//------------------------------// // Loose Ends // Story: Mayhem On The Mountain // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The squad were relishing in their victory over Silas. “Hoo boy…” Survival let out a sigh, exhausted from the arduous fight beforehand, “It’s hard to believe that we won.” “But we did. That’s just how it is done.” Fury chuckled arrogantly… before twitching in pain, his bandaged wing aching, “...Though, won’t lie, this fight was a tough one.” “Let’s go to the instant replay!” Caboose added, “I bet that aura ‘spirit bomb’ looked real cool from another angle!” “Um, Caboose, no one was-” Survival began, before Fury stopped him, shaking his head, “Oh, right…” Fletcher, however, wasn’t quite as happy, glaring at Aural. “Hey, what’s with the stinkeye?” Aural frowned, “We won, didn’t we?” “That, we did.” Fletcher said irritably, “But did you really have to send Silas off the mountain like that? That stallion is responsible for murdering several RDL agents, and nearly murdering everyone else. He should have been arrested.” “Oh, and give him a chance to get his miasma back and break out, undoing everything?” Aural shot back, “Yeah, don’t think so. Besides, I had to send a message to the Forefathers. Once they see their supposed ‘god’ all beaten up, they’ll think twice before showing their faces back here.” “Well, while I cannot argue with that logic, I feel there are more pressing matters to attend to.” Survival declared, stepping in. “What are you talking about? We saved the day, didn’t we?” Caboose tilted his head in confusion, “The Forefathers were the ones hassling the monks with those letters, right?” “That’s the thing, I don’t think they were.” Survival shook his head, “They had the manpower and the ferocity to easily take this place by force. They could have done so, and we would have been none the wiser… yet instead, they decided to send one hundred letters to threaten them, not only letting them know about their incoming attack, but getting us involved as well?” “Well, the sender said they were trying to instill fear in them.” Fury pointed out, “Perhaps this was them getting their sick kicks.” “Yeah, and they bucked the poor fear turkey!” Caboose whimpered. “But what about the way these letters were written?” Survival asked, “The severity of these threats, the fear turkey included, and the fact they personally addressed Mantra in most of them, suggested that the sender had a personal vendetta against him and the monastery as a whole. And I’m having trouble believing that the Forefathers hated this exact monastery that much.” “I’m going to have to agree with him, it doesn’t make much sense.” Fletcher nodded, “Even if it did, it still doesn’t explain everything else that has been going on around here. The way some of the monks have been acting, Mantra’s behavior, the fact that someone tried to trap us down in the caves, and most alarming of all, that Jade Jape operation we busted…” “So, what you’re saying is that there might be more?” Cabooses frowned, “Aww man…” As they talked, Aural, using his aural senses, took note of Mantra, seeing a crimson image in his mind's eye. Even then, Aural could feel Mantra’s eyes glaring holes into him, before the master suddenly walked away. Ube (whose aura was just like everyone else’s) soon followed, but not before casting his own stink-eye. Without a word, Aural slipped away. As he did, Relic soon approached the unaware squadron. “Oh, thank you all so much for valiantly protecting our monastery.” Relic praised, “We owe you a debt that can never be repaid." "Just doing our job, sir." Fletcher said fairly. “Of course. I’m just glad that we made it in time before any more damage could be done…” Survival declared… before taking in the destruction around him, “Well, relatively speaking.” “That is something I wanted to ask.” Relic frowned, “Where have you been all morning? None of us were aware that you had left the monastery to begin with.” “The truth is, we were investigating the caves below, right around where the fountain was.” Survival confessed, “We had reasons to believe the death threat sender was doing so from within this mountain.” He bowed his head, “We didn’t mean to be gone as long as we were.” “Yeah. But sadly, we didn’t exactly have a choice when some asshole dropped a boulder on us, and trapped us in!” Fury snarled. “A boulder?” Relic frowned. "Yeah." Caboose nodded. "Big, round, little rough on the left side... don't suppose you've seen it, by any chance?" "Actually, I have." One of the monks spoke up, joining the group. "I was the one tasked with dusting the gallery this morning. I didn’t have time to tell anyone, what with this invasion and everything, but the sacred boulder was missing from its spot." “What?! That boulder has been in the Wise Lotus family for generations!” Relic gasped, outraged, “Who would do such a thing, not only to our treasure, but to you guys?!” “That’s what we intend to find out.” Fletcher said firmly, “All I know for certain is that if it wasn’t for Aural, we probably wouldn’t have found our way out. Speaking of which, now that everything has calmed down, Aural, maybe you can tell us what’s-” He turned to see that Aural was gone. “Huh?!” Fletcher gasped, looking around, “Where did he go?!” "Maybe he needed the bathroom?" Caboose shrugged. At that point, the Red Rio descended upon the gathering. "What in Equestria is that?!" One monk yelped. "That's the oddest bird I've ever seen!" Another gaped. “Fletcher, guys, we need you to get to the fountain, right now.” Armory’s voice declared. “Whoa, it talks!” Relic gasped. “Dear Faust, the birds are becoming smarter by the day!” Walking Phoenix gaped in zoned-out wonder. "Easy there, guys." Survival assured the monks. "This is just a drone from our organization." “Hold on, you mean you guys brought military stuff here?!” The inventory monk scowled, “That’s against our rules!” “Hey, they just saved our home from terrorists!” Fresh Starter glared, “I think we can let this slide!” “Hold on, what’s going on? Fletcher frowned, “Why the fountain?” “It’s Mantra and Ube, mate.” Ballista’s voice spoke through, “We were surveying the damage when we saw them making their way to the fountain.” “Yeah, and that donkey who helped you guys was following them.” Black’s voice joined in, “Not sure why, but with how hinky everything’s been, you might want to catch up with them.” “Of course. After all, they’re the only ones who might finally tell us what’s going on around here.” Survival mused. “Come on, let’s get going.” Fletcher said to the others. “I should come with you.” Relic declared. “Hmm, and why’s that?” Fury frowned. “Just a feeling I have.” Relic shook his head, “That and I wanna make sure Aural and Mantra are okay.” "If that's what you want, we won't stop you." Fletcher shrugged. "The more the merrier!" Caboose grinned. As the group departed, some of the monks (such as the one working the inventory, and the tweeky one adopt grim expressions. The wind howled outside the room of the fountain, as Mantra stood before the fountain in question, staring solemnly at his reflection. Ube was leaning against the wall, watching the doorway, a hard scowl on his face, expecting someone to arrive. And arrived, someone did, as Aural walked into the chamber. Despite gazing into the waters, Mantra was quick to sense him, and turned to face him. “Aural.” Mantra said curtly. “Mantra.” Aural glared. He then glared at Ube, “Ube.” Ube said nothing, only glaring back at Aural. “That was quite a show you gave up there.” Mantra began, his expression passive, “Seems all that time in the caverns below did little to dull your skills." "Hmph." Aural shrugged off the false compliment. "You don't sound surprised to see me, considering the last time we saw each other." "Come now, you and I both know you're too stubborn to die." Mantra smirked. "Even after everything, I just knew deep down you were still among the living." "Well, the others always said I lived rent-free in your head." Aural sneered. "Some things never change, do they?" "Enough." The smile vanished from Mantra's face. "Am I right in assuming that I have you to thank for this letter?" He produced the letter Silas had. "The one that summoned those scum and that monster?" "And what if I am?" Aural challenged. "At least they had the courtesy to come after just one letter. Certainly responded faster than you, Mr. 