//------------------------------// // VI - A Prisoner Seeking An Escape // Story: Horns, Hooves, and Fur // by Deyeaz //------------------------------// VI - A Prisoner Seeking An Escape Ponyville; Mane Street "Guys, I just received a letter from Princess Celestia." Twilight, levitating a scroll with her magic, was discussing the contents of the letter with Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike and Pinkie Pie in a private corner of Mane Street. "They've got the creature, Praxis, but he didn't go down without a fight. Word is, he took down three Pegasi guards before he was brought down by Admiral Charcoal." "Ah jus' don't understand," AJ interjected, adjusting her Stetson hat more firmly upon her golden mane. "Ah mean, that Praxis guy's jest tryin' to improve lahfe here. It jest ain't rahght, ta take 'im away when he don't mean no harm. Besides, he helped make the apples Ah've been sellin' larger, sweeter, and juicier than b'fore! Sales were astromali-... astronolim-, REALLY REALLY high!" "I agree, Applejack, but that doesn't mean we can't be careful." retorted Twilight. "Besides, he might be dangerous for all we know." "Yeah! Did you see how scary-looking he was when he came to town? With his furry goat legs and horns, he looked like a really big mean meanie pants!" trilled Pinkie, standing on her hind legs with forelegs raised to add dramatic effect to her words. "C'mon, now, girls," intervened Spike. "He can't be THAT bad, now can he? After all, he saved Fluttershy! Doesn't that count for something?" "T..that's right," Fluttershy mumbled. "He's not a bad satyr at all." Pinkie fell back on all fours again and raised an eyebrow. "What are you saying, darlings?" exclaimed Rarity, appearing aghast to Fluttershy's and Spike's opinions. "By the looks of him, he appears dreadful. ESPECIALLY the outfit that Rainbow described to us earlier: green and black is a ghastly combination, if you ask me." 'Nopony asked you,' Rainbow thought angrily. 'How could some of them just up and go think that he's a bad guy? It's just... so wrong!' "That's not the point, Rarity," persisted Twilight. "Besides, Princess Celestia explained in this note that we should come to Canterlot Castle to see the interrogation. Who knows what we can learn about him?" "But we can't just stare at him and learn about him like he's some animal in a zoo!" outbursted Rainbow Dash. The others looked at her concernedly, like she was on the brink of losing her mind. "I know... but still. The Princess requested it, and we can't let her down." "*Sigh* Oh, fine..." Dash grumbled. "Well, when's the next train gon' be?" Applejack questioned. "Five minutes," Twilight answered. "Then let's go, everypony!" Pinkie said cheerily. "Yes, let's," concluded Rarity. With that, Spike and the Mane Six walked over to the train station. 'There's just no way that this is acceptable,' thought Rainbow. Fluttershy glanced over and saw the look of worry on her rainbow-maned friend's face. 'This is just so... wrong. All of it,' the bashful, butter-yellow Pegasus thought, sighing as she walked along. Everfree Forest; The Clearing Zecora was galloping at full speed where the laughter, the screaming, and the yelling of a certain someone had emitted in the forest. Her heart was thrashing in her chest as she picked up the pace, panting and huffing with every stride. At long last, after tiring herself, she had reached her destination. Her eyes were raised as she carefully scanned the scene. She took notice to the broken limbs of the huge oak tree littering the earth. All around her, hoofprints were pounded into the dirt. "Something horrid here has just occurred prior. At this scene, it must have been something dire," she rhymed, advancing towards the stream where a huge imprint was left into it. Her eyes raised even higher as she recognized who it could belong to. She looked up at the oak tree's broken limbs. "Poor Praxis had fallen from his oak, and in this stream, he did more than choke." She turned around and saw hoofprints so thin, they would've been invisible. There was a small spatter of blood on a boulder, and some more on the forest earth. "And if my tracking skills serve right, more ponies - perhaps Pegasi, by these tracks - have picked a fight." *FLOOMP* "ARGH! What trap has ensnared me? Release and let me be free!" Zecora was taken by surprise when something had covered her eyes, letting her only see through bright blue light. She rolled around to the floor and finally removed what had blinded her momentarily, pinning it down to the floor. "AHA! Uh.. wha?" She seemed a little confused that it wasn't a trap that had covered her eyes: it was a turquoise towel. She gave it a small whiff, trying to see who it could have belonged to: monsters certainly