The Purge

Author's Note:

Holy crap this chapter took a long time I apologize for the delay I just had such a bad writers block

As Grithumbar walked into the palace he gazed upon the glimmering walls of crystal, "It's like the Imperial Palace on my home world Arus", he recalled better days with his friends and family and became sad.

Shining armor and Cadence looked over Grithumbar's muscular body and saw that he was bleeding from multiple wounds. "Excuse me Grithumbar", Cadence began she put a hoof onto his wounds; a grimace on her face as she looked over the deeper wounds on him. "Where did you get those wounds from", Cadence looked at Shining Armor, and Grithumbar looked at her.

"My apologies I forgot to heal my minor injuries", He waved a hoof at Cadence, "Please step back". Cadence and Skyla backed away from Grithumbar, and Shining Armor cast a shield over his family ready for what Grithumbar had in store.

Grithumbar breathed in deeply and breathed a cone of fire around himself; from the fire came the sound of his two front hooves clapping together. Grithumbar said in a commanding voice ,"Healing Flames", at his words the fire grew bright in a flash. Then the fire began to dissipate Shining Armor, Sklya, and Cadence saw that Grithumbar's wounds and blood were gone.

Shining Armor's horn darkened as he turned off his shield, and all the ponies in the room gazed at Grithumbar. "You can breathe fire", stated Shining Armor as he gazed warily at Grithumbars black maw.

Grithumbar nodded, "Yes, I have always been able to breathe fire". He breathed a small stream of molten rock and moved his hooves around and slowly created a flower of magma. "I can breathe different types of fire, and..".

He moved a hoof over the molten flower it began cool, "...I can also control the temperature". He held in his hoof a beautifully crafted rock flower, and he gave it to Cadence who took it in her hoof tenderly. Skyla, standing by her mother was smiling at the guest her wings flapping at her sides.

Cadence, walked up to Grithumbar placing her hoof tenderly on his coat where a particularly large gash had been. She looked up at him, "How....does it hurt", her eyes had the look of a ruler who deeply cared for any under her care.

Grithumbar did not hold her gaze, "I am....", he shook his head, "No, Grithumbar don't reveal all your cards to these creatures they have welcomed you for now, but the second the perceive you as a threat they won't aid you. I have to play nice at least until I learn of a way home", "Can we discuss this over a meal I am weary from my journey; if you have any questions I shall answer them then".

Shining Armor and Cadence nodded at his request and began walking down the hall toward the dining room, and Grithumbar followed behind.

They came to a beautiful dining hall, its walls adorned with tapestry's and flags of the empire, and in the center of the room was a table large enough to sit 30 ponies. This particular dining room was no doubt for the special guests of the royals. Shining Armor and princes Cadence and Skyla took the side of the table that was opposite Grithumbar.

Shining Armor pulled the chair out for his wife and his daughter, but when Grithumbar tried to sit down the chair was to small for his large frame. Cadence began to apologize to Grithumbar but he was able to create his own chair of black stone.

Cadence levitated a bell and rang it, and several footponies and a chef walked in with a cart of food.The chef noticeable by his hat called out proudly, "I present to you Crystal Empire Salad". The footponies placed the salad made of vegetables, flowers, and crystal berries in front of the diners. The chef trotted out of the room, and the footponies stood by ready to serve tea.

Girthumbar the huge alicorn sat in his chair head tilted at the meal in front of him. He lowered his snout and nudged the salad with his snout. He took a bite of the salad a lettuce with a crystal berry, and he slowly began to chew. His face for split second showed a face of utter disgust, but he didn't want to offend his hosts so he smiled. Then he ate the rest of the salad in one bite.

Grithumbar smiled and said, "Its delicious I've never had salad before, and this is delicious". He looked down at his empty plate, and his stomach growled in protest, "I'll find something to eat later", he contemplated , "I wonder what changeling tastes like".

