Death Dealer

Acts of Evil

Celestia sat on her throne as she smiled politely to the nobleman that droned on and on about wanting a tax break for his business. Of course Celestia would not grant this for him, but it gave her a good reputation if she acted as if she would consider it. Celestia stood form her throne and addressed the noble, her white angelic wings stretching as she stood. In her shapely white robe with it's gold trimming she commanded an air of authority, but still kept a rather motherly figure.

"I will consider this Fancy Pants, but I will still have to consult with Luna. I am not the sole ruler anymore you know." Celestia said with a warm smile. Fancy Pants smiled back and nodded as he strode out of the throne room.

Celestia watched him go until he was out the door and out of sight, then she stretched the rest of her limbs. She yawned and adjusted the crown on her head, soon she could go get some lunch. If she remembered correctly not only was she having a rather delectable main course, but she had special ordered a masterwork cake from Ponyville. If she were not so composed, Celestia might have actually drooled at the thought.

The sound of footsteps brought her attention back to the present, turning to the door Celestia put on her warm smile again. What she saw however made the smile instantly turn to a look of distress.

Discord strode into the throne room, his Technicolor robes fluttering about as he carried Celestia's niece Cadence bound over his shoulder, the Witch Chrysalis following shortly behind. Discord looked around the throne room, seemingly taking in the renovations Celestia had made since the last time he as in here.

The guards at the door were the first to break of the stupor and act at the sight of two of Equestria's biggest threats casually strolling into the throne room. They only made a few steps before Chrysalis shot them down with a couple of green fireballs. The guards screamed as their armor melted into their flesh, acrid smoke billowing from them until they were silent.

"They really do go down quite easily... You should up security Celly, the handful of guards in every hallway is just not enough." Discord smiled happily as he finally met Celestia's eyes.

Celestia tensed at the mockery of her guards, and the underlying message that many of them had been killed. The royal guards were not the indomitable force they once were in times of old, but they were still not pushovers. Discord had to be near full power to so blatantly waltz in here, not even mentioning incapacitating Cadence without so much as a mark on him. This meant trouble.

"What do you want Discord." Celestia said in an even tone, not wanting to provoke the mad man's anger with Cadence at his mercy.

"I am looking for a certain artifact I had been looking for most of my life before I met you. Something that grants power and stops aging, though I may not look over a thousand that is thanks to your hospitable stone encasement, a certain helmet i hear you know where is..." Discord said, a dangerous playfulness in his voice.

Celestia winced at hearing the mention of a helmet of power, it was the one thing she made sure to hide from the world that she knew about. And Discord had been one of the main reasons for that, the man was too dangerous to let live his full life and die of old age so she had him imprisoned in the magical stone slumber. But if he gained the eternal life the helmet offered, or even worse, if the god of death took over his mind and walked the earth, not only Equestria would be destroyed. All would perish under eternal chaos and destruction.

"I... I cannot tell you where it is..." Celestia solemnly said.

Not even waiting for Celestia to have second thoughts Discord reached up to his shoulder and snapped a pink wing to an odd angle. He was rewarded by the sudden awakening of princess cadence, and her blood curdling scream. Chrysalis seemed to glow with happiness at seeing Cadence's misery, but Discord remained impassive.

"You Alicorns live to be multiple thousands of years old if you are not killed, it would be a long life to suffer a permanent maiming..." Discord said casually.

Celestia had tears streaming down her face, she had a duty to protect the land, but she could not watch as her own niece was broken and screaming in pain before her. The choice would no doubt weigh heavily on her, but perhaps an opportunity would appear and she could stop them.

"I will take her place as your prisoner, leave her be and I will show you where the horned helmet lies. You must give me your word however that you will not simply slay me when I show you it." Celestia said, wiping the tears with the back of her hand and trying to retain what dignity she had left.

Dropping cadence onto the ground, Discord beamed happily and said, "I knew we could get along. Oh Celestia, I have never been so happy as to hear I will finally achieve my life's work of uncovering the helmet..."

Celestia noticed the cold stare Chrysalis had focused to the back of Discord's head. She planned on double crossing Discord, Celestia realized. Perhaps that would give her the chance.

Discord strode up and regally offered a hand for Celestia to take, which she hesitantly did. With a snap of his finger a top hat appeared on his head and he carried a silver cane. Discord smiled madly at the two women who looked oddly at him.

"Shall we go for a stroll then?" Discord asked giving Celestia a look that said lead the way.

Celestia had lead the duo away from Canterlot via air, While Celestia and Chrysalis used their wings for flight Discord had thought up a more entertaining way to travel. The mad mage stood upon a pink cloud that rocketed after the princess of the sun, showering the lands below with chocolate rain. As they neared the Everfree Forest, Celestia landed and her two captors followed.

