Twilight and her friends sat at a table in front of a cafe as they looked around the town that Aku had made his home. They’d never guess that this place was so run down and much, much smaller when he first came here with how lively and so modern it was, even more so than Manehattan. The streets were busy with both children and adults going about their day, the guards were interacting with the civilians as if they were civilians themselves. The soldiers back in Canterlot always stood stoically and ignored the civilians. “This town seems like such a happy place. I can’t believe that Aku was the one who aided in its development. It really does seem like he is fitting in here far better than he ever did in Ponyville. I mean, just look at him…” Twilight said as she caught a glimpse of him being surrounded by a few of the teens that had spotted him going about his business. “Sensei!!!” they all shouted as they surrounded him. Aku gave a smile to his students and placed his hands atop their heads.

“He never smiled like that in Ponyville at all. That is a real smile for sure.” Said Pinkie as she was happy that she could see him smile like that, but a little bit sad that he couldn’t when he was around her. “What does ‘Sensei’ mean? They seem to call him that a lot. Both the children and the adults.” Asked Rarity as she took notice of his clothing that he wore. She’d be lying if she says she didn’t want to try something similar. “I remember him telling me back when he was staying with me. According to where he is from, it means ‘teacher’. But they seem to hold him in a much higher regard than a simple teacher. From what I gathered from the guard from earlier though, he teaches both the adults and children here.” Twilight explained as she watched him from her chair as the waiter came with their food and drinks.

“SOmething’s not right here, girls. He’s gotta be doing something to manipulate these ponies and everyone else who lives in this town in some way. These people seem so happy!” Exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she leaned in with a hand to her cheek as if she was trying to keep the conversation from leaving the table. Pinkie Pie shook her head right away at Rainbow’s accusation “No, these aren’t fake smiles. Not in the very least.”. After the children all leave Aku, he stands there for a few moments longer as if he was waiting for someone. Soon enough, a young mare approaches him with a smile and suddenly clings to his right arm, her long purple tail swaying happily as she gazes up at him fondly. He smiles right back at her with a much more nervous smile though. She was a beautiful pegasus with a long mane and a soft ice blue firsted body. They all saw this and it bothered Fluttershy the most.

“Look at her, draping herself all over him! What does she even see in that guy?” questioned Applejack as she just lik Rainbow couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Fluttershy sat there in her chair with her hands in her lap as she wiggled her legs and fidgeted with her fingers as she gazed at the ground. She had already regretted the words she had said to him at the entrance of the town before. And now she was feeling a twinge of heartache seeing another mare with him.

“You shouldn’t be so surprised that they swoon for him. He is the one who came and made this town what it is.” an older mare spoke from her table having heard their conversation. “Aku has told us all about what happened where he came from. He did mention a group of mares who caused him a bit of trouble. And it seems like you are the ones he spoke of. Especially the loud mouthed blue one. You are the one he doesn’t like the most. And I can see why.” she said with a giggle as she gets up and leaves her money on the table. “Do him a favor and leave this town. All of you. He doesn’t need any more sadness in his life.” she said as she walked away to continue her day. Little did they know that very mare was one of the five council members who greatly respected Aku.

Aku spent the day with the mare who had met him just enjoying ehr company. It was just a little date that the two of them had planned. Though, Aku wasn’t really serious about any of the women in the town at all. He mainly did it just to enjoy her company and get out of the dojo. As Aku makes his way back towards his house, he sees Fluttershy step into his field ofm vision and watches her approach him. But, one of his samurai got to him first and pulled him aside. “Sensei, we have trouble at the Oni Gate.” Aku looked back at Fluttershy for a moment If you want to speak with me, it will have to be later. I have business to attend to.”. He then looks back to the gryphon samurai “Gimme a lift?” he asked. The gryphon nodded and lifted into the air before Aku grabbed his hand and flew off. Fluttershy huffed before taking off after him a few minutes afterwards. No, she wasn’t going to wait. Not anymore. However, she may regret her choice in following him. As she was going to see a side of the one she loved that would frighten her.

