//------------------------------// // The God-Hunter // Story: The Legend of the God-Hunter // by BobThePlaneswalker //------------------------------// Rei laid upon the ground, sprawled across a dark alleyway of the marble city. His skull was pinned against the ground by a silver alicorn male with a sphinx and a centaur flanking him. The alicorn glared into Rei's eyes. “Admit it,” he growled. “Admit that I am right-” His voice was overcome by a horrendous ringing. A large shadow fell upon them but only Rei took notice. “Be not a delusional fool,” an unclaimed voice said. “Sacrifices must be made if the Golden Age is to be.” Mother? Another shadow descended, opposite the first. “There is another way.” Father's voice replied. “We must see the good in one another. If we vilify then the world is already lost.” “Our path is blocked by a boulder that love cannot overcome,” Mother said. “Love is boundless!” Father exclaimed. “Thy daughters are not,” Mother said. “By mercy's bounds even thou hast managed only to slow our enemies. They will not show thy daughters the same mercy.” If they are hunted... I can't hold off an army father... “Have faith in the prophecy!” Father roared. “The prophecy must be paid for...” Mother replied. To do everything in mine power to ensure that the prophecy comes to pass. That is what thou hast asked of me. “This will consume thee...” Father said. I can't hold off an army Father... “It will cost thee thy ticket to Elysium...” Father said. I have no purpose without the prophecy. If a soul is the price that must be paid, what better soul than mine? “Please Reikavra, thy soul is not lost...” I am sorry Father... :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: An elder minotaur made his way through a dense forest, his path illuminated only by the dim glow of the quarter moon. Draped over his shoulder was the limp body of a chimera. Its body bounced with each of the minotaur's heavy steps. He came to a crevice in the jungle floor and dropped the body at his side. He peered down into the shadows of the crevice and from it eyes as dense as the stars in the night sky peered back. He grasped both of the chimera's legs in his forehands, took a deep stance, and froze. He peered behind and caught a thin blue bolt directly in the face. He roared and tumbled to the ground in a twitching heap. Rei appeared from the shadows and stood between the minotaur and the limp chimera. “I see that thou hast found Zaska, Terrak.” The minotaur replied in a broken moan. Rei looked to him. “She was a good sentinel, Terrak. It does not sit well with me to see her like this.” “N-N-... No words...” Terrak sputtered. Rei raised a brow. “N-No w-words, T-Thou shalt g-get nothing,” he steadied his head and glared at Rei. “Not even for my life.” Rei turned away from Terrak and grimaced. He looked down to Zaska and studied her face. It was contorted in such a way that, it was hard to believe that it had ever given residence to her soul. His brow furrowed. He took a deep breath and turned a face of stone to Terrak. “My word is not so thin as thy comrades Terrak. I would not promise thee something that I cannot truly give. Thy life ends tonight, no matter thy actions. The lives of thy grandchildren though, they mustn't end.” Terrak snapped a look of horror towards Rei. “How many of you are there?” Rei asked. Terrak's jaw trembled but he remained silent. Rei sighed. “So be it.” He brought his tail towards Terrak's head. “Thirty-five!” Terrak sputtured. “And whom dost thou answer to?” Terrak trembled. “That creature will do worse than thee...” “That creature will die before hearing of this,” Rei replied. Terrak cackled. “As if thou couldst. Thou art not nearly as cunning as she.” Rei tilted his head. “She?” Terrak's eyes doubled. Rei snapped his head upwards and leapt into the air, just barely avoiding a torpedo that flew from the forest and exploded upon Terrak. Rei spun himself to land with his back to the crevice. Eight immortals approached him from the darkness. At their center came Yire. She cackled at Rei. “Thou hast always been such a brash creature. What a shame that thou art such a thorn in my side. Thou wouldst make a powerful weapon.” Rei's jaw hung, the words caught within his throat. He looked to the place Terrak had lain, then back to Yire. Yire smiled. “Oh, do not fear little titan. Thou hast still found a use for thyself. It has weighed heavy upon my mind that with his purpose met, I have no way to put an end to this God-Hunter that those foolish little sheep fear. He is still but an idea. He hath no body I can bring to them as proof of his end.” Rei snapped his jaw shut and desperately reviewed his surroundings. Yire stepped towards him. “So I thank thee Reikavra. I shall sleep much lighter now that thou hast so eagerly offered to play the part.” She motioned to the others. Rei dove into the crevice as spells soared inches over top of him. He pulled his limbs tight and used what room the crevice allowed to gain speed. As the rocky bottom threatened to crush him, he snapped his wings open and cut into a vertical ascent. He thrust with all of his might and