Raging Star trudged along the dusty earth, forlornly dragging his new hammer across the ground. The shallow ravine created by his inattentiveness extended from the main troupe of smashers to a small secluded area of the plot his unit resided in. After the passing of yesterday’s events, the monkey boy’s demeanor fell along with everybody’s already lowly opinion of him. Brute Force was unable to work, forcing Raging Star’s unit to hustle double-time.
“We shouldn’t be punished for his mistakes!” one of the workers groaned.
“Quiet! If you make it angry it’ll kill you!” another Minotaur shushed.
“Better I be dead than labor under these conditions!” the same Minotaur cried out.
“We might as well be dead tied to that thing,” said another. Raging Star bit each comment with overwhelming distaste. All morning they had been fearful of even walking near him. Now that it came closer to the afternoon, their tempers were high and their fuses short. Raging Star’s was even shorter.
“Shaddup!” the sweat laden boy yelled. His hammer came crashing through a stone, forcefully expelling chipped debris everywhere. "I wouldn't have to punch you out if you all minded your own business!" Raging Star said just as forcefully.
“I’m sick of you!” an older Minotaur bellowed suddenly dropping his hammer. “Ever since you came along our already awful lives have gotten worse! Mr. Satyan used to take care of us, now he sits inside his factory all day forced to develop stronger tools to keep you in check! Nobody can sleep because they’re scared of you, and everybody is forced to work harder because you can hit bigger stones!”
“Don’t whine to me about having a bad life!” Raging Star shouted back. “It’s not my fault you stupid Minotaur aren’t as strong as me!”
“I don’t know why he brought you here that day,” the enraged bull began snorting wildly.
“It’s no use complaining about it old man,” Mighty Frey suddenly interjected. “All you’re going to do is repeat what happened yesterday, and then we’ll all be in trouble. You idiots don’t realize that Raging Star would be better off if you just left him alone. It’s the Minotaur causing the problems, not the Monkey.”
“Who’s side are you on Mighty?!” the old bull shouted. “You were the best worker here until that thing showed up! Why aren’t you as upset as we are?!”
“Because I know when I’m beat,” Mighty Frey said glaring at Raging Star. “I’ve hated Raging Star since the very first day he could hold a hammer. But I know better than to challenge the authority of my Master, and tackle someone stronger than me.”
“But we saw you stop him last night! We all know his weakness is that freaky tail of his! He’s powerless without that thing!” a stray worker cried.
“Why don’t we just kill him now, and be rid of this beast?” a different worker suggested.
“Satyan won’t like that,” Mighty Frey objected insistently. “Everyone knows his rule against hurting Raging Star. Brute Force had to learn the hard way. If you jackasses want to end up like him then keep talking the way you are!”
“Why is Satyan so protective of him? Why does that bull care so much for that freak?”
“Does he not care for his own species?!”
The trifling turmoil morphed into a tumultuous riot. Minotaur everywhere began shouting and accusing Raging Star as the origin of their problems. The tiny boy covered his ears in trembling, forcing the sea of expletives and jarring insults away.
“SHADDUP!!!” he yelled out raising his voice to an ear splitting wail. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Raging Star spat the words out of his mouth. “I don’t need you bastards yelling at me,” Raging Star cried out to the boisterous crowd, “and I don’t need you trying to defend me,” he finished his scream at Mighty Frey.
“We won’t stand for this!” someone from the crowd called out in response. “Mr. Satyan can’t get rid of all of us. I’m not working until Raging Star is either dead or gone!” The rebellious Minotaur snorted in liberation as his hammer dropped to the floor. Many others began doing the same, roaring victoriously into the air.
“You dumbasses don’t know what you’re doing!” Mighty Frey yelled vainly. His shout was barely audible to himself as the inundating mob began swarming after Raging Star. The monkey boy held his hammer firmly, expecting the first assailer as if on instinct. He swung his hammer into the skull of an approaching Minotaur and killed the bull. Only those within reach could enter the fight as everyone was held in place by their shackles. Raging Star swung madly, hoping to frighten off some of the crazies.
“STAND DOWN!” a large voice shouted through the roaring riot. Even Raging Star stood awed by Satyan’s incredible voice. Had he always held that pitch of authority? It seemed different. “I expected a field of stone crumblers, and yet all I find are misbehaving workers. Why shouldn’t you all just die right now?!” Satyan bellowed.
“Mr. Satyan, hear us out!” said one of the more adamant workers. “We work endlessly for your enterprise as slaves under your will. However, before Raging Star arrived, you were a kind Master and treated us like valued workers! We want things to be that way again! Get rid of that horrid monkey!”
Satyan perched dissonantly over the bull and released a fierce snort in the male’s face. “What would you have me do, sir?” Satyan asked lowly.
