//------------------------------//
// Exile 
// Story: The Tale of Coltypt 
// by Rakoon1 
//------------------------------//

	Although Amun have decided to remain in the palace, even after having discovered the truth about Seti, he started seeing with other eyes everything around him, more precisely the slaves. When he was ignorant about his origins and his adoptive father’s achievements, slaves only existed to serve him and his family, but now he realized their suffering and that was starting to affect him.

Shortly thereafter, Amun decided to go visit the temple which had been destroyed because of him and Khonsu. His adoptive brother was already there, playing his role as Prince Regent with enough seriousness, since he wanted to show his father that he was not the weakest link in the chain.

Khonsu, wearing a headdress, was a tent where under it was the table with the plans, along with Hotep, Huy and some serves who were shaking two fans. He said:

“Last night, the Lord of Chaos granted me a vision. I’m not merely going to restore this temple, I will make it more grand, more splendid than any other one in Coltypt.”

Amun, arriving to the construction, began to head to the tent, but, along the way, he could see the slaves working, some pulling stones for the construction and others loading sandbags. He could see, to his great horror, the slaves being whipped, just because they weren't pushing hard enough. He could also see the tired air the slaves had, and some were also elderly. He saw a poor slave down on his knees from exhaustion from carrying a huge bag of sand, a guard approached and whipped him, creating a rip in the bag that made the sand go out. In addition, he could see the pain in their eyes, in addition the cold and distant look that some slaves made to him.

In the distance, a nearly forty-years-old Bes could see him while carrying a bag of sand. Bes seemed to have gained weight more than when he was younger, but he kept a robust air, although his mane was starting to grate and a small beard covered his face. Shortly after the massacre of the colts, he was stripped from his position as guard and turned into a slave after he tried to help a comrade, but that did not seem to have affected his cheerful personality. He then turned to one of his colleagues, a young minotaur with dark malachite greenish gray fur, sea greenish gray horns and black eyes, that was pulling alone one of the stones for the construction, and said to him:

"Hey, look, Apis, it’s Prince Amun. I remember like it was yesterday the day he was born. He was an adorable colt. And now he's a grown and strong stallion like his father."

"If you don't want to take the whip, Bes, I suggest you to keep on working" Apis said, while pulling.

"I know, but just think about it" Bes said, following Apis. "Can you imagine what will happen when he takes the throne and becomes pharaoh like his father was?"

"What I think is that we should not hold ourselves to futures that may not get real" Apis said. "Don't be like Isis, Bes."

"You know, Apis, you and Seth should learn to be more optimistic" Bes said.

Upon arriving near the tent, Amun couldn't stop noticing the horrible conditions that the slaves had. It was then that Khonsu noticed him and went to his edge, saying, while he was starting to take him to the tent:

“Amun! Look. Fate has turned our little misadventure into a great opportunity. Father will be so pleased.”

Then something caught his attention. It was happening in one of the elevated plataforms. An old slave was having trouble picking up a basket and a guard was scolding him and forcing him to work, saying:

“Get up, old mule! Put your back into it! Faster!”

Nearby, it was Seth, who was sticking with a chisel, and Isis, who had with her a pitcher with water. She, seeing the scene that was happening, motioned to Seth, but he just continued to work, although he seemed slightly disturbed. Fortunately, the old slave was able to pick up the basket and, with a sigh of sorrow, Amun went with Khonsu to the tent, while the last said:

“This is just the beginning. A gateway will open to an entire new city of white limestone, more dazzling than the sun. And here, a statue of the Lord of Chaos.”

A sound of a whip made Amun turn suddenly and he saw the same slave, who had dropped the basket again, being whipped by the guard. Isis, not being able to hold herself anymore, began to say:

“Stop it!”

She tried to help the old slave, but Seth prevented her and Isis exclaimed:

“Somepony’s got to stop this!”

“There’s nothing we can do” Seth replied.

And the old slave continued to be whipped, while he let out screams of pain. The screams were such that Amun couldn't take it anymore and started running there, climbing the mound of sand saying:

“Stop it. Stop. Stop it! Leave that pony alone!”

Listening to Amun, Khonsu turned and saw his brother heading to the pony that was being whipped.

“Amun!” he called.

Amun got there quickly, and when the guard was about to whip again the old slave, he prevented him from doing it, but the strength of the speed with which he came made Amun, inadvertently, push the guard and he fell of great height, falling with great impact on the ground down there. A group of slaves there on the edge joined around the guard’s dead body, but another guard started going through them, saying:

“Out of my way. Out of my way. Move!”

After passing by the slaves, he saw his dead colleague and, given this, he looked up to ask:

“Who did this?”

