(Unknown Mineshaft; Brig)
(Winter Fields' POV)
I was waking up very slowly. Whatever had happened back there had exhausted my, utterly. I could hear voices arguing. One was very obviously the leader that whatever was controlling me had told off
"What the hell happened?!"
While the other voice was new to me.
"What makes you think I would know?"
"You've had more contact with Crystal Ponies than the rest of us combined! You HAVE to know something about... this!"
"Very well. I am not totally ignorant of this.I will tell you what I know. But you aren't going to like it. Your mistake was taking this batch of Crystal Ponies before they had been exposed to their Crystal Heart. That infuses them with Love energy for the first time. Following so far."
"Yeah."
"Then i'll continue. This one is a gem without its sparkle. Not having been exposed to Love makes them more susceptible to Hatred, or -in some cases- its more fierce counterpart: Wrath. Hence what you experienced. In this case, this is called Black Wrath of Vengeance."
"So... do I just kill them and start over?"
"No! You must not! Normally, sure, but Crystal Ponies are tightly knit. Even among non-family. Killing this one, much less the rest, would trigger rebellion for certain!"
"I can't just give them back! Our workforce is too low as it is!"
"Then I fear we are at a impasse, general. I would not be you for all the world. You have taken your doom in by your very own front door. But i guarantee that they will not depart that way. Not without bloodshed."
I could hear a snap and felt a flare of magic. The owner of the second voice was gone.
By this time I was mostly awake. "Ah, you're awake. Listen, you. Whatever that was, i am willing to bet that you have little to no control of it. You may have slain a few of my warriors, but I doubt that you can call on that again, and our numbers are many."
For a "five-year-old", I was feeling awfully snarky. I did have several years of experiences from another life, you know. "And I'm betting that if you were so strong, so tough, so numerous, you wouldn't need to enslave others to get their digits dirty for you." I said with the deepest deadpan I cold muster.
He recoiled visibly. I had struck a nerve.
With a growl, he said, "Just for that..." he tossed an empty plate at me. "That will be breakfast, lunch and dinner for the rest of the week. I'll be by in a while to accept your surrender. Starve well!" he said, gloating as he left.
Looking around, i pawed at the rock wall behind me, rewarding me with a single gem.
This i smirked at and bit into, chewing on it lazily. Little did he know that we Crystal Ponies also had extremly hardy systems.
All I could do now was wait.
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(One week later)
The Gnoll general loped up to my cell. I was currently lyig down on the hard floor, asleep.
Though I obviously couldn't hear him, that didn't stop him from trying to speak at me. "So it's been a full week since you've eaten. And you still look just fine." he grumbled.
I was silent.
"I only wish I could kill you, but that would do more harm than anything else. But like any crystal, you'll crack, hgiven enough time."
With that, he left.
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(Another week hence)
I was absolutely hungry. Gems will sustain you only so much. I was taking in enough nutrients that I didn't atrophy, but I had to dig harder and farther each night, after the aloof doggos went to sleep. I had learned how to control the hardness of my hooves, so that I could dig quickly, pulverizing rock beneath them.Soon enough, I had a small mine of my own, leading in a few different directions to confusse any who might come after me. I always made sure to hide the hole I was digging with my bed, so nobody was the wiser, and the light -or lack thereof- in the cave helped with that immensely.
Eventually, I was able to reach what looked like the armory for the place. As a filly, i probably wouldn't be able to carry much, but with my abilities, i should be able to arm my friends... once I found them, which eventually I did, widening the tunnel enough for most of them to slip through, but any Gnoll or Diaond Dog would get stuck.
Soon enough, i broke out to where my fellows were, indicating for them to follow, which they did.
Unfortunately, Osmia and the other enslaved females couldn't fit.
Osmia smiled slightly. "Don't worry about me. I'll gather the others and we'll find our own way out." she said, shooing the group to follow me.
Leading them to the prevously found armory, all of them equipped some weapons and armour. There were thirty of us against however many Diamond Dogs and Gnolls. There was a handful of us, and probably a good fistful of them. Add to that, we were untrained. We were only little, after all. I had the most experience, being that I was from anothr world. I could see that they were afraid, I was afraid too.
"I can see fear in your eyes. I know. I'm afraid too. But if we don't take this chance, there won't BE another one! As young as we are, we've grown stronger over the weeks, haven't we?"
There were nods, for the most part.
"Then let's do this! For our home, our parents, our lives! Don't you want to get back home? Don't you want to see your family again? Don't you want to teach these.... beasts a thing or two?"
There were more nods, and a few smiles, but more so looks of grim determination.
"We may be stones with no sparkle, but this day, let's show that we can shine too!"
This time there were cheers all around.
"LET'S GO!!!" I shouted, and through the armory door they spilled as a mob, going the way they came in. I had just taken a bunch of scared children and turned them into a straight-up mob!
