The Lord of Ragnarok

Chapter 10: no Rest for the Wicked

Temple of Celestia Sol - Fifth Floor - Rejuvenative Springs - Mannulus’ P.O.V.

I studied Virth for a moment after giving her the directions to greet both L0rd0f7hund3r and Lightingsword. She retained her resting bitch face.

“Of course, Master,” Virth growled, then fell away to greet my friends. I relaxed back into the bubbling waters. I could hear the voices of L0rd0f7hund3r and LightningSword speaking. They emerged from the privacy curtains. Both were wearing bathrobes marked with their personal sigil. They were having a quiet discussion between them; L0rd0f7hund3r was looking behind him as he whispered to LightningSword.

“Wow. Miss Kobiyashi’s Dragon Maid, she is not,” he finally said to me, “and the kitten has claws. How ever in the fuck did you tame a dragoness like that?!”

“She seems cranky,” LightningSword said, “I don’t want to know what she’s like under estrus.”

“Neither would I,” I retorted, “that is why I have her under Fluttershy’s tender mercies.”

“And Angel ain’t going to be dealing with her bullshit, you can believe that,” L0rd0f7hund3r stated, “man, I forgot we had this in here, it’s been so long. Who’s idea was it to install this? Trixie?”

“You know, I have no recollection of that,” I said, “it’s been ages since it was suggested that I’ve forgotten.”

“Oh, well,” LightningSword mused, “I’m tired, sore everywhere, and this seems like just the thing.”

Then at that moment, a quiet voice seemed to shout from behind the curtains.

“Master Lightning? Master Thunder?”

And both men, in tandem, shouted, “FLUTTERSHY?!”

A golden blur flew out from the curtains, also wearing a modest bathrobe, to slam into the two men. They, in turn wrapped her up in a loving hug.

“Masters, Masters!”

“Hey, Shy!” L0rd0f7hund3r said.

“Oh, Fluttershy!” LightningSword breathed.

“Gentlemen, lady, were you not here for a relaxing bath?” snarled Virth, skulking in behind them.

“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy, “if you wanted to, Masters?”

“Well, I have no shame in this form,” L0rf0f7hund3r said as he disrobed.

“O-o-oh, okay, Fluttershy,” Lightning Sword said, as he too disrobed.

Both men slid into the spring and I could see them visibly relax. I looked to my wives, each studying the display that was happening. For all rights and purposes, it was as if Fluttershy’s fathers, or creators, at least had returned. There was some jealousy, and I would not deny that things most likely would be tense until those feelings were addressed. The one that I worried the most about was Solar Flare. While I had no doubts that she loved me, and that she would listen to me, I did worry that she may attempt to be far more harsh with Fluttershy. It was part of how she was made. She had Sombra’s temper, and she had Mistress Marevelous’ loving nature.

Still, push come to shove the temper would win out, and that was something I didn’t want to see. Luna would, without a doubt, attempt to redirect it, quench it, and remind her sister that she was acting like a spoiled brat. The two of them would argue, and eventually Solar would move on and leave Fluttershy alone. But it would be the first little bit of it that I worried about. Solar watched them, and then looked at me.

“Lord Mannulus, my love, is it possible that Lord Sombra the Magnificent is somewhere here in this world as well? Would it not be possible for him to find us as both Lord Lightingsword and Lord L0rd0f7hund3r have done?”

I nodded, “It is possible, and that is part of my plan. I want those who were part of our guild to know that we are here, and that they are welcomed here,” I said, “Because we are strongest when we are together.”

She smiled, “I believe he would approve of my choice for a mate.”

I gave her a smile, but I didn’t share her exact thoughts on that. Sombra had modeled much of Solar Flare’s personality after Mistress Marevelous, his sister, and I had doubts that he would like the idea of my routinely rutting his NCP, which was modeled after his sister, in about a hundred different ways. I hoped that my answer would keep her from attempting to take out her frustration on Fluttershy. Besides, I really didn't need a fight to break out between her and Discord.