“Uh, well I… It’s just…”
“If you’re going to ask me to bend some rules, at least do it with some confidence! All I see now is a bunch or derelicts waiting to be hung!” Satyan said furiously.
“We’re your only workers! You can’t threaten to kill us like that!” somebody announced deep within the crowd. Satyan grinned maliciously and chuckled to himself.
“Can’t I? Very well then,” Satyan whispered just audibly enough for Mighty Frey to hear. The young Minotaur recoiled at his Master’s statement. Pushing his way through the crowd, he motioned over to Raging Star who was standing over three lifeless forms drowned in the dirty mud their blood drenched out on the floor. “You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble boy. But I finally have my ace,” Satyan grinned.
“It seems I’ve inadvertently caused a rift in my workers’ output,” Satyan announced. “I have to admit, even with Raging Star’s immense strength, output has been lacking, and I can only guess that is because of the tailed boy, correct?” Small murmurs found their way to the front agreeing with the statement. “So I’m offering a proposition! If you diehards want Raging Star to leave, I’ll allow you to get rid of him personally!”
“What?!” Raging Star cried out.
“That’s right, but there is a catch,” Satyan revealed suddenly. “If I allow this, Raging Star must not live. If he manages to escape, it’ll be the death of you all!”
“Escape?!”
“I will release you all on the condition that you bring Raging Star back to me dead. He will be allowed one day’s journey head start into the wilderness. We’ll follow him and hunt him down. Sound like fun?” Satyan snorted leering at the frightened boy as he finished his last statement. Removing the nose ring from his snout, Satyan bent over and twisted the ring so that it formed and “S” hook and latched onto the lock on Raging Star’s ankle.
“You’d better run. A failsafe in your lock allows everyone else to flee in case you ever got free of your shackles. Its magic embedded, so the spell will wear off once I unlock it.”
“Damn you,” Raging Star snarled. “I work my butt off and get beatings from you just so that I can run away before everyone else kills me?!”
“Attaboy,” Satyan mocked snapping the lock in half. Raging Star’s ankle freed, subsequently sending a magical surge throughout the entire field. Snaps of liberation sounded throughout the camp resulting in roars and shouts of acclamation. At first Raging Star stood overwhelmed with wave after wave of unsettled emotion. There was no doubt he could easily fight against a full grown Minotaur, but against so many was another thing. He trembled wildly, darting his head back and forth looking for some sign of safety.
“Why, why is this happening all of a sudden?!” he screamed and locked eyes with Mighty Frey.
“Run you idiot!” the young Minotaur shouted. Raging Star snapped into reality and took off. He ran as fast as his body would carry him, which was actually considerably quick. Dust kicked up behind his trail and he was off of the property within mere moments. “He’s fast!” Mighty Frey said in shock.
“Well, looks like I’m going to have to shorten the lapse period,” Satyan chuckled. “In one hour, we hunt!”
Raging Star continued his pace until the roaring cheers were no longer audible. The scorching heat from above suddenly winded down as a flurry of shadows danced over his body. The cracked earth under his toes gradually began to soften until small tufts of green tickled his underfoot. His hand rested upon the dead trunk of a decaying tree after he finally stopped. He didn’t know how long he had ran, or in what direction he had gone. All he could do was clench his fists and beat into the empty log next to him.
“Why?! Why?! What did I do to deserve this?! I hate this place, I hate this world, and I hate everything!” Raging Star shouted, splintering the broken trunk. Unsatisfied with his victim, he charged over to a healthier sapling and launched punch after furious punch into the tough green wood. Sap and other secretions coated his bloody hands, sending stinging sensations throughout his body as he unleashed his fury on the poor tree. Eventually Raging Star brought down another target and proceeded to the next.
“It’s… not… fair,” he said in incomplete sobs. The small boy fell to his knees, surrounded by the deforested patch of wood that he had run into earlier. “At least… at least I’m out that rat hole,” Raging Star said to himself, rising sluggishly from his decrepit slump. Minotaur lands were very unpredictable. He sought some sort of sign as to his whereabouts, however as he shifted in each direction, he saw only vast wilderness and undisturbed foliage. Not too long ago he was fleeing from a more arid section of the country. Now it seemed as if he had by chance gone astray into some extemporary forest in the middle of nowhere.
Examining the forest further, Raging Star stepped back some realizing just how large it was. Looming ominously over him, he felt as if the dark entrance were a mouth of some unknown creature seeking to devour him. He shifted his glance back to inhospitable dunes of grass and emptiness and gulped in premonition as his body slowly edged closer to the gaping hole in the woods. The deeper he descended, the denser the forest became until eventually he found himself enveloped on all sides by branches and twigs of every kind.