'One Hundred'." "So it was you!" Ube stepped forward in anger. "You're the one who's been harassing us with those threats! Including the fear turkey!" "Yeah, that was a good one." Aural chuckled. "You think this is funny, Aural?" Mantra growled. "Your actions brought untold damages to this monastery! Just look at what that fog pony did all on his own! If it wasn't for you-" "That fog pony would still be here, wreaking havoc." Aural interrupted, spreading his hooves, "You're welcome." "...Typical." Mantra scowled. "This is exactly what I meant when I told Chakra that-" "Only certain individuals should be allowed to use the power of aura." Aura interrupted again, causing Mantra to snarl. "Yeah, you only said that bit pretty much my whole life. Yet..." He held up a hoof, manifesting an aura sphere. "Here I am, using it." He sneered. "Does it piss you off, Manny?" "What is it you want, Aural?" Mantra demanded. "What was your end goal for all this subterfuge and destruction? Do you realize that ponies could have died?" Aural's sneer faded a little. "Yeah… they would have been done for.” Aural murmured, guilt-stricken, “I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t been there…” However, the guilt passed, “If only somepony had bothered to teach them how to use the magic that was part of the Lotus for eons to defend themselves, rather than banning it and hogging it all for himself..." His sneer returned, as he glared at Mantra. "Sound familiar?" “Don’t you dare.” Mantra shot back, “It is no fault of mine that the others were not worthy. Unlike you, they knew their place." "Their place?!" Aural spat incredulously. "You’re serious right now?! These were our fellow monks up there! Most of them had served under the same master as you and me! Hell, we grew up with half of them! You want me to accept blame for what Silas and his men almost did to them?! I'll accept it gladly! But that does not change the fact because of your ban, they were defenseless! The only pony that was up here able to do anything was you! Yet you were nowhere to be seen while those assholes ran roughshod!" “Believe me, Aural, I was more than ready to defend my home.” Mantra declared, “But then that griffon and the odd unicorn showed up. I’d assumed they had the situation in hoof, and that I could focus on getting Ube here to safety.” “So instead of helping them out, you prioritize saving this piece of garbage?!” Aural gestured to Ube. “Hey!” Ube snarled. “Look, if I had started using aura, the other monks would have found out and then they would have started bugging me about learning aura themselves. Not to mention the guff I would have gotten for defying the ban. “Are you listening to yourself?” Aural asked, disgusted, “You’re telling me you were willing to let this place burn down, just to uphold your stupid ban?!” “I am many things, Aural. A hypocrite isn’t one of them.” Mantra huffed. “I have principles, you know.” “Oh, sure. After everything you did, hypocrisy is where you draw the line.” Aural scoffed. “Everything I did was for the best of the monastery!” Mantra roared. “Best for the monastery?! Or best for you?!" Aural retorted, Mantra glaring hatefully at him, “‘Cause you clearly gave no crap when our friends were being rounded up like cattle, being led to slaughter! You could have easily beaten back those assholes, but instead, you were hiding, like a Faust damn coward!” “Silence! I will not be spoken to that way, especially from you!” Mantra snarled. “Oh, and whatcha gonna do about it?” Aural taunted, “You have no idea how much it royally pisses me off that you dare call yourself master of this monastery, after everything you’ve done, within these walls and down below!” “If you do not shut your mouth, I will shut it for you!” Mantra threatened. “Oh, please, give me a reason to punch that smug face!” Aural taunted, punching his hooves together. “What is going on here?!” Aural, Mantra, and Ube looked at the entrance, as Fletcher and co. arrived, having heard all the shouting, with Fletcher being the one who asked the question. "Is this a yelling contest?" Caboose asked. "Because I am really good at those! AHHHHH-!" Fury clamped his talons around Caboose's mouth, silencing him. "It's not a yelling contest." Fury growled. “Aural? Mantra?” Relic frowned, concerned. “Oh, it’s nothing serious.” Aural said airily, “Just a chat between old friends about current events. Right, Manny?” “Indeed, we were. “Mantra scowled, “In fact, I think our guests here would be interested in looking at this.” Using his magic, he passed the letter to Survival, as Aural’s glance hardened. “What the…” Survival gasped, as he examined the letter. Dread overtook him as he then pulled out the ‘fear turkey’ letter, “Guys… the hoofwriting, it’s a perfect match!” “Wait, what?!” Fury yelled, as he, Fletcher, and Caboose glanced over at it, “Holy crap, it is!” “And there’s a name signed to it…” Fletcher read, before reeling back in confusion, “Mantra?” He glanced over at the master, “Did you-” “No, I didn’t. My name was forged, leading that fog pony to believe that I was taunting him and his organization. It is the very reason that fiends and his minions had come here to begin with and caused all this destruction.” Mantra explained. “And why would someone do something like this?” Fletcher frowned. “Hmph, why don’t you ask Aural over here?” Mantra gestured to the donkey, “After all, he was the one who sent it.” “What?!” Survival gaped. “No, he wouldn’t!” Relic shook his head. “Oh, he would.” Manta sneered, “He even admitted it.” “Not only that, but the ass also admitted to sending those many death threats!” Ube declared with a smug grin. “Come on, you’re pulling our legs, right?” Caboose scoffed, “Aural’s blind! I’m pretty sure that doesn't do your penstallionship any favors..." “Unless…” Survival murmured, a dark expression on his face, “You guys remember that thug that came in, screaming and panicking? I may have not heard everything he said, but from the way he looked and how upset he was… I’m starting to think somepony was keeping him prisoner…” He then glanced at Aural, “And Aural here is responsible for it.” "You wouldn't really do that, would you, Aural?" Fletcher asked. “What are you talking about?” Relic asked, appalled, “Of course he wouldn’t. He-” “Actually, Relic, I totally did.” Aural admitted simply, much to Relic’s shock, “The letter. The death threats. That was all me.” “Whoa! Plot twist!” Caboose declared. "I knew it!" Fury snarled. "I knew there was something rotten about you!" “But why, though?!” Fletcher demanded, flabbergasted, “Why would you bring the Forefathers here? You endangered everyone in this monastery!” “I…I don’t understand.” Relic stammered, utterly distraught, “Why would you do this to us?!” Unbeknownst to them, the Red Rio was watching from atop the doorway. “Wait, so the donkey is the reason Fletcher and others were called up there to begin with?” Sterling frowned. “Not only that, he brought Silas and the Forefathers here.” Black snarled. "Now this was unexpected." Ballista mused. "And also quite unnerving." Elite added. “Definitely don’t get this kind of drama on cable.” Armory joked. Back within the fountain, everyone was staring at Aural, with a variety of emotions, ranging from shock to anger. “Aural… why did you do it?” Survival questioned, hesitant. “Look, I know it looks pretty bad right now, but you have to understand…” Aural declared firmly, “Surely you and your pals caught on that things have been off on this rock, right? Well, that’s because things have been off. They have been for quite a while. And those two-” He pointed at Mantra and Ube, “-are smack dab in the middle of it.” "Lies!" Ube yelled. "Utter lies." Mantra agreed. "Aural has clearly lost his mind after living alone for so long." He turned to Fletcher and the others. "He's a proven threat to all of us, and I must humbly request that you take him into custody." "Done." Fury scowled. “Hey, hold on a second!” Aural growled, “What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'? If you guys just give me a chance, I’ll explain things!” "What's to explain?" Fletcher frowned. "You pretty much just confessed!" “Yes, and you don’t see me denying it! I’m telling nothing but the truth right now!” Aural declared, “And if you just give me a minute, I’ll tell you what’s going really on round here!” “...Fletcher, I think we should hear him out.” Survival suggested. “You gotta be joking.” Fury glared at him, “He’s the reason we’re here!” “Look, even if he is responsible for the letters, it doesn’t change the fact that he helped us get out of the caves, as well as beating Silas.” Survival reasoned, “At the very least, we should hear him out. We owe him that much.” "I’m with Fiev." Caboose nodded. "A Napoleon always pays back his debts... sooner or later..." “Excuse me?! Need I remind you that you four are here at our behest?!” Mantra glared, “I’m telling you to arrest this insane ass! Unless you rather I expel you all for disregarding my wishes?! You can kiss drinking from the fountain good-bye!” “Really now?” Fletcher glared back, “If I recall correctly, you agreed to let us drink from the fountain if we found out who was sending you death threats. And then proceeded to tell us that you'd let us anyway if the death threats turned out to be a hoax. Am I wrong?!” “Well, no, but-” Mantra admitted. “Well, not only do we have our death threat sender right here…” Fletcher gestured to Aural, “But we also just repelled an enemy invasion who threatened your very lives as well. It’s safe to say that we have more than fulfilled our end of the bargain. Am I to understand that you are going to renege on our deal because you don’t want us to listen to what Aural has to say?” His eyes narrowed, “Is there something Aural's going to say that you rather he didn’t?” "Well, I.... That is to say..." Mantra spluttered, struggling to come up with a rebuttal. “Yeah, Manny. I thought you said you had principles.” Aural sneered. “Watch your tongue, Aural.” Fletcher growled, “Like Survival said, you did help us. Which is why I’m only giving you this one chance to explain yourself. If I don’t like what I hear, we’re taking you in.” “And no funny business.” Fury