I knew about Discord’s friendship with Fluttershy. It had never actually been programmed into either of them, but Clopmaniac had wanted to see if it could naturally happen. In truth it actually happened far easier than it had on the show. Fluttershy was accepting, kind, and she treated Discord as an equal. She didn’t fear him, and she didn’t think of him as a mere tool to be used. All of those traits had created a very real friendship between them.

Naturally I surmised that Discord knew I had looked in on them. Out of every guardian, every servant, every being inside of the Temple he was the one that I worried about dealing with if he would ever turn. His abilities basically gave him nearly unlimited power. He could snap his talons and cause enemies to explode like Pinatas, He could change the water in every well, within a thousand miles into poison, and of course he could simply wipe anyone’s entire family, going back to their first ancestor, from existence.

The two failsafes were his being trapped inside of Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy’s friendship. If Solar Flare ever hurt Fluttershy… Well, I dare say that he wouldn’t give Pinkie the choice about him coming out. In the end the simplest, and easiest, way of dealing with it would be to keep Solar from acting out. Well, at least to keep her from acting out toward Fluttershy. I considered it for a moment and a smile crossed my lips. Solar wanted to see the world, and we could use an ambassador to the Equis people of this world. If they truly were like the Equitra or Equis of either Ragnarok or Dungeons and Dragons they were a very spiritual group.

Solar Flare would certainly fall into their belief of a deity. I had hopes that she could pull from her other self’s core memories and use the diplomacy that I knew she had. It would give her the very thing that she wanted, and it could, in theory, give us more allies to depend on. If Oriaos was any indicator of how the Equis of this world could act then, it was fairly obvious that they would be loyal to those they deemed worthy. Regardless it would give her time to cool off. And that likely could, and would, be needed.

With that in mind I knew my next step would be to operate the scrying mirror. I could use it to locate various villages of the Equis. Once I knew where they were I would know where to send her. I understood how dangerous this could be. There were factors existing in this world that I didn’t know of. But, without risk there was no reward.

I felt lips on my neck, and my mind was brought back to the present. Twilight, Solar, Luna, and Rainbow had gathered around me. I felt them pressing against me, and I smiled.

“While I have no desire to end your affections I do need to say that this is not the proper location for this. This is Fluttershy’s Domain, and we would be terrible guests if we were to soil her wonderful hot springs in such a way.”

I clapped my hands and Virth returned. She held five robes, one, for each of us, and she studied our behavior.

“Your Robes, master Mannulus,” she replied.

I began to gather them, but Luna floated each of them to each of us. She stood, her nude form a thing of absolute beauty, and she slid into the robe with ease. Then she looked directly at Virth.

“You can either remain bitter, and curse your lot in life, or you can learn to enjoy yourself here.”

I could see Virth holding back the response she wanted to spit. Whatever Fluttershy had been doing was obviously working. Instead the dragoness walked away, stiff legged, and went wherever it was that Fluttershy had her staying. Once she was gone I looked toward Fluttershy and her two creators, my friends, and I gave them a nod.

“Lighting, 7hund3r, I’ll be off now. I’ve regained my strength, and there’s much to do. When you’ve finished visiting, why don’t the two of you come to the council chambers? We can go over what’s been going on, and how we go from here.”

“Sure thing, Chris,” L0rd0f7hund3r said, “Jimmy and I will just be chilling here for a while. You know how reunions are.”

“Indeed,” I said, and left for my chambers.

Fifth Floor - Rejuvenating Spring - L0rd0f7hund3r’s P.O.V.

Shy, Jimmy, and myself slipped into the spring. It was relaxing in a way no amount of sleep ever could be. I was happy for the first time in a while. Life in the Real World is a hassle, what with work, bills, taxes, and politics intruding upon one’s free time. Being back here, in the house that Our Guild made, I could finally be myself and not have to wear all the masks that modern society forces me to wear.

As I slid deep into the spring, I spied Jimmy and Fluttershy getting comfortable. Shy was- getting rather touchy feely with James. There was an animal part of me that felt a pang of jealousy. It had been ages since I resigned myself to being naught but Fluttershy’s creator. If there was an equivalent of an NPC’s paent, then I had placed myself into the role of Flutter’s dad. So, while I was feeling a little envious of Shy’s decidedly lovey-dovey attention on James, I knew that was a kind of parental envy.

“You two planning a wedding over there or something?” I asked.

James visibly paled and Fluttershy’s face seemed to turn a new shade of pink. I gave them a wan smile. Jimmy took that as the joe that it was. Fluttershy- her expression is inscrutable to me. Something to ponder over later.

“Masters?” Fluttershy said after a pause, “Wherever did you go? I missed the both of you for so long…”

“Errr…” James opined, which left me holding the bag.

“We were called away,” I answer, “The Outside had a quest for us. It was necessary to attend to that quest, or else we may never return.”

It’s a little thick ono melodrama, that answer, but I wasn’t sure who Shy and any of the other NPCs would take being under the command of false gods. The Outside was our explanation as to why we would disappear for days at a time. Any other deception would have been a disservice to our beloved characters.

“The Outside demanded much of your time,” Fluttershy said, “we did our best to protect and maintain the temple, though.”

“We thank you for that, all of you,” James told her, “unfortunately, we do have obligations to- forces from The Outside.”

I nodded, adding, “If we didn’t need to answer those summons to The Outside, then we would. Unfortunately, taking summons from The Outside is not negotiable for us. It summons, we answer, we return. It’s the responsibility we took as Master of the Temple of Celestia Sol.”

I’m not sure how weary James was but I was now feeling fully refreshed.

“Hey, kids, as much as all this has been, I’m starting to feel a little like a prune,” I said.

“I like prunes,” Shy stated.

“I know you do, Flutters,” I added, but I would rather not look like one. I need to go see a man about a wallaby, too. So, you two have fun.”

I stepped out of the spring, wrapped myself in a towel that Virth begrudgingly gave me, and then went straight to me room to get back in uniform.

Abandoned Village sixty miles south of the Sancus Theocracy - Sombra the Magnificent’s P.O.V.

It’s been a little over a month since I’ve been here. The last thing I was doing was trying to make it back to the temple. I mean, it was only fair to visit Mannulus. The guy basically kept our guild alive after we all left. But then I found this place, a complete, and abandoned Equis Village. My only guess is that whoever made it had been a Brony like the rest of us. How else could they explain having a merchant shop that sold quills and sofas? Whoever had made it had done their best to make it look similar to Ponyville.

I had to check it out. After all, you can’t pass on a tribute like this. Janey, or Mistress Marevelous in Ragnarok, said she was going to try to visit Mannulus as well. After I couldn’t log out, and after I realized that I was actually Sombra the Magnificent… I hoped that she didn’t get logged in before the servers went down. Hearing a soft snore I looked at the Equis beside me. She’s a Unicorn, shy, reserved, sweet, and practically everything L0rd0f7hund3r and Lightingsword made Fluttershy to be.

I wanted to laugh. Both of those guys would be pissed if they knew that I wanted to hook up with their guardian. Instead I found Timidus, and what I had now I wouldn’t trade for what could have been. I watched as her soft brown eyes opened. She looked up at me, that beautiful caramel colored face smiling with adoring love.

“Good morning king Sombra,” she said sleepily.

I touched her cheek, “Good morning Timidus, sleep well?”

She nodded, “I did, but it’s time for breakfast, and I need to go and help with making it,” she said.

She got up, her nude form beautiful, and I admired it as she dressed in a long flowing green gown. It was something the others wanted her to wear. Apparently since I had chosen her as a mate, and since I was named their king, she was their queen. As such they wanted to see her dressed in something befitting royalty. Personally, I preferred her simple ranger clothes. There was more skill involved with making her appear dressed why I secretly made her squirm. I too got up, and I walked out of the home that was obviously supposed to be Berry Punch’s house. Well, I assumed it was. The extensive collection of empty wine bottles seemed to indicate that it had been.