didn't own towels. She gasped when she pulled away, her eyes shrinking to the size of pinheads. "The scent of Praxis is in this cloth, and still looms. If that's the case and he's not here... then he has met his doom." She folded the towel and placed it in her left saddlebag, then ran to town as fast as she could to Lyra, Bon-Bon, Carrot Top, and Derpy. They must not know that he had been kidnapped, otherwise they would have called for the help that would have undoubtedly been turned down. Praxis' Dream Realm; Libyan Revolution A Year Ago "Adam! ADAM! Wake up, now!" a voice in Arabic shouted as the owner of it pushed the sleeping boy. Adam's eyes shot open as he bolted up and got off the futon. `Emad, who had been the one who shouted, threw Adam a jacket, his running shoes, and a pistol. "Yalla," `Emad began as he grabbed his own pistol and cocked it. Hurry. "We must leave. NOW!" "Why?" Adam said slightly groggily, rubbing his eyes and putting the shoes on first. A missile eagerly answered his question as it exploded on impact with the wall, leaving a huge gaping hole where the 99 names of Allah and many ornate vases had rested. "That. Now COME ON!" `Emad grabbed Adam's wrist with his free hand and pulled him towards the back gates of the house. Gunfire could be heard for miles around, bombs going off occasionally to deaden the sounds of firearms. Adam and `Emad were stealthily running through the streets, pistols held tightly in their palms as they crept through the alleys of Benghazi. "We have to get to the airport! That's where all the revolutionaries are fighting!" `Emad informed. A Qaddafi soldier was passing by when they exited one alley, and the two ducked behind a Dumpster for remain hidden. As the soldier got closer and raised his Kalashnikov, Adam saw a metallic plating on the wall adjacent from him and aimed his pistol there, using as much of his precision skills as possible into this shot. He fired twice, the bullets ricocheting off of the plate and piercing through the soldier's chest. "Nice shot!" cheered `Emad, patting Adam on the back. When they checked that the coast is clear, Adam grabbed the soldier's AK47 and gave it to his companion. They continued to the Airport of Benghazi, doing their best to remain in the shadows and firing at any Qaddafi loyalists that stand between them and their destination. 'Thank God Ahmed and Karima are safe in Dubai... or this would be so much worse,' Adam thought as they were almost at the airport where the freedom fighters were held up and making their last stand. He didn't want his brother and sister-in-law to be victims of the bloodshed in the streets. The two realized that the airport was their only sanctuary in this hellish cesspool. What they didn't realize was that a soldier was right behind them, Kalashnikov pointed at the two boys. "ALLAH, MU`AMMAR, AND LIBYA ONLY!" the soldier shouted, before opening fire upon Adam's cousin and friend first. The seemingly endless magazine of the assault rifle had turned the boy's body into a mockery of Swiss cheese, blood cascading from the holes as `Emad fell to his knees upon the asphalt. He was dead before he hit the floor. Adam, in rage and vengeance, spun around and saw the culprit, proceeding to empty the entire clip of the Beretta into the soldier, yelling as he rapidly squeezed the trigger and sent the bullets flying. "`EMAD!" he had shouted once the Beretta did nothing but click. He knelt down and carried the body in a fireman's hold. "Don't worry, buddy, we'll win this... for us! I PROMISE!" He felt the tears run down his cheeks, hot and stinging as they fell from his face and landed in the small puddle of blood. He reluctantly got up and continued running through the streets to the airport, which soon bloomed into view. "DIE, YOU GODDAMN GREENIES!!! He roared. '"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!!" With his free arm, he viciously gunned down every Qaddafi loyalist that popped into view. His glasses and face were soon speckled with enemy blood, his feet pounding as he ran closer to the goal. The rebel army was firing behind makeshift cover, like sandbags, marble columns, and more Dumpsters. Two Libyan men were rushing to the boy and his dead friend, a stretcher in their arms. *PKOW!