enveloped his body in blue energy, jolting back and forth to avoid the spells that were now sailing down into the crevice. By fortune of his beloved speed he managed to launch past his assailants; but a wyvern, a chimera, and a harpy, all built just as sleek and aerodynamic as him, erupted into the air to give chase. They offset their spells from one another to put him under constant fire, denying him any chance to put distance between them. To make matters worse, he could hear the pounding of his ground-born assailant's feet as they kept pace with him below. His brain struggled under the reduced blood-flow, pulling up every maneuver in his arsenal and making painfully rough calculations of their chance of success. So far he'd come up with nothing higher than ten percent. He was relieved of the decision by the chimera who read his cut and connected with a bolt. The hit sent Rei spiraling out of control through the air, allowing the other two to connect. He plummeted towards the ground, furiously maneuvering his wings to regain some bit of control. He managed to point himself towards heavy canopy cover, utilizing the branches to slow his descent in a very painful but far less fatal manor than that which the solid ground offered. He put himself into a roll and transitioned into a sprint with not but a few snapped spines. Score another 'IOU my life' to Father for pushing him to learn how to take a hit. A large mountain cave crept into the moonlight ahead. Damn! Bound to get cornered in there. He glanced to his outs on either side only to find that the fastest of the group had moved into position to contain. He peered upward, barely making out the shadows of the airborne unit holding position above. Yire's guard were no rookies, they were herding him directly into the cave. With no other options he fired up his sonar spell and accelerated through the entrance. The moonlight faded away behind him as he descended. His nose lit up when he pulled in the cavern air. There was something familiar lingering in it, but his brain couldn't link it. His sonar echoes warned of a sharp turn ahead. He swung around the corner and immediately found himself faced with a group of giant, dimly glowing, purple masses. For the first, and last time, so long as he would live, Rei thanked his stars for leading him directly into a den of Ursa Majors. He could only hope that he hadn't found the only pacifist bears on all of Gaea. He lunged to the closest major's nose and kicked off to vault himself towards the next. He repeated the process and dashed straight for the wall. The two majors blearily raised their heads and blinked in confusion. Their attentions were immediately drawn to Rei's hapless pursuers as they rounded the corner. Rei ducked into cover behind a major and used his ethereal spell to pass through the cave wall. When he reformed he felt the collective roar of the grumpy den rumble the ground beneath him. He let out a chuckle between gasps and continued to run. Even when his body cried for time to quell the fire in his limbs, he denied it. Even when his body demanded attention for its wounds, he denied it. Even when it insisted that the pace would bring him death, he commanded it forward. It was not until his muscles mutinied and he collapsed to the ground that he stopped running. For many minutes, there was not a single thought that his brain could produce. All resources were allotted to his stinging throat as it rushed air into his lungs. Reikavra is quite a thinker though, so it was not long after his mental resources started freeing up that he contemplated the development. His thoughts brought with them crushing despair. His enemy was now well aware of his intentions. So much as a peep to one of his peers, a single slip with his blessed magic, or even an unfortunate moment of imperfect alertness and they would descend upon him with flawless vengeance. In just a few moments he had seen a sea of options stripped away. He stared into the lazily wavering patch of overgrowth before him. As the overgrowth blocked his view, a compilation of strategical barriers blocked his foresight on the path to which he should precede. His vision granted by a wide network of comrades and magical capabilities was no more. He was blinded. His mouth curled into a grin and he breathed a few manic chuckles. Come now Rei, operating with vision and foresight; what fun would that be? :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The blaring sun beat down upon a large jungle clearing. The ground was crisped to a light brown. Rei stood in his unicorn form. Sweat dripped from his mane as he distributed blocks to the group of construction ponies working before him. Their team was but a blip in a sea of busy workers. The beginnings of a girthy temple sat at their center. Shouts broke from the edge of the group followed by the cracking of whips. Rei raised onto his hind legs to see the source. A group of drivers were leading seven or so ponies dressed in the gem studded and gold embroidered clothing of the ruling class towards the temple. Rei buckled over and let loose a fit of coughs. The driver nearest