“Now remember Twilight be courteous to the pony and please don’t bombard them with questions,” Celestia’s voice chimed as the Mane 6, accompanied royal entourage stepped down from the airship ramp, ”I fully understand your curiosity regarding this particular pony but it’s best to make a good first impression, wouldn’t want to scare them now would we?” Her voice was melodic, calming and had a ring that resonated within every creature, natural ASMR if there ever was.
Argenti hated all.
Unfortunately, he had to catalogue them regardless.
Their exit really was a sight to behold. Celestia wore a simple Greek toga-like dress, its white seeming to radiate with light, the material too well doing a good job of tracing her curves while feigning modesty. How pretentious. The whorse was tall as two doors stacked upon one another. She was motherly, softer-limbed than the archaic Luna, but he knew better, gold was heavy. Even her feet were sheltered by golden sandals and she wore a broach of a golden sun around her neck.
Gold, gold gold. Gold and silver.
Luna, like her sister, wore a similar dress and similar broach, except hers was black and her broach took the shape of a crescent moon. She wore silver sandals and though her frame was thin and wiry muscle, and her height shorter than her sister’s, she was by far most imposing of the two. Her body tense, hard and sharp like a wire stretched taut.
Onto their weapons.
Twilight wore a white short-sleeve shirt and a blue sweater and short, purple skirt with her cutie mark on the side. She, stood at about one-half a Celestia and pudgy. She, along with Rarity and Fluttershy, lacked significant musculature.
He estimated she could sprint as well as a fish could walk.
Fluttershy wore a simple green long-sleeve sweater and a long white dress, with a hidden pocket below her left breast. It held a rectangular object. Not his problem
She was slightly smaller in frame to Twilight and was two fingerwidths shorter.
Applejack stood at one and one fifth a Twilight, her posture spoke of strength, her arms were... Enviable. She wore a red, checkered short shirt that exposed her toned stomach and a long, blue jeans with an amber, apple-shaped belt buckle. And of course a characteristic Stetson was glued to her head.
Rarity had layered her face with perfect azure eyeliner and fixed her hair to an almost impossible level of perfection, the finish really was beautiful though.
Ha ha.
No.
Beautiful? More like revolting.
Someone could stab her in the face and he was sure their blade would bounce off that veritable mask of makeup. He wasn't sure where fur began and powder ended, never had he ever seen hair strands hard and unyielding as an aroused manhood.
Anywya, back to his job,
A tight sky-blue long-sleeve shirt hugged her upper body and a darker blue corset constricted her midsection. Both were complimented by a fundamental blue colored ‘business’ skirt with a black pantyhose strapping onto the two gray stockings that ran down her thighs to her ankles. She stood at about four fifths a Twilight and every her motion was an attempt to turn eyes her way.
Yay.
Another one.
Rainbow Dash seemed to not have prioritized this trip, looked like she had just awoken. As such simply wore her trademarked white tank top (with her cutie mark) on it and a short, gray sports pants that reached a bit above her thighs and were tight enough to sleep in. Her build was slim, flat and devoid of fat. Either great genes or steroids, take your pick. She stood at one Applejack.
Not a bad tomboy if you’re into that.
Who am I talking to?
Am I going insane?
FU-
Pinkie Pie, ever the slightly chubby-yet-somehow-still-thin-wait-what- wore a blue armless top and a brown, cake-colored crop top sweater that would have exposed her stomach had she not been wearing the top. She wore a bright pink dress and two thigh length blue and white stockings to complete the surprisingly excitable look. She stood at one Twilight and her form resembled a pear that jiggled and wiggled every now and then.
She also had fifteen knives, three rocks and one roll of tape taped to her body beneath all the layers of uneccesary clothing.
The stench of adhesive burned his nose.
Dear God.
Heart attack notwithstanding, this one, I despised
__________
“Okay Princess!” Twilight replied cheerily, her biped body bouncing up and down excitedly, truth be told this was the one event she had been waiting for the better part of this month. What event? It was simple really, she had won a raffle, the prize being a week-long trip to Ornithia, home of the avians. Of course the prospect of going to a foreign nation wasn’t the only thing she was excited about, no it was the all extras included tour of their factories, by THE creator himself!
