Frickin'...?
Taharis' breathing felt more shallow with every step he took through DISPEL's facility, his arm straining slightly as he dragged the pony Agent Gnome through the underground hallways leading deeper into the Earth. His grip cried out for release, aching at carrying something this heavy for so long; he wished he could use his magic to carry the agent instead, but that wasn't an option he'd risk using. His magic was dangerously low as it was, and he needed to make absolutely certain he had enough power to begin the ritual.
Sure, he had taken precautions to conserve his chi, by using the transformation glove to incapacitate any of his enemies with their own chi, as well as general illusions as well. Thanks to a simple misguiding, thin spread of power, he had thrown DISPEL off of his daughter's trail; he had never warped her fifty miles away, only less than a hundred feet below ground, in a secret bunker he had constructed beneath the house.
But still, despite his careful planning to conserve his chi, the unexpected still occurred. While he knew he'd encounter DISPEL agents, he hadn't counted on facing an agent like Gnome, who managed to stand his ground against him. Couple that with the fact DISPEL was alerted to his presence and Taharis had to use what little magic he had to bypass them. On multiple occasions, steel walls had risen in his path, ones that had been enchanted to prevent warping to the other side of it, which the warlock had to burn his way through. Not to mention, DISPEL's agents and guards were becoming annoyances, ones that always ended up sprouting fur and growing hooves.
However, Taharis could feel he was getting close. The deeