Eater Of Sin And Magic

It has been a few days ever since Aku was thrusted into the world of Equis. And what a rough few days it has been for the human. Between the stares he got and the rocks and various other blunt items that were thrown at him each time he left the library, it was a wonder how he hadn’t lost his temper at his attackers and went on a full magic devouring rampage.He wasn’t about to cause any trouble that he couldn’t get out of.

He had taken an interest in reading the books that had been shelved in the library however. The language seemed the same from what he was used to, so there was that. He mainly got himself up to speed on the important parts of the history in the world. All he could do was chuckle and shake his head as he read the part about how the princesses got in a power fight over a little sibling rivalry squabble about who the ponies loved more as their ruler. “Really? Folks get into fights over something much more pressing than things like this back home…”

He closes the book before standing up and placing it upon the shelf. After which he heads into the kitchen to make something quick and easy. Upon his entry, he sees both Spike and Twilight sitting at the table having a discussion about something. He didn’t really pay attention to them as he was rummaging through the cabinets and fridge to put a meal together. He decided a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would suffice for now until it was time for dinner. During the few days he was here, he had offered to take over the cooking duties to help lighten Spike’s load when it comes to the household duties. And there have been zero complaints from his culinary skills.

As he makes his sandwich, he catches bits and pieces of their conversation about how something has been going on around the small town. Something about fillies and colts vanishing from their homes at night. Seems that his world and this one aren’t so different. Young ones go missing quite often either because their parents let them go out at night or they are wealthy and hold their children for ransom. That is usually the two main cases. His thoughts roll back to certain times back in his world where he’d hear such things on the news. But there his thoughts were shattered as he heard his name being called out and a slight tug on his long sleeved grey shirt. “Aku? Aku, can you hear me?” Asked Twilight as she continued to lightly pull on his sleeve.

“HM? Oh, sorry Twilight, I was in thought. I hadn’t realized that you were talking to me. What do you want?” It was a good thing he hadn’t pulled the shroud from his face to eat yet, otherwise there would be trouble.”Well, I was wondering if you could watch the library for Spike and I while we run to Canterlot. I have some business I need to attend there and Spike will be needed as well.. I realize this is a bit of a burden on you. But-” Aku lifts his hand up to stop her.”It is fione, Twilight. I can handle watching the place just fine. I don’t have to leave or anything after all. So I will be just fine. You and Spike go do what you have to.” Twilight Had truly expected him to decline her. But surprisingly he did not. This made her tail sway side to side in a soft manner. He was so nice to do this for her. It made her feel even more confident in him that he truly wasn’t a bad stallion. The others just weren’t giving him a proper chance.

Thank you so much, Aku. It really means a lot to me that you’d do this. I’ll bring you back something sweet as a little thank you.” Aku simply nodded and lifted a hand up, placing it upon her head and started petting her between the ears. He wasn’t sure why he did that. But it just felt...right to do. Twilight didn’t even protest at action until she came out of the blissful daze from the attention. She leaned away from the petting hand with a blush on her face. This made Aku smile under his shroud.”Heheh, sorry. It just felt right to do and I don’t know why. Anyway, you two be careful on your trip. I’ll hold down the fort until you both get back.” Twilight nodded and went up to go and pack he needed items. Spike waved to Aku on the way to his room to do the same.

A couple of hours roll by. The sound of nothing but a ticking clock echoes through the parlor where folks could get comfy in chairs and on couches while they read. And Aku was certainly comfortable on one of them with another book in hand. This time he was reading a book of poems by an author named Dusk Raven. The style and words themselves would rather similar to an author back in his world. Only thing different was they involved ponies instead of humans. “Hmm, I can’t really call it plagiarism if the writers are universes apart..”

He flips through the pages as he continued to read, the poems certainly confirming his suspicions.”If Mr. Poe was alive and here, I don’t think he’d appreciate this…” He said as he kept reading. As he finished one of the poems in the book, there was a knock at the door. Should he get up and answer it? Or just pretend no one was home? Twilight wasn’t there after all. It was none of his business. The door knocks again but this time, a voice calls out. “Twi, Are you there? I need your help with somethin’.” It was one of her friends. Judging by the accent, it was the orange farm pony. Aku reluctantly got up from the couch and went over to the door and spoke from behind it.”She and Spike had left to go to Canterlot for the afternoon. She left me here to watch the place.”

There was silence for a moment before Applejack spoke up”She..left you here by yourself?” Aku made sure that the door was locked before he spoke again.”Yes, And I am not opening this door until she returns. Last thing I need is you or anyone else to get me into trouble.” Applejack huffs and stomps a hoof. “Hey! That ain’t very nice of you to assume I am gonna cause you trouble! Besides, it was your fault that all that happened!” Aku narrowed his eyes and walked away from the door. He wasn’t going to deal with her or anyone else who might gripe at him.”Just come back later. I am not dealing with you. I know you and your other friends hate me so don’t waste your time or mine. You don’t have to feign kindness just because Twilight asked you.”

