//------------------------------//
// The Wrath Of Rancour 
// Story: Our Darkest Days 
// by Bluecatcinema 
//------------------------------//

After a long boat trip (and a short storm), the trio arrived at a harbour in the country of Chineigh. They disembarked, Sterling doing so a little shakily.

"I hate traveling by sea." He groaned, a little green around the gills.

"What's this?" Echo smirked. "A little seasick, are we? I wouldn't have guessed such a big, tough guard could have such a delicate constitution."

"Zip it, Alchemy." Sterling growled. "Or I'll throw up all over you."

"Knock it off, you two." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Let's focus on the mission."

"Very well, Sunset." Echo nodded. "According to the document, the next page is hidden in a zen garden in the small town of Zhire, only a couple of miles from here."

"Then let's get to it." Sterling declared, his seasickness starting to wear off.

"There's a coach service around here." Echo remarked. "It shouldn't be too difficult to reach our destination."

Unfortunately, Echo couldn't have been more wrong. The trio suffered all manner of delays on their journey. They had to push their way past a crowd of ponies, wait what seemed like forever for the right coach, and then having to endure a detour due to roadworks, and the shaking of their coach as it rumbled across rough terrain.

"Oh, so many delays..." Echo groaned. "It's as if the universe itself seeks to hinder our journey."

"Nopony ever said this would be easy." Sunset sighed. "But we still have one page, which puts us one ahead of our masked friend. And if all goes well, that number should go up to two by the end of the day."

"Hopefully, yes." Echo said sternly. "If we ever get to it."

Meanwhile, back in the Crystal Empire, Shining and Cadance had just received word of the fate of Taser's precinct in Manehattan.

"...We were told the officers had Echo and his accomplices." The guard announced. "But when we got there, we found nothing. No Echo, no officers, nothing. The whole place was wiped clean, sir."

"I know of only group of ponies who could pull that off." Shining growled. "Curse you, Napoleons..."

"You don't think the Napoleons are connected to this in some way, do you?" Cadance wondered.

"Of that, I cannot be sure." The guard shrugged. "But we did get word of ponies matching Echo and his accomplices' appearance boarding a boat bound for Chineigh."

"Chineigh, huh?" Shining mused. "Well, no boat can outpace flight. Ready the carriage, and send as many guards as you can."

"Yes, your highness." The guard bowed.

"It doesn't matter how far you run, Echo." Shining declared. "We will find you."

Back in Chineigh, the coach finally stopped at Zhire. The trio got out and made their way into town.

"So, this page is in a garden?" Sterling asked. "Nice hiding place. Real secure."

"A zen garden." Echo clarified. "It is also under the watchful eye of Mǎ Rancour, a distinguished stallion who was regarded as trustworthy enough to protect the page."

"Let's hope we get to this 'distinguished stallion' before the competition does." Sunset declared.

As they walked through the streets of Zhire, the trio couldn't help but notice several ponies arguing with, throwing Chineighse insults at, and even fighting each other.

"Jeez, so much for small towns being quiet and friendly." Sterling remarked, wincing as one stallion punched another in the face.

"No joke." Sunset frowned. "What's got them all so riled up?"

"I have a thought or two on the matter." Echo admitted. "None of them pleasant. Let's just keep moving, and avoid eye contact if possible."

The trio dodged between the irate denizens of Zhire, until they finally arrived at the Zen garden.

"What kind of garden is this?" Sterling snorted, glancing at the white gravel. "There's a ton of dirt, but hardly any plants!"

"A Zen garden doesn't traditionally have plants." Echo explained. "They are for quiet contemplation, not gardening."

"Whatever." Sterling shrugged. "Don't suppose that list said exactly where the page is?"

"It did indeed." Echo nodded. "It is under a gazebo at the south end of the garden."

"It shouldn't be too difficult to get it." Sunset shrugged.

The trio headed toward the south end of the garden. As they rounded the corner, spying the gazebo, a voice rang out.

"Enter, grasshoppers."

They looked up at a gazebo to see a Chineighse Unicorn stallion, meditating in an odd stance on the roof. The stallion had a dark red coat, and a gray mane, with matching beard and moustache. He wore orange robes. Underneath them, a symbol of a spear adorned his flank.

"Find sanctuary in peaceful garden..." The pony muttered.

"Say what?" Sterling frowned.

"Who is that?" Sunset asked.

"I can't be sure, but... I think that's Mǎ Rancour, the page's guardian." Echo remarked.

"Correct." The stallion nodded. "That is I, Mǎ Rancour. And who are you, who know of such a great secret as a page from King Sombra's own spell book?"