* He felt the sniper rifle bullet enter his waist and come out on the other side. Canterlot Castle; Dungeons "D'AAAAH!" Praxis awoke abruptly, eyes constricted in fear as he panted heavily, the coldest of sweat drenching his face. He raised a hand to rub the spot where the gray stallion had curb-stomped him, only to be stopped. He looked at his hands and gulped: there were cufflinks around his wrists as he hung from a wall by chains. He glanced at his hooves and saw that they were cuffed and chained as well, yet they were in contact with the floor from how tall he was. He scanned the room he was contained in and couldn't help by grimace. It was plain, no furniture, no torches, no paintings, just... bland. Only a window to let in fresh air stood out, the sound of a roaring waterfall pouring in the room through it. He couldn't exactly move his jaw freely, but by how cool the air felt, he discovered his black ace bandage mask was lowered to resemble a scarf and reveal himself. The left side of his face felt rather painful, like some buff guy smacked him there with a brick. His left eye had been swollen shut from the blow, leaving him unable to see out of it. A gust of wind blew in from the open window and smacked him straight in the chest, leaving him shivering. He looked down and saw that he had been stripped of all but his flute and his bandage, the guards deeming that they didn't contain any dangerous properties. 'This nightmare... I've had it countless times before. But now it was so... intense. Like I had undergone some serious lucid dreaming. I guess with Insanity let loose, there's nothing much I can do about that... especially since I'm stuck in here....' "Glad to see you're awake," said a soothing, yet serious voice. He raised his head and his eyes widened at the breathtaking awe that stood before him. Princess Celestia, with her flowing cerulean, pink, and green mane and tail, had walked through the prison bars' door. The royal alicorn's white coat was practically shining, lighting up the rather dim room. On both sides of her stood a guard, stun spears in their hooves. He recognized the one on the left with a black mane and tail as the ash-gray one who knock him out cold in the forest. The stallion grinned wickedly at him, like he was going to enjoy what would come next. 'Holy crap, she's as tall as me. That's pretty intimidating... and unfair! I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE BIG MAN!' he mentally complained, envious of the princess and her height. "What's with the guards and the chains?" he asked. The two Pegasi guards grimaced as they gripped their spears harder, the bone of their forelegs practically showing through the fur and skin. "Extra precaution. I'm sorry about Admiral Charcoal doing that to you, but he tells me you wouldn't want to go peacefully." She pointed at the gray stallion when she mention him. He flinched at the gold slipper on her hoof as it jerked at him. Apparently, she had given him a very serious scolding before coming here. 'Note to self: I PROBABLY shouldn't piss Celestia off,' thought the satyr. "But that left side of your face doesn't look good at all. Allow me to help you." She walked closer and brought her horn upon his face. The tip of the horn glowed a pure white as she used her magic to heal the wound. Almost at once, the injury seemed and felt less irritated and painful, the swelling going down. He regained the sight in his left eye and couldn't help but smile and nod at the princess. "Thank you." "It was no problem. But I wonder why you wouldn't just let the guards bring you here. Why did you fight back?" She tilted her head to the side, curiosity gazing at his brown eyes through her elegant pink ones. They lowered upon the combination of black shapes on his navel. "And pray tell... what is that there on your belly?" She gave it a little prod with her gold slipper-encased hoof. A jolt of pain shot up from the spot and spread throughout his body, making him exhale from it all. "Nnnngh... please don't touch that. And to answer your other questions...well, when you snatch someone from their home and lock them in this 'armpit' of the castle, what would you expect, Celestia?" "How do you know my name... and not only that, but how did you know I hate formalities?" Her eyes were squinted in suspicion. 'Aw, crap! Not good! NOT GOOD! Think, Praxis, think!' "Erm, you're very well-known where I'm from," he finally said. "Oh... I see...." 'Whew.' "And where is that?" '...DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!' he mentally roared before sighing in resignation, defeated by the princess who hadn't even lifted a foreleg in the attempt to get him to spill the beans. "I guess I better tell you the truth, then. Well, for starters, I wasn't always a satyr to begin wit-" "Yes, I already know where you're from and what you were previously. You were a human, and you came from the planet Earth, which lays in another galaxy very far away from here." 'You are one buckmothering troll....' he thought vehemently. "Well, if you knew where I came from and what I was, than why did you ask such rhetorical questions?" "I just wanted to fool around with you and... what do you say? What is that thing that you humans say sometimes... Ah! 