Once at the Oni Gate, Aku noticed that several of his samurai had their blades drawn and in their stances as they stared down six other individuals with weapons and magic in view. He looks back at the one who brought him and took the sword from his hip “I will bring it back. I left my own weapon back at the dojo. Didn’t think we’d have trouble today.”. The gryphon nodded and smiled “Should you need to use it, I will consider it an honor for it to be used by my sensei.” he said with a deep bow. Aku placed a hand upon his shoulder “Hopefully it won’t come to that.” he said as he walked over between the group of samurai and the other armed individuals. Fluttershy landed behind a building not too far away from the gate as she watched and waited to see just how Aku would handle the situation, shaking with nervousness and a slight bit of fear as she saw the sheathed blade in his hand.

“Well well, if it isn’t the Magic Eater himself. You got a pretty price on your head right about now, you know? Threehundred and sixty-five thousand bits for you dead or alive.” Aku arched a brow and gave out a small whistle “Three hundred and sixty-five thousand? Can I turn myself in? The nobles in Canterlot must really want me dead after I killed the judge that was in their pockets.”. He then looks back at the group of samurai behind him and chuckles”PerhapsI should let them turn me in instead. They need the big payday anyway.”. They all laugh for a moment before focusing back on the bounty hunters. Aku then dismisses the bounty hunters away in a mocking fashion “Be off with you. The last group of you assholes came here and left with a couple of limbs less because they tried to take me from my home as well..”

The hunter growl lowly and get into a fighting stance with their magic and weapons. Their leader glares at him with a rather annoyed smile at how cocky he sounded when he said that. “Tch, they were amateurs at best. Buit now, you are dealing with the pros. We will take your head and get our reward and be rich! Men, strike this bastard down!” As the hunters charged in for the attack, Aku closed his eyes and held the sword out in front of him and pulled it from it's sheath, an audible 'shing' sword coming from it. Once he reopens his eyes, they take their dark form once more and he charges forward turning the blade on it’s back end for now. Several of the samurai followed with the back of their blades ready for use as well. This was a technique that he and his students came up with together. Though he might have had a few inspirations from the anime he watched back home as well. Aku leapt over the leader at first to attack the magic users. Literally getting in close while parrying their attack to eat the magic directly from their horns and hands before striking them in the stomach with the back end of the blade knowing full well this would k.o them quickly due to the combo of attacks.

He and the others then quickly turned their attention to the others and began engaging in combat with them, weapons clashing over and over as both sides performed acrobatic dodges and counters as the combat flowed. Fluttershy watched on with her legs shaking as she saw the look on Aku’s face. He was so coldly focused on the battle in front of him, yet he continued to use the back end of his blade to attack the hunters. WIth the way she was looking at him though, he may as well be slicing them open. jUst as they subdued the hunters around them, more appeared out of the forest and shot arrows at them. Aku was quick enough to dodge and block the arrows, but some of his samurai got hit between the plates of their armor. They fall to the ground on their knees and grab at their wounds in pain. Blood was shed on his side, it was about to be shed on theirs now.

“You just all just shot your last arrow and swung your last sword…” he growled in anger before he whistled sharply and loudly. A few moments later, the hunters by the trees got pulled up into the branches, screaming and kicking on the way up before going limp with the sound of blade piercing flesh. The samurai at Aku’s side stand up as they recover from the arrows. He and they turn their blades over, the sharp side gleaming in the moonlight, thirsty for blood. “Cut off their hands and their horns.” he commanded coldly. The samurai nod and go into full on battle mode with him leading the charge once more. This time more aggressive and precise in where they swing their blades, meeting their marks as they no longer had to hold back. Streams of blood fly through the air as the hands of the hunters fall to the ground with a sickening thud along with their horns. The cries of pain echoing through that part of the town letting everyone know what was going on.

Aku swings his blade down to the side, riding it of any blood before sheathing it back up with a metallic click “Leave. Or I will cut you down where you kneel now. The next hunters that come here, I will let my ninja take care of them personally. I am getting tired of you and your kind coming here and ruining the peace I and my family have worked so hard for.” The leader smiles a wicked smile up at Aku. A cry of fear rings in his ear as he turns around and sees one of the hunters has Fluttershy with a blade.