Stepping out I saw several of the Equis bow out of respect. I nodded, informing them that I was proud to see the home I had given them prospering so. I walked in the direction of what looked to be Sugar Cube corner. I could already hear Timidus speaking inside. She was actually quite skilled in baking, although she loved to make something close to English Muffins. In truth, they were kind of sad little things, but I ate them happily. It honestly looked to be a perfect day, and I had believed that later i would take a short journey, and see if I could locate the Temple. After all, if I was here, then it stood to reason that Mannulus would be. I truly hoped that Janey wasn’t, but if she was then I had to believe that she would make it to the temple. If so, then I knew she would be fine.

“King Sombra! There’s an army nearing us!” Excursor, our scout, exclaimed.

I looked in the direction he pointed, and then I ran toward it. Exiting the village I saw a small incursion force. It was only about five hundred or so soldiers, none of which honestly frightened me. Even without any of my weapons I was still at level one hundred eighty. I had made Sombra into a magical powerhouse. Mannulus had necromancy on his side, but I had good old fashioned dark magic. Destructive, powerful, and able to warp minds to my will if needed. Sure, I based my avatar off of King Sombra from the show, but damn it, I was more than he ever was.

“Halt! You do not have my royal permission to enter into my domain!” I shouted to them.

They stopped, and I could see them looking confused, good, time to put on the show I used when meeting players in the game.

“If you don’t want death turn around and leave now! I am King Sombra the Magnificent! True King of the Crystal Empire, Rightful ruler of its population, and the sole heir to its throne! Face me, and face death!”

The Soldiers sounded their war cry, and they ran forward. I focused my magic, calling upon my elemental magic, and suddenly black crystals began to sprout from the ground. Dozens of them died instantly as the crystals speared them. The others tried to dodge only to find themselves either trapped, or dying from the same thing. The battle lasted little more than five minutes, and only two were left. Both were mages, that much I could tell, and both were near my level. One laughed. He walked forward, and I could see his form bulging. He ripped through the black crystals like tissue paper. His eyes were glowing red, and his mouth was breathing smoke so black that I couldn’t see through it.

“Sombra the Magnificent, long time,” he said.

I recognized the voice, “Anok the Destroyer, of the Third Reich guild, right?”

He stopped and held his hand to his chest, “Well, color me surprised. You remember me. Did you know that I found something special since the last time we faced each other? It’s a bracelet, a very special one,” he said as he held it up, “Special because it lets me do this…”

His skin ripped apart like wrapping paper, blood and muscle exploded out, and what stood there in its wake was a giant red fire breathing dragon.

“You humiliated me,” he bellowed as he belched fire at me. I jumped back, raised a barrier, and cast one of my strongest spells at him. It hit him, knocking him back, knocking teeth loose, but it wasn’t enough. I had never tried to face a full grown dragon before.

In Ragnarok Dragons were the toughest of the toughest. Any magical item that could transform your character into one, even temporarily, was insanely powerful. You had to be at least a level one hundred to use one, and then it was tricky. Anok had obviously practiced with it, and that made this the most dangerous fight I’ve ever been in. I was so distracted by his attack that I had forgotten his friend. The woman laughed, and then I watched as she began to target a spell at the village. I closed my eyes, The message spell still worked, and I focused on Timidus.

“Timidus, I need for all of you to escape. Go through the forest on the south side of the village. Stay away from any place that has a royal blue banner with a white symbol in the middle. And look for a Temple. It is huge, white, and it has a large symbol of a sun at the top. It is called the Temple of Celestia Sol. My sister, Mistress Marevelous may be there, but my friend Mannulus will be. Tell them Who you are, inform them that you are the true Queen of the Crystal Empire, and they will know that you speak the truth.”

“W...What are you doing?” her frightened voice asked back in my mind, “What’s going on?”

I laughed, “I am saving you my love, you, our people, and our child that grows inside of you. I felt the first tingles of magic from your womb. Our child will grow to be a great ruler, now go, I will buy as much time as I can.”

With that I dropped the barrier, threw a spell toward the other mage, and watched her double over in pain. The Mind Violator wasn’t pretty, and like Sombra’s own spell from the show it gave her a personal glimpse of everything she ever feared. It showed her everything that ever hurt her, and it made her live through it again and again. The spell was something I had spent nearly a year coding into my spell catalogue. And right now it was worth it. I felt something hit me, and I went flying. I landed against a black crystal spire. A large paw slammed down on my form, and I felt my legs break.

I screamed in pain, and I saw the far too smug smile of Anok as he looked at me with his dragon face.

“Beg, Oh great Sombra. Beg for me to spare you. Prove to me that you’re every bit the bitch I know you are.”

I hit him with the same spell again, this time destroying an eye. He slammed me into the spire again, this time breaking it in half and causing me to lose all feeling from the waist down. I was bleeding out, I was dying, and there was nothing I could do about it. I should have panicked, I should have screamed in fury. Instead I remembered a line from a favorite Sci-fi series, FarScape. “Fear comes from the threat of death, calm comes from its certainty.” I was certain I was going to die. And I had only the choice of how I would go out.

“BEG!” he screamed.

“Go suck Hilter’s dick.” I said.

He snarled at me, lowered his head, and looked at me with his one good eye.

“I watched that dumb ass show to figure out how to beat you. I focused on that pussy King Sombra. So know this asshole… You’re not the pussy he was.”

He roared and I felt the hot breath of fire before it closed in on me. It hurt for only a second, and my thoughts were on Timidus and how I hoped that she got away.

Forbidden Forest, South of Equis Village - Timidus’ P.O.V.

We moved quickly, and quietly, and the magic that let me hear my beloved husband’s voice went silent. I cried as I ran, carrying what supplies I could, our unborn foal, and I ran toward an uncertain future. My husband had given us a chance to live, to escape, and we would not let his sacrifice go in vain. He said to go to a special temple, and we would find it. When we did I tell those that knew him, know him, of the great thing he had done.

Temple of Celestia Sol - Fifth Floor Promenade - Lightingsword’s P.O.V.

I hate stairs. Of all the things we could have coded into the game, why couldn't we try escalators?

Step by laborious step, I made my way to the fifth floor. I knew what Steven would say, how he’d react—the mild deprecation with a slight twist of mockery. But I didn’t care. I needed a moment alone with her.

Now out of my armor and duster, and clad in a comfortable basic wizard’s robe, I opened the door and stepped inside. The fragrant smell of flowers and pine needles struck me immediately. The sunlight fell gracefully through the high windows and permeated the area, giving the finishing touches to a forest world of wonder and magic that took place entirely indoors. I moved forward, letting the cool shade of the trees cover me. No environment could be more relaxing to me, and none fit her personality better. I took a breath to steady my nerves and let it out in a long sigh. After all this time, I’d finally get to have a moment alone with her. The excitement doubled back on me and struck me with a sense of self-awareness, and as much as I wanted to block it out, the thought wouldn’t stop perforating my brain—I was romantically interested in a video game character.

But she’s real now.

I stopped and rolled my eyes as that classic defense resurfaced. Despite being trapped here, living as well as I could with the knowledge I had, the skills I had honed, none of it made it seem less like an immersive RPG experience. I couldn’t explain it, but there never seemed to be any time. It was always onto the next mission, off to find more loot, off to try and impress more women to set the cogs of the dating sim aspects turning.

Because that’s all it was. A dating sim.

But she’s real now.

Get it together, man, I quieted the voice. You’ll embarrass yourself like you did when you tried to date Mitzi in Animal Crossing when you were twelve.

I was lonely . . .

You were a loser. You still are. This level 123 Paladin skin with your plethora of weapons, armor, spells, treasure and prestige means nothing and you know it.

You were a loser then, and you’re a loser now. The only difference is you have a sword.

“Hello, Lord Lightning.”

