As Aku and the others stood around in the dreamscape, the moonlit sky and water suddenly vanished from them and was replaced with the trial room when it was whole and the trial had begun. Aku pointed the tip of the staff over to the judge then over to himself where he was bound by his wrists with chains. “Now, all of you will stand here and watch what happened on that day. The day your god damned kingdom tried to kill me simply because I was capable of something they couldn’t comprehend.” As the scene played out, Celestia’s face grew heavy as she looked away from what was happening, grabbing hard at her upper arm as she not once, but twice witnessed the corruption of one of the judges she had put so much faith in over the years. And out of Twilight and her friends, She and Fluttershy seemed the most hurt out of what had happened next. They all watched as the blade from the chosen knight was plunged into Aku’s chest. More than half the crowd cheered as they watched the human go limp for a few minutes.

However, next is when things went completely south. They all watched as Aku slowly came back to life with a wicked smile and laugh. “Now, you will all watch what drove me to the point of what I did. Because of your god damned corrupted kingdom. It all drove me to this one moment.” he said as he then showed them one of the darkest choices he had made in his life thus far. Once the explosion happened, everything changed back to the original dreamscape they started out in. But oh no. Aku wasn’t done yet. He slammed the staff down into the water and growled angrily in his throat at Luna and Celestia now. “And you two. I strongly suggest you weed out the corrupt nobles as soon as possible. They can send out their bounty hunters after me all they want. But I will NOT allow them to threaten someone to try and get to me…”. The dreamscape changes once more to the spot outside of town where Aku and his samurai had fasced down the bounty hunters the night before.

He pointed his finger to the scene as the aura around him seemed to grow bigger and bigger. Eventually forming into a full grown japanese ogre with dark skin, and long white hair with sharp teeth and glowing dark blue eyes. “This is something I NEVER want to see happen again. Or I will cut them ALL down next time.” The ogre that stood behind him gave out a loud anger filled roar before it slowly vanished behind him. The dreamscape changed back once again to the peaceful moonlit lake once more before he turned his attention to all of them.”Now then. I expect every single one of you to leave here by tomorrow. And you may not return for a full year. As for you two..you are NEVER allowed to come here. I will escort you out forcibly myself if I have to. After all, we are outside your kingdom. Your royal immunity has no power here.” Fluttershy steps forward slightly at first, but then runs into a full on sprint before clinging to Aku’s coat and burying her head into his chest. “Please...not a whole year. It wasn’t their fault, Aku. We didn’t know the whole story! Please...please please show them a little more leniency!” She looked up into his dark eyes with her own which seemed like they were about to burst with tears.

For some reason, seeing Fluttershy like this bothered him greatly. More than it did when Twilight cried on her knees in front of him earlier that same day. He lets out a sigh and steps away from Fluttershy, gently pushing her away “Fine, I will make it six months for them. But since you haven’t betrayed more now given me the sense you will. You, and you alone may come and go as you please. Don’t make me regret this decision.” He then steps away from the group “Now then, I am heading off to sleep. Don’t bother me again.” he said before disappearing from them. Twilight then turns to the princesses with a rather disappointed look on her face and crosses her arms “Princess, I believe you owe us an explanation…”

A few weeks passed as the days went on like normal in Aku’s ever growing town. Now that he didn’t have to worry about any more invasions, he could focus on what mattered most. Or, so he thought. While in the middle of observing his samurai and ninjas training for the day. He noticed a rather cold wind and dark looming clouds forming overhead and what sounded like a warhorn. Immediately he took notice of the lightning storm that accompanied those clouds and what appeared to be a small fleet of airships getting closer and closer to the small town. Aku quickly told a few of his samurai to spread the word to others and meet him at the point where the ships landed.

With haste, Aku ran through the town of onlooking creatures as the bells rang throughout the city to urge all non-military personnel and civilians to safety. Once the ship had landed, Aku and a chunk of his forces stood outside the city’s north gate, the Dragon Gate. Accompanied by Iron Heart the platoon stand there as the airships open from below and large black creatures with white manes and lightning blue eyes come out with heavy weapons and shields. And among them stood a dark purple unicorn with a short red mane and tail and a scar that when from top to bottom on her right eye. Most noticeable however was the shattered remains of a horn that was no longer where it should be. She looked tough to be sure. She was fit and toned but still plenty plush in all the right spots. And her armor hugged her form nicely.

“I am here on behalf of the Storm King. Who is the one in charge here?” the dark furred mare bellowed out in a commanding manner as her cold eyes gazed over the samurai that now stood before her. “That would be me, missy.” Iron Heart said as he stood before her in a serious manner with Aku at his right side. “I am here on behalf of my master, the Storm King. We are here to take control of your little town and further expand his nation so that he may become more powerful. So, we can do this one of two ways…” she said as she made her way down the ramp and closer to the group. “..you can surrender immediately and only some of you will die, or you can fight, in which case you all die.” she waited for an answer as she lifted her head up and looked down her nose at Iron Heart. The stallion chuckled lightly and shook his head.

“I am afraid that I have to decline your option to surrender. We have worked hard to build our own little slice of home. And we aren’t going to allow some greedy asshole named ‘The Storm King’ to take it. And I am sure my Oni General here will agree with me.”. Aku nodded as he stepped closer as the samurai behind them hovered their hands over their blades and the ninja that were hidden around the area got ready as well. The unicorn took immediate notice of Aku. She had never, ever seen a creature like him before. No fur, no hooves, no tail. Though given that Iron Heart had called him the ‘Oni General’, she assumed that he must be the strongest of all the warriors that stood before her. “Very well then, you first.” she said coldly before reaching in a small bag behind her and threw a dark green magic sphere right at Aku. It hits Aku in the chest and bursts into a mist that covers him quickly and encases him in some kind of dark crystal. However, it only gets to his upper arms and legs before it shatters completely and drops from his form. This surprised the unicorn as she watched with wide eyes. Never before has she seen this happen with one of her secret weapons. Aku narrows his eyes in annoyance as he dusts his clothing off and looks back to Iron Heart. The stallion nodded and drew his heavy sword. It was a larger form of the katana his samurai used, a nodachi. “I believe she has made her intentions clear, Iron. She plans to have us all killed. So do as you wish with her minions. Leave her to me however.” Aku raised his hand in the air, this being the signal for the samurai to draw their weapons and get ready for battle. “Samurai, kōgeki!” He shouted while swinging his hand down as he commanded the samurai to charge forth. They all let out a loud war cry as they charge in and lock in combat with the large creatures that accompanied the unicorn. The two of them stared each other down as her horn sparked in annoyance. “Why are you encased? Just what in the world are you?” Aku didn’t see that she had a sword or any other weapon on her. So she was either going to resort to magic or her bare fists. He removes his katana from his side and tosses it to the right away from them as he gets into a stance that involves keeping himself firmly planted into the ground and ready for any attack she may throw at him.

“I am no one but an outcast of this world who was lucky enough to find folks who accepted me for who I am. And I will not let you or anyone else take that from me. Before we start, give me your name. I want to know the warrior I am fighting this day. My name is Aku.”. The unicorn watches him toss his weapon away as he explains who he is. When she heard him say he was an outcast, something clicked within her as she had also become an outcast herself because of what had happened to her in her past. “I am Tempest Shadow, leader of the Storm King’s army. And I will be the one to strike you down here and now. For when I complete the final goal of my master’s takeover of this land and then Equestria, he will restore my horn And I can be whole again!” she shouted before her broken horn glowed and she threw an arc of lightning magic at him.