Not even giving them a chance to speak, Aku flings a kunai that he had under his sleeve right into the eye of the hunter. The hunter cries out in pain as he drops the dagger, trying to pull the kunai from his eye socket. Aku moves in quickly with a palm directly to the midsection of the hunter which makes him drop to his knees and gasp for air. He takes hold of the back of his head tightly and with a fierce growl, performs a swift but brutal chop to the side of the neck, delivering a killing blow. Time seemed to slow down for Fluttershy as she watched all this happen in front of her, the yellow pegasus mare now scared for her life as she looked at the monster in front of her. Meanwhile the hunter get up on their hooves and flees for their lives. Aku tosses the corpse at the samurais’ feet and nods to him “Burn it. Make sure there is nothing but ash left. Then spread it to the wind.”. The samurai nod and bow their head “Yes, sensei.”. They walk away carrying the corpse by its arms into the forest to a place where they burn and bury the dead.

Aku turns his attention back to Fluttershy who gazed up at him in fear, the moonlight shining in his eyes made them glow brightly and his long white hair flowed in the wind made him look like an actual oni/ogre from japanese legend. “Go back to your friends. You didn’t need to see this and you should forget it ever happened. Now, you know why I will never ever return to Ponyville or Equestria for that matter. Go home, Fluttershy.” he said before he started making his way back to his own home to get himself cleaned up “This isn’t a place for sheltered ponies who are free from conflict.” He said before he disappeared around a corner. Fluttershy drops to her knees as she breathes heavily, the images of Aku doing what he had just done playing over and over in her mind. The sound of swords cutting flesh, the splatter of blood, and the cries of pain from the hunters all echoing loudly.

Aku opened his eyes to find himself in a rather strange area. He was standing on water in the middle of a large lake and a full moon shining overhead as Luna appeared before him in her true form this time. “I thought I told you to stay out of my dreams, princess.” he said with an annoyed tone. “Oh, it’s not just me this time, Aku.” shen said as Celestia appeared along with Twilight and her friends. Aku growled in annoyance and closed his eyes before opening them again with a dark glare. “All of you, leave my town first thing in the morning. Understood? If you choose to not do so, I Will have my samurai forcibly escort you out.”. He then turned his attention to Celestia and Luna “And if you two send any of your soldiers to come and claim me. You will regret it. My town is outside your borders.”.

“Aku, you need to-.” Celestia was cut off by Aku roaring in rage at all of them “I don’t need to do a damn thing for any of you!”. SUddenly dark purple ethereal horns appear from his forehead and that fiery aura streams from his eyes once more. “I am no longer within your damned kingdom so why even pursue me?! Fuck you and your god damned fat nobles! Sending their bounty hunters after me this evening has crossed the line. They even put a blade up to Fluttershy’s neck so you better believe I killed him with no mercy!” The whole area went quiet before Celestia spoke up again “Do you realize what you look like right now, Aku? You are letting the evil that you consumed show us the monster that dwells within you.”.

Aku growled again as he pointed a finger at Celestia and Luna “You two have no right to call me a monster when your kingdom is being ruled from the shadows by monsters who put the innocent to death because it inconveniences your nobles who pay off judges. Save your bullshit form someone who is more naive.”. Twilight looked over at Celestia with a worried expression on her face “Princess Celestia..what does he mean corrupt judges and nobles who pay them off…? Just what exactly happened that day. W-What are you not telling us..?” Celestia looked between Aku and her student before Aku spoke up again “I thought as much. You haven’t told them the truth about what happened that day. Lying to her and her friends is going to cost you dearly, Celestia.” he said before turning back to Twilight and her friends. He closes his eyes and lightly taps the water he was standing on with a staff that appeared in his hand “I am going to show you all what really happened that day. And should the other princess interrupt this dream, take it as further proof that you have been lied to..”

Author's Note

I think that'll be all for a little while. Can't believe I wrote this much in such a short time.

May the darkness grant you peace.