'Rustle your jimmies'." Praxis's eyes dilated. 'So she's also been watching humans with interest, and she knows about memes... if I wasn't chained in a dungeon - and if she wasn't an all-powerful goddess who was protected by guards and could vaporize me without batting an eyelash, I'd hug her so hard that her face'd go blue.' He squinted and let a wry smile escape his lips. "I see what you did there. But now that you mention it, my jimmies still remain unrustled, Celestia." The princess was simply gave a short laugh at his antics, but the white Pegasus raised an eyebrow, not getting the joke. Charcoal was pissed, though. He wasn't used to strange creatures talking to royalty on a first-name basis. "Don't refer to the princess by that casual name again, vile creature!" seethed Charcoal, bringing his spear close to the satyr. "First off, blow it out your flank, you belligerent prick. You were bottle-fed, huh?" The white Royal Guard and Celestia suppressed their laughter at Charcoal's expense as best as they could. "And second, don't call me something like that. I obviously have a name, and it's Praxis." he retorted in a bored tone, examining his nails from afar and blowing a nonexistent speck of dust off of them while paying no mind to the aggravated gray Royal Guard, aggravating him further in the process of ignoring him. The admiral, however, was seeing nothing but red and raised his spear to strike him, only to be stopped by the princess's magic. "Calm down, Charcoal. Besides, despite that he might not be welcome here, I'm beginning to like him a bit," the princess reassured the furious guard. Charcoal came back down on both hooves and stepped back, pulling a silent hissy-fit behind the alicorn. "Now... why is it that you're here?" She was slightly taken aback, yet her poker face stayed as resilient as ever, as Praxis began laughing quietly. "I think you already know, don't you, being an omniscient and omnipotent entity and all," he stated plainly once he was finished. "...Oh, you're good. I'll give you that." Celestia said, squinted her eyes and pointing at Praxis with a smirk on her muzzle. "But.. I have something serious to discuss with you." She soon appeared solemn at she spoke. "A problem has arose, and it's not Discord. Something terrible has happened. A new... monstrosity... has struck Equestria. I hope that you understand that it's not you, but...." "Lemme guess... some huge black entity who goes by the name of Insanity has come across Equestria, and is striking fear and madness into the very hearts of all those who inhabit it." Celestia was flabbergasted at how a newcomer could know, Charcoal grew more and more suspicious by the second, and the white Royal Guard nearly defecated himself. "Aaaaand by the looks on all your faces, I seemed to have hit the nail on the head with that guess. Look, that doesn't really matter. Please continue with what you were saying." "Unfortunately, your arrival had nearly thrown off the balance of order and chaos, and nearly caused Discord to reawaken. And because we can't risk it again... I'm afraid you must return to Earth." "W-what!? No way! I'm not going back to that cesspool of hate, lies, and false intentions! Besides, how on Earth are you going to defeat Insanity without my help!" "What do you mean?" She got suspicious again. 'Here we go again....' "Let's just say that... he was a piece of me." She and the two Royal Guards dropped their jaws. "Not that he possessed me or something! But... apparently, all the malevolence, the rage, the melancholy that was bottled up inside me back on Earth have given him his ghastly form in Equestria. Perhaps because the magic that's oozing from everything in this world has aided him in becoming animate and real." "Oh my... this... this is bad." She was pacing the room, biting her lower lip. "This is very very VERY bad. We need the Elements of Harmony NOW." "Look, Celestia, I doubt that will help." "Why not?!" the alicorn was angry that her suggestion wasn't good enough. "*Sigh* If I was free, I would face-palm myself so hard that I'd give myself another swelling." He sighed again before continuing. "Ok, the Elements of Harmony are these magically powerful artifacts that nullify and eradicate all that is chaotic and disharmonious. Correct?" She nodded. "Yeah, Insanity isn't necessarily what you'd call disharmonious. He's... well, insanity incarnate. He relishes and bathes in the madness and senility of others. With everybody... er, everyPONY off their rockers, he'll only grow in strength and size, making him practically immune to the Elements of Harmony, maybe even you and Princess Luna for all we know. Besides, this guy makes Discord look like a first-time girl scout. Who knows what poor victim has fallen prey to him now?" *THUNK!