Ten Tasks To Redemption
Chapter One: The Arrival
The portal Hades created back in Tartarus arrived at it’s destination, and opened slowly. Galeforce stepped out, and found himself in what seemed to be Sweet Apple Acres. Everything was just as he remembered it… except for the sky. The sky was an intense, blood red storm; with images of other portals opening miles and miles away. “What is this?” Galeforce asked aloud.
“This is Crothorr,” a voice answered him. “The city of the damned.”
Galeforce turned quickly around, and came face to face with another ghostly human. “Tell me, creature,” he ordered the apparition. “What is your name?”
“In life, I was known as Cassim,” the ghost told him. “I was the leader of the Forty Thieves, the most cutthroat band of rogues in all of Agrabah. Now I serve under the thumb of Hades, helping would-be redeemed souls to complete the Ten Fatal Tasks.”
“Cassim,” Galeforce asked him, “what are the Ten Tasks?”
“I cannot say, for I failed to complete them.”
“Then why are you here?” Galeforce further asked him.
“Look around you,” Cassim said, as he gestured grandly with his hands. “Every portal you see in the distance is a villain receiving his one chance at redemption, and for every villain a thousand failures remain. No-one has ever completed the tasks, and no-one ever will.”
“I’ll complete them,” Galeforce stated firmly. “I must complete them.”
“You fight a battle you cannot win, young pony,” Cassim told his charge. “This city is an enemy in itself, transforming itself from friend to foe on a whim. You cannot hope to defeat Crothorr, and you will join our ranks soon enough.”
Turning away in disgust, Galeforce turned his back to his pessimistic company; and started to spread his wings yet again. As he did, another portal appeared roughly ten feet in front of him, and Galeforce turned back to Cassim with a sneer. “Goodbye, Cassim,” he arrogantly said. “I’m off to meet my destiny.”
“Beware, Galeforce,” Cassim warned the Thief Lord, as he flew into the portal. “You have no idea what you are in for.”
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Galeforce appeared on the other end of the new portal, and found himself standing on a wooden floor. It was dark, but he could see a dim light in the distance. That must be the way out, he thought to himself.
“Galeforce!” a voice boomed from above. “Are you prepared for your first task?”
“Bring it on,” Galeforce challenged the unknown foe.
“As you wish,” the voice responded; as a bright light flooded the room. “Your first task is simple: escape this room alive!”
Galeforce strained his eyes to see, and soon a realization came over him: this was the
old Thief Headquarters in Cloudsdale, and he was standing on a gigantic version of his meeting room table. Suddenly, a nearby door flung open; and a giant Galeforce entered with several Thieves.
“Here’s to your first successful raid, colts!” the giant Galeforce bellowed, as he pulled a large bag of gold out from under his wing. He held it proudly with his mouth for a second, and then casually tossed it onto the table. The real Galeforce barely managed to dodge the enormous satchel, and his heart raced in fear. “Ten thousand bits,” the giant Galeforce carried on talking. “You stallions will make fine additions to my guild!”
“What about our cut, boss?” one of the Thieves asked, as he held out a hoof.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get what’s coming to you,” the giant Galeforce answered him, as he took his place at the head of the table. He shoved the bag of gold on it’s side with his hoof, sending bits rolling all over the table. The bits rolled toward the smaller version of the Thief Lord, and he knew he had to act fast.
Spreading his wings in his signature dramatic fashion, Galeforce took to the sky; and he started to fly towards the exit he noticed before this all began. I must escape this place, he thought to himself as he soared toward his destination. I must return to Ponyville.
He flew across the room, dodging the wild swings of pegasus limbs as they celebrated their villainous bounty. He heard the giant Galeforce shout a wild cry of victory, and wondered if he had really once been like that. The years had changed Galeforce into a whole new pony, and he was ashamed of his behavior. I was a barbarian, he thought to himself as he flew. That was back before I brought in the whole honor concept, when we killed and looted freely. This may be my memories, but I hardly recognize myself.
Galeforce then turned his attention to the other Thieves, and felt his heart sink to the floor. These were some of Cloudsdale’s best and brightest, and he had turned them into the savage creatures that stood all around him now. He looked into each of their bloodshot eyes, and could only feel despair. Was it right of me to do this to them, he continued to ponder, carefully dodging the various hazards in his way. These ponies had bright futures: doctors, soldiers, and even future Wonderbolts. All of it gone, thanks to my greed and my shortsightedness. These thoughts shook Galeforce to the core, and he flapped his wings even faster; for escape could not come fast enough.
He then burst through the exit portal, and found himself standing in front of Cassim. “You succeeded,” Cassim observed. “How surprising.”
“What was the point of that?” Galeforce asked.
“The Path of Greed makes you remember the one bad decision that started your criminal career,” Cassim told him without hesitation. “Every crime you ever committed started from that one choice, and soon enough you will see what came of it.”
“What difference does it make?” Galeforce asked in defiance. “That heist was years ago! Nopony remembers it!”
“How sure of that are you?” Cassim asked, as he pointed a bony finger towards the next portal. “The Arena of Vengeance awaits you.”
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