Trial and Error: Second Edition

Chapter the Thirty-Second: Fight for Your Life

Rainbow stood guard over Fluttershy as Pinkie rushed off to seek assistance from a medical professional. Rarity had left to help Twilight organize the guards. As relieved as he was to see that Fluttershy was safe, Kai was more worried about Usu at the moment. Fluttershy had Rainbow Dash to protect her. She would be safe for now.

Kai returned to the alley where the exchange had been made. Neither Stain nor Usu remained, but an unmoving Frost lay draped across the chest lid. Kai rushed up and checked him over. While he didn't really care for any of the trio, he didn't really want to see any of them killed.

Thankfully, Frost was only unconscious. A few cracked ribs, but he would be alright. For best results, he rolled Frost off the chest and laid him flat on the ground. His ears perked up at the sound of a loud crash nearby, and he rushed toward it.

Arriving at the scene of the fight, He saw Tundra lying upside down in a barrel, his kicking legs the only visible part of him. Usu was on the ground, frantically beating at Stain as his own face turned blue. Stain was hovering over him, his hooves wrapped tightly around Usu's throat. Without a thought, Kai's horn burst with energy and sent Stain flying.

Kai pulled Usu to his hooves. "Take Tundra and Frost. Leave before the guards arrive."

"You can't fight him on your own!"

"I don't have to. I just have to outlast him."

Stain stood up and lunged at Kai, who stepped back out of the way. "Go!"

As Usu sped off with Tundra's barrel, Kai pulled out his blade. He had bested Stain at the blade before, and he would do so again now. Seeing Kai with his dagger, Stain pulled out his own weapon. Rather than the dagger Kai had seen him with last time, Stain whipped out a crossbow. The first shot flew right into Kai's shoulder.

Kai came in closer, moving to strike. Spreading his wings, Stain flew into the air as he reloaded. Kai's blade couldn't reach him up in the air. Luckily for Kai, he was equipped with more than a dagger. He had magic. A burst of fire rushed by Stain's ear as he loosed another bolt. Kai was ready for this one, and managed to step out of the way.

The sky became a cloud of lightning, ice and flames. As Stain was beginning to have trouble dodging Kai's spells, he took refuge atop a roof. "Try hitting me up here, unicorn scum!"

"There's no need!" responded Kai. "You're running out of ammunition!"

"Don't be stupid! I have plenty!" Another bolt flew out over the edge of the roof. It missed Kai by a wide margin, shattering a window.

"And yet you can't hit me to save your life! Face it, Stain! You've lost!"

Stain chuckled. "I'll be back on my hooves again in no time! I'll dispose of your filthy brother and return Tundra to his rightful place begging at my hooves! And After I kill you, your little mare friends are both going on the slave market!"

Kai scowled. "You'll not touch them ever again!"

Stain smiled from behind his cover. "I will, though! Especially that yellow one!"

Kai was unable to suppress a growl rising in his throat.

"In fact, I may not even sell her! I'll rent her out for cheap! Any stallion who wants to use her will be able to do so! But don't worry! She'll only ever carry my spawn!"

"I'll not let that happen!"

"You'll have to fly up here and stop me! Oh, wait! You can't!" Stain erupted in an uproar of laughter.

Kai's hatred had reached its boiling point. He had been wanting to capture Stain alive, but that thought had left his mind entirely. Rather than spending the rest of his life in a prison cell, Stain would spend the rest of his life bleeding to death. With a rush of wind, Kai's cloak flew back, and his wings opened wide. He jumped into a vertical takeoff, straight into the air. He scanned the rooftops, finding Stain in a matter of seconds. With no restraints, he sent out a bolt of lightning.

Stain was stirred from his laughter by the sound of a spell being charged above him. He looked up to see Kai in the air. An alicorn? He rolled out of the way as lightning crashed down next to him. He didn't quite move fast enough, as the errant energy burned his leg rather severely. He leaped from the roof and flew down the alleyway. He had to escape.