"I am Echo Alchemy." Echo announced. "These are my colleagues, Sunset Shimmer and Sterling Cross."

"'Sup." Sterling waved.

"An evil pony seeks the page that is hidden here." Echo declared. "We came here to recover it, and keep it out of his hooves."

"So if you could show us to the page, we'll be on our way, thanks." Sunset smiled.

"Oh, but I'm afraid I can't do that." Rancour frowned.

"Why not?" Echo asked.

"Because I'm using it." Rancour grinned.

"Using... Oh, no." Echo gasped.

"Sweet anger goes through us. It's how universe tells us who target should be." Rancor announced.

"Look, you know, just because you're talking all funny like that, it doesn't mean it's making any sense." Sterling frowned.

Rancor gazed upwards.

"Universe has slaughtered my happiness, and so..." He glanced down at them. "I must slaughter their happiness too... all who disrupt my garden of peace shall know no happiness!"

Rancour glared at a stallion walking down the street, his eyes developing the same purple wisps Echo's had. His horn glowed blood-red, and emitted a plunge of crimson smoke towards the stallion. The stallion groaned with agony as the plume enveloped him. The plume vanished, leaving the stallion's face contorted with rage. With a primal scream, he started lashing out at some nearby trash cans, knocking them over. He picked up one can and hurled it at the window of a store. The owner emerged, irate at the stallion's behaviour, and the stallion began to attack him. He knocked the store owner out, kicked him a few times for good measure, then raced down the street, still spewing screams of rage.

"That was... dark magic!" Sunset gasped. "That's why all those ponies are so angry!"

"So, you're doing this... Rancour, you are playing with fire here!" Echo roared. "That page was entrusted to you to protect! Not to be used like some toy!"

"You think me a child?" Rancour sneered. "This is no game. I do this to make a point."

"What point is that?" Sunset asked.

"That we are all beasts of rage." Rancour chuckled darkly. "All it takes is a little push, and so-called 'civilized' ponies will eat each other alive."

"You don't know what you're doing." Echo declared. "But I do. It is the spell of Wrath. The power to instill blind rage in others. You may think you're in control of it, but you're not. In time, it will consume you, just as your victims were consumed by their rage."

"Consume?" Rancour snorted. "I think not. I am master of the magic, and soon, I will be master of all that is peace and happiness!"

"But what you're doing is wrong! You have no right!" Sunset barked.

"I have every right!" Rancour screeched. "They deserve to suffer, and I will be the instrument of that suffering! The master of Wrath!"

"Oh, gimme a break." Sterling snorted. "You're master of nothing."

"What?!" Rancour spat.

"You're just one senile old whackjob." Sterling smirked. "And a cowardly one at that."

"You dare..." Rancour growled.

"You heard me." Sterling sneered. "Without that Wrath spell, you're probably nothing."

"Ah, Cross?" Echo added nervously.

"Such insolence." Rancour snarled.

"Wanna prove me wrong?" Sterling grinned. "Then get down here and fight us!" He struck a nearby gong with his hoof. "Game on!"

"As you wish." Rancour glared.

Rancour leapt from the gazebo, landing gracefully on the ground. He pulled out a bladed staff (otherwise known as a nagi) and swung it around expertly.

"I will fight without my magic." Rancour declared. "Not that it will change the outcome in any way!"

"I was just about to tell you: Rancour is a master in the martial arts." Echo told Sterling. "Especially Buckwando."

"Ah." Sterling gulped.

"It's still three against one." Sunset declared. "We can take him!"

"Banzaiii!" Rancour charged at them.

Rancour's first target was Sterling. Sterling dodged the blade, then swung a punch, which Rancour dodged. Sunset fired a beam of magic at Rancour, but he spun his nagi rapidly, deflecting the beam. Sterling fired some crossbow bolts, but Rancour swatted them aside with his nagi. Echo then jumped Rancour from behind, aiming a kick at him. Rancour dodged, but not fast enough, allowing Echo to wing him. The irate stallion stumbled back a few paces.

"Not bad for amateurs." Rancour sneered.

"Those two may be amateurs, but I'm a fully-trained guardspony!" Sterling boasted. "It'll take a lot more than some pointy stick to stop me!"

"We shall see, braggart!" Rancour swung his nagi again.

Sterling wasn't as fast that time, the blade nicking his side. Capitalizing on his success, Rancour thrust his staff forwards. Sterling managed to catch it between his hooves. For a moment, the two struggled. Then, a magic blast from Sunset knocked Rancour aside. As Rancour fought to steady himself, Echo rammed into him from the side, sending him crashing into the soil.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Rancour." Echo declared. "Just give us the page, and this can all be over."