For clarification, in recent years Ornithia had been producing toys in the market that have taken Equus by storm and on a further note, while quite simple to use, most required a complex understanding of Physics, and in some cases Chemistry, to grasp how they functioned. Twilight had both and still found herself wracking her brain on the specifics of each and while some were simpler than others she simply couldn’t fathom how the enlarged coiled loose spring worked! It defied Starswirl’s Third Law of Magical Physics for Celestia’s sake!
Truth be told both her friends, Starlight and the royals were worried about her new obsession with children’s toys. No mater, they were nearing a large, red rectangular building and almost immediately were greeted by two bowing avians. One was an older female parrot whose feather ends were green, similar to Celaeno’s but a bit darker, almost blue. She was a tad taller than Jackie and an angular shape. The suit tied the "confident and prim" look together, she though. The other was a bulky griffon whose feather ends were ashen gray. He was about an inch or two shorter than the parrot and unlike her he was odd in the extreme that Twilight's eyes couldn't help but focus him. Both his limbs and chest were thin as dried sticks, however he had unnaturally large wings, big as Celestia's and maybe bigger. How peculiar. Both wore business-like black suits and appealing smiles on their faces as they introduced themselves and ushered the Princesses and Mane 6 into the factory. The female parrot was Kelaino and the male griffin, Argenti.
Twilight attempted to pry some information about her esteemed individual but the escorts simply shrugged her off almost comically and after a while of walking they parked their guests at a large, golden door(plated gold, the actual material is duralumin).
“You may enter whenever you’re ready, though keep in mind, the master is quite the…….. unique….. individual,”
Kelaino stated in a hearty, bemused tone of voice as she eased the golden doors open for the guests.
Twilight all but ran through the doorway. Before her stood a hairless biped that certainly wasn't a pony. He was just an inch or two shorter than her. His tanned arms were coiled, hairless ropes of muscle that contracted and relaxed with every motion as he slammed a hammer down onto the anvil in front of him, sparks cascading over the edges of the device with every strike. His body was, for all observational purposes, quite defined, scarily so in fact. His chest was covered by a large red chest plate, fire coiling around his neck, the orange flames licking at the tender skin. His head was concealed by a bulky, red knight’s helmet with two short, orange, upward-curved horns on the sides with a golden line with a single strand of orange running down the back of the helmet. His back faced her and just as she was about to speak, she froze as an animalistic scream of unparalleled agression assaulted her unarmed eardrums, followed by a rather brutish melody.
The sound appeared to be an odd mix between an assertive modern melody and an olden tune similar to that made by a bagpipe. Her base magical sense indicated said noise originated from the 'Magic Of Music' as it was called. Nonetheless Twilight had no further time to ponder on the odd song before the familiar voice of her mentor’s Royal Canterlot voice silenced the peculiar music and with it all the peace of mind the inventor had at the moment.
“YOU!”
The rest of the Elements and the Royals stumbled into the room after her, Celestia glaring daggers at the individual who had just frozen in place. Slowly he turned around, revealing a hairless, youthful face with bright, rose red eyes, a long face and small nose, he, had the most obvious expression of befuddlement they had ever seen, he grasped an object behind the anvil and pulled it out. A long, shiny blade with a long hilt, a single blue gem was embedded into the guard and on its side was the word 'Caliburn'. He placed it’s almost silver blade beneath his small forging hammer, right hand to the golden handle as energy swirled around the swords sharpened length. He spoke in a monotone voice, the only emotion comparable to Celestia’s burst simply being the absolute look of boredom on his glistening, sweat-addled features
“Oh look. It’s Bighorse, worked that fat off your enlarged ass yet?”
Author's Note
Ideas Ideas, which one to use...........
Go dark,
or become a Joker......
Decisions, decisions.......
Edit: That scream's at 2:38 by the way.
Chapter 2 - Initial Exposition
Celestia visibly flinched at his comment but stood her ground, her rage filled eyes almost glowing a bright orange as the air around her rippled with heat. In a voice that shook the foundations of the room they stood in she shouted.
“YOUR INSUFFERABLE BANTER IS MEANINGLESS AND LIKE BEFORE TO TARTARUS YOU SHALL B-”
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!”
His anger-induced shout rang in their ears and Celestia's jaw audibly snapped shut. The sheer volume of his outburst slammed into them like a persistent, concentrated headache and almost floored the more sensitive of the group.
Celestia trembled, frozen in place and the rest of her group fared no better, each wobbling in place trying to fight the haze of disorientation and discomfort. Mostly to no avail.
Nonetheless, the creature before them could not be bothered by the arrogance of senile monarchs nor the pain of her subjects. Only his state mattered, the rest of the world could taste steel for all he cared.
He lightly observed that, with the flash of her horn, the purple Pegacorn was the first to recover, and with several recasting of whatever spell she fished from memory, so did the others. Even the mighty Sun Wolf, who simply couldn't seem to function past agression and instinct.
He raised his forearm and wiped the sweat off his brow, keeping his grip on Caliburn’s sword handle as he rested his hammer onto the anvil and turned to face them.
Twilight almost drooled.
It was like a scene right out of Playmare- Mare’s Choice, Fantasy Edition. His chest plate, as it turned out, ended just below his pectorals, allowing her a succulent view of all eight of his glistening abdominal muscles and every small bump and ridge that surrounded them. His biceps like ripe, round apples and he positively rippled with visible muscle in every gentle movement.
The scientist within her was fascinated by how expertly cut his body was. It was almost as if someone had sculpted it out of stone, making a perfect balance of where muscle and just the slightest amount of fat would be placed to fill out any deep crevices, a godly phisique if there ever was one. His legs were hidden by similar red-armored leggings however just by their width she could tell his lower body was no exception to his seemingly perfect form.
Twilight noted that the flames surrounding his neck appeared to emanate from a red gem embedded in his red chest plate, right at his Adam’s apple. Fascinating, she would have to ask him about it later, if there would be a later.
Honestly, she was on the verge of panicking. This individual had made her mentor, the immortal alicorn with more than a millennia’s worth of experience, lose her composure.
A changeling invasion hadn't made her lose her composure. Discord hadn't made her lose her composure. Tirek hadn't made her lose her composure.
But this, thing, did, and quite thoroughly at that.
She wasn’t sure whether to be shocked, scared or curious. Currently a mix of all three.
The other girls were faring no better.
Pinkie Pie was simply staring at him, Rainbow Dash had placed herself into a fighting stance the moment Celestia fist spoke her feet spread, right foot in front the left with both hands cocked in a high-block like a mock-boxer. Applejack was slightly more composed, standing silently with her right hand resting on her lasso just in case.
Fluttershy was hiding behind Luna, Rarity was on her fainting bed and Luna simply stared at the boy while cautiously eyeing her sister, the misplaced ruler not really knowing what to make of the situation. Before anyone attempted something rash the male spoke, his tone almost flat as he snapped his fingers three times to get their attention.
“Now then, would we all just calm down and engage in civil discourse like good folk,”
He tightened his grip on the silvery, wind-swirling sword and shifted his body to the side slightly,
“Or are some tourists going to be arrested for the assault of an official citizen of Ornithia?”
He let that statement hang and waited. After a few minutes, the air around Celestia cooled and she breathed out, her composure partially recovered itself, however the rage in her eyes was of no less magnitude.
“Very well, first question, why are you not in Tartarus, Orca-”
He interrupted her.
“Kraken,”
Celestia cocked an eyebrow and asked quizzically,
“What?”
His face tensed for a moment, a scrunched up expression displaying scantly restrianed resentment and given a moment he relaxed, a familiar look of passivity shrouding his features. He replied in the same monotone voice,
“My name is and always was Kraken, Joseph Kraken, and for your information,”
He passed and stole a glance at Twilight, his eyes obvious in their focus. Her wings, and horn. He took a step forward as he spoke, red rises tracing the curves and ridges of her body as he did so,
“I see no reason why I should answer that question, much less from one who treats an entire realm as her own dumping ground,”
"I beg your parden?”
Celestia's muzzle scrunched and she gazed at him as if he had grown a third head. Her expression, dumbfounded, as she attempted to grasp the nonsense spilling out of his mouth.
“There’s a whole kingdom down there. Tartarus is just one spec of dead land and if you couldn't tell, I'm currently not in it.”
He finished as he strode towards a nervous Twilight. The taller girl somehow shrinking before the intensity of his gaze.
“Another Pegahorn. That makes three doesn’t it?”
He stood in front of her, his blank stare only heightening her anxiety as he simply did nothing. The reactions were mixed. Pinkie Pie was back to bouncing up and down, Rainbow Dash had somehow tensed even more than she already was, Fluttershy was still hiding but stole a glance at the situation.
Luckily, Applejack was the same as before, hand resting on her lasso but otherwise calm. Rarity was just regaining consciousness and Luna was, though a bit disturbed, less aggressive than her sister.
Celestia, on the other hand, was silently fuming.
She would admit that in the past her decisions were less than stellar after her sister’s banishment. Her actions during that time resembling that of a senile old woman rather than a long-lived immortal, however, even then she only resorted to banishment in the most extreme of circumstances.
Honestly, she could scarcely remember the reason for his banishment. What she did remember, and what she felt regardless, was a nerve-crippling fear of the young man. The moment she saw him her mind went into panic mode. The first words he spoke enraged her beyond reason and his very presence seemed to drive her positively mad.
He was here and, if his blatant non-compliance was any indication, held quite a grudge against her. Both were problems in their own right, but his disrespect fanned the flames of her rage far more than she had ever intended it to reach.
This was terrifying.
In her life, Celestia had seen many things. She had seen Heroes rise against Tyrants, only to become that which they fought against, she saw nations rise from the ashes of broken races, and perhaps most of all she saw Monsters the likes to which she was a mere candle compared to their massive, inky-black flame.
Nevertheless, she fought, she fought and she won. Celestia Solaris was an individual feared among the dark and she herself had no fear other than for that of those she treasured.
Yet.
This man, this CHILD forced fear into her with his very presence, his demeanor gave her no consolation and, for some reason, the moment he picked up that accursed sword the distinct, sour odor of copper permeated the air around her. She could feel something desperately trying to force itself to the forefront of her mind but just as it appeared to be in reach the blasted memory eluded her.
Her chest grew heavy with each passing breath; the more she stared at him the heavier the oppressive pressure in her chest grew until she forcefully tore her head away. The annoying agony and anxiety slowly regressed as she stared at Kelaino, the Avian’s scarlet eyes boring into the mares as she sat on a nearby workbench. She appeared to be waiting for something.
Wait a minute.
She didn’t come in with them.
Argenti on the other hand was seated on a chair next to the workbench, occupying himself with a rubix cube.
Luna was, for lack of a better term, stumped. Her sister, to whom she regarded in the highest order, had, in the span of mere moments, lost her composure, subsequently calmed and judging by her current demeanor, she was not faring well emotion wise.
Celestia stood dangerously close to the boy, however her gaze was completely averted from him. He, on the other hand, was busy silently evaluating each and every one of his guests for the day.
Luckily the room’s tension had all but dissipated by now, with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy whispering to each other while Applejack stood with her hand on her hips, murky emerald pools reflecting the calm observationalism he displayed towards her.
Joseph smirked and rested his Caliburn on the cold anvil. He turned to them, exhaling a deep breath, and his emotionless expression replaced with a confident, open smile. He chuckled a bit and dusted off his shoulders and asked, his tone a great deal more hearty and friendly than their initial encounter.
“Now then, would you lovely ladies mind going on a tour of our facilities?”
Author's Note
Well then. Not sure where this went. Hell, I might even end up rewriting this chapter in the future.
Warning in advance, I'll be spending some more time on Wolf-cubs in the next few weeks.
And remember,
The label of 'Monster' is always based on perspective.
Edit 30/10/20: Quickly fixed the suspense, some spelling errors and pargraphing.