Shining Armor, Cadence, and Skyla all looked at Grithumbar while they slowly ate their meal, and after a few bites they began to ask questions of their guest. "Where did you come from", Shining Armor asked the first question.

Grithumbar put his bending legs and crossed the tips of his hooves and began, "I'm from a different realm no doubt in a different plane of existence entirely, and the name of my home world is Arus".

Cadence looked at Grithumbar's scaled body and massive frame, "Are you a pony there as well... on Arus", Grithumbar shook his head at the question.

He grabbed a bowl using a tendril of fire to grab it, and poured his water into the basin. He clapped his armored hooves together, and he said a prayer and then dipped a hoof into the basin. He declared in a mighty voice, "Mirror of Memory".

~ ~ ~ ~

Images floated in the water revealing a group of lizard men standing in full armor and capes made of animal fur layed on their backs, "My race is a bipedal lizard race, the Proxians, we were originally created by our god Arus Ravah to be great warriors strong and swift", Grithumbar mused imagining his people running free in the jungles of his homeworld.

Grithumbar began to glare and growl, "But the Dark God Illness came and with his blue demons twisted our proud race to be the perfect slaves strength, speed, agility. durability, and life span all set to just the right levels".

Many millennium ago Vaxan'har and Duz'hah his brother and three other chieftains with weapons from the gods overthrew the blue demon hordes, but they could not find the Dark god or his chief demons".

After those years the proxians used the left over technology of the Before people to go to the stars and create weapons to fight the Before people if they ever returned. The proxians then began to spread there influence to 20 solar systems creating a great empire under the rule of the Dragon Emperor".

Grithumbar paused looking at his gracious hosts, "Then tragedy struck, Duz'hah the Grand General of the proxian forces lost control of his inner dragon Kragdoroth ...., and killed his own brother The Dragon Emperor".

The shoulder pads of Grithumbar rose up as he shrugged, "Without a clear ruler to unite them the proxian tribal leaders fought among themselves and the empire split".

"Then years and years later my adopted sister found me and together with her mind and my strength we overthrew the current king and reunited the empire under her rule". His eyes lowered under his brow, "Then the Androidians came, and our people needed new lands to populate so we went to war'.

He sighed heavily, "I would be lying if I said I didn't want war, and hell our entire race was itching for a challenge and the Androidians fit the bill".

Shining Armor and Cadence saw forms of creatures that stood on two legs and had pale skin of pink brown and white. These creatures were fighting a large group of mostly green lizard men. The battle they saw had weapons and technology ages ahead of their time, and the proxians were great warriors cutting down Androidians with their blades, and canons of light.

~ ~ ~ ~

Grithumbar turned off the Mirror of Memories the images fading from the water, "We lost a major battle, and at the end of that battle I was pushed into a wormhole..and". He motioned a hoof around him, "I found myself on your world in a crater, and found myself in this new body". He reached to his back under his armor and pulled out a red horn and placed it on the table, "I found this horn shortly after".

Shinging Armor's and Cadence's jaws dropped they glared at Grithumbar then they looked at the horn, "Where did you find that" Shining Armor asked threateningly while looking at the horn.

Grithumbar held the horn in tendril of fire, "I found this horn on a hill surrounded by black crystal about 3 miles from where I crash landed".

Grithumbar's eyes went between his hosts looked at their expressions, "I take it you know the owner of this horn, and he was still alive", Grithumbar held a hoof to his chest, "He jumped inside of my mind and is currently being hunted down by Garoshavann".

Shining Armor and Cadence looked at the horn then looked at each other. Grithumbar looked between the two rulers, "Oh how rude of me not to introduce you to him let me see if he's available to say hello". His eyes glazed over as he appeared to fall into a trance.

Shining Armor waved a hoof in front of Grithumbars face, and then he turned to his wife, "This guest of ours is quite....Interesting but I feel like he's hiding something".

