upon others judging by the axe, but at the same time he seemed so kind at times. Twilight felt a headache coming on as her thoughts conflicted.

Rising from her seat Twilight hurried out of the door, making her way hurriedly back to her home where she could attempt to get a cool head and think things over more carefully. As she hurried home however, her mind was too occupied to notice the tall white haired girl who gave her a questioning look as she hurried past. The girl then looked up at the cottage Twilight had burst from and slowly made her way towards it.

Gilda approached Fluttershy's cottage, and spotted the pink haired girl that tended to the animals watching Twilight race home with a concerned look on her face.

"What was up with her? She tore out of your house with her face as red as a tomato." Gilda asked.

Fluttershy looked up at the larger girl, concern still the dominating emotion on her face, "I don't know. I left her in there with Gath and the next thing I kne-"

"Gath is in there?!" Gilda cut off the timid girl.

Fluttershy made a small squeak as she covered her mouth with both of her hands and slowly nodded.

Gilda hurriedly made her way around Fluttershy and opened the cottage door, only to take a quick step back as Gath ducked under the door frame and made his way outside. Gilda first noticed the new armor he was wearing, an impressive display in her book. But she then noticed the helmet he had in one of his hands.

Gilda looked up into the no longer red eyes of Gath, and gazed at the face she had only seen once before from under the helmet. Though the last time she saw his face she did not really look at it before he put the Horned Helmet on and fought Trixie and herself. He was handsome, and his long black hair hung around his face as he stared back at Gilda.

"Who removed the helmet?" Gath commanded in a stern voice.