"Oh, it'll be over, alright." Rancour growled, his eyes developing wisps again. "Because I'm done playing with you."

Rancour released another crimson plume from his horn, which was headed straight toward Sterling.

"Sterling, watch out!" Sunset yelled.

"Ahh!" Sterling yelped, as the cloud enveloped him.

"You shall perish like the others!" Rancor screeched. "Ikari koso, washi no seigida!"*

In an instant, Sterling's eyes lit up in rage.

"My Faust!" Sterling growled. "That isn't even Chineighse! Get your language right, you buckin' weirdo!"

Sterling charged at Rancour, blinded by anger. Smirking, Rancour knocked him away with a single swing of his nagi. Sterling got to his hooves, and roared.

"Sterling, get a hold of yourself!" Sunset urged, trying to hold him back with her magic.

"Let me go!" Sterling spat. "That old whacko's going down!"

"Your turn, my dear." Rancour smirked, taking advantage of Sunset's distraction.

Sunset was also enveloped by a plume of smoke, and succumbed to rage.

"What am I doing?" She spat, releasing her hold on Sterling. "I should let you run to your doom, you reckless idiot! It'd be better for everypony if you weren't around anymore!"

"Oh, like you're so great?" Sterling snarled. "Spending all your time following Alchemy around, always stickin' up for him? What, do you just have a thing for creepy, bat-winged ponies?!"

"It's called 'being a friend', you insensitive jerk!" Sunset spat. "Besides, Echo needs all the support he can get! Just look at him!"

"Pardon?" Echo frowned.

"Blah, blah, blah!" Sterling mocked, "You're always yackin' about something! A pretty little thing like you should be seen and not heard!"

"And you just plain shouldn't be!" Sunset fired a beam of magic at Sterling, hitting him square in the chest.

"Not smart." Sterling seethed, rubbing the scorch mark left behind.

Sterling charged at Sunset, but she threw up a magic barrier, blocking him.

"Lemme in there!" Sterling roared, banging his hooves against the barrier.

"Not a chance." Sunset sneered. "But I've got some outgoing mail for you!"

Sunset fired another blast of magic, which passed though the barrier and struck Sterling, sending him flying.

"Yes." Rancour cackled. "Destroy each other!"

"Sunset, Cross, please stop!" Echo yelled. "You have to fight his influence!"

"Ah, zip it, brainiac!" Sterling spat.

"Just because I'm your assistant doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do!" Sunset sneered. "So back off!"

"And now it's your turn." Rancour advanced on Echo.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't think that would be wise." Echo held up his hooves in defence.

"Why not? You seem very insistent on harnessing the power of Wrath... so, as the mortal pony say, you want Wrath, you got Wrath." Rancour mused.

"No, please!" Echo trembled. "I'm telling you, you don't want to do this. You have no idea what will happen when my stress level reaches a certain capacity."

"But I'll see it, soon enough." Rancour grinned, as another plume of crimson smoke emerged from his horn.

"No, please..." Echo groaned, as the plume enveloped him.

"Yes." Rancour smiled. "Give in to rage. Let it consume you, as the fire consumes the forest."

"I... can't..." Echo held his head, struggling to resist. "Can't... let it... happen again..."

As the bile rose in his throat, Echo's eyes developed their purple wisps, and his breathing became labored and ragged.

"Come now, my winged friend, release the beast inside!" Rancour chanted.

"NO!" Echo roared in a drastically different voice, as the wisps around his eyes grew worse and his skin was beginning to crawl, as if it was changing. "Stooop..." He groaned, his voice shifting between the new tone and the old one. "I'm begging yoooouu...!"

At the same time, Sunset and Sterling continued their own squabble. Sterling managed to check Sunset before she put up the barrier again, and the pair struggled, kicking and punching like there was no tomorrow.

"Hitting a lady, huh?" Sunset spat. "I always knew you were low."

"I don't see no ladies around here." Sterling sneered. "Just some old nag!"

"I'll show you 'nag'!" Sunset headbutted him.

"And I'll show you this!" Sterling kicked her in the side.

As they continued their brawl, they became ragged and exhausted, and their fighting become…rather pointless, reduced to slaps and shoves. But still, they lashed out at each other with as much force as they could muster, throwing out the most hurtful insults they could think of.

"Mud-crawler!" Sunset yelled.

"Horn-headed hag!" Sterling roared.

"It can't... end like this..." Echo groaned, his resolve starting to fail him.