Cadence nodded, "I agree he isn't telling us everything, but I sense a great pain in his heart something happened that broke his heart". She looked at her husband saddened by the thought of losing any of her family, "I don't think we should pressure him further on the matter..we might cause him to grow angry".

Shining Armor rubbed his hooves together, "I don't know his race sounds like they were the aggressors in their war, and he seems like he was the greatest warrior among his race"

Shining Armor took a bite of his salad calmly as if discussing the weather, "If he was to return with hatred in his heart we would be guilty for unleashing him back on these Androidians".

He wiped his face with a levitated napkin, "That's just something I want us to consider dear, but as it stands all we know of Grithumbars personality-wise is he is a being that kills anything that is a threat to him like that changeling".

Cadence's eyes looked at her food she couldn't get rid of the image of that changeling bleeding out on the crystal pavement throat torn out by Grithumbar's teeth. "That event does raise a question.. how many changelings have infiltrated our fair city...."

"About 199 of those changelings the number used to be 200 but...you know". Grithumbars eyes opened his red iris glowing
smiling broadly, "I could capture them all for you". He stood from his chair and smiled at his hosts, "Don't worry I won't hurt them..much".

He stepped outside onto a nearby window which he opened gently, "Is that okay for you?". He turned back to his hosts waiting for their approval. "Garoshavann get ready to say hello after this you can introduce yourself".

Cadence and Shining Armor looked up at their guest on one hoof they couldn't trust this "pony" they just met he clearly was too wiling to kill, but on the other hoof it was incredibly difficult to find a changeling and here he was offering to capture all the remaining changelings in there empire. "Well....if", they slowly began, "If you only capture them this time that would be okay..'.

A huge gust of wind blew into the room as Grithumbar flew outside he flew high in the sky and right above the Crystal palace spreading his wings wide with the sun at his back. Grithumbar breathed in deeply chest expanding to a great size, and he breathed out a plume of flame and used his horn and front hooves to control the fire into a ball above his head. Slowly as he moved his hooves then hundreds of tendrils of fire came from the flame sphere, and they began to move down into the homes of the Crystal ponies.

Grithumbar yelled his voice heard miles away, "Changelings give yourselves up I know where each of you are give yourselves up now and save yourself the burning pain when my fire finds you". ... a long silence followed no indication of the changelings turning themselves in.

Grithumbar smiled, "Fine have it my way". He shoved a hoof toward the city and each of the tendrils moved at a frightening speed toward every street, every house, and every restaurant grabbing ponies across the empire kicking and screaming as they were lifted off the ground by tendrils of flame. Slowly they a green fire surrounded each of them and they turned into changelings their cries filling the air.

Grithumbar looked at his ability and said, "I think I'll call this technique The Purge", as the changelings were being pulled toward him he lowered his altitude toward the dining room his wings beating.

Shining Armor and Cadence stood near the window, "Well that was fast..Grithumbar could you please place them in this", his horn glowed as he created a shield of his with the top open. As landed in the large shield Grithumbar placed them all in the Sphere shield and Shining armor closed it but left holes in it of them to breath and all 199 changelings sat in the bottom of a massive shield.

Inside the purple shield Grithumbar paced back and forth in the shield where ever he walked the changelings hissed but kept their distance. The changelings bucked at the shield to try and break free but their efforts were in vain. Grithumbar stomped a hoof on the crystal street. "Listen up equine insects I have a deal to break with you all...tell me where you have hidden those you replaced in this fair city".

He paused and looked up to Shining Armor then looked back down at the mass of changelings in front of him, "If you cooperate I imagine my hosts will treat you fairly", he paused waiting for a response.

A changeling that was just barely larger than the others stepped forward, "And what if we refuse" he asked with a forced brave tone in his voice.

Grithumbar smiled, "I was hoping you'd ask", he looked toward his host and smiled, "Your highness I would suggest you increase the size of your shield Garoshavann would like to say hello".

Shining Armor increased his shields size and began to ask, "What are you...", suddenly Grithumbar's neck snapped sideways and his back rippled, the sound of his bones dislocating could be heard. His face lengthened becoming more and more dragon-like, and all the while he was laughing his voice growing deeper and more menacing.

The changelings cowered in fear as he grew larger and larger his hooves slowly split into five fingers each front hooves, his back hooves grew three toes. His massive wings were spread from one end of the shield to the other. When the transformation ended a black dragon a third the height of the crystal palace stood before the changelings making them seem like ants smiling with a row of sword-like teeth.

Garoshavann stretched his neck out toward the changeling that had stepped forward and breathed through his nostrils at him nearly knocking him over. He opened his maw the smell of death emanating from it, "If you refuse I will find out what changeling tastes like", he snapped his jaws short of the changelings face.

The changeling quickly backed up and said in a haste, "We accept the terms of your agreement, and if we are given a map we will....", he stopped as Garoshavann placed a claw on his forehead.

Garoshavann growled threateningly, "We will know if your lying so tell the truth save yourself the pain". A map was brought forward by a group of guards, and the changeling placed a X on the map on a mountain range to the west of the crystal empire. Garoshavann nodded confirming to himself that was the location of the hive.

The massive maw of Garoshavann turned to Shining Armor, "I can confirm that is the location of all your missing citizens". Garoshavann straitened as if forgetting something, "Oh right", he placed a claw over his chest and bowed toward the royal couple, "Garoshavann, Dragon of Destruction, the pleasure is all mine".

Shining Armor and Cadence watched as their guards marched the changelings to the dungeon, and they looked up at Garoshavann, who returned the gaze his blood red iris staring down the two. "I thank you to for your hospitality, but I must ask you one question do you know of any way for me and Grithumbar to return home".

Shining Armor began, "Great dragon if such a magic exists we do not know of it but....", he paused as his wife moved past him, and saw the sadness in her eyes.

Cadence walked up to the black dragons side and placed a tender hoof on his bulk, and a tear came to her eye as if she was experiencing pain, "What was her name...", Cadence looked up tears in her eyes, "the one you lost...your step sister".

The massive frame of Garoshavann shook and the sound of bones breaking sounded the transformation back to his normal form. When the dust cleared the two alicorns stared each other down Grithumbar's expression was of shock and rage. Shining Armor began to run forward horn glowing, but Candence held up a hoof to stay back she turned to face Grithumbar.

Tears began to well-up in Grithumbar's eyes he was trying hard to hold them back as his whole body shook from the effort, "How..".

"Did I know", Cadence finished his sentence as she placed a hoof on his chestplate, "My domain is not only the Crystal empire but also over the domain of love". She created a heart from her horn and it hovered around Grithumbars face, and it hit him right in the forehead.

Immediately all the happy moments he had ever spent with his friends and family he felt warm and content. "As princess of love I could instantly recognize a broken heart". Cadence removed the spell and the warm feelings faded away.

Grithumbar loomed over Cadence a single tear down the side of his face, his face contorted through six different emotions Melancholy, Gratefulness, Rage, Sadness, Despair, and finally Acceptance.

He fell to his knees a single tear moving down his face, "Her name was Elexis", he roared and all who heard it felt the great sadness in it's pang. "She died in battle against the Andriodians, and it was my fault". Cadence placed a hoof on his shoulder tenderly to support him.

He slowly stood up from the ground shrugging off Cadences hoof, and he stared at the princess, "I thank you for your hospitality and your kind treatment of me, but I can't waste any more time here". He extended his wings, "I just want to say one more thing".

He lowered his eyes to hers, "Never do That again or you will discover what it is like to have Grithumbar Worldbreaker as an enemy". In a gale of wind he was gone flying out of sight in almost no time at all. Cadence looked at the sky in the direction he was headed...south to Equestria.

-Chapter End-

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