him approached, cracking him across his shoulders with his whip. Rei turned up the severity of his fit and paired it with convulsions. The driver grumbled and motioned to two of the working ponies. They hoisted Rei up and carried him off to a tent at the edge of the site. They deposited him inside, beside a pile of bodies. Rei waited for them to leave before he stopped his fit. He raised to his feet and peered about the tent. A stocky armored unicorn approached him from the opposite side. Rei brought a hoof to his temple and threw up a number of jamming spells to mask his magical signature. When he had them up, he dropped his hoof and sniffed at the unicorn that now stood before him with a heavy axe in his aura. The unicorn glared at him and thrust a hoof towards a headstand at Rei's side. Rei grinned. His horn flickered and the axe fell from the air as the unicorn grasped at his throat. He opened his mouth and tried without success to speak. His eyes grew wide with terror as his axe hovered into the air and turned its edge upon him. Moments later, Rei slid out from under the side of the execution tent wearing the guard's armor. He passed along the edge of the site until he was able to work his way towards the back of the temple. He climbed the side and slunk into a small opening in the wall. It led to a crawl-way which he moved through until he came to a hole through which Yire's voice trickled in. “It disturbs me,” she said, “that thou wouldst bring this accusation upon me with no intent to let me defend myself.” Rei peered in through the hole. Yire sat upon a riser in a decorated throne. Before her sat Arianna and six ex-sentinels. “Stifle thy wicked tongue Yire,” Arianna commanded. “No more will it save thee.” “Arianna,” Yire said. “What has come between us. We have worked so well together for all this time, have we not?” Arianna shivered. “I made a deal with thee Yire. Never have I trusted thee, but I saw no other way to save Ifringale from the doomed path they were on. 'Twas an error of which I shall never forgive myself. But what is done is done.” She widened her stance and readied her horn. The others mimicked her. “I can only right that wrong now and beg the fates that our society is not already lost.” “So confident,” Yire sneered as the runes upon her body illuminated. “So radiant, so strong... I shall gravely morn the loss of thee.” Arianna and her team unleashed a flurry of spells. A portal appeared before them and from it a giant body erupted. Arianna's team was beset by the mighty gaze of a giganotosaurus. Their spells bounced off of her hide, thick as armor. “Themis!?” Arianna gasped. Her team frantically turned about as their exit was cut off by two more titans, one with the body of a mammoth and a chimera with the head of a bull. Rei cringed as the bloodcurdling cries of Arianna and her team saturated the crawl-way. He backed away from the hole and bopped a hoof off of his chin. Very interesting dear ol' Yire, very interesting... :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Rei stood in his unicorn form inside a stone room with an exploration team of twelve ponies, evenly split between pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies. Three members were huddled around a mess of books and maps at the center of the room while the rest carefully inspected the walls and the ceiling. Rei sat before a tall stone door which depicted a serpent. A series of emblems and ruins glowed upon it, bathing Rei in their bright blue light. “Dear Olrick.” One of the unicorns said. “Olrick!” Rei turned to face one of the unicorns at the center of the room, a white stallion with a gray beard and thick spectacles. The unicorn motioned to the side. “Couldst thou clear out of the way? We need to see the runes.” Rei nodded and stepped off to the side. “Thank thee,” the unicorn replied. He returned his attention to his chart and mumbled back and forth with the other two. Rei returned his attention to the doors. So much willpower it took not to attempt blasting his way through. He knew better than that. Father was a very resourceful creature. Bypassing his barriers would not be so easy. Instead he continued contemplating the symbols in the hopes that he could offer some assistance to the others. He did this to no avail. He was no explorer and his mind continuously scampered off to envision the spoils on the other side. “Ah-hah!” the bespectacled stallion yipped. He pulled a collection of stone pieces from his pack and laid them before the door. “From only the bringers of his demise shall he flee, those divines he fears whom rise from their slumber by destiny made clear.” The others were left with blank stares. “Just watch,” the stallion said. He pulled a book from his pack and leafed through it. “Here we are,” he said as he pressed a hoof to the page and recited the words. “Different are you, by body alone, no different by mind or soul; The powers you have, this price I decree; Uptake this duty, my divines of new; Make bright my future, and my children free; My love is unwavering, but this warning I give; If my words you ignore, this fate you shall live: My depths will give rise, To a serpent of sin; Rent useless ye lies, and powers within; Not shall he fear, divine magic or might, and to Styx shall he cast, Angel and Demon alike; The key to his end, my fates they shall hide, from the father born, two children of pride; When lost is his soul, made black by ye crimes, come forth will those two, the remaining divines; Their justice to beckon, Their love to align, Cast off be their task, that fallen serpent of mine.” The door cast a beam of light upon the pile of pieces. One by one it pulled them from the ground and fused them with itself. They formed a depiction of two alicorns hovering above the serpent. The alicorns thrust their wings open and rose to their hind legs. Light glowed from them upon the serpent which uncoiled and disappeared past the bottom of the door. The space it had vacated glowed bright blue and disappeared, opening a pathway through the door. Hooves clapped together as the crew shouted in excitement. “Well done Polastus!” “So brilliant thou art!” “Yet again Polastus!” Polastus smiled and shook his head. “Please, 'tis the least I can offer after all that this team has done.” Two earth ponies and two pegasi approached the opening and cautiously moved into the room to investigate. As the rest waited for the okay, Polastus frowned and looked down to his book. His comrade looked to him. “What's the matter Pol?” “I was so taken with excitement that I'd found the answer, I took not the time to consider it in detail,” Polastus replied. “What is it that thou art thinking?” “That keeping creatures out was only the secondary objective of this particular puzzle...” “The primary?” Rei approached their side. “To be a warning.” Polastus swallowed and looked to Rei. “What didst thou say, Lord Olrick, thy motivation was for funding this effort?” Rei closed his eyes and took a long breath. “The pursuit of knowledge...” One of the pegasi poked his head out from the entrance. “'Tis clear!” “Who,” Polastus said, “Who is the warning for? What would be thy guess, Lord Olrick?” “The Serpent,” Rei replied. Polastus shuddered. “Then for him to continue means tragedy, wouldst thou not agree?” Rei nodded and glared into the room. The four ponies who had cleared the room moved through the entrance and glanced about in confusion at their tense comrades, all with their eyes glued to Rei. “Uh?” one uttered. “What's going on here?” Rei's brow furrowed. “That has always been known. That such was always her intent, that is the only new information here. But, to think that there would be no cost to a Golden Age would be foolish.” Dark blue bolts permeated from his horn and engulfed his body. “This changes nothing.” The strongest of the team jumped to neutralize Rei but a wave of energy erupted from him and trapped the team against the walls. Polastus struggled to face Rei, who took his fully in his empowered form. “Please listen to me, I too know the tale of Cyrus. Only his wife and a single son were lost to the titans. The rest of his family were lost to his own madness.” “Mmm,” Rei hummed, “But in return they granted Cyrus such power that Kronos was forced to assemble every one of his mightiest titans to bring him, a mere mortal, down.” Rei grinned and stepped through the entrance. “No!” Polastus screamed. “The terror thou shalt unleash upon our world! Not even thou canst fathom-” Rei sealed off the entrance. Before him he could see, suspended above the floor by a stand, four grey spheres. He bowed to them. “Elements of Ambition, Determination, Willpower, Focus, and Diligence, I beseech thee, hear my plight. Our world is beset by a darkness, infested by those who would use unmatched powers to enslave those unable to resist. Alone I am not mighty enough to deny them. However, if you would look into my soul you shall find that my goal is clear, my will iron, my drive relentless, and my efforts unwavering. I humbly request that you would make me your bearer.” Rei illuminated his horn and the elements glowed. “Together, we shall restore justice to Gaea!” White bolts of energy danced between the elements and fired into Rei's chest, hurling him against the wall. He slid to the ground and groaned as the four elements grew bright with their respective colors. Their auras engulfed them and they circled one another forming a multihued ring. Rei was hoisted into the air by their aura and positioned directly in front of them. His eyes grew wide as they pointed their axis directly at his chest. They rocketed forward and slammed into him, enticing a howl of pain. He trembled helplessly in the air as orange, purple, yellow, and magenta streams of energy passed out and back into his body. Eventually the spectacle faded and Rei fell to the floor where he spent quite a while rasping. Once the pain was bearable he rose to his feet and peered up at his horn. He tried putting a bit of magic through it. What escaped was a pillar of crimson light strong enough to send him hurling over onto his back. A wicked grin stole his face as crimson twinkles shone through his eyes. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A lethargic and gloomy world formed around Twilight. Heavy sniffs pierced the air. The titan Themis followed a scent to a towering mountain. She peered up to the pitch black storm that hovered above. Even she, a creature as old as any that was alive, was beset with a ghastly expression. “Almost there,” Rei's disembodied voice said. “Almost where?” Themis growled. “Thou shalt see,” Rei replied. Themis grumbled and started up the mountain path. “It eludes me, dear Themis,” Rei said, “why thou hast chosen to strike a deal with Yire. She who is the most cunning and deceptive of our mother's gifted.” Themis spat into the smog. “So, like a coward thou hast learned of my dealings while hidden from my gaze.” “I've not come to educate thee on the differences of courage and cunning Themis,” Rei replied. Themis laughed. “I know mine attributes. Thou wishest to know my plans, I shall tell thee for I fear not the meddling of a coward. Thou seest, with all of Yire's boundless intellect and impressive powers of deception she is still but a slave to her greed. By playing along with her machinations I am provided an opportunity to pick away at the mightiest of Gaea's second generation.” She rounded the corner and stood upon the peak of the mountain, surrounded by the smog. “In time they shall be so weak that they'll be unable to defy our will. Our path shall be cleared and we shall march to retake the Order of the Titans!” A thunderous laugh broke from the smog. “I see! Well dear Themis I extend to thee an apology, for I must bear thee wretched news.” The smog pulled away to reveal the lifeless bodies of Themis' fellow titans hanging from the rock. “There can be no Order, for thou art all whom remain.” Themis roared her rage, shaking the very ground she stood on. “Speak coward! Speak thy name and stand before me so that I may look upon the fool who wouldst dare commit such treachery!” Rei, in full draconic form, emerged from the smog with a wicked grin upon his face. “'Tis I, fledgling to thy sister, the Reaper of the Skies, bearer of the mighty Elements of Ambition, and the prime of all Gaea's blessed children! 'Tis I who shall at last lay to rest thy horrid order. ‒” His eyes flickered with crimson light as he laid his ravenous glare on Themis. “‒ At last, with but one, final, member.” Themis let out a roar which shook all of Tartarus, and charged. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Two unicorns garbed in the jewels and robes of Egyptian priests carried a wooden cage through dimly lit halls. Rei, now in the form of a small green unicorn colt, sat within the cage. The unicorns brought him to the room in which Arianna had been slain and set him down before Yire as she rested upon her throne. They made short bows and hastily left. Yire waited for the heavy thud of the temple door closing. She descended from her throne and circled Rei's cage. She licked her mouth and smiled. “Tell me little one, are thy mother and father still alive?” Rei nodded through trembles. “Thou wouldst most certainly like to see them then, ‒” she peered into his cage “‒ I would presume.” He nodded. Yire floated a claw to the front of the cage and snapped the bounds on the door. “Then run. If thou canst escape me, I will let thee see thy mother and father again.” Rei stared at her. She spun the cage to face the entrance to her chambers and grinned at him. “Run!” Rei stumbled out of the cage and raced through the archway. With his magic he kept watch on Yire as she joyously rolled upon the cage, using her toes to count the seconds that passed. He took his smog form and hid within the shadows. Once Yire had gone thrice across her toes she bolted into the hall and sniffed. She turned left and ran to the corner of the hall. Rei took his colt form at the opposite end and made a loud giggle. Yire spun about and stared at his wide shadow which fluttered about in the torchlight. He turned down the hall and ran. He heard her claws clicking off of the floor towards him. He took his smog form, passed over her, and reformed in the place that she had just vacated. He waited for her to reach the corner and giggled. She spun back towards him and thinned her gaze. He turned and dashed off down the hall. This time Yire went the opposite direction, moving to cut him off. He took his smog form and waited for her to complete a full lap about the hall. When she reached her starting place she skidded to a halt and peered about in confusion. Rei retook his colt form inside of her chamber, positioned himself so that his shadow extended out from the entrance, and giggled. He dashed towards her throne and dissipated. She rushed into the chamber and stood in the center, staring at the empty space before her. Rei covered the exit with smog. “Dear ol' Yire.” Yire slowly turned to see him emerging from the smog, now in his fully empowered form. She grinned. “Reikavra... I should have known.” She strutted up to her throne and laid down. “Only thou wouldst be so bold as to commit such an insult in mine own domain. I am gracious though. I shall grant thee an opportunity to explain thine actions.” Rei smiled. “I need to get the names of every one of