* Charcoal, in all of his pent-up anger, had pressed the uncharged butt of his spear against Praxis' throat. "Alas, demon! You seem to know fully well of this Insanity's plans. Mind telling me how you know?!" He stared into the satyr's eyes with malice. "Princess... how did this dumbass get into the Royal Guard in the first place?" Praxis choked through a half-shut windpipe. "SHUT UP, YOU!" "Charcoal, stop it! Now!" Celestia was shocked at the admiral's actions. "No, Princess! This monster must be eradicated at ONCE! He could be working with Insanity for all we know!" "Do you dare defy your princess?" the alicorn questioned coldly. "Listen up... you either get this spear out of my face, or I beat you into so much of a bloody pulp that nopony will RECOGNIZE you when I'm done." Praxis said this in so low of a voice and so deadly of a tone that he could detect a flicker of fear in Charcoal's eyes. (Author: listen to this song for an extra bad-ass feeling... that is... if you don't mind too much.) "JUST SHUT UP AND DIE, FREAK!!!" Charcoal bellowed as he flipped a switch on his spear, the charged end of it releasing bolts of lightning that arced around it. He brought it up about his head, preparing to bring it down upon Praxis' head... Time felt like it was slowing down.... He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as the spear made its treacherous descent, gritting his teeth.... The spear was inches from his face. Charcoal was glad that this... thing... was about to die. Any punishment from Celestia would be worth it to see this creature suffer. Praxis was drowning in rage, like an ocean in a storm.... The circle-pentagon-star marking on his navel pulsated a bit, giving off some sort of black glow.... *CLINK!* A hand, now bearing nine-inch nails that were blacker than the night and still cuffed with a now-broken chain, had grabbed Charcoal by the throat and lifted him up a couple of inches into the air. The stun spear clattered as it fell to the stone floor. The white Royal Guard and Celestia stepped back from this new sight, eyes wide with fear and shock as Praxis looked up at them. Their hearts almost stopped. The brown hue of his legs and hooves had become as dark as his talon-like nails, the hair on his head, beard, and chest, now whiter than snow, were slightly longer and disturbingly unruly, the former sticking up in several different places. His horns had elongated, the tips of them curving upward rather than down. His muscles seemed to have grown larger, bulging out of his arms and abdomen as he strained against the other cuff around his arm and finally broke free of the chain binding him to the wall. Strange black tendrils has erupted from the symbol on his navel and spun around his upper body, giving him the appearance of the victim of a very artistic tattooer. The three ponies real fears were the eyes. The whites of the satyr's eyes had been exchanged into a pure pitch black, the brown irises a gradient shade of orange and red, the color of fire, the round pupils were reduced to slits so paper-thin, they practically appeared nonexistent. With enough exertion, he snapped the cuffs around his legs like toothpicks, cracking his neck and smiling widely, showing sharp, pearl-white fangs instead of flat teeth. "How many times... have I told you... NOT TO CALL ME THAT!?!?" The laid-back and kind voice that was Praxis' was no longer there as he punched Charcoal so hard that the Royal Guard flew out of his grasp and busting open the closed door; Replacing his voice was one of deepness, coldness, satanism, and hatred. His smile still stood, his right eye twitching as he tilted his head to the side and looked at the two ponies that still stood. The white Pegasus belted out a high-pitch scream and ran out of the room as fast as he could; Princess Celestia gasped and backed away, only to hit the corner of the wall and sink onto her haunches, her eyes practically the size of dust specs. 'This satyr is not just evil or angry... he's purely mad!" thought the royal alicorn apprehensively. "H...how did you break out? Those chains were reinforced with ancient magic!" she finally managed to say. He chuckled loudly, the sound echoing across the halls and making her gulp nervously. "Well, Celly... let's say that I'm rather... Corrupted." He devilishly beamed wider, a bead of sweat dripping down the Princess' temple. "Remember that whenever you speak of me, please refer to me as that..." Praxis slowly walked to the entrance of the prison bars and leaned down upon Charcoal's unconscious body laying against the hallway walls. He mutilated the equine's face: some teeth had fallen out, both eyes were swollen shut, the nose and mouth leaking blood. "I told you I'd do it," he whispered in the stallion's ears. "Anywho, Princess, I must depart. Ta-ta!" With that, Praxis fixed the ace bandage around his face and waved before bolting down the hallway at lightning-fast speeds. She gasped at how fast he had vanished, before waves of fury swept over her. "STOOOOOP HIIIIIIM!" she screeched in the Royal Canterlot Voice, teleporting on the spot. 