Just as every stranger would find out when going up against the human, this world’s magic did very, very little to him. He simply knocked the arc of lightning away with his right hand before sweeping his right foot behind him and charged forward with a now focused glare, his eyes changing into their dark form again.”That won’t be good enough!” he shouted. Tempest nearly lost her composure as she watched what had just happened. She was quick enough to block an oncoming kick that was about to connect with the left side of her face by using both her arms to block it. Aku backflipped in the air by using her as a springboard before landing on his feet and performing a sweeping kick which Tempest then did a little hop to avoid. Aku come up from the sweep kick and received a direct punch to his face then one to his chest as she countered his last attack. No one has even been fast enough to actually cause him damage like this before.

Aku fell back a bit before grabbing at the still extended arm of the unicorn and with one swift motion he slipped under that arm and kicked her feet from out under her with a quick spinning leg sweep. While falling in mid air for that spill moment, Aku was quick enough to plant a devastating palm to her stomach and send her flying a few feet away from him. She lets out a sharp gasp for air as it was knocked out of her before she tumbled along the ground. Aku spits out a bit of blood that had form in his mouth and looks down at Tempest. “Your master is lying to you. You know? There is no way to restore a horn to a unicorn once it is lost.”. Tempest growls in anger as she jumps up and charges at him once more”Youi shut the fuck up! He promised me I’d get my horn back! He took me in and gave me a purpose when no one else would!” she said as she continued her attack on Aku. She send another kick up towards his ribs which he immediately blocked with a lifted knee and pushed the hoof away, then another punch to his torso which he blocked by placing one hand on top of the other.

“You are deluding yourself if you think otherwise, you little fool. Once he gets what he wants from you, he is going to discard you and possibly even kill you when he is done with you. Believe me, I know all about being used and discarded. Just as I was when I lived in Equestria.” he said after they had gotten into a deadlock. Both of them struggled to push one another back as they were firmly planted in the ground. “I am considered a fucking monster in that god damned kingdom. I possess power they cannot understand and so they tried to kill me for it. I was looked down upon and everything that comes with being an outcast.”. Once she heard his story a bit more, the unicorn felt another click within her soul as she seemed to have found a kindred spirit. But at the same time, she was debating in her mind if the Storm King was really using her or not. While in the deadlock, she searched those dark eyes of his for any kind of deception. Try as she might, she couldn’t find one single ounce.

“I have to at least try! I just want to be whole again! And I will do anything to make that happen!” As the fight went on and on, the enemies fell one by one as both the samurai and ninja who had come out of hiding eventually got rid of them. Aku’s and Tempest’s bodies now beaten and blooded, stood there facing each other down while breathing heavily and holding their sides. Aku was nearly at his limit as he dropped to a knee and gazed at the ground. A beaten Iron Heart calling out to him as he started to make his way over to his downed comrade”Aku! Hang in there, kiddo! I’m comin!”. Aku thrusts his arm out to the side before shouting back on Iron Heart “No! This is MY fight. You stay out of it!” he said as she slowly stood up. Tempest looked like she had plenty of energy left in her to fight. This secret technique that Aku hadn’t even taught his students was his last trump card.

Aku lets out an anger filled war cry as he slams his fist into the ground before rising to his feet. He brings both of his fists in front of his body before letting out a fierce ‘aist!’ as he breathed in and out slowly while getting into a stance that not of his soldiers have ever seen. Tempest could feel this strange energy being pulled towards Aku. it was subtle, but she knew that she had to get to him first before he could fully prepare for what he was going to do. So she moves in as quickly as she could with a right punch going for his face. But, it was too late for her. With a free hand, he grabs her arm. And with a quick punch to the underside of her biceps, the limb goes completely numb almost immediately. Not wasting any time, he quickly kicks the side of her left knee which makes her drop to it instantly. She was in absolute shock at what he was doing to her body. She couldn’t move the limbs he had attacked

“What have you done to me?!” She shouted as she used her remaining arm to swing at him, only to have him repeat the same attack. Not kneeling before him with only one knee holding her up, He grabs the back of her head and tilts it back, exposing her neck with a hand held back, getting ready to send a killing chop to it. “You have two options now, Tempest..” he said as he breathed heavily from the fighting. “Surrender and become my subordinate. Live a much happier life here and be accepted. Or die right here, right now.” As Tempest gazed up at Aku, She knew that she was at his mercy at this point. But like a stubborn and prideful warrior. She simply answers him with “Kill me now.”. Without hesitation, Aku lets out a mighty ‘Hyaah!’ as the hand swung down towards her neck. Tempest tightens her eyes shut as her life flashes before her eyes, believing her life was over at that point. But, That was not Aku’s plan. Just as the hand was mere centimeters from her neck, he brings his hand up and gently squeezes her snout “Honk~.”.