our siblings that has been foolish enough to aid thee. And, one other thing... What was it? —” He brought a hoof up and bopped his chin a few times before he shot it towards the ceiling. “— Oh yes, —” he spun it to face Yire “— thy skull.” Yire cackled. “I see. Well I am sorry to say that I can grant thee neither of the things that thou hast come to me for.” She rested her head on her paw. “Still, I am very pleased to see that thou hast come to me. Thou art much more difficult to find than I had first estimated.” She slammed a paw on the side of her throne. A deep hum emanated about the room and a stone slab fell from the top of the entrance, sealing them in the room. Runes illuminated along the walls. Rei hummed as he read them. “Thou blockest my teleportation? If, dear ol' Yire, thou thinkest that my intention is to flee, I am afraid that thou hast once again failed in her estimation.” The runes on Yire's body lit up. “Well, let us see if thy intent does not change.” The ground lit up, giving way to four massive portals surrounding Rei, one in each cardinal direction, but nothing emerged from them. Rei hummed to himself, directing his song with a swinging hoof while he waited for Yire's confusion to set in. When she betrayed her surprise he chuckled. “Poor Yire...” He formed a layer of smog behind her through which he opened a crimson portal. She took her eyes off of him to observe the smog and so he warped just behind her. He waited as she backpedal directly into him. “Allow me to aid thee in grasping the situation.” He pivoted on his front legs and bucked her through the portal. He followed just behind as she emerged atop the mountain that stood as the grave site for the Order of the Titans. She stumbled to her feet and spun about as she took in the bodies of those she had expected to come to her aid. Rei smiled. “Thou hadst asked me to give thy God-Hunter form. ‒” His eyes became drenched in crimson flames. “‒ I did thee one better. I gave him life.” Yire dashed away from him, feverishly looking for an escape. To her dismay, there were no breaks in the smog so she dashed straight towards it instead. Rei reformed himself directly in her path and she crashed into him. The force knocked her back into the center of the mountain. Rei cackled. She crawled backwards until her back pressed against the mountain wall. “Dost thou think that thou art some higher power than us?! That thou canst freely commit such atrocities?! Thou canst not rid the world of the role we play, son of Narissa! Thou canst only take our place!” “Mmhmm,” Rei hummed. “Father feared the same. Perhaps the two of you are right.” He shrugged. “There is little importance to such a debate now...” Rei set his ravenous glare upon Yire as his storm closed in on her. “I'm just having too much fun.” :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Rei pranced into his dark castle under the mountain, joyously humming a Hearths Warming Eve carol. Upon his tail, he twirled a skull. His eyes were still a deep blue. He descended into his basement and entered a room which was entirely empty, save for the shelving on the wall. Upon the shelves sat rows of skulls, thirty-four skulls in total. Rei danced from side to side, accentuating the final few notes in his carol. On the last he extended his rump and tossed the skull towards an open place in the shelving. It just nipped the edge and teetered off towards the floor. He gasped and dove forward, barely catching it in his extended wing. He exhaled. He grinned, wiped his brow, and hopped back to his feet. He juggled the skull between his wings before he carefully set it onto its designated spot. He took a step back and admired his collection. Yire's entire band. He smiled. What a wonderful sight. A relic to the preservation of justice. A physical representation of all he had given to preserve the mortal's liberty. He sat before them for a while, just taking them in. They were quite inanimate though and even the most attentive of creatures grow bored with the inanimate after a while. He left the room and made his way out to his gem farm. He scoured it for the three most gourmet gems he could find. He took them back to his living room and laid upon his couch to savor them under the warm glow of the fire. Once he was finally forced to swallow the last bite he shut his eyes for some much needed rest. But rest didn't come. He simply tossed and turned about the couch. Eventually he left to grab a book from his study, a ginger beer from the kitchen, and returned to the fire to curl up with the book. After ten minutes of re-reading the same section due to a wavering focus he tossed it aside and grumbled. He rolled onto his back, hung his tail above his head, and flicked at it with his fore-hooves. His eyes took to an empty spot in his ceiling, then to his couch. He scrunched his mouth. “Hmm...” He warped in some parchment and a quill from his office and scribbled out a few calculations, complete with diagrams of a suspended couch. He grumbled, scratched out the calculations and began anew. This time he made it to the end of the page before he scribbled out both the