Celestia looked into the forest, then back to Discord and Chrysalis. She needed an opportunity to escape. One of them she could face off and escape, but with both of them she needed her sister and perhaps even the elements to win. She would hopefully find a chance to escape and rally her sister and the elements to prepare for battle, but Chrysalis and Discord were not making it easy. It was obvious Chrysalis did not trust Discord, but she was not letting Celestia get away because of it.

"I trust I need not mention why we are going to walk there?" Celestia said, glaring at Chrysalis and Discord.

"Wouldn't want any of the little nasties in here noticing us, lest we have to actually focus on killing it and you escape eh?" Chrysalis smiled back.

Celestia nodded and led them through the forest, avoiding the semi safe roads that lead through the forest so as to avoid involving more innocents. Sticking to the deeper forest areas would usually be considered just short of suicide, but in the daylight and with the strength the travelers possessed, no trouble was expected. At least, none that Discord and Chrysalis foresaw, but Celestia was taking a path that would intersect a lesser known bandit route. With luck she might just get her distraction.

As they came upon the general area that her guards had informed her of, Celestia noticed something off about the air. Something reeked, and all noise from the animals had stopped. The entire forest seemed wary of this area, but what could bring fear to such untamed lands? The answer came a minute later as they happened upon the source of the smell.

Bodies of man and horse alike were butchered and left in a pile, they had been stripped of all their belongings, and the animals had been skinned for their hide and a few sections of their meat were missing. Blood had pooled out from the pile of discarded carnage, and had painted the surrounding vegetation red. It looked like the work of some nightmarish monster, Celestia could only do her best to hold down her breakfast and avert her eyes as she led them around the scene.

"Well would you look at that, this looks more like the workings of a demon than an animal. Did not know the forest was getting so out of hand lately..." Chrysalis said, whistling in respect to the bloodshed.

"Must have been one strong fellow, looks like that one man there had his head cleaved in half in one clean go. That takes a lot of strength to get it that clean, I should know. Huh, looks like it even dragged them here to butcher them, must be smart." Smiled Discord.

Celestia did the best she could do to avert her eyes and block out the bantering of the two psychopaths she was currently leading to an artifact of near limitless power. As they continued on, the forest grew less dense and the old castle finally came into view. The sight of her old castle in such a state of disrepair brought a pang of sadness to Celestia, it was where she had ruled by her sister for so many years after all.

"It was hidden in there, in the dungeon." Celestia pointed to the rusted iron door.

"I didn't know you had a dungeon. Wait... Why was I imprisoned in stone and not simply left to rot in a cell if you had dungeons back then?" Discord asked suspiciously.

"Because, the helmet was kept there." Celestia said simply.

"You kept an item of vast magical power next to your most heinous criminals?" Chrysalis said skeptically.

"No, I kept its guardian locked up where the world would forget about him and it." Celestia lamented.

Discord walked brusquely up to the door and grabbed the iron handle. With one yank the door flew off and skidded along the floor, leaving a confused mage.

"I did not think I had regained that much strength yet..." Discord mumbled poking a bicep.

Celestia continued down into the dungeon, grabbing one of the unlit torches off the wall and lighting it, Chrysalis doing the same. As they came to the bottom of the stairwell, they beheld row upon row of cells. Celestia led them to the very end one and stared dumbfounded by what she saw.

"Well, where is it?" Discord asked impatiently.

"He was in this cell. He did not even want to leave, and he had not as far as I knew. These bars send me a magical message every week telling me if they are still inhabited..." Celestia said, touching the bent bars and looking at the snapped ones.

"And when was this message received last?" Chrysalis growled.

"Six days ago he was here, but where could he have gone?" Celestia was confused. Discord shared a look with her.

"I know the helmet grants youth, but it does not sustain you does it? He was down here for a thousand years without food or water if I am to believe you abandoned him with the castle." Discord said as he glared at Celestia.

"I... I don't know..." Celestia stammered as she noticed the looks of murder the two had in their eyes. She had to act fast and now. The bars were quickly sucking away at all of their magical powers, and Celestia had to make sure she got the first and last spell off.

"Wait, that mess out in the forest..." Chrysalis began, "You don't suppose-"

Celestia had heard enough, the gory scene was definitely Gath's work and she had to get him hidden again before he caused another war to break out. Celestia reached out with one hand to snuff out Chrysalis's torch, while dropping her own and blasting the witch and mage into the cell where the magical drain was stronger. Celestia then stomped out the torch and bolted to where she knew the stairwell was.

She had given them the slip, but she needed to act fast. If Gath was loose in the forest, the elements had to be warned first.