He then releases her snout and watches as she falls onto her rear and stares up at him with a mixture of confusion and shock. What just happened here? “Why..why didn’t you?” she asked as she was speechless at the fact he spared her life even though she wanted death. Aku sighed before plopping down in front of her, completely exhausted from the fight. He sat there for a few moments with his eyes closed before opening them back up with a smile forming on his face. “Because, it would be a waste of someone with your capabilities and strength to simply be discarded. And because I truly know how you feel.” he said as he reached up and gently poked her forehead just under her broken horn. “Listen to me, Tempest. Instead of trying to regain something that you have lost that you will never get back. Why not search for something that can make you whole again and even more than that?”.

He looked back at Iron Heart and all the soldiers who knew that the battle was now over and began to move the dead enemies off to the burn piles out of the area. Luckily none of Aku’s samurai or ninja fell this day. “I was, and still am serious about you becoming my subordinate. I could use a warrior of your caliber at my side. And if you choose to join our soon to be nation, you will be whole accepted just as I was when this place was nothing but a little camp many months ago.” he said as he held a hand out to gesture towards the creatures he calls family and friends. “They all accepted me with open arms because I was different and an outcast to the kingdom of Equestria. Criminals of crimes they did not commit or petty criminals who only stole to survive now live here in peace. They have all become fine warriors who believe in honor and protecting the civilians of our town.”.

Iron Heart stood next to Aku while leaning against his sword that he had planted in the ground and smiled down at Tempest “What he says is true, little lady. Thanks to him, we live out our lives in peace mostly thanks to what he had brought to us. And he still has so much more that we are working on even as we speak. He is offering you a pretty sweet deal. The fight is over. You no longer have a reason to be hostile towards us.”. Tempest looked between Aku and Iron as she lowered her head and squeezed her hands into fists. What was being offered to her seemed to good to be true. But, the evidence was right in front of her. She couldn’t deny that everyone being so different, but were all unified and non-judgmental toward one another's appearance or walks of life. She looked back at Aku. “I..could really get a fresh start if I chose to join your nation? And you;d truly give me a place in your ranks even though I caused all this trouble for you…?”.

Aku lightly flicked her forehead and waggled a finger. “Uh-uh. I am going to stop you right there. None of this is your fault because you were being used and lied to. When we get you patched up, I want you to get ahold of this..’storm king’ and tell him that you don’t need him anymore. And that you found a place that accepts you for who you are. And I will be at your side to fully support you and tell him off myself if he gets mouthy. Now then…” he said as he stands up and offers his hand out to Tempest as the wind blowing softly through his hair as the sunset shimmers between the two of them. “Come, Tempest. A newer, brighter future awaits you in Kazoku. A place where you can truly belong, the way you are and for who you are.” Tempest looked at the extended hand for a moment before reaching up slowly to grasp it, even pulling back slightly as a moment of uncertainty came over her. But, she looked into those dark eyes of his again, seeing nothing but truth to his words. And so, she takes his hand. This small event in history setting the stage for something much, much bigger in both of their futures...

Author's Note

I imagine that Tempest was still taking over other places for the storm king far before the events of the movie. So I decided to work that into this story. And simply because I decided Tempest will in fact be a romantic interest to Aku. The two would be a rather imposing pair if I say so myself. And just a heads up, this is taking place before Twi has gotten her wings But, things will get better and better as the story progresses. Promise

May the darkness grant you peace.