diagram and his calculations. He flipped the page over and stared at it, batting at his chin with the quill. “Aaarrrrrggghhhh!” he moaned. He tossed the page into the fire and huffed. The paper crumpled and blackened until it was but a small spec of ash which fell down into the coals. He peered at the stairwell which led to his collection of skulls and clicked his tongue. He glanced between the fireplace and the stairwell. With a grumble, he hopped to his feet and headed back to his skull room. He counted the skulls three times, and three times he came up with thirty-five. On the third recount he sighed and gave up. He had made no errors. All of Yire's band had been brought to justice. He furrowed his brow and huffed. Why did she have such a small group anyway? Any respectable foe would have had at least fifty members. He cast a flat gaze across the skulls. What of those that suspected Yire's crimes but did nothing to stop them? No. No. He couldn't. He shouldn't. But... Then again... Did they not share some of Yire's guilt? His eyes widened and he flicked his tail off of the stone. His eyes flickered with crimson light, stopping at a steady glow and his mouth curled into a ravenous grin. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Rei paced about before a wall upon which set one hundred and forty three skulls. One for every creature that could have in any way been involved with Yire's plots. Rei violently shook his head as he paced, jarring the battle inside. Why should he not fill these walls with every one of their skulls? Was that not Gaea's plan to begin with? Furthermore, such fate seemed too good for them. Those who would squander Gaea's gifts. Gaea had given, and yet all they did was take. He shook his head and growled. They were always taking. Always taking. Always taking. And this Olympus, a testament to divinity? What idiocy; 'twas a testament to false gods! They had long since abandoned the responsibilities for which they deserved their pride. Divine superiority was naught but an illusion now. These immortals were worthless! He slammed his hoof off of the ground. Worthless. Slam. Worthless! Slam! WORTHLESS! He knelt to the ground and trembled. 'Twas Gaea's will, and so it should, be for he understood well now her reasoning. He lunged onto his feet and let out a roar. His body exploded into a cloud of smog and jetted out the door. Olympus must die. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Rei, as a small green unicorn colt, sat facing a statue of Discord. He stared up at it, motionless. Little more than the subtle rising and falling of his breaths revealed him to be any more lively than the statue. A female bespectacled professor trotted up to his side. “Ah, there you are. I was worried that you had gotten lost. Bit of an adventurer aren't you?” He didn't budge. The professor followed his eyes to Discord and shivered. “Don't stare at him too long. He's unnatural. Even as he is now, he can't be trusted.” “It's really him?” Rei asked. “Yes,” the professor replied. “Turned to stone so that we could be freed of his treachery.” Rei exhaled and hung his head. Another set of hoofsteps approach them. “Ah, there you are Professor!” The words hit Rei like a barreling snowdrift. He knew that voice. “Hello Headmaster,” the professor replied. Two hoofsteps brought the headmaster closer to Rei. “So is this little Avery?” she asked. Rei turned towards the voice to find two white legs as pillars to him in his foal form. “That it is,” the professor said. “He's very bright. I think he'll be a wonderful addition to our third year class!” Rei followed the legs to a booklet floating in a golden aura. “Third years?” the headmaster gasped. “That's an advance of two years!” She peaked out from behind the booklet and smiled at Rei. Under her gaze, his heartbeat quadrupled. It was her. Daughter of the father, she who had once been Keeper, she who had once been the bane of tyrants. She who had once been a friend... “Kilia...” Kilia knelt down and turned an ear towards him. “I'm sorry?” Rei stared down at his feet. The professor chuckled. “Don't be intimidated little one. I know she looks as mighty as the burning sun, but she's really a sweetheart.” She put a hoof on Rei's shoulder. “Now I need to be on my way. Wilt thou be alright if I leave thee with the headmaster?” Rei peered into the professor's eyes and swallowed. Kilia returned to her full height. “Thou really shouldst be going Amber. I doubt Autumn will last long without thee. If Avery groweth too uncomfortable, I shall let him stay with one of the other professors.” Amber nodded. “Alright. Well I hope to see thee around Avery!” She galloped off. Kilia closed her booklet. “Well Avery, ‒” she extended a hoof “‒ I'm Celestia and I'm absolutely delighted to meet thee.” Rei peered at it. He reached out and shook it, taking great care not to meet her gaze. Kilia's hoof hung for a moment after Rei let it go. She withdrew it and smiled. “So Avery, we'll need to head to my office to complete thy paperwork. Would that be all right with thee?” Rei closed his eyes. Was she not another immortal? Would it not be an