Prologue
The Vengeful Samurai
There exists an age of samurai ponies that possess different styles of sword techniques. They don't have cutie marks nor are there pegasus, unicorns, or even alicorns. Only earth ponies and the swords they wield in their hooves. There are a total of 12 sword styles. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Similar to the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. The sword style you posses depends on what year you were born in. For example, if you were born in the year of the tiger, your sword style would be that of the mighty tiger. Out of the 12 sword styles, the dragon and snake are considered the strongest of the bunch. They say ponies who posses dragon and snake styles are considered mortal enemies that are destined to fight each other. The story I'm about to tell is about a young male pony named Kyoya, user of the legendary dragon style, who is on a dangerous mission to get revenge on the emperor of the kingdom called Rashin. The emperor's name is Daisuke. He is ruthless, cruel, merciless, and would get rid of anyone who stood in his way. Daisuke is also the one responsible for the slaughter of the Suzuki, Kyoya's clan, ten years ago. Included in the massacre were Kyoya's father, mother, and best friend/rival Yuno. Kyoya is the only surviving member of the Suzuki. Kyoya has lived on his own ever since training day and night for when he would get his revenge on Daisuke for taking away everything from him. The time for revenge was close at hand. It all started one night in Rashin. The whole kingdom was in chaos as a pony with a sword was shown defeating guard after guard as he made his way to the top of the mountain. No matter how many guards attacked him, the pony proved to be unmatched. The look in his eyes could be best described as a pony looking to kill. Meanwhile, inside the castle at the mountain's peak, Emperor Daisuke was seen sitting in his throne. Four ponies, two stallions and two mares, were kneeled down before him. These ponies were none other than Daisuke's personal royal guards. Their level of sword skill was that of Master Samurai, the highest title a samurai can obtain. Suddenly, the doors slammed open and a guard came storming inside the room. Daisuke waited patiently for the pony to catch his breath. "Emperor Daisuke!" the guard exclaimed with terrified eyes, "There's a male pony making his way up here! He's defeated every single guard we dispatched to go after him. We can't stop him!" Before Daisuke was able to respond, the royal guard on the far right stood up. He was a burly pony with a full beard.
"My lord...please allow me to go and eliminate this runt," the pony said in a serious tone. Daisuke shook his head no.
"That won't necessary Rocco," Daisuke replied sternly as he got off his throne and walked over the side of the chair where a black sword was lying beside it, "I will take care of this myself." After Daisuke strapped the sword on his back, he walked past his royal guards. "I don't want any of you getting in my way." The four ponies followed after Daisuke as he headed outside. They barely made it out of the castle to the courtyard before they were stopped by a loud crashing noise. When Daisuke and the others looked up, they saw a bunch of guards falling from the sky. A few seconds later, a pony appeared climbing from the steps. As he walked over to them, Daisuke decided to meet the pony half-way. Just then, the pony took his sword out from his holder and pointed it at Daisuke.
"I've waited years for this moment Emperor Daisuke," the pony said, "I'm going to finally get my revenge! Prepare to die!" In response, a smirk appeared on Daisuke's face.
"Oh...you say you want to kill me?" Daisuke asked sarcastically, "Mind me asking what I did to deserve the honor?"
"You know what you did!" the pony screamed with fire in his eyes, "Ten years ago...you killed my entire clan. My family, my friends...everyone. They're all gone! My name is Kyoya of the Suzuki. User of the Dragon Style. Son of Druaga. I've trained extensively for this day. The day when I killed you Daisuke!" The emperor was beyond speechless as his eyes were glowing. He then closed his eyes and chuckled.
"So...it turns out a pony did survive," Daisuke replied, "Wait a moment. That name you spoke. Druaga...Druaga...oh that's right. That stubborn ignorant fool who pleaded for his life just before I killed him. So your his son." As Kyoya was fuming with anger, Daisuke put his right hoof behind his back and unsheathed his sword. "I guess I shouldn't keep you waiting anymore...come Kyoya. I'm going to finish what I started." Kyoya yelled angrily as he furiously charged after Daisuke who got in a defensive fighting stance as the battle between the two ponies began. Right off the bat Kyoya didn't hold up as he attacked Daisuke with everything he had. The constant clinging of steel hitting steel echoed throughout the courtyard. However, even with Kyoya going all-out, Daisuke didn't seem to be fazed. He was actually enjoying their fight. Also, even though Kyoya was hitting with all his power he could muster, Daisuke wasn't taking very much damage. By just attacking Kyoya was taking more damage. Worse of all, Daisuke hadn't even took a single swing at Kyoya yet. Seeing as how his current plan of action wasn't working, Kyoya decided to kick it up a notch.
"See how you like this!" Kyoya shouted as he jumped at Daisuke and reared back his sword, "Dragon Style: Wyvern Tail Punisher!" As his sword glowed blue, Kyoya swung his sword at Daisuke and a bright blue flash of light quickly engulfed the courtyard. After it disappeared, Kyoya was in shock at what he was seeing before him. It was his sword resting against Daisuke's sword. Emperor Daisuke was somehow able to block Kyoya's attack with just one hoof. As Kyoya was in disbelief that his technique had been blocked so easily, Daisuke took this opportunity to take a few steps back.
"So...that was the best you could do? How pitiful," Daisuke said as he pointed his sword at Kyoya, "Let me show you what a real attack is...behold! The power of the dreaded Snake Style!" He then got in an offensive fighting stance. "Snake Style: Poison Serpent Strike!" His sword then started to glow yellow. Before Kyoya was able to react, Daisuke charged at him and unleashed his attack. A bright yellow light quickly engulfed the area. When it disappeared, Kyoya was shown lying on the ground at the edge of the courtyard near the large waterfall. The path where Kyoya was thrown across the ground was destroyed. As a result of the emperor's attack, Kyoya's sword had been cut in two with the top half sticking in the ground nearby. The fight between Kyoya and Daisuke was over as fast as it begun. Kyoya had lost. As he slowly lifted up his head, Kyoya saw Daisuke pointing his sword directly at his face with a malicious smile. "You still have a lot to learn kid. Sad to say you aren't a worthy challenge for me with your current level of skill. As much as I would love to cut off your head, I don't want to get my beautiful sword dirty with your filthy disgusting blood. I just cleaned it this morning." He then sheathed his sword back into its holder. "Instead...I think I'll do this!" Kyoya could only watch as Daisuke kicked him hard in the stomach sending him flying off the mountain and falling into the deep abyss below. Once Kyoya was out of sight, a smug Daisuke turned and headed back to where his royal guards were waiting. He then stopped by the female pony wearing a mask. Daisuke was no longer smiling. "Y...I need speak with you in private." The pony named Y then followed Daisuke back into the castle. The other royal guards looked at each other concerned before they went their separate ways. As the once active courtyard fell silent, the top half of Kyoya's sword was still shown stuck in the ground. The samurai named Kyoya was now at the bottom of the waterfall, probably crushed to death by the immense pressure of the water. There was no way a pony could survive such a fall. However, this story was very far from over. It was only just beginning.