Three of my friends walked up beside me. One was a Yak named Io. One a Hippogriff named Emberglow and one a Gryphon named Genevive. They were captured a year or so before me, so they were even more gung-ho about this than I was. I couldn't help but feel that I knew them from somewhere, though... Maybe i hit my head at some point.
Io was decked out in Iron Scale armour, protecting her from head to hoof, practically. Genevive and Emberglow were both wearing Studded Leather (which i could tell had an enchantment of some kind), letting them move freely and still take a hit or two. I was wearing Steel Chainmail, which offered about as much protection as either. We were also wearing a different weapons. Io stuck with her iron boots. Genevive picked up a pair of Katars. Emberglow was holding a staff of some kind of very hard wood. Ironwood, or Lignum Vitae or something. Maybe harder!
I made do with a pair of retractable claws, but also had a Greathammer on stanfdby in my Pocket.
By this time, the alarm was blaring, calling the canid races to action. Mostly, they were quickly cut down by the mob that advanced, with more than a few bruises, but hardly hesitating as they attacked with mind-blowing ferocity. "You wouldn't think that these kids would be so vicious. But, as they say, kids can be cruel. Naturally, the four of us got our hit in as well.
Eventually, we ran into a problem.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the little demon leading a rebellion."
There was the general, with five of each race by his side.
"Now I can DEFINITELY kill you all and just call it a day. I'll start fresh, with new slaves. And we'll teach them to RESPECT their betters!"
I had had quite enough of his prattle. I was getting more angry by the second. Suddenly, i had That Feeling again. I stepped before the rest. "Everyone, back up. This is my fight."
Most complied, but my friends were more hesitant.
"I can't hold myself back much longer. Fall back or i might target you too, by accident. I don't want that."
I let of a little bit of black energy, and my friends fell back, understanding.
"Gonna turn into a devil again? I don't think so! Attack!"
"You were dead from the moment you brought us in here." 'I' threatened. "You just didn't know it yet."
Rage: 100%
With a deafening roar, my form blackened and I took on that diamond hardness again.
"Round 2, cupcake." It said coldly.
I threw myself at one Gnoll, extending my concealed claws. Upon hitting him, i put all the force I possibly could into the strike. Not only did I sever tissue, but bone was cruched as well.
When he flopped to the ground, I extracted my claws from the body with a sickening sound. The thing that had me licked the blood from one claw.
"Blech!" i would have spat if I was in control. Instead, my body said "Who's next?" before pouncing on the next one.
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Io said, "That not our friend in control. That be monster!"
Genevive was inclined to agree. "I haven't seen this much rage from any Griffin, let alone a pony!"
"I hope this works out." Emberglow said. "I don't know how much she'll be able to rein it in once she's killed them all."
"I think she'll be fine." Genevive replied.
"It's not her I'm worried about..."
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(Winter Fields' POV again)
Soon ennough, each of the defenders had been dispatched. Some were still alive, others not. Now only the general remained. he was trying to crawl away from me.
"""So. How does it feel to be all alone? How does it feel to be so close to your doom? How doe it feel to know that this is your final moment? That this is where yoour path of sin has led?"
I slashed his shoulder. "That was for enslaving some of your own kind." His other shoulder. "That's for spilling the blood of so many innocents." one slash was followed by another, my referencing his sins that It somehow knew about. "Cheat! Coward! Oathbreaker! Kinslayer! Kidnapper! Poacher! Slaver! Trafficker! Murderer! Warmonger! Monster! Villain! DEMON!"
I was about to slash him one more time, but several presences stopped Me.
"Winter! Enough! He's had enough!"
"No! Vengeanch must be fulfilled!"
"He won't get what's coming to him if you kill him outright! Now CALM DOWN!"
It took a moment, buut my Rage dropped to zero and I passed out.
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"I say we get them home." Io suggested.
"Second best idea i've heard all day." Genevive said, balancing Winter on her back.
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Together, many children stepped out into the biting cold. Fortunately, they were protected somewhat by the armours that they had picked up.
Shlowly but surely, they marched on. There was no light to go by, no moon, no stars. Just black clouds.
JKust when they weere about to lose hope, a flash occurred. A voice rang out,
"There! I found them! I found them!"
Soon enough, a regiment of soldiers was escorting the group of youngsters back to the Crystal Empire.
Once the parents heard that their children were safe, they all gathered just outside the shield. If their choldren could handle a little cold, so could they.
Upon reuniting with their parents, there was much rejoicing.
Shining Armor walked up to thw one who felt like they were responsible for the end of the alliance of canines. Namely, Winter and her friends.
"I trust he suffered?" He asked dryly.
"Bit much." Io said.
"Not nearly enough." Genevive countered.
Suddenly, there was a blast of energy from the center of the castle. The Crystal foals instinctively ran toward the enrrgy, takind it full force when they leaped on one side of it, and landed on the other side in crystallized forms.
Winter for her part, felt the dark presence within her fade away, hopefully not to return. She sighed. Her work was done for now. But for how long?