injustice to all the others if he was to allow his own prejudice to soften her fate? Kilia peeked her head into his view. “Avery?” With a little shudder he nodded. Kilia smiled. “Thank thee very much Avery. If thou wouldst follow me.” She led him through the Academy to her office on the third floor. She had a big desk with two chairs facing it, a bookcase, and a few tables covered in neatly stacked papers. She showed Rei to one of the chairs and walked over to the table by the window. She hummed as she shuffled through the papers. “I want you to know, little Avery, that professor Amber is not easily impressed. Thou art quite talented if thou hast impressed her so that she would suggest a two year acceleration.” Rei gulped. He probably should have tried a bit harder to play the part. He glanced back to the door, then to the window. They looked to be the only escape routes. The walls were thick enough that, if he could just get the jump on her with the disable, they should keep her contained. He directed his gaze at her. She was still busy with the papers. “Just another moment Avery,” she said. “I do apologize for the wait.” Rei took a deep breath. He had to make his move. Every moment he spent delaying he risked detection. He returned to his empowered form and released the stealth spells to free up his magical faculties. The papers dropped to the table. He peered at Kilia from his peripheral. She stood frozen, staring at his reflection in the window. “Rei...” His eyes flared with Crimson light. She spun around and flared her horn, readying a petrification spell. Rei intercepted her with a thin blue disable. It crashed into her horn, scattering the magic she was gathering and peppering her with static snaps; but she didn't fall. Her body convulsed and the magic punished her horn, but she took a deeper stance, sharpened her glare, and growled as she forced more magic to her horn. The petrification spell formed again. Rei grinned. He'd expect nothing less from the daughter of the great Iokin. He doubled his spell with a roar and again her spell scattered. Her glare faltered but she held firm. She pushed more and more magic to her horn but the spell wasn't reforming. Finally the flow of magic grew too great; it ripped wide gashes in her horn, flaring out in flames. With a bloodcurdling scream she toppled over and crashed through the table. The door to the office burst open revealing squadron of guards. Rei unleashed a wave that scattered them across the hall in heaps. He slammed the door shut and threw the desk in front of it. A squadron of pegasi flew towards the window. Rei lifted the tremoring Kilia in his aura and hurled her to the other side of the room. He lifted the bookcase and smashed it through the remains of the table to block the window. He walked to Kilia as a cloud of smog formed around them. He glared down at her. His eyes flared and the smog roared, but he didn't lunge. He just hung above her, threatening to end her. He clenched his teeth and drew back. He lunged forward but he redirected before he reached her. He growled and circled the room. The smog dissipated. He made another lap before he stopped at her and laid his spines across her throat. She was still without her senses and unable to resist. He strained his tail until the muscles burned but he couldn't swipe. He lifted it and slammed it against the desk with roar. He sucked in furious breaths, pressed his hoof against her chest, and ripped a poisoned dagger from his pack. He glared down at her with the dagger hovering at his side. The light in his eyes flickered. Kilia blinked. “Why?” “Why?” Rei growled. “Why?! Because we're false gods! Because we're obsolete! Because we're no more immune to tyranny than the mortals, only more capable of enforcing it! Because, because, because... ‒” His lower jaw trembled. “‒ Because I had no choice!” “Rei...” Kilia reached out and put a hoof to his cheek. “Please... Let me help you.” A tear dripped from his eye and traveled down her leg. Her desk vibrated and one of the shelves erupted unleashing the Elements of Harmony into the room. They spun around the two, forming a multihued aura which encapsulated Rei. He gazed at them, but he didn't resist. He winced and threw his head back in a roar of pain as the Elements of Ambition erupted from his chest in a cloud of smog. The Elements of Harmony flared and condensed their aura around Ambition. Ambition crackled and resisted but their efforts only slowed Harmony. Eventually, the aura pressed Ambition back into Rei's chest. The glow in Rei's eyes flickered out and Harmony dropped to the floor. Rei staggered away and fell into a trembling heap. His vision waived and blurred. He heard smashing of wood, then the shattering of glass. He raised his head to see soldiers pouring in from both the window and the door. At their center, he saw her. She was so burned, so beaten, and there at her side, his own dagger. Father had been right. What he had become... The terrified soldiers sat before him with their weapons aimed, but he could barely see them. All he could see was Kilia. All he could see, was the price of his existence.