"Ah, but it will." Rancour taunted. "It is in your nature to lose yourselves to anger, to destroy yourselves. I'm just helping things along."

"No..." Sterling crumpled, knowing what was about to come. "Not again..."

"Goodbye, little grasshoppers." Rancour smirked. "Prepare to drown in the stream of your own anger."

Rancour heard a sound from behind him. He turned around, finding himself face-to-face with the masked pony.

"...Who the buck are-?" He started

The masked pony waved his hoof, and a spear of dark crystals drove itself into Rancour's chest. Rancour froze, dropping his nagi. The masked pony reached into Rancour's robes, pulling out the page. At that moment, the Spell of Wrath broke, freeing all who had fallen under it's thrall.

All across Zhire, ponies who had been at each others' throats suddenly released each other, confused and ashamed at what they had done.

"What the..." Sterling gaped, realizing his hooves were inches from Sunset's face. "Were we just...?"

"Yes, we were." Sunset said, mortified. "…Sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Sterling shrugged. "Wasn't exactly my finest hour, either."

Echo gasped loudly, the anger leaving, wisps disappearing and his body stop shaking.

"That was too close..." He panted. "Much too close."

With another gesture, the crystal spear pulled itself out of Rancour's chest. Rancour stumbled, holding his wound.

"No... no... why have you forsaken me, universe?!" Rancour spluttered, raising his hoof to the sky, his voice faltering. "It's not fair! I get fired from my job, my wife leaves me for a guy who sells refrigerators, my kids grow up to be disrespectful brats..."

"What's going on?" Sterling asked, a bit confused.

"I think he had anger issues of his own." Sunset suggested.

Rancour glanced at his mortal wound.

"And now this?! I get shanked by some Faust-cursed Yokai wannabe?!" He gave a look of utter disbelief. "Seriously?!"

He glanced at them all, and then pointed at the trio. "Screw you, you pieces of dung!"

Rancour started to laugh manically, echoing out all around the garden... and then fell to the ground dead, his face stuck in a stupefied gaze. The masked stared blankly at him, then turned to leave.

"Not so fast, you." Sterling growled.

"We're not letting you leave here with that page." Sunset declared.

"Not a chance." Echo agreed.

The masked pony inclined his head to one side, then flung a swarm of dark crystals at them. The trio were too exhausted (Sunset and Sterling physically, and Echo mentally) to dodge them, and were sent flying into the gravel. The masked pony waved mockingly at them, then departed.

"So much for improving our numbers." Sterling groaned. "Now that masked nut has the book and a page."

"And we couldn't do a thing to stop him." Sunset sighed.

"We mustn't blame each other." Echo declared. "We had no way of knowing how powerful the Spell of Wrath was. Let's just cut our losses and be thankful that we didn't do anything drastic in our anger."

"Hopefully, the next page won't be so troublesome." Sunset remarked.

"Speaking of which, we'd better head out." Sterling urged. "We can't let that slimebag get another page!"

"Of course." Echo nodded. "But first, we must bury Rancour."

"Say what?!" Sterling spat.

"It's the right thing to do." Echo declared.

"Buck that!" Sterling snarled. "Aren't you forgetting what he did to ponies? To us?!"

"Echo's right, Sterling." Sunset sighed. "Rancour only did what he did because of how badly his life turned out. And besides, the dark magic no doubt made things worse. He deserves our sympathy, not our hate."

"Seriously?" Sterling frowned. "Forget that old psycho!"

"We cannot fall victim to our hate as he did." Echo declared. "We must rise above it."

"Fine." Sterling huffed. "Let's just make it quick."

Together, they dug a makeshift grave in the gravel. Echo lowered Rancour's body into the grave, and Sunset placed the gravel on top of it with her magic.

"Farewell, Mǎ Rancour." Echo said solemnly. "Perhaps now, you will be free of your anger and hatred."

"How poetic." Sterling said sarcastically. "Now can we go?"

"Yes, we can." Echo nodded. "The next page is located in Russiaddle. Let's get going."

Sunset looked at Echo as they made to leave. He seemed so much more shaken by the experience then she and Sterling were. Though overwhelmed by her own rage at the time, she could vaguely recall Echo's terrified reaction to being made angry, like it was the worst possible thing to happen to him, and the struggle he went through when he was afflicted by the spell.

"Are you okay, Echo?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Sunset." Echo said curtly. "And even if I wasn't, it wouldn't matter. We must find those pages, no matter the cost."

"You're right." Sunset sighed. She knew Echo was hiding something, but he wasn't about to tell her.

'What aren't you telling me, Echo?' She thought as they continued onwards.