I looked up from my contemplation and saw her. The short pink robe fit snugly over a generous bosom, and the hem danced flirtatiously around a pair of slim, firm yellow thighs that tapered down into the knees, shins and hooves of a healthy female Equis. She smoothed back a lock of long pink hair and blinked her luminous teal eyes at me, catching his breath in his chest.

There she is. And she’s real now.

I walked up to her, feeling my heart swell when she walked towards me with a small smile. As the distance between us closed , I resisted the urge to reach out to her. Even now, taking in her stunning presence, I had enough rationality for that. Don’t be desperate, you idiot.

As we reached each other, she threw her arms around me and pressed me close to her, burying her face in my chest. I impressed myself with how little noise I made having my breath taken away.

“My lord . . . I’ve missed you so much . . .”

I slowly raised my arms and returned her embrace. Her warm, supple skin felt so comfortable and entrancing beneath my hands. Her soothing breath moistened the front of my robe. The fact that only a single, thin layer of cloth separated me from her body drove me wild. An animal buried deep in my mind raged against its bonds and demanded me to take her, right then and there.

I stopped, one hand frozen in its tracks on its way down her back and planted firmly above her backside, the other hovering lustfully over her thigh.

“I have too. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. I want . . . I want to . . . .”

“Yes?” she replied breathlessly, her hand pressing down on mine to squeeze her thigh. Her other hand reached behind her, guided my other hand the rest of the way down her back and planted it firmly against the pillowy curve of her buttocks. She raised her head and stared deeply into my eyes, biting her lip and releasing breath after shuddering breath.

I couldn’t take it any longer. I lowered my head, she reached up to meet me, and our lips met. I closed my hand and gave her backside a squeeze, and I felt her moan into my mouth. My hand slid up her thigh, taking her robe with it, and it took no further thought to conclude she was naked beneath it. Her hand reached up to caress my face, her other arm snaking around my neck to hold me tighter. Time seemed to stand still as our lips stayed together.

She’s real now.

I pulled my lips away for a moment, my body still locked together with hers. There it was, that sadistic bastard of a feeling that already kept me away from her for so long.

It’s just a dating sim. Nothing more.

“What is it, my lord?” Fluttershy asked, holding me closer and pressing her ample bosom against me. “Is something wrong?”

“No, I . . . well, sort of.” I can’t believe I’m spilling my guts to an NPC. “This all still feels strange to me. I feel like I helped make you just for moments like this, and it feels . . .” Say it. “. . . wrong.”

Fluttershy’s brow furrowed with despair. “Is it me?” she asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

That hurt me more than anything she could have said.

“No!” I blurted out. “Absolutely not. I just feel like this is a total Weird Science scenario—” I paused when I saw the confusion on her face and brushed the reference aside, “Look, the point is, I helped create you. Shape you into everything you are, to the best of my and 7hund3r’s ability. And I want you more desperately than anything else in this world. But that want is selfish. It’s not fair to him and it’s not fair to you. You don’t exist just for this. I . . .” My grip over her enticing form slackened. “I feel like I’m using you.”

Fluttershy batted her eyelashes, perplexed. “I . . . I don’t understand. I know where I come from, but I know where I am going, as well. I know what I want and what my potential is. Ser 7hund3r told me all of this. He wants me to make my own decisions . . .” She caressed my cheek as she continued, “And this is my decision.”

“I just . . .” I felt speech dry up in the face of this. Was she somehow establishing sentience? How was this possible? She’s just an NPC in a game, right? Being stuck here doesn’t change the fact that it’s all just coding and graphics, does it? It felt more real since then, but . . . how real is it now?

I pushed it all out of my head and continued spilling my guts to the shockingly real NPC. “I just . . . I just feel like you shouldn’t be rushed.”

Fluttershy’s gaze lowered as she sighed, almost defeated. She looked back up to me, her face notably harder than before. “If it pleases my lord.”

I felt my skin crawl at the title.

“No,” I replied as I smoothed back a lock of her pink hair. “If it pleases you. Only you.”

If she really is more of a person now than when the servers were still active, then let this prove it.