“Why you…” Applejack pounded on the door before she called out to him”You open this door right now! You and I are gonna have a heart to heart talk about this!” Aku simply ignored her and flopped back on the couch before returning to the book he had been enjoying. When Applejack knew that he was ignoring her, she stomped off in annoyance. In her heart, she knew he was only keeping his distance and being rude to simply avoid any potential problems. But the way he was going about it was just unnecessary.

Night had set upon the land. Twilight and Spike have yet to return from their trip and it was getting quite late. Aku stood in front of the window with his arms crossed as he watched for them to come to the door. He decided to just head to bed as they must have gotten a place to stay and couldn’t make it home on the same day. Hours passed as Aku slept soundly in his bed, enjoying the softness and warmth that was his blanket and pillow. However, a sound had awakened him. It sounded like something outside had been opened forcefully or broken into. He sits up and rubs his eyes before shuffling over to the window to look outside to see what was going on. Once he got a good look, he saw what appeared to be a cloaked figure holding something wrapped up in a blanket or cloth of some sort. At first, it looked like it was just your run of the mill burglary. Possibly someone stealing something of value. But upon clear inspection, the covering seemed to be moving as if someone was inside it. Thoughts began to run through Aku’s mind at this point. He wondered if it would be the right thing to do to go after this pony and see what he could do to help. After all, that may very well be a colt or filly in their possession. Or should he not interfere at all to avoid any trouble that he may run into. “God dammit all. Me and my fucking morals…” That was all he said before he quickly slid his shoes on and ran down the stairs and quietly opened the door. He kept low and out of sight as he followed the figure to wherever they might be taking who they had kidnapped.

Soon, Aku had followed the figure to what appeared to be a rundown stone structure on the outskirts of the town that was obscured by trees and vegetation. The figure spoke with another who seemed to be guarding the entrance> “Which of the children did you get this time?” Asked the stallion standing guard.”One of the rich brats. And not just any of them, but Filthy Rich’s daughter. Surely we will be rolling in bits after he and his wife pay the ransom I had left them.” said the hooded figure with a wicked smile on their face. Aku waited behind the r5ock he had stayed behind while the cloaked figure went inside. After they had left, it was just the guard now. Aku moved in closer, still crouched as he made his way behind the structure. He lets out a light whistle before hiding behind a bush that faced towards the building.”Hm?” asked the guard as he made his way over to investigate. Once he turned the corner to look around, Aku moved in quick and kicked the guard in the back of the knee to make him drop to the ground and with all his strength wrapped him in a sleeper hold. “What the fu-hrrgk!”The guard struggled, but Aku kept his feet planted firmly on the ground, and soon enough the guard dropped his arms and went limp.”Sweet dreams, big guy.” he said as he started searching for anything on the stallion that might come in handy. He had found a set of keys which Aku assumed that might be for a holding cell or something like that. Not only that, but he had decided to take the weapon that was on his belt. A simple double edged sword, nothing fancy. But better he have it just in case the pony wakes up and the other pony returns.

Aku made his way into the structure as silently as he could, ever watchful of any other ponies that may be inside or returning from outside. Aku looked around the room. No holding cell or young ponies in sight. He started stomping his foot on the floor, listening for any part that may be hollowed out. Perhaps they were being kept underground where no one would think to look. Once he hears a distinct difference in where he stomps, he pulls aside a rug that did indeed reveal a trapped door with a lock on it. Looking over his shoulder once more, he makes sure the coast is clear. After trying a few different keys, he finds the right one and unlocks the door and quickly lifts it up. Inside that cell, sat five young ponies. A look of fright on their faces when they see Aku lifting up the door.”P-Please mister...let us go home! We won’t tell anyone ab-..W-who are you? You aren’t one of the stallions who took us from our home…” said one of the fillies who looked at Aku. He placed a finger to his covered lips and motioned them to follow him.”Against my better judgment, I followed your captor here to see if I could help. Come with me and I’ll get you all home. Stay low and keep up.” he said in a hushed tone. Once they got a better look at their rescuer, they all gasped.”You are that bad pony who our parents said to avoid! The magic eater!” One of them exclaimed in a whisper. Aku narrowed his eyes before making sure no one was behind him, then looked back.”You wanna take your chance with me and be able to leave this place and return to your families? Or do you want me to close this door and leave you here with them?” asked Aku. The ponies were silent for a moment. Before they all nodded and followed him out of the building. They stopped and hid behind anything they could as he made sure they weren’t being followed. However, when they got closer to the town, Aku heard something whistling through the wind, and felt a sharp, piercing pain in his left shoulder. He growls out in pain as the force made him stumble back into a tree. Adrenalin started to flow in his body and the children gasped in horror as their rescuer had been struck with an arrow. Aku’s eyes shifted to find the cloaked figure from before wielding a bow.”Well look who it is. The outsider. Come to collect these children for yourself? Well, I am afraid they are currently unavailable for you to have. You see, their families are going to be paying us for their return. And it would be a shame to have them returned without our ransom being given.” The figure removed their hood to reveal a mare with a deep purple coat and a black mane. Her eyes a golden yellow and who looked like they have killed.

One of the young ponies called out to Aku.”Mister! She is the one who took us from our families! Be careful! SHe is a bad pony!”. Aku grabbed at the arrow and gripped at it. He lightly wiggled it and grunted before ripping it out with one clean motion. Thankfully nothing vital was hit and the wound wasn’t serious. But it still hurt very much.”You kids get out of here, I’ll keep her busy while you head home. The town is just beyond the trees behind me..get going!” He shouted. The foals quickly did as he said and scattered. The mare aimed her bow at one of them before Aku took the sword he had taken off the guard and chunked it at her. The blade spun in a vertical fashion towards her, making her duck out of the way and causing her to lose her grip on her bow. In this short instance, Aku ran as fast as he could, tackling her and lifting her up off the ground before plowing her into the ground and climbing on top of her with his knees holding down her arms and wrapping his hands around her throat tightly.”Time to put a stop to your cruelty…” he said as he squeezed as hard as he could while the mare kicked her legs and struggled. Aku suddenly pulled down the part of the shroud that covered his face. A stream of purple magic started to flow from the mare’s open muzzle, but something else was mixed in with that stream. An even darker and more toxic looking purple and black stream flowed into his mouth along with the magic.It was almost like he was sucking out her soul. The mare’s eyes filled with fear and tears as she watched this happen. It would seem that she found fear of this man with what he was doing to her and it only made her struggle even more until all her strength had left her and she went limp. She wasn’t dead, but with what he had just done, she had lost her magic and her will to be evil. This didn’t mean she was good, but her fire that drove her was completely gone now, as was her strength.

Aku stood up from the mare and back away as he placed his hand on the wound he had taken in his shoulder. It started to hurt even more now that his adrenaline had worn off. The mare coughed and looked up at him, fearing for her life.”W-What are you…? What have you done to me..?” She asked in a shaky and weak voice.”I did what I was against doing. But you left me no choice. ‘Magic Eater’ isn’t a simple rumor. I literally just ate your magic. And it tasted so foul.” he said as he spat to the side to show his disgust for the flavor.”I ate all of it, so you can never use whatever talent you possessed ever again. So you can’t ever use it to cause trouble or bring harm anymore.”. Aku could see where the mark should have been on her hips. Nothing but fur, not even a faded image. He turned around and started walking back towards town while still holding his shoulder,”You are a monster! To take away a pony’s cutie mark is like taking their very soul!”. Aku stopped and turned his gaze back to the struggling mare.”You should have found a much better use of your talent rather than kidnapping children and holding them for ransom.” he said before continuing on back to town. The mare called out to him with her hand outstretched in a desperate plea,”Please....give it back...PLEASE!!!” she cried out as if something precious had been stolen from her. Aku didn’t stop, he kept on going, ignoring her screaming and begging until he could hear her no more with the distance he had put between them. Was what he did the right thing? To consume the very essence of her magic? It must have been. It was to protect the innocent lives of the children after all. He lifted the shroud back up to cover his face.

Aku finally made it back into town where the town square was filled with parents who were now reunited with the children. Sounds of happiness and tears of joy. As he walked past them all, one of the colts pointed to him,”Look, mom! There he is. The magic eater who saved us from the scary pony! He found us by following her to where we were being held! He isn’t a bad pony at all!”. The colt and the other foals tried to run up to him to thank him for what he had done, but their parents hold onto their children for dear life and simply stared at Aku as he looked back at them, but continued on back to the library. Just as he was about to make his way away from them, one of the ponies from the crowd ran up to him and stood in front of him,”Sir, let me take a look at that. I am one of the nurses off duty from the town’s hospital. My name is Red Heart.”. AKu simply went around her”I don’t need your pity or anyone else’s. I simply did what I could to make sure they were returned home. Would have done the same thing back in my world. I know you and your fellow townsfolk want nothing to do with me.” Aku said in a low tone of voice before continuing to make his way back to the library. But, was again stopped by the nurse,”Please, sir. If that isn’t taken care of by a professional, it could get infected. Let me at least bandage it up…” she said as she guided him over to the bench by the fountain. Aku reluctantly agreed and sat down and removed his hoodie that he had thrown on when he took off. R3ed Heart went straight to work, pulling out a small portable medkit she kept on her at all times and cleaned up the wound with disinfectant and wrapped it up firmly with bandages.

He kept his shroud tight around his lower jaw so that there wasn’t any chance of him consuming any magic from her,”So...you wear that thing to keep from eating our magic…?” asked a stallion who had approached him from the other side of the fountain. Aku simply nodded in response as he kept his eyes down on the ground, feeling the stares from the other ponies all converge on him now.”And..what happened to the one who took all the foals? Is she..?” Aku shook his head,”She is alive. But she won’t be causing any more trouble. That’s all I am going to say.”. After he was bandaged up, He stood up and bowed his head to the nurse pony and made his way back to the library once more,”Thank you for saving us, mister!” “Yeah, thanks a bunch!” said the young ponies as he walked away. He simply waved a hand as he walked away and out of sight. He was more than sure that Twilight was going to hear about this. But he didn’t care, he felt like what he did was right. And that’s all that mattered to him.