And some began to exclaim and pointing to Amun. He was still stunned and paralyzed with what he had just done. He had just killed a pony. He turned and saw the other slaves near there also shocked by what happened, having retreated. Among them there were Isis and Seth who shared the same shocked air the others had. It was then that he was dominated by the survival instinct and Amun began to run. When passing by the slaves there, Isis called him, putting her hooves on his shoulders:

“Amun!”

He turned to her, but he couldn't face her look, even if in that look there was concern. He went down hill, stumbling momentarily in his hooves. Reaching the base, he was intercepted by Khonsu who turned him to him and asked him:

“Amun! Amun, what’s going on?”

But he just broke free of Khonsu and kept running.

“Amun!” Khonsu called.

Amun went on the run, coming out of the temple. He ran so much that eventually he arrived to the kingdom entry. It was then that a blast of magic appeared and Khonsu appeared in front of Amun.

“Amun!” he called.

“Let me go” Amun said, passing by him.

“No, wait!”

“You saw what happened” Amun said, continuing waking though the gate of the kingdom. “I just killed a pony.”

“We can take care of that” Khonsu replied, following him. “I will make it so it never happened.”

“Nothing you can say can change what I’ve done” Amun said, advancing.

“I am Coltypt, the morning and the evening star” Khonsu continued to say, putting himself in front of Amun and walking backward. “If I say day is night, it will be written, and you will be what I say you are.”

He then tried to stop Amun, putting his hooves over his shoulders, saying:

“And I say you’re innocent.”

“What you say does not matter!” Amun exclaimed, taking Khonsu’s hooves off him. “You don’t understand. I can’t stay here any longer.”

He passed by Khonsu, continuing to get out of Coltypt, but the last insisted and called, trying to put one of his hooves on Amun’s shoulder:

“Amun…”

“No!” he replied, shaking his hoof away and turning to Khonsu, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “All I’ve ever known to be true is a lie. I’m not who you think I am.”

“What are you taking about?” Khonsu asked, not understanding.

Amun then looked at him and answered:

“Go ask the stallion I once called father and that Lord of Chaos of yours.”

And, having said that, Amun started to move away from Coltypt.

“Amun” Khonsu asked.

Amun turned to him and Khonsu asked:

“Please.”

Although Amun, due to the bond he had with his adoptive brother, wanted to stay, he knew he couldn’t. Coltypt was not the place he wanted to stay any more, even if he was the rightful heir.

“Goodbye, brother” Amun said.

And so, Amun started running, moving away from Coltypt fast.

“Amun!” Khonsu exclaimed, even if his calls wouldn’t make Amun turn back. “Amun!”

And Amun run, going to the desert.

The Lord of Order observed Amun through one of his mirrors in his throne room.

"I know this is painful for you, Amun, but you will see that now that you’re free from the bonds that allowed you to survive in childhood, everything will run as I planned and everything will be as it should be."

"So this is what you were hiding from me" a voice said.

And his brother appeared in the reflection of the Lord of Order’s mirror.

"What do you want, brother?" the Lord of Order asked.

"I just came here to congratulate you for cheating on me so nicely" the Lord of Chaos replied. "You made me think that he wasn't in Coltypt when, in fact, he was right under my nose."

"Actually, it wasn't that hard" the Lord of Order said.

"It is a pity that now your plan has gone down the drain" the Lord of Chaos said.

"That's what you think" the Lord of Order replied.

"Do you really think he will be able to reclaim the throne?" the Lord of Chaos asked. "Throughout his life, he didn't care about the slaves who waited by his ascension. Many even have lost faith. Besides, who will follow a murderer?"

"It was an accident" the Lord of Order replied. "And that's a fact."

"But it is also a fact that he killed a pony."

"And he's deeply apologetic for that. That act doesn't count in the same way as a deliberate murder."

The Lord of Chaos gave a laugh and said:

"Looks like you're not going to give up that plan of yours centered in Amun. Okay, let's see if you will be successful, brother."

And, having said that, the Lord of Chaos disappeared.

"My brother, you underestimate too much those who serve me" the Lord of Order said. "Everything that Amun needs now is to mature and I'm sure over the next few years, it’s what will happen."

And he made the image of Amun appear, seeing him venturing into the desert.

The young prince, having escaped from Coltypt, began to wander in the desert. For hours, he faced the burning sands, the sandstone cliffs and the harsh winds, without even stopping. After two whole days wandering, Amun was barely being able to keep himself standing. 

That's when he stumbled on a rock and fell. He then realized the reason to feel so heavy, because he still had the royal ornaments on him. Feeling repulsed by everything those ornaments made him remember, Amun ripped each one of them from him, but when it came to the bracelet Khonsu had given to him on the night of his nomination as Prince Regent, he hesitated. After all, it was more than an ornament, it was a gift from his brother, so he let it stay.

Suddenly, the wind began to blow harder. Amun lifted his head and saw a huge sandstorm approaching. Although the instinct was telling him to flee and seek shelter, Amun ignored it and got caught by it.