She peered into my eyes for a few seconds longer, searching me, almost daring me. What she sought, what she dared, I couldn’t even guess. After a few seconds, she took a step back and out of my arms, and I felt my heart plummet.

Wrong dialogue option, player, the sadistic bastard feeling said in my head.

Fluttershy then moved her hands to her sash, undid her robe, bent back her shoulders and felt the fragile cloth slide off her body and to the forest-like floor. And there she stood, gloriously and tantalizingly naked.

My eyes widened so much, I felt the beginnings of a headache coming on. She stood there, her defiant face and nude form either allowing me to take her or daring me not to. Either way, the choice was clear.

“I . . . I’ll take that as a yes.”

She rushed back to me, and our lips met again. This time, the beast in my brain was unchained, and my hands found her butt, her thighs, her breasts, her stomach, her legs, her shoulders, her hair, her face, whatever they could touch. She undid the front of my robe, we stumbled and pulled each other to the grassy floor, and the forest suddenly filled with more cries and calls beyond anything within the restrictions of the animal kingdom.

What happened was beyond expectation, and was something so pure that even the part of my psyche that reminded me of what I was remained quiet. I was apart of something pure and good. Slowly we separated, I felt conflicted, but regardless I felt amazing.

Laying there something, almost like a buzzing in my mind grabbed my attention. I extended my hand, and a small portal opened. I pulled my hand back to see a mirror I had created for the sole purpose of spying on Sombra the Magnificent. Looking into I stared horrified as I witnessed the attack. Fluttershy screamed in terror as she saw him engulfed in flames.

A pit formed in my stomach, and I stood. I supposed Fluttershy sensed what must be done and told Virth to gather both Mannulus and 7hund3r together. I wasn't sure how I was going to tell them what happened. The fact that it had to still be a game, that Sombra was fine wherever he went after that stuck in my head. I just couldn’t face that he might actually be dead. For fuck’s sake we hung out in real life sometimes. Well, hung out might be too much, but we did talk at work. We had the same shit call center job. Constant apologizing to customers who were too stupid to operate whatever piece of technology they had gotten.

I even met his sister, and.. I barely registered that Fluttershy was helping me dress. It was a shock, a real shock, that things went down this way. It wasn’t real, because if it was then one of my only friends was dead. I saw both 7hund3r and Mannulus. I didn’t try to explain, instead I had the mirror show them what happened. 7hund3r raged, he practically screamed, but the cold anger that was in Mannulus’ eyes was horrifying. I felt my stomach sink. The expressions they had weren’t part of the pre animated expressions. They were real expressions; how could the game have real expressions? Oh God, was this real? Was this actually real? Oh FUCK WAS THIS SHIT REAL?!

Temple of Celestia Sol - Temple Roof - Half an Hour later - L0rd0f7hund3r’s P.O.V.

Sombra, murdered, by none other than Anok the Destroyer. Damn it all the Hell, that rat bastard had followed us here. When the last time the Third Reich Guild tried to take us down, he was one of the battalion commanders. He and I squared off as I protected our Western flank, along with Sombra. Sombra may have gotten the kill, but I know for sure I had softened that fucker up greatly, I don’t know how he knew, the name of Anderson or what happened that year of 2006. I hadn’t thought of that name in nearly thirty years and the fact that he knew sent a chill up my spine…

That year, my sister, who was two years younger than I am, started dating some jerkoff named David Anderson. Had a car, had money from Maker knows where, and was an adult still attending high school. Age 20, he must have been the very epitome of maturity for my then sixteen year old sibling. Things got ugly quick when my sister kept refusing to have sex with him, After six months of dating, she broke up with him. That started up a long and torturous nightmare for her.

He began stalking her, sending explicit private messages through Facebook and Twitter, sending pictures of penis and posting threatening messages in every thread she commented on. It all culminated in an attempt to rape her. She barely got away from him during the attack, but that didn’t stop him from saying he had “broken her in.” Three months of this vicious campaign and my sister was getting suicidal.