'Must... ESCAPE!' Praxis thought furiously, swimming through the labyrinth of hallways and spiraling staircases. Even after busting through the most tightly-locked of doors, evading the most dangerous of guard barricades, and decimating the most resilient of walls to find shortcuts, everything he passed resembled nothing but a blur as he could feel a mach cone forming around him. That feeling didn't live long: another wave of well-armored guards stood before him as he turned the corner, their crossbows at the ready. "My, my... this is getting tedious, is it not?" He sighed, and took off towards the Royal Guards, none of them being prepared for the massive display of speed. Praxis ran along the walls and ceiling in a spiraling corkscrew motion, evading the guards' crossbow bolts that soon filled the halls. He saw a huge set of double doors in front of him and jumped, his hoof cocked back before he swung it forward violently, giving the gates an almighty kick. The doors busted ajar and almost became unhinged as he landed. He could almost taste freedom. "STOP, BEAST!" He turned on his heel and saw Princess Celestia by the entrance of the castle. She was angry as hell, her mane and tail a gargantuan blaze. Behind her was Princess Luna, her teeth bared, her mane and tail resembling the starry-night sky; Behind the Moon Goddess were Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike, all seven of them cravenly hiding behind the two goddesses. 'Oh, Celestia... this is horrible! We're done for!' the seven thought fearfully. "THOU SHALT SUBMIT! RETURN TO THY PLANET, AND NEVER RETREAT HERE, YE ANIMAL!" Luna had shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Failure to do so will result in painful consequences, Praxis!" Celestia seethed. "Now, now, you mustn't be like that, Celly and Lu-Lu: anger doesn't suit you two well," Praxis said in feigned concern, flexing his fingers. He could feel his talons practically cutting the air into thin sheets with every flex. Luna stuck out her tongue at the nickname, while Celestia paid no mind to hers. "Then you leave me no choice...." The Sun Goddess closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip in concentration, the tip of her horn beginning to sprout a small sphere of fire. The sphere grew larger with every passing second, solar flares bursting out of it occasionally. "YOU MUST PERISH!" She bellowed as she unleashed the miniature Sun towards him. 'Have to think... and fast!' Instinctively, he extended his hands forward to the incoming ball of fire, fingers spread apart, yet bent slightly. 'He doesn't think he'll catch it, does he?' The two goddesses pondered rather apprehensively. *SHIINK* Everypony gasped as the compact Sun was slowly losing velocity on contact, the maddened satyr skidding backwards at the force of the impact. Slowly, Praxis regained his footing and lifted the ball high above his heads, his talons dug deep into the ball. The sphere of fire was scorching his hands, but his anger at how foolish the Goddesses were made him pay the burning ball of gas no mind. 'He... he did. What IS he?!' thought Celestia and Luna simultaneously, backing away slowly. "Did you honestly think... THAT WOULD WORK?!?!" he roared, spinning around twice before viciously throwing the small Sun into an adjacent wall. *FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM* The miniature ball of burning gas had crashed into the wall, erupting on impact and blasting the effected area of the wall to pieces. The flames it released swept across the Foyer and beyond outside. The Princesses had barely raised up force fields to protect themselves from the blaze. Praxis had to hide behind a column to prevent getting burnt to a crisp. When the flames had finally ceased, he stepped out from behind the column and saw that all eight ponies and the dragon were racked with fear that made their knees quake, their eyes wide, and their mouths open. Fluttershy was on the verge of tears, Twilight and the Princesses were incredulous, and everyone else was just horrified. "But... HOW!?" The two princesses outbursted. "I told you before, Celestia: I'm QUITE a Corrupted little bastard...." 'Hmm... Time to have a bit of fun before I leave....' he thought. He inhaled as much air as his lungs would allow him, and roared one mere word. "BOO!" All nine of them screamed in horror and shock, jumping back or scooting away as far as possible. Praxis quietly chuckled. He gave them a wink and jumped out the massive crater at near sonic speeds, almost like he had vanished from the spot. 