Kai took off after him. There was no chance that he would let Stain escape. He kept his eyes locked on his quarry, raining shards of ice and balls of fire down upon him. Stain was very nimble, though, and was able to dodge out of the way or change his course just in the nick of time. But he was beginning to falter. His nose was still broken, and he had to breathe through his mouth. He was running out of steam, and leaving behind him a small trail of bloodstains.

He dove into a tunnel. His aggressor would have to meet him on level ground now. This was the perfect opportunity for an ambush. He concealed himself behind a stack of boxes and waited. He grabbed for his crossbow, only to find that he had left it back on the roof. He cursed himself. He picked up a lead pipe and held it at the ready. He would cave in that alicorn's skull.

Right as he finished that thought, he saw the tunnel light up. Kai had entered, and he was using magic to illuminate his path. He waited until Kai walked past, then crept up softly behind him. As he raised the pipe, Kai happened to turn around. Seeing this, a chill ran down Kai's spine, tensing his muscles. As a result, his wings flew open. The pipe slipped between his feathers, crushing the light, malleable metal into an unusable form. Once again, Kai was flightless.

Stain pulled at the pipe to swing it again, but the collapsed wings held it tightly in place. Kai, knowing that he had made the wings from a non-conductive metal, sent an electrical pulse down the pipe, searing Stain's hooves as he let go. Stain bolted. At least now, the stupid unicorn with the fake wings couldn't fly after him. Kai turned and threw another bolt of lightning. This one struck Stain's wing. Now they were both grounded.

Kai had dropped his dagger quite some time ago, when he had taken the crossbow bolt to his shoulder. He reached out as he passed close to a shed, grabbing at a convenient pitchfork. Being well acquainted with spears, Kai would be able to use it easily, as the concept was the same: a pointy metal thing at the end of a long rod. He demonstrated his skill with the weapon with a spinning flourish as he walked. As Stain crawled away with his last two working appendages, Kai caught up to him with ease. He pinned Stain down beneath his hoof and pressed the tines of the pitchfork against Stain's throat.

"Give me one good reason not to plunge this right through your throat, cur."

For the first time that he could remember, Stain's anger had been overpowered by his fear. He had lost. "I'll give you back your treasure! You can go back home! I'll stay out of Ponyville forever!"

"I don't want the treasure," growled Kai. "I never did. And once you're dead, I'll have everything else you offered."

"I can give you more! I have connections to the sex slave market! Any mare you want!"

"I don't want anything to do with that. Last chance."

Stain swallowed hard. He had offered money. He had offered a slave. What else could a stallion want?

As Kai raised his pitchfork, a gentle hoof grabbed his wrist. He followed it to the face of Fluttershy. As he gazed into her eyes, he felt his temper cool, and his bloodlust subsided. He turned back to Stain, grabbing him by the mane and leering into his eyes.

"I'm going to let you go, this time. Not because you deserve it, but because she wishes it. She's sparing you, despite the fact that you tried to kill her. You can thank her by leaving Equestria. If ever you return, do so with the following question in mind: Will she be around to stay my hoof again? If not, your life will be forfeit."

Kai chucked the pitchfork aside. It fell to the cobblestone road with a loud clatter as Kai walked away with Fluttershy's smiling face pressed against his shoulder.

"Where's Rainbow?" asked Kai.

"She went to check on AJ. Usu and the other two have left, as well. They took the treasure with them. Tundra even wished me good health as he passed."

"So they're safe, then?"

"I hope so. They weren't so bad, after all."

Fluttershy's face slipped off of Kai's shoulder as he had stopped. She turned to look at him, and was horrified to see that the four tines of the pitchfork were now protruding out the front of Kai's chest. As he collapsed to the street, She stared in horror into the eyes of Stain. A new wave of hatred had washed over him, and his eyes shone only for her.