“This place is huge,” Raging Star said to himself as he traversed the mossy undergrowth of the current area he was in. Many of the alien-like greenery was new to him, as Satyan Square held little to no trees, and definitely no flowers or fungi apart from the mold of the shoddy living quarters. Raging Star halted his trek as a peculiar scent wafted across his nose. “Water!” he cried out in joy and took off in the direction of the sweet scent.
Immediately after arriving at the running stream, Raging Star collapsed in comfort, breathing in gulp after gulp of water. His face surfaced from lack of oxygen, but he didn’t care. A small laugh found its way through his large pants of breath. He leaned in for another full guzzle. Never before had he taken in so much water at once. He was almost unsure of how much he could drink, or even if too much was possible for his body to consider.
“Great!” Raging Star inhaled breaking the surface again. He wiped his face off and set his feet in the moving river as well. The refreshing current danced lightly over his feet, prompting a relaxing sigh from the young boy. His tail unraveled from around his waist and laid limp next his slumped body. For once in his life, he felt comfort, and the monkey child was not in a hurry to escape from it. A low grumble from the pit of his gut finally prompted the boy to rise and search for something to satisfy this new sensation.
“Crap, I forgot to eat. Satyan released me before lunch,” Raging Star groaned clutching his abdomen tightly. “Stupid jerk! Leaving me all alone in the wild by myself! How am I supposed to find food out here?!” He crossed the river boisterously searching for something to eat. Although raving hungry, he resisted the urge to just pick something growing from the ground and place it in his mouth. The further he walked, the more he realized that aside from the gruel served in the mess hall every meal time, he had no clue what was considered edible and what wasn’t.
“Damn it I can’t starve out here! There’s gotta be something I can eat!” he complained. A sudden dash of movement flashed in the corner of his eye. “Who’s there?!” Raging Star cried out suddenly. There was no reply. He shrugged off the feeling and took another step. Raging Star took one more step and remained still. In the last two movements he had felt the same presence from earlier, attributing it to some sort of wild animal. Rather than dart about quickly, he closed his eyes and allowed his ears to survey the area.
The sound of the rushing river pervaded the boy’s ears at the heart of the scene. He waited until it became completely silent again and raised his foot. He brought it down on the ground and heard the stalking creature again. Raging Star could not recognize the scent of the animal, but some unexplainable presentiment led him on to believe it was hostile.
“I know you’re there so you might as well come out!” Raging Star shouted into the empty forest. “Don’t mess with me you big stupid ugly ass!” The forest floor slithered alive as a large crack in the earth expanded into a giant mound of dirt. Raging Star leapt out of the way, just barely dodging whatever had burst through the ground.
“Big, stupid, ugly, ass?!” a deep raspy voice croaked out. “How dare you refer to me as that?!” The hidden monster tore through the clogs of earth still covering him and surfaced fully, revealing a large pair of crimson eyes. A low grumble resonated out of the coarse lips of the emerald scaled horned lizard. Its hulking tail swept through a cluster of trees, clearing the thicket behind it.
“What the hell are you?!” Raging Star cried out in terror. He’d never seen something so big or frightening for that matter.
“I am Terrano, the guardian of this forest! And you are a vandalizing, thieving, freak!” Terrano roared standing at full posture. The mighty dragon loomed meters above Raging Star, higher than Mr. Satyan ever did.
“I didn’t steal anything! You got it wrong stupid head!” the tailed boy shouted back through a swell of fear.
“Lies!” Terrano yelled blowing musky yellow spores from his throat. “I watched as you tore down several trees and proceeded to drink from my stream. You entered my domain without my permission and expect to live? Foolish creature. Terrano will make sure you never destroy again!”
The earthen dragon brought his head down in a massive chomp, missing Raging Star by mere inches. The startled boy was able to roll away and gain his footing well enough to dart deeper into the forest. Terrano fervently bellowed his frustration and took off after the boy, tearing through the forest all the same.
“Hey! You’re messing up your home too!” Raging Star yelled, trying to distract the reptile.
“I can repopulate the forest on a whim. My saliva holds special growth properties, thus the forest is safe from my rampage!” Terrano argued back taking another chomp. Raging Star ducked and rolled back, slipping past the dragon yet again. Terrano did not uproot the tree he bit into, but rather released his hold as several new branches spontaneously sprouted from the tooth holes in the trunk.
“Why don’t you just spit on your stupid forest and leave me alone then, I’m sorry!” Raging Star called out.
“I will not allow you to exist in these woods foul beast! You will pay for hurting the trees!” Terrano growled continuing the chase.
“Foul beast?! Look who’s talking!” Raging Star cried darting madly through the woods.
“You summoned me, Mr. Satyan?” Mighty Frey asked rhetorically. The orange coated bull held his back to the young Minotaur, staring out of the large window behind his desk. Mighty Frey glanced over the bulky shoulder of his master to perhaps understand what he was peering at.
“Have you finished applying the tags into our hunters?” Satyan asked in response, snapping Frey back into attention.
“Yes sir, every bull and cow is equipped with a nose ring according to your specifications,” Frey said.
“Well done Mighty Frey. I knew it was best to confide everything in you instead of all of the other fools I’ve got tied to this dump,” Satyan said sharply.
“Sir? I don’t quite… follow,” Frey responded. Mr. Satyan finally graced the young Minotaur with his gaze, despite Frey’s reluctance to look him back in the eyes.
“I didn’t think you would, but then again I didn’t tell you everything now did I?”
“I still don’t understand,” Frey continued.
“Mighty Frey, Satyan Square has been in the Satyan family for generations,” the orange Minotaur began, walking about the room. “What started as a simple dig for my great-great-grandfather turned into a monopoly business for rare and exclusive gems of value. Sure there were some… modifications in employee leasing but our profits have never been higher. We export gems all over the country, because Minotaur lands are just rich with treasure. I’d even go as far to say we’re right up there with dragons when it comes to hoarding.”
“Why are you explaining to me stuff I already know?” Mighty Frey wondered.
“It’s simple Frey,” Satyan said grimacing at a large finely cut diamond resting on his desk. “I don’t care about it anymore.” Upon finishing his statement, Satyan drove his fist through the gemstone, shattering the rock and destroying his desk in the process. Mighty Frey flinched at the sudden outburst. He remained erect, yet taken aback all the while.
“I’m sick of these stupid rocks,” Satyan uttered again. “This land, I hate it! Nothing grows out here Frey, there is no livelihood to be found in crushing stones for worthless gmes!”
“They are not worthless Mr. Satyan,” Frey began but was cut off.
“Not in monetary value you fool, intrinsic value!” Satyan declared heatedly. “Half of those thickheads down there don’t even understand the meaning of the words,” Satyan continued. “There is no life to live here in these wasted lands, and it’s all the fault of those revolting ponyfolk!”
“You’re telling me that your motivation is some ancient war that took place before even your time?” Mighty Frey said moving out of place.
“Don’t you see Mighty Frey?!” Satyan bellowed, halting Frey’s advance. “That night that I saw the shooting star changed everything. I was so lucky to be so close by when that boy landed.”
“What were you doing in Equestria?”
“It was glorious!” Satyan shouted, ignoring Frey’s inquiry. “Such a powerful beast; even the Unicorn’s magic held no effect on it! With that kind of power Equestria can be wiped clean of the pony scourge. We Minotaur will be left to take over and finally reside in the land that was originally given to us! No more crackled dirt, no more dusty gems, and no more infertility!” Satyan laughed wildly as he presented his speech.
“Equestria is your goal?” Frey finally realized.
“And Raging Star is the means to an end,” Satyan said still chuckling madly. “I will usher in a new age for the Minotaur race. They’ll observe me as a god, and with that monkey at my beck and call, no one can stand up to me!”
“Then why did you let him go?” Mighty Frey’s expression hardened as he asked.
“Because he is not yet ready.”
“All of these years, you promised Princess Luna of Equestria that you’d manage his temperament. The beatings, the insults, the rigorous conditions he endured…”
“I promised that mare that the next time she saw that runt, it would be through changed eyes. My eyes,” Satyan grinned. “Equestria is rightfully ours Frey,” he said returning to his earlier position in front of the panned window. “We were forced out by their kind, so we will kindly return the favor.”
“What about everyone else at the farm? Didn’t you say Raging Star was to be killed upon sight? How do you intend on using him if he’s dead?” Mighty Frey pondered.
“Like I said earlier, I am still conditioning the boy. He will never improve if the right conditions are never met,” Satyan said mischievously. Frey swallowed the urge to ask what the orange bull meant. The murderous intent in his eyes shot speculation after speculation into Frey’s mind. “Many of those workers are prisoners of our own land anyway. No one will miss them when they’re gone.”
“A means to an end,” Mighty Frey said fearfully. Satyan smiled eerily and nodded.
“Give the order to march. Inform them that I’ve set you directly under me. No command is to be questioned, lest they discover Unicorns aren’t the only beings with magical gifts,” Satyan threatened forming a ghostly aura within his clenched fist.
“You have that much confidence in Raging Star that he’ll be able to slay a thousand Minotaur alone in the wilderness?” the young Frey asked.
“You haven’t seen him during a full moon Mighty Frey,” Satyan replied. “I promise you, it’ll be quite a show.”