'Whoa... Lyra wasn't kidding,' thought Rainbow, her jaw dropping at the spontaneous burst of acceleration. 'This guy IS fast.' "Sister, do you suppose we should go after him?" Luna inquired. "No need, Luna," Celestia answered as she walked over to the gaping hole in the wall. "We're tens of thousands of feet high... there's a VERY slim chance that he'll survive." Free-falling Down Canterlot's Mountain 'Wowwwww, I should've thought this one through....' Praxis mentally kicked himself as he plummeted down the mountainside, his ace bandage flapping behind him like some weak little flag. "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" His roar of frustration could be heard from all across Canterlot, the civilians looking up with upset grimaces at how anypony could speak such profanity. 'Damn, this mountain is tall as hell! How am I gonna survive THIS one!?' He looked down at the sodden earth that felt thousands of feet away from him, and he looked at his claws. *Loading...* *Loading...* *DING!* 'Wait a minute... talons as sharp as stilettos, I'm falling at terminal velocity, soft dirt from yesterday's downpour... GOT IT!' Praxis spun as he fell, his black talons stretched out as he turned and turned in midair. He was laying as stiff as a board, accelerating towards the dirt at the base of the mountain as he fell. The ground got closer at an eerie pace. He gritted his fangs and shut his eyes, the airborne twisting making him nauseous. 'If this doesn't work... Well, I hear Hell has some really nice bedrooms, and the service doesn't seem so bad either.' He sunk through the earth, his talons acting like a drill as he burrowed thirty feet into the soggy dirt. With eyes still shut, he tried to act as a swimmer and pulled upwards out of the soil. He shot out like a cork in water and landed in a heap next to the two holes he had created. "Urgh... I feel like crap." His last words wasn't as deep as before, his black claws returning to regular-sized, normal colored nails. His fleece and hooves reverted to being brown, and white hair, beard, and chest hair has shifted back to black. The tendrils that snaked around him had retracted and disappeared into the emblem on his navel. His prodded his mouth with his tongue and felt no fangs: they had returned to normal, humane teeth. A sharp stinging pain in his horns told him that they had retracted slightly. Judging by the power and strength leaving him, he was no longer Corrupted. His eyes were reduced to their normal shade of regular whites, round pupils, and brown irises. He wearily got up from the ground and dusted himself off, only to double over and vomit onto the grass. By the looks of the Sun's position, the regurgitation consisting of stinking bile, and his empty stomach, he could only assume that he was unconscious for several hours. He had to return to the Everfree Forest, but not to his original clearing. There was no rest for the wicked, especially when the wicked involved only him. Sadly for him, that rest couldn't wait. As he tried walking towards the forest that felt so far away, he slumped to the floor again, wiped out from the Corruption that had physically, mentally, and magically pushed him to his limits. He curled up into a ball and let the sinking evening Sun bathe him in its warmth and light. His eyes were drooping as he got comfortable on the soft earth. Soon, sleep had washed over him, his quiet bleating snores the only thing to be heard for what like possibly miles around. Unbeknown to him, three shadows towered over the resting satyr. "Well, whaddaya know. A satyr in Equestrian," said a rough masculine voice. "My word, this creature looks like death," another male voice, this one slightly more elegant than the one prior it interjected. "...or me. Both work either way." "Very funny, Zeke, but what could he be doing here?" A third, chill feminine voice asked. This one was cool, laid-back, and chill. "Jace, do you have any ideas?" "Sorry, Vi, but... nnnope," the first voice said stoically. "But I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and ask him. But when he wakes up." Yyyyyyeah, I just OP'd the living shit out of Praxis. But that's 'cause Insanity unknowingly lended a helping hand in the breakout. Congrats, CraimerX (Guy I'm collaborating with): your characters are now included! Now Praxis will probably see how the Calling Card works, or something along those lines. And MAN, are my joints sore. I had to blaze through the rest of this chapter for five hours; that's probably why this one chapter looks pretty shoddy and OP'd. Let the controlled criticism... BEGIN! ~S.W.