snarled, displeased with the leniency the others were giving him, “Or I’m finishing what I started in the caves.” “Okay, okay, sheesh.” Aural grimaced, “Caboose, could you be a sport and join me by the fountain for a moment?” "Uh... sure." Caboose shrugged. walking over to the fountain. Fletcher and Fury narrowed their eyes, with Relic and Survival frowning in confusion. Mantra and Ube looked on, grim looks on their faces. “Okay, I’m here.” Caboose declared. “Good, good… how are you doing?” Aural smirked. “Heh, alright. Still beat from that big ol’ boss fight against Silas.” Caboose murmured, “Still shocked that you were the one bucking the fear turkey.” “Gotta admit, that was clever, right?” Aural nudged Caboose. “Meh, Alucard did it better. He actually uses the f-bomb.” Caboose admitted, “Plus, in Alucard’s case, I think it was more a metaphor.” “...I see.” Aural’s smile grew forced, “Random question, how long can you hold your breath?” "Well, there was this one time at a hotel when I needed to dip my head into a bidet-" Caboose began. Caboose didn’t have time to finish, as out of nowhere, Aural grabbed him by the mane and dunked his head into the fountain. "Blrrrb!" Caboose gurgled. "Caboose!" Fletcher yelped. "What the-?!" Survival gaped, aghast. "Aural, no!" Relic screamed. Even Mantra and Ube were shocked by this turn of events, staring with shock. "What the flap are you doing?!" Fury lunged at Aural, pinning him down to the floor, a forearm against his neck. “Gak!” Aural gasped. Fletcher rushed over to Caboose. Freed from Aural's grip, he was coughing up some of the fountain's water. "Are you okay?!" Fletcher asked, “Say something!” Caboose made to reply... then his eyes dilated. "I CAN SMELL THE COSMOS!" He bellowed. "Caboose?!" Fletcher gaped. "What's wrong with you?!" He turned to Survival. "Fievel?!" Survival rushed over, and examined Caboose. His own eyes widened as he surveyed Caboose's. "Oh my Faust... you're drugged!" He gasped. "Drugged?!" Fury turned to face the others. "But all this asshole did was dunk his head in the fountain!" Mantra and Ube's looks hardened. "Exactly!" Aural grunted, still struggling against Fury's grip. "Look in the fountain, kid!" Survival quickly looked into the fountain. He didn't notice anything at first... until he spotted some vegetation around the lower side. "...Hold on... that's..." He turned to Fletcher. "Fletcher... there's Jade Ivies in this fountain." "Jade Ivies?" Fury frowned, casting a confused side glance at Aural. "Isn't that the plant needed to make Jade Jape?" Fletcher darted over, and checked for himself. "...Fury, let Aural up. Now." He ordered, his voice oddly calm and quiet. Fury, unnerved by Fletcher's tone, did so. Aural got up, rubbing his neck. "Aural... am I right in assuming that the water in this fountain comes from that pool of water from the drug den?" Fletcher asked, his voice still unnaturally calm. "Drug den?!" Mantra interjected awkwardly. "What are you-" "Quiet!" Fletcher yelled at Mantra, before turning to Aural. "Well?!" "That's right." Aural nodded bluntly. "All the water on this rock flows from that very pool, somehow. But here and there are where the ivies really flourish, and as you can see with little Timmy over there, the water the ivies are soaked in really messes with you." “Wait a second. This is the Fountain of Eternal Wisdom, ain’t it?” Fury asked, “Shouldn’t our dumbass here be smarter?” “Yeah, about that…” Aural began. "Oh… I get it now." Survival sighed, a grim realization falling over him. "The Fountain. It never gave eternal wisdom, did it?" "What?!" Fletcher gasped. "You gotta be kiddin' me..." Fury fumed. Those watching at the HQ were similarly shocked. Most of them stared in disappointment, but Elite was most dismayed. "I should have known it was too good to be true..." He sighed. “‘Fraid not, kid.” Aural nodded solemnly, “The fountain’s so-called ‘mystical powers’? Nothing more than hallucinations brought on from drinking tainted water.” “What?! But I thought the fountain had helped ponies come up with scientific breakthroughs and the ilke.” Fletcher shook his head in shock, “What about ‘every question you have will have an answer?’” “Yeah, no. All that was just a coincidence.” Aural corrected, “Though to be fair, you’d be amazed by all the things you can think of when high off your ass. I mean, how’d you think Alice In Whinnyland was made?” Survival glanced around, noting Relic, Mantra, and Ube’s expressions, with all of them showing grim looks. “...None of you seems surprised by this revelation.” Survival frowned, “...Did you all know about this?” “Mr. Horror…” Relic began, guilt on his face, “I-” “Pretty much all the older monks in the monastery knew that the fountain was B-S.” Aural cut him off, “Me, Mantra, everyone. Yeah, pretty much everyone in these four walls except the newbies knows what’s up.” “Seriously?” Fletcher gasped, “But then why does the rest of the world…” “Ugh, it’s a long story.” Aural rolled his eyes, “Cutting it short, essentially, it took one to two generations since the Wise Lotus was formed for the ancient fogies to catch on that they’ve been giving random travelers poisoned water. Unfortunately, at that same time, they had only just obtained the ‘sacred grounds’ status that would protect them from any persecution or would-be invaders, all because of this ‘magic fountain’. As you could imagine, if word got out that the fountain was not only a fake, but was actually bucking up your brain… well, forget losing that status, all the other nations would have burnt this place to the ground.” “Is this true, Relic?” Fletcher turned to him. “Pretty much.” Relic admitted sheepishly, “It became a rite of passage for monks to be filled in on the secret. We were sworn never to reveal the truth, even to this day, as doing so could ruin the Wise Lotus’ reputation, as well as losing the sacred grounds status, which could lead to more problems… It’s not something we’re proud of…” He bowed his head, “...I’m sorry.” “Hmm, so that’s why you didn’t want us drinking the water.” Fletcher mused to Relic. “Or letting anyone else for that matter.” "Pretty much, yeah." Aural nodded. “So let me get this straight…” Fury began, his voice in a whisper. “Oh no.” Survival murmured, recognizing Fury’s tone. “You’re telling me that I climbed up all those steps. Twice even!” Fury began, his body seething with rage, “Got my ass kicked… my wing broken!” He gestured to his bandaged wing, “Only to be told that the fountain we’ve done this for is A FAUST DAMN FAKE?!” “Ooh, you’re in trouble!” Caboose said sing-songily to Mantra, his body wavering. “I wouldn't say 'nothing'." Aural shrugged. "You accomplished something. Some more than others..." “WHY YOU-” Fury roared. “Fury, stop!” Fletcher stepped in front of him, glaring. “I know you are furious. Trust me, I’m not happy either. But we should not lose focus on the matter at hand…” Fletcher then turned to Mantra, Fury gritting his beak. “Well, Master Mantra? It’s your turn.” Fletcher glared at him. “What do you mean ‘my turn’?” Mantra snarled, “Don’t act like I'm the villain here! Aural was the one that endangered everyone in this monastery. He’s the one that summoned the monster that broke the griffon’s wing! Not to mention he tried drowning your other friend just now! That donkey is a menace!” “Well, truth be told, you’re not so innocent yourself.” Fletcher said coldly. “You promised us a drink from this fountain, knowing full well that the fountain is not only a lie, but is contaminated with a dangerous plant that could cause brain damage.” “Well, yes, I did, but-” Mantra stammered. “But nothing!” Fletcher cut him off, “From the moment we met you, I felt something was off. Whether it was the secrecy, the oddly-behaving monks, you getting pissed over us looking around, and this ban on aura… and to top it all off, we find a drug den of all things in the caverns…” "Hey, I had nothing to do with that!" Mantra insisted. “Really? You and your monks have been atop this mountain your whole life, and you expect me to believe that you didn’t know a drug operation was being run under your nose? I’m not buying it!” Fletcher snarled. "Buck off!" Ube roared. "I don’t know what your problem is, but we’re telling you, had no knowledge of any damn drug-" Suddenly, the wall next to the fountain opened up, revealing a secret passageway. Crack and Narco rushed panting heavily. Everyone (except Aural) stared in surprise. Then Crack noticed Ube. "Uber! You bucker!" Crack yelled. "Uber?" Survival frowned. "Crack?" Ube gaped. "What the hell are you-" "Don't 'what the hell' me, asshole!" Crack snarled. "Those RDL buckers you said you'd taken care of?! Well, turns out they found the den!" "Not the time, Crack..." Ube hissed, trying to draw Crack's attention to the glaring AFS. "And what's more, that blind-ass donkey you and Mantra supposedly killed?! He's still alive too!" Crack yelled, completely ignorant to Ube's gestures. "And he held me prisoner all year, making me write those letters!" Narco added. "Shut it!" Crack yelled at Narco, before returning his attention to Ube. "Because of you, everypony is scattered to the wind! When me and my guys agreed to work with you and move to this blasted rock, you promised us that no buckin' copper was going to bust our operations! I should have known you were talking out your ass!" "Crack..." Ube tried desperately to cut him off. "Everything was going perfectly." Crack despaired. "Jade Ivies were already a bitch and a half to find. Then you came along, telling me that the rock you were hiding out in had this unlimited supply of Jade Ivy-fermented water, and along with it, a bunch of dumb rich folks we could drug and string along for all they got while they got their 'inner peace' or what not. And that we didn't have to worry about law enforcement! Well, now all of that is ruined! Now, we all need to get the hell out of here before the RDL gets back up here and-" "Crack, shut the buck up!" Ube screamed. "What?!" Crack growled, annoyed that his spiel had been interrupted. "...Um, Crack..." Narco pointed Crack at their audience. Crack looked at the fuming AFS, and Aural, all wearing the same snide smirk. Mantra himself was about to blow a gasket. "Oh. Buck." Crack said flatly. “No knowledge, huh?” Fletcher glared at Ube, “Well, according to your pal here, the whole operation was your idea.” “No wonder Walking Phoenix and the other baldies were all flappin’ loopy.” Fury snarled, “You psychos been druggin’ them!” Suddenly, Fury grew more incensed, “And that bucker who got in my face! He was a tweaker!” “And I bet he isn’t the only one.” Survival glared, “Some of the monks around here aren’t monks at all, are they? They’re dirty rotten drug smugglers!” “Sheesh, we’re just trying to make a living!” Crack growled, offended. “Buck you!” Survival snapped, “Do you have any idea the harm you are causing? While nowhere near as potent as Jade Jape, Jade Ivies are still dangerous. Prolonged exposure to the stuff could cause brain damage, if not death!” “And what’s with him calling you ‘Uber’?” Fury seethed. “Don’t recall there being a ‘r’ at the end.” Ube gritted his teeth. “Come on, Ube, don’t be shy…” Aural snidely remarked, “Or should I say, ‘Uber Radical’?” At HQ, the sound of the name made Ballista light up. "I thought I saw him before!" Ballista stood up. "Uber Radical, the-" "Neo-Neighzi?" Survival frowned. "The villain who led that awful rally back in Shallotsville?" "Yes." Fletcher nodded grimly. "The one that ended in a bloody riot that killed over a dozen ponies and injured many more. Last I checked, there's several warrants for his arrest." "Yeah... gotta say, pretty smart to hide out in a place that was hard to get an arrest warrant in." Fury admitted. “W-well, I must say, I am deeply horrified and appalled.” Mantra declared meekly, “My right-hood stallion, not only an evil Neo-Neighzi, but a drug kingpin, running drugs from my monastery? The audacity!” “Oh, you motherbucker!” Ube roared at Mantra. “Well, technically, he’s not lying.” Aural admitted, “Mantra didn’t know who he was… at first. But Uber here, especially if he pounds a couple cups of sake, likes to brag. A lot. Needless to say, Mantra found out quickly enough and Uber, like the little pansy he is, begged him not to go to Chakra, knowing full well that the old stallion would kick his ass off the mountain before you can say ‘Mein Kampf’...” Aural’s face grew sullen, “...Not that it mattered in the end…” "What's that supposed to mean?" Survival asked. Mantra's breath hitched, as Aural glared at him. "Well, Manny, tell them." Aural urged. "Tell them about what really happened to Master Chakra that day. Tell them how you MURDERED HIM!" “Murdered?!” Survival gasped, “But I thought Chakra’s death was-” “It was! It was an accident!” Mantra growled. “No. It wasn’t.” Aural growled. Cold anger was in his voice. “I should know. I was there when it happened…” Years ago... It was another blustery day atop the mountain, as Aural was one of his regular afternoon walks around the monastery. "Good day, Fresh Starter." He waved at a familiar place. "Afternoon, Aural." Fresh Starter smiled. Aural greeted several others, eventually crossing paths with the young Relic. "Hello, Aural." Relic smiled. "Hey, Relic." Aural nodded. "Don't suppose you know where Chakra is right now?" “I think I saw him going down to the fountain today. You know how the master enjoys meditating near it.” Relic smiled. “Don’t I ever.” Aural rolled his eyes, “Well, I guess I might as go see if he wants company or not.” As Aural made his way down, he found himself stumbling a little, thanks to the strong winds. "Lousy gusts." He muttered. "Just an accident waiting to happen..." As Aural neared the landing, he heard a voice. "My decision is final, Mantra." An old, yet authoritative voice grumbled. “Huh? Mantra?” Aural frowned. Aural slowed his pace. His ears began twitching, using aural sense to look ahead. Down on the landing, just outside the fountain, two visages of ponies could be detected. While he couldn’t tell without sight, he recognized a bulkier yet old looking stallion, an Earth Pony, was his master Chakra, who to others who could see, was a tall, wise-looking fellow, with a short beard, and an eye symbol for a Cutie Mark. The other pony was a Unicorn, which judging by the stiff way he carried himself, that Aural immediately knew was Mantra. ’What the hell are these two fighting about now?’ Aural grimaced. It was rather known that Mantra had taken issues with how Chakra ran things in the monastery, especially regarding the teaching of aura. “Why?” Mantra’s voice demanded, “Why him?!” “I think you know why, Mantra.” Chakra shot back. “No, I don’t! Because there is no way you would choose Aural to be your successor over me!” Mantra snarled. “Successor?” Aural whispered, “Wait… he doesn’t mean…” “Actually there is. Because that is exactly what I am doing.” Chakra huffed, “When I moved on from this world, Aural will take my place as master of this monastery.” “Master?!” Aural nearly yelped, before catching himself, “Me?” “B-but why?! Master, my family have served the Wise Lotus for generations.” Mantra protested, “Dating back to when this monastery first came to be! Aural?! He was just left here on our doorstep!” “Oh, don’t even try and bring your ‘family’ into this.” Chakra said callously, “Yes, they’ve been around this monastery for a long time, yet none of them had ever been named a successor. There’s a reason for that: mediocrity. Not a single one of them ever stood out. And you, Mantra, are just another link in a rather lackluster chain." "That is a lie!” Mantra roared. "I am without question, your best pupil! I mastered your teachings in no time flat! I followed your every instruction to the letter!" "Then why is it that Aural bested you in training?" Chakra retorted. "Surely the 'best' wouldn't lose to someone else?" "That was a fluke!" Mantra claimed. "Aural was emotional that day, and if I had been adequately prepared, I-" "Excuses, Mantra?" Chakra scoffed. "As if I needed another reason to choose Aural over you..." "No! This is favoritism!" Mantra spat. "You're only choosing Aural because he sees you as some sort of father figure-" "I'm choosing Aural because he worked his, excuse the pun, ass off to hone his skills in the art of using aura." Chakra said calmly. "Our relationship has no weight in the matter." "But he does not deserve the title, let alone even using aura-" Mantra began. "And here we go again with this argument." Chakra sighed irritably. "That is yet another reason I won't be choosing you. The power of aura is knowledge that should be shared with all those who seek it. Not hoarded away by poor insecure boys afraid of obscurity." Mantra was so taken aback by Chakra words that he was unable to even voice his fury. Aural himself was also taken back by such a barb. ’Faust damn, Master. Mantra’s a dick, but that was harsh!’ Aural grimaced, surprisingly feeling bad for the younger stallion Chakra turned his back on Mantra. "Aural will succeed me, and that's the end of it." He declared. "And unless you wish to bring further shame on your family through expulsion, you will learn to bear it and grin it like everyone else in your family did." With his back to Mantra, he was unaware of his student glaring at him with utter hatred. "You see, in this world, there are great ponies, and then there’s stepping stones for those great ponies to walk on. You and your entire bloodline? A whole line of stepping stones. You could belly-ache about your mediocrity, or you can just accept that you are just a stepping stone for Aural. Whichever you choose, I honestly don’t care.” Mantra’s eyes started welling up with tears, as he began panting with fury. But Aural was actually more mortified by Chakra's choice of words. Chakra started to walk away... until he hears the sound of an aura sphere manifesting. He turned around, and was struck in the face by a red aura sphere. Aural’s blind eyes lit up with horror. His aural senses played the scene out to him, as if in slow-motion. "ARRRGH!" He groaned, the impact sending him flying over the edge of the landing's railings. As he fell, the robe tore a little against the railing. "MASTER, NO!" Aural rushed down the steps and to the edge, looking down in horror. Mantra suddenly snapped out of his hate-filled rage, and was aghast at what he had just done. Aural glanced back at him, his ears twitching, his eyes alight with grief and betrayal. "M-mantra, what did you do?" Aural stuttered. "I... I..." Mantra spluttered. "It wasn't me! Chakra was blown over the edge by the wind!" "The wind?!" Aural snarled, anger overtaking him. "Don't lie to me! I sensed the aura sphere! You killed Chakra!" "I didn't!" Mantra insisted, getting agitated. "It was an accident! You didn't even see what happened, so what makes you so sure I'd do something like that?" “Aural sense, jackass!” Aural roared, his eyes tearing up, “I-I can’t believe you… that you would do something so…” Snarling, he manifested two aura spheres from his front hooves, “I’m gonna buckin’ kick your ass!” “Aural, please!” Mantra pleaded. However, before Aural could attack, a strong pair of hooves grabbed him by the ears and by the abdomen. The shock of being grabbed caused Aural to lose focus, and subsequently, his aura spheres. “What the?! Hey! Let go of me!” Aural shouted, thrashing against his captor, his rage preventing him from properly tapping into his aura. "Ube?" Mantra gaped, shocked at the sudden appearance of, who else, Uber. "What are you doing here?" “I was coming down to ask the old fossil something, and I overheard the whole thing.” Uber announced, “Gotta say, I didn’t know you had it in you, Manny.” “Ube! You Trotler butt-kissing asshole! LET ME GO!” Aural roared. “L-let him go, Ube.” Mantra suggested, shaken, “This is only making things worse!” “You’re kiddin’, right?” Uber retorted, “He knows you killed ol’ Chalk. If word gets out, you'd be expelled, if not arrested!” “I realize that, but-” Mantra shook his head. “And let’s be real here: that old fart always preferred this gimp over you!” Ube growled, glaring at the thrashing donkey in his grasp, “Are you really going to throw your life away for this ass?! Use your head, Manny!” Mantra fell silent for a moment, horrifying Aural. “M-mantra?” Aural whispered. "...W-what do I do?" he asked, unsure. "You don't have to 'do' anything." Uber replied. "I mean, Aural here is blind as a bat. Would anypony really raise a brow if he too suffered a little 'accident' like good ol' Chalk?" "...No. I suppose they wouldn't." Mantra admitted. He turned away, out of both guilt and cowardly acceptance. "Throw him over, and make it quick." "Thought you'd never ask!" Uber smirked. "No!" Aural yelled, struggling desperately as Uber dragged him to the edge. "Mantra, please! Don't do this! Don't! No! No!" Uber threw Aural over the edge. "AHHHH!" The donkey cried out in horror as he tumbled out of view. Mantra walked over to the railing, a dead look in his eyes as Uber dusted off his hooves. "Well, this is quite the pickle we find ourselves in, Mantra... or should I say, Master Mantra?" Uber declared. "What?" Mantra glanced at Uber. "What are you talking about?" "Oh come now." Uber said airily. "Nopony knew that Chakra was going to name Aural his successor except him and you, and with the both of them out of the way, you, as the self-proclaimed best pupil, are a shoe-in." "...Yeah, I guess I am..." Mantra realized. "Although, I do believe some changes are in order around here, if I'm gonna be keeping my lips sealed about this little 'accident'." Uber smirked. Mantra glared at him, knowing what he was getting at. "What is it you want, Ube?" He asked, already guessing the answer. "Well, let's just say I learned the truth about the water on this here mountain." Uber revealed. "It just so happens to be a vital component to a... let's say, a very potent drug, one that is well sought-after among the groups I run with. With your 'blessing', I can get a crew over here and start up a little shindig, make some coin." "You wish to introduce drug dealers onto this mountain?" Mantra asked incredulously. "Oh, perish the thought." Uber chuckled. "Sure, we might have to sort some of them into the monastery to make sure there's no interference from other busy-bodies, but I'll see to it that the others keep to themselves... hell, maybe we can cut you in and-" "No. I do not want any of your filthy money." Mantra refused. "Do whatever you want." He glanced down where Chakra and Aural fell, the hate welling up in him once more. "This is all their fault... they deserved this... The power of aura should be in only one's hooves... my hooves. Nopony else." "Yeah. Sure. Whatever floats your boat." Uber shrugged. As he turned around, he noticed something. "Although we should probably do something about the other witness." "What?" Mantra frowned. "What are you-" He turned around... and saw Relic, standing there like a deer in the headlights. "Relic?" Down below, Aural was a heavily-bruised and bleeding mess, but miraculously still alive, his glasses shattered. "I... I'm alive..." He wheezed, “Buck… why am I… still alive?” Fighting the pain, Aural rolled onto his belly, whimpering as he did. For a moment, he attempted to use aural sense, his ears twitching, but his head was throbbing, preventing any and all attempts at focusing. “Ugh, dammit!” Aural groaned. Blind and left with no choice, he began to crawl forward, “Help me... Relic… Master… anypony… please… it’s so dark…" Almost immediately, his hooves made contact with something soft. “What the…” Aural frowned, confused… before realizing. “Wait… Master? Is that you?” He let out a sob of relief, rubbing his hooves along the body, “Oh, thank, Faust.. I thought for sure you were-” His blood ran cold, as he felt something wasn’t right. As he ran his hooves over his mentor's form, he felt a hard, jagged sensation as he reached the neck... something that shouldn't have been there, and that no living pony could possibly posess... “No…” Aural whispered, as he began weeping, “Oh no-oh-oh… Master… you can’t… you can’t be… Faust dammit! Faust DAMMIT!” Thanks to the winds that blew that day, no one kept the horrid cries of a heartbroken donkey, weeping over his mentor’s dead body… The present... The AFS were all mortified at what they'd just heard, seeing the pained look in the blind donkey’s face. "Oh, geez..." Fury bowed his head. “How awful…” Fletcher added. "Boo-hoo-hoo!" Caboose blubbered. "Why did they do that to Ol' Yeller?!" "Relic?” Survival asked the monk, who seem just as torn from Aural’s recollection. Recalling their earlier conversation, he pressed onwards, "Did you know about any of this?” “Relic!” Mantra began, an cold edge to his voice, “Do not say a single word, or I’ll-” “No, Mantra. Enough is enough.” Relic declared fiercely. His eyes began to wet, as he turned to Survival, “It’s all true. I came down to this fountain that day, hoping to join Aural and Chakra. I didn’t see Chakra’s death, but I did see Ube throw Aural over the edge. And I heard everything they said about what happened.” He sniffled, “When they saw me, they said if I told anyone that they would… you have to believe me, I wanted to tell the truth, not just about Chakra, but about Aural, the drugs... But… but…” “Hey, it’s not your fault, Relic.” Aural assured him with a sad smile, “You were scared for your life. Most ponies would be.” "Hey, stop acting like I'm the bad guy here!" Mantra roared. "Chakra pushed me to do it! He disrespected me! He disrespected my family!" “That’s enough, Mantra!” Aural rounded on him, “It doesn’t matter what the reason is! What matters is that you used your aura to kill our master! And because of it, you allowed Uber to start up his drug operation and allowed criminals into our home, drugging newcomers to rip them off and place them into compliance, and run those Jade Japes from our mountain! All so you could have his precious aura to yourself!" "How do you know all this?" Fletcher asked. "Weren't you down in the caves all that time?" "Not entirely." Aural replied. "I've been coming and going from the caves to the monastery and back for a while. Most times I sneak in through that passage those two nimrods came through just now and pick up some food and supplies. In fact, I’ve been off this mountain a few times. That’s how I found a Forefather outpost to send a letter to.” “But then why did you stick around?” Survival frowned. “Because I wasn’t going to let those two bastards get away with killing my master.” Aural glared at Mantra and Ube, who glared back at him, “I promised myself that when I buried him all that time ago… sadly, I knew I couldn't just march in and kick them out myself. So I thought up a plan: kidnap one of the drug runners ..." Aural gesture to Narco. "B-b-buck you!" Narco shrieked, half-afraid, half-angry. "...Then, using the papers, ink, and quills I took during one of my supply runs, I have him write out a death threat to scare Mantra into calling help... which took a lot longer than it should have." Aural continued, adding that bit with venom. "Why didn't you just go to the authorities?!" Fury pointed out. "Why all the bullcrap?!" "...He couldn't." Survival answered. "Sacred grounds, remember? It would have taken forever for anypony to get a search warrant, and even if they did..." "Uber and his men would have had more than enough time to conceal any incriminating evidence... and they would know Aural was alive." Fletcher added. "Couldn't have put it better myself." Aural nodded. "So I had that spineless wimp write letters for me till the day Mantra would finally crack... which finally came after a hundred damn letters…" "Okay then, why call the Forefathers?!" Fury demanded to know. "Oh... that..." Aural said awkwardly. "Well, I knew Mantra would've tried his damndest to make sure you guys didn't stick around. So I figured if an actual threat were to come along, it would keep you guys around long enough to realize what's going on around here. And when you did, I would reveal myself, and lead you guys down to the drug den, and bring justice to this damn rock." He paused to let the words sink in. "...But unfortunately, this asshole-" He pointed to the cowering Narco. "-Decided to break free and try and warn them, and that asshole-" He pointed to a fuming Uber. "-Decided to drop the sacred boulder on you guys, so I had to improvise... but never did I intend for the Forefathers to actually be... well, a threat. Let alone packing whatever the hell Silas was." "You summoned a terrorist faction, even taunted them using Mantra's name." Fletcher pointed out, not happy. "Even if Silas wasn't among their numbers, you really didn't think they wouldn't be merciful to this place?" "...Okay, I won't lie, I also did it to put the fear of Faust into Mantra and Uber and all of his cronies." Aural confessed sheepishly. "But in my defense, you guys were supposed to be guarding the place, not spelunking!" Caboose suddenly laughed giddily, still under the influence of the tainted water. "Hehehe... he got you there, Fletchie-poo!" He giggled. “...Well, I think I’ve heard more than enough.” Fletcher said bluntly, “We are going to have a long hard discussion regarding your dangerously reckless actions, Aural. No matter the reason, you endangered innocent lives and that is just not okay.” Aural remained silent, acknowledging his words. “That being said, you did bring to light a very serious problem.” Fletcher admitted, glaring at Uber, “Uber Radical, a fugitive from the law, has not only been hiding out on this mountain, but he has been selling Jade Japes, a illegal drug, with several felons, as well drugging innocent monks to rob them of their valuables…” He then turned to Mantra, “And then there’s you, Mantra. While we cannot prove your involvement in your old master’s death in the court of law, you not only knew, but were complicit in Uber’s criminal activities… and don’t get me started on those two.” Crack and Narco stepped back a bit in concern. “That being said.” Fletcher continued, “Under the authority of the Royal Defense Legion, I am placing all four of you under arrest!” "Good call." Fury smiled. "No argument here." Survival agreed. "Up, up, and away!" Caboose crooned. Mantra was silent for a moment... then his expression grew cold and dark. “Is that so?” Mantra said quietly, “...Well, I am afraid I cannot allow that, Mr. Ulysses." He said quietly. "Mantra?" Relic mumbled, not liking the look on Mantra's face. "That isn't up to you, Mantra. Not anymore." Fletcher declared. "Oh, but it is." Mantra retorted. "Uber?" "Way ahead of you." Uber nodded. "Boys, come on out!" Suddenly, coming into the fountain room was a group of monks (with ones such as the tweeky one and the one who ran inventory among their numbers), but by the vile expressions on their faces, it was clear that they worked for Uber. Fletcher and the others, except the zonked out Caboose, were taken aback. “The hell is this?!” Fury snarled. “Ooh, someone’s throwing us a surprise party, yay!” Caboose cheered giddily. “Somehow, I doubt it’s a party, Caboose.” Survival frowned. “Mantra, what are you doing?” Aural glared, “You’re not honestly thinking-” "I have dedicated my whole life to the Wise Lotus." Mantra declared, cutting him off, “Day and night. Weekends. Holidays. Rain or shine. I’ve trained so hard, to the point my hooves bled… but it was never enough. Me and my family had suffered in silence, being wrongfully passed over for the title of master in favors of those far inferior than us. We were the true practitioners of aura, while all those unworthy ponies sullied its’ light." Mantra bowed his head suddenly, guilt flashing across his face. “Chakra… I never meant for him to die… his death is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life…” His head raised back up, a cold glare taking the guilt’s place, “However, it does not change the fact that I deserve the title of master! That aura should only be in my hooves! And nopony, not you government cronies, not Aural, not Relic, is going to take that away from me!” “That and we ain’t giving up our unlimited supply of Jade Ivies. Let’s buck ‘em up, boys.” Uber grinned wickedly. The thugs moved in, including an emboldened Crack (and a hesitant Narco), while Uber cracked his hooves in preparation. “No! Mantra! I heavily suggest that you reconsider your course of action!" Fletcher warned. "This is only going to make things worse on all of you!" "Is it now?" Mantra scoffed. "Well, the way I see it, the lot of you were slain when the Forefathers, the ‘true’ senders of the letters, came and attacked our home. And in spite of our best efforts, all of you succumbed to your wounds." “Oh, you mother-bucker…” Aural growled. "But what of the other monks?!" Relic pointed out. "They know that's not what happened! And if you do something to me or Aural, they're... they're gonna-" "Keep their damn mouths shut if they know what is good for them." Mantra said coldly. "You forget, the only reason I didn't let Uber snap your scrawny neck that night was so the other monks would be kept in line. But as it stands, you are too much trouble to be left alive now. If the other monks wish to start something, they are welcome to join you... in the afterlife. Regardless, the truth will die with all of you." "Yeah... not gonna happen." Everypony glanced in the direction of the voice, looking atop the doorway outside, with Red Rio, glancing at all of them. "What the- the bird, it speaks?!" Mantra gaped. "No... it's one of them fancy-ass military machines!" Uber declared. "With speakers and all that crap!" "You forgot a camera, Mr. Radical." Elite's voice emitted from the drone. "I am Elite Everest, director of the RDL, and these fine ponies' leader. And I and my cohorts at HQ have heard everything.” The thugs all shared looks of shock and fear, Uber gritting his teeth and Mantra’s glare hardened, “If you and your men do not stand down, Mantra, I will have the rest of RDL march up that mountain, sacred grounds be damned, and haul you all in! There is no running from this!” "...Oh, hell no! I ain't going back to prison!" Driven by panic, Uber pulled out a crossbow and fired at the drone. “Yikes!” Armory gasped, as he quickly swerved the drone out of the way, “I think a tactical retreat is in order!” “Ballista, mobilize some units.” Elite declared fiercely, “We’re going on a trip.” "Will do." Ballista nodded. Silently, he noted that Elite was visibly angry As Elite stormed out of the room, Black also noticed his change in attitude. 'Don't think I've ever seen him this mad before...' He mused. Back at the mountain, the drone, having dodged the bolt, flew away, out of the fountain room. "No, no, no!" Uber yelled. He turned to the thugs. "Kill them all!" The thugs charged at the AFS. "Here we go again..." Fletcher sighed. "Let's make this quick!" “Oh, hell no. After everything I just heard, I got some steam to let off!” Fury roared. “Don’t overdo it, Fury. We’re all still banged up from our fight with Silas.” Survival warned. He turned to Relic, “Stand back, Relic. Things are probably going to get messy.” “O-okay…” Relic murmured. "Satisfaction guaranteed!" Caboose babbled. Meanwhile, Aural and Mantra began circling each other. “So we’re really doing this, huh?” Aural asked, unamused, “Well, fine by me. I have some unfinished business I need to settle.” “As do I, Aural…” Mantra hissed, “Let’s end this…” “Ladies first.” Aural sneered. The two charged at each other, and struck at the same time, their hooves digging into each others' face. And like that, the entire room was consumed in an all-out brawl. Fury, despite his injuries, was enthusaistically (and angrily) pummelling any who came near him. After sending one monk flying flying, he was confronted by a familiar face. “Hey, feather-duster, remember me?!” The tweeky monk snarled. “Oh-ho, I was wondering when you were gonna show up.” Fury grinned, bloodthirsty, “Don’t you need your ‘tea’ first?” “Buck ‘tea’. I ain’t about to let you and the ‘establishment’ take the good stuff away!” The tweeky monk pulled a knife from his robes, “Bring it, cat-butt!” With that, he lunged at the griffon. Fury, not impressed, simply swung a talon, backhanding the monk, sending him to the ground. “Ugh!” The tweeky monk spat, as he got back up, “You can't swat me away that easily!" The tweeky pony started hopping, jumping left and right. “Oh, whatcha gonna do, bruh? You can’t hit what you can’t see!” He taunted. "You know what none of us can see?" Fury deadpanned. "This!" Fury conjured up a big blast of wind, which sent the tweeky monk flying into the wall. "Ow..." The monk groaned, as he slid down the stone. "Who’s next?" Fury smirked at the other thugs. Meanwhile, Fletcher took on the inventory monk. “You should have left well enough alone, copper.” The monk threw a punch, “Now you and your pals are going to be a footnote in history! Fletcher dodged the attack, then kicked the monk in the face. "If I were you, I'd stick to stacking shelves!" He taunted. The irate monk charged at Fletcher, who used his momentum to flip her over and slam him into the ground. "Add that to your inventory." Fletcher smirked. Suddenly, Fletcher was jumped by more thugs. "Hey, don't crowd!" The still-addled Caboose called out. "There's plenty for everypony!" Caboose used his telekinesis to lift the thugs off Fletcher... then began to spin them around like pinwheels. "Wheee!" He whooped. "Spin, spin, spin!" "Ahhh!" One thug yelled. "I think I'm gonna be sick!" Another gulped. "Bored now." Caboose abruptly dropped them. "...Hey, does anycreature else smell purple?" "Got ya!" One of the thugs grabbed him. "I don't wanna ride the merry-go-round!" Caboose yelled, kicking the thug away. Another thug charged at him. "And you can't make me!" Caboose fired a blast from his horn, which utterly scorched the thug's head. Nonplussed, the thug began whistling to the tune of ‘Kingdom Coming’, walking out the fountain room. "Makeover!" Caboose cheered. "Who's next!" Crack attempted to jump the addled pony from behind. "Glad you're enjoying the free sample, but fun time's over!" He snarled. "Pony ride?" Caboose asked. "Why didn't you say so?" Caboose bucked and leapt around, with Crack attempting to hold on for dear life. "Are you nuts?" Narco yelped. "Let go, already!" "Never!" Crack snarled. At that moment, the thug lost his grip, and flew right into his comrade, knocking them bot out. Meanwhile, Aural and Mantra were clashing viciously, matching each other move for move. “You have no idea how long I wanted to punch that stupid face of yours!” Aural snarled, punching Mantra in the face. “Ugh, that makes two of us.” Mantra sneered, brushing the blood from his mouth, as he retaliated with a punch of his own, slugging Aural, “I always felt letting Uber throw you over the edge was letting you off far too easy!” “Lucky me. Because I won't be letting YOU off easy!" Aural spat. Aural conjured up a sphere and fired at Mantra. However, the wicked master was quick to conjure a sphere of his own, red in color, immediately sending it flying. The two spheres collided in midair, canceling each other out. “Hmph, this is going to be fun.” Mantra chuckled. At the same time, Survival was trying to overcome Uber... emphasis on "trying". "You think you're special, but you're just another thug."Survival tried to taunt Uber. "A twisted psychopath, a monster, pretending to be something more." "Who's pretending?" Uber scoffed. "Unlike ‘Mantra’, I know exactly what I am, and I'm not ashamed of it!" "Okay, the hard way it is... Hi-yahh!" Survival struck Uber's neck with a precision chop that should have knocked him out. Instead, it only made Uber smirk. "That’s the best you got?" He taunted. "Not quite." Survival delivered a punch to Uber's gut. The brute stumbled back a single step... and retaliated with a haymaker that knocked Survival to the ground. “Ack… oh…” Survival groaned. "You're out of your league, junior." Uber sneered, raising a hoof. "Give it up, and I might make this quick." "Not a chance!" Survival dodged the stomp and leapt onto Uber's back, wrapping his hooves around the brute's neck in a sleeper hold. "Nighty-night!" Undeterred, Uber flung himself backwards against a wall, causing Survival to take the brunt of the impact. "Guhhh!" Survival groaned. Just barely staying on his hooves, he threw a punch at Uber, but it was caught, and Uber twisted, nearly breaking it. "Ahhhh!" Uber followed up with a punch, knocking Survival down. "Survival's in trouble!" Fletcher realised from across the room. "Not for long!" Fury declared. The two attempted to help their teammate, were attacked by the other villainous monks. Meanwhile, Survival was struggling to stand up. "Well, that was fun." Uber smirked. "But all good things must come to an end." He moved in to finish the job… “No, stop! That’s enough, Uber!” Relic stepped forth, “Stop this senseless violence, now!” “Wait your turn, small fry.” Uber declared condescendingly, “As much as I want to kill you, I have to take care of this lot first.” “I’m warning you!” Relic growled, his body quivering, “If you do not cease, I’ll stop you myself!” “Oh? And how’d you intend to do that?” Uber said mockingly. “Like this!” Relic answered, as he held up his front hooves, putting them together. “Seriously? Come on, I know for a fact that you can’t do that aura crap. Not you or any of your fellow baldies.” Uber sneered, “So, just stand there and look pretty while I finish this punk off.” “No…” Relic grunted, “All I’ve done was stand by, letting evil infest this mountain, unable to do anything because I was too scared to do anything. Well that ends today!” With that said, he began to focus, as a small orb appeared between his hooves once more. “Whatever…” Uber turned away, glaring down at the struggling Survival, “No amount of this stupid ‘aura’ is gonna save you now…” Relic continued to focusing more. He though of how Aural, the monastery, and the AFS were all counting on him. 'The aura is with me, the aura is with me, the aura is with me...' He repeated. Within seconds, Relic’s aura sphere soon grew in size. Meanwhile Relic and Mantra still in their bout, when Aura suddenly froze up. "Do you sense that?" He asked. Mantra also stopped. "I do." He nodded. 'And I don't like it...' The sound of Relic’s sphere manifesting made Uber’s ears perk, as he turned back around to see Relic holding a normal-sized aura sphere in his hooves. “Well, how about that?” Uber sneered, not the least bit intimidated, “I guess you’re not as useless as you look. Still doesn’t mean jack crap.” “This is your last warning, Uber.” Relic glared fiercely, “Stand down, or I will make you!” “Really? That’d be a neat trick.” Uber smirked, “Tell ya what, I’ll let you have a freebie.” He spread his hooves, “Hit me with your best shot. Just know that when you fail, as you shall, I’m gonna break your puny neck.” “Ask, and ye shall receive..." Relic reared his front hooves back, visibly struggling while maintaining the sphere. Uber’s wicked grin grew wider, expecting a failure of epic proportions. “Take… this!” Relic roared. Relic pushed his hooves forward… however, the sphere, instead of leaving his hooves, fired off a powerful beam of energy, energy that changed from blue to green as it moved forward. Uber’s face immediately turned to horror. The beam instantly collided with the evil stallion, sending him flying across the room, crashing into the secret passage doors so hard that the doors crumbled to pieces. “U-u-ugh…” Uber barely could utter a moan, feeling as if a hole had been torn in his stomach, despite appearing physically fine… albeit a growing bruise on his abdomen. Everyone else stared in complete surprise at what had just happened. “Whoa… Relic… you did it. You used aura.” Survival shakily got up, surprised. “I… I… was just trying to throw a sphere…” Relic panted, exhausted and shocked by his own power, “I don’t know… how I did that.” “That… that power…” Mantra gasped, his blood running cold, “Where did it…” His attention fell on Relic. It all began to click, as rage overtook his face, “You… you’ve been practicing aura…” He began quivering, “No… no… not again! You filthy, unworthy-” Relic looked on in horror as Mantra stormed towards him, hate in his eyes. "N-now, Mantra." Relic tried to reason with Mantra. "Just calm down..." Mantra ignored Relic's words, and continued onward. "Stop!" Survival lunged at Mantra. Mantra struck Survival hard, knocking him into the wall. He glared at Relic once more. "I should have done this years ago, you unworthy-" “Don’t you dare!” Aural suddenly charged forth, slamming into Mantra. The weight of his attack sent the two tumbling outside the fountain room. “I won’t let you harm any member of this brotherhood ever again!" Aural roared, punching Mantra over and over, “You! Buckin’! Piece! Of-” Mantra let out his own roar, slamming his hooves into Aural's temples. "ARRRGH!" Aural screamed, the ringing in his ears temporarily negating his aura sense. "Got ya, now..." Mantra smirked, kicking Aural backwards. "You think I'm helpless? Think again!" Aural snarled. Feeling the vibrations of Mantra's hooves hitting the ground, Aural struck his foe in the midsection. "Urgh!" Mantra grunted. He kicked Aural in return. Aural swept Mantra's legs, tripping him up. Incensed, Mantra flipped back onto his hooves, and charged at Aural, who had used the time to right himself. Overwhelmed by anger, the two traded fierce blows, leaving their faces and hooves bruised and bloody. As the two neared exhaustion, Mantra reached the limits of his rationality. "This is all your fault." Mantra wheezed. "Say what?" Aural growled. "You, and Relic, and Charkra..." Mantra snarled. "Too many unworthy creatures using the power of Aura... Well, no more! As long as I live, I will never allow another who can use aura exist alongside me! None of you will ever sully the might of aura! Never again!" "Will you shut it with that bullcrap?!" Aural spat. "This has never been about aura!" "WHAT?!" Mantra shrieked. "That's right!" Aural nodded. "I may not be the shining example of a monk as you like to point out, but even a blind ass like me can see that this has been about one thing: you. What Chakra said was cruel, but he was right. You didn't want to hoard aura to yourself to protect 'aura', but because you didn't want somecreature else who could potentially surpass you in the art of aura. Why else would you have bullied and pushed me around all these years? Because you were scared of there being somecreature better." Mantra stared at Aura, frozen with shock. "Well, am I wrong?!" Aural prompted. "Or are you just really just an asshole?!" "You just don't understand, do you?" Mantra growled. "My family gave their whole life to aura. I gave my whole life to aura! It's only natural that I alone should be the one to use aura! It was my sole purpose for being!" He glared hatefully at Aural. "And you took it from me!" Mantra fired an aura sphere at Aural. Aural managed to block it, but was blasted backwards as a result. "Ugh, I took nothing!" Aural grunted, taking a moment to steady himself. "Yes, you did!" Mantra insisted. "Aura was the one thing I was good at in my life!" He blasted Aural again... "No one was my equal before you!" ...And again... "The moment you showed potential, Chakra wouldn't even look at me!" ...And again. Aural felt the railing of the landing against his back, realizing he was up against the edge. Mantra conjured up another aura sphere, anguish on his face, as he turned to the sphere in his hoof. “This… this was all I was good for... without it, I have nothing... without it, I'm nothing!" Aural stared at Mantra silently. "...Pathetic." Aural said flatly. "What?!" Mantra seethed. "I said you're pathetic!" Aural yelled. "Honestly, I don't know what's more sad: the fact you think anyone who takes up aura is doing so just to spite you, or that your life is so empty, that you need aura just so you could feel good about yourself!” "Don't you even!" Mantra spat. "What would you have done in my hooves?! Are you not like me?! Without aura, you cannot even see! What would you do if someone came and overshadowed you, just as you overshadow me?!" “Frankly, I wouldn’t give a damn.” Aural said tiredly, “Hate to break it to you, Mantra, but there’s always gonna be someone better. If not in aura, then other things. If there was someone better than me, well, that just means I have to do better, that I have to work harder. It’s the same for everyone else. I’m not about to stop someone from bettering themselves. And I’m not going to let you do it either. Not anymore.” He conjured up an aura sphere, “Aura, at the end of the day, is just a tool we monks use to defend what we hold dear... and right now, I'm using it to defend my home from you!" Aural made to throw his sphere… only for Mantra to quickly slip through and thrust a hoof into his abdomen. "Huhhhh!" Aural gasped, the air knocked out of him. "Foolishness, Aural." Mantra grinned wickedly. "Foolishness. It's that line of thinking that led Chakra to his death. And it will lead you to yours... for sure, this time!" Instantly, he fired an aura sphere from the offending hoof, blasting Aural off and over the edge. The AFS and Relic rushed out into the courtyard, the former finishing the thugs (except for Caboose, who was running in circles), just as Mantra threw Aural over the edge. "No!" Survival yelled, horrified. "Aural!" Relic screamed. "You filth!" Fletcher growled. "Where'd grandpa go?" The still-addled Caboose asked. "He may have been a literal and figurative ass, but he didn't deserve that." Fury growled. "And now it's your turn." Mantra glared at the others, conjuring spheres from his front hooves, “Compared to him, you fools will be easy pickings.” “We’ll see about that!” Fury snarled, summoning a few spears. “You won’t get away with this!” Fletcher declared. Mantra scoffed, as he made to advance on the group… Then suddenly, a blur shot upwards from where Aural had fallen, before coming down, crashing into the ground between Mantra and the others, kicking up dust. “What in the-” Mantra gasped. The dust cleared, as Aural darted upwards, none the worse for wear. Steam was coming off his back hooves, the donkey shaking them a little. “Whoo, what a rush.” Aural sighed, “Thank Faust I learned to use aura though my back hooves, or else I would have been a goner.” “Aural…” Relic let out a sigh of relief. "He's alive." Fletcher smiled. "Amazing!" Survival charged. "Yeah, not bad, I guess..." Fury tried to hide his relief. "Anypony seen my glasses?" Caboose asked. “Are you serious?!” Mantra spat, “Why won't you just die already!" "Because I'm not dying until I put an end to this farce!” Aural declared fiercely, “You have brought shame on this monastery and the Wise Lotus’ name. Once you’re gone, the monastery will be restored to its former glory." "The only glory this monastery needs is mine." Mantra retorted. "Once I've wiped you and Relic out, I can rewrite this place's history, and begin anew." “Really? Didn’t you hear the robot bird? The RDL is already on their way here. Even if you were to kill us here and now, they already know everything you and Uber have done.” Aural pointed out, “Face it, Mantra. You lose. Just give it up!” “Never! I am the true master of this monastery!” Mantra roared, on the brink of hysterics, “The true master of aura! I will yield to no one!” “Mantra…” Relic frowned. “A Faust damn shame…” Aural shook his head in disappointment, “You wanna know something real sad, Mantra? If I had known I was gonna be Master Chakra’s successor…” He glanced at Mantra, not with disdain or smugness, but with sadness, “I would have gladly let you have the position.” Fletcher, Survival, and Fury shared glances of confusion. "...What?" Mantra gasped, taken aback. "But why would you-" “Because believe it or not, Manny, I never wanted to be master.” Aural confessed, “I mean, this place will always be my home. If I was master however, I would have to stay here for the rest of my life, and that would have driven me mad within a week.” He give a humorless chuckle, “But no… I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life cooped up on this rock. I want to see the world!” The drugged Caboose gasped. “Figuratively.” Aural added with an edge, Caboose drooping. “I want to travel, go places, take in all the wonders and beauties of life. Even more, I want to better myself! Pick fights with ponies who could match me in battle! Hell, maybe take on an Alicorn. I hear they are in good supply nowadays.” “Well, he’s not wrong.” Survival pointed out, Fletcher nodded in agreement. “More importantly, though.” Aural began, turning to Mantra again, “I knew how much you wanted to become master. I knew how hard you worked. Even more than me. In spite of our differences… if I had known, I would have gladly set the Master straight. Maybe give him a beating if I had to. I would have made sure he made you his successor. For a fellow star pupil and someone I had respected, I could do no less." Relic was watching from afar, surprised by Aural's confession. "Aural..." He whispered. Mantra was speechless, his face brimming with conflicted emotions, the revelation sinking in… before it all returned to the same angry scowl. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" He sneered. "That you would actually pass up an honor a rare few have been presented in their lifetime? Only a idiot would do such a thing!" "Whether you believe it or not, it doesn't matter, not anymore." Aural shook his head, disappointed by Mantra's delusions. "Chakra was a flawed stallion. A strict, stubborn asshole stuck in his ways... but he was still our master... he was my father…” He closed his eyes, blinking away the wetness, before opening them once more, alight with anger. “I would have forgiven you for all the crappy things you did to me growing up…” Aural said coldly, “But killing Chakra... working with a Neo-Neighzi and his druggies... not giving two craps about the ponies who had grown and trained with you… that is something I will NEVER forgive. So, in Master Chakra’s name and everything the Wise Lotus stand for, I'm gonna buck you off this mountain along with all the other trash!" "Insolent fool." Mantra snarled. "Does it look like I need your FORGIVENESS?!" His rage at its limit, Mantra unleashed a beam of pure aura. Aural retaliated with lighting speed, firing off a beam that collided with Mantra's. The two beams pushed against each other, both sides struggling for dominance. "It's... over..." Mantra said through gritted teeth. "Give... up..." "Never..." Aural pushed back. "Not until your smug ass is... off... this... mountain!!" Aural put everything he had into one last push. His beam of aura tore through Mantra's inexorably moving toward him. "No..." Mantra grunted with disbelief, desperately trying (and failing) to push back. "This can't be happening! Not meeee!!" Aural's aura beam finally broke through, striking Mantra dead center and sending flying upwards into the horizon. Still screaming defiantly, Mantra vanished behind a cloud, seemingly never to be seen again. "He did it..." Survival gasped. "He won..." "Amazing..." Fletcher mused. "Eh. Still not a fan." Fury scoffed. "Why do my nostrils whisper to meee?" Caboose crooned, still out of it. Aural stood in place for a moment, triumphant. Then his legs buckled and gave way, causing him to collapse. He was both physically and emotionally exhausted. The AFS and Relic rushed over. "Are you alright, my friend?" Relic asked. "Anything broken?" Survival inquired. "Need some spare batteries, grandpa?" Caboose added. "I'm fine." Aural said morosely looking over at where Mantra once stood. "Just fine..."