So, what was a good big brother to do? I’ll tell you precisely what I did. I found an abandoned car along the highway, stole away with it in the dead of night, fixed it up, painted it midnight blue, then cruised around town looking the assholes souped up Honda. I found him on a Tuesday night, coming down a back country road I knew well. He never saw me coming… Nor would he after I gouged out his eyes. A point of clarity here, I was wearing crown to sole in black, including a face concealing balaclava. I never said a word, either, just to add insult to injury. The road I hit him on was little traveled, save for some ranchers down a ways.

Boy, did he ever scream when I gave him that beer bottle vasectomy! I don’t normally consider myself a bloodthirsty person, yet I relished in this act. I then disemboweled him for good measure. A sick sort of joy spread through me as I watched him bleed to death from crotch and belly. When he finally expired, I took his corpse to a lye pit used by one of the old coal mining facility outside town. There hadn’t been any coal mined out of here in half a century. No one would find Davey’s body, his car, or the vehicle I rammed him with after I dumped it all down into the lye.

I’m not sure where Anok learned of that but I wanted to be damn sure he would never speak of it again. Thus, when his guild went to hit us, I laid into that fascist faggot with every spell, every curse, every jinx that I had mastered. While I didn’t get the killing blow, I did thank Sombra for his help. He and I had never gotten along very well, though our skills had proven complimentary.

Even with the petty squabbles we often had (with him dropping SombraShy memes in the Guild Chat sometimes,) I didn’t hate the guy. He was a solid member and contributed a lot to our raids and the defense of the Temple. To see him murdered that way, though… At least he went down fighting, like the badass I always admired him for being. I knew he and James were tight in real life so this news hit him really hard, almost as hard as what Solar Flare and Luna might be going through.

And Anok- where in the fuck did he get a metamorphose bracelet from?

I’m not sure it matters. He had gotten Sombra alone, away from the Guild. He wouldn’t be doing that to James, Chris, or myself. When he goes down, he’s going to go down like the punk little bitch that he is. And if he and all the members of the Third Reich Guild are the founders of that Sanctus Theocracy cult? Well-

♪ Bellows of rage,
The bearing of fangs,
The echoes the haunt and bereave thee.
No ocean contains,
The vengeance I crave!
The fury it never leaves me.♫

Salt the earth, that’s what I say. Raise the Black Flag, for no quarter will be given as no quarter will be taken!

Temple of Celestia Sol - Guild Council Room -Half an hour later - Mannulus’ P.O.V.

Anger coursed through me. No, not anger, rage, pure unfiltered, complete and total rage. One of my oldest friends, one of my only real friends, was gone. Hearing about it had sent waves of fury into my core. I wanted to raise an army ten million strong, march onto the Sanctus Theocracy, and burn it to the ground. All of them were to be held accountable now. Men, women, children, soldiers, citizens, it didn’t matter. They had attacked and killed my friend, they brought war onto the Temple of Celestia Sol, and I will give no quarter.

There was a reason other players called me the master of death. Once I was the hightest level I could be I would decimate entire armies of NPCs. AFterward I would turn them into low level skeletons used to patrol the lands around the temple. I didn’t want to waste decent revival spells on them, and I wouldn’t waste them on a single soul in the Theocracy. I would make them witness their world burn. I would make them feel terror, and then I would give them the gift of oblivion.

I looked at Solar Flare and I saw a barely contained rage. Beside her Rainbow and Luna both cried. I beckoned to them, and received their embrace.

“Tell me that they will pay for it,” Solar said, “Tell me that they will pay in blood for what they did.”

“They’ll pay, and the interest will be all of their lives.”

“Beloved,” Twilight said, “I agree that the ones responsible need to pay, but all of them?”

I looked at her, “What would you have me do Twilight? Leave any of them to survive so that later they could attack again? They are a sickness, a disease, and as such they must be cut from the healthy flesh. Besides, they sparked war with the Temple. And I will bring that war to them.”

Author's Note

I want to apologize for the late update, but as things go real life tends to get in the way. Still a huge, and I mean huge, thank you to both L0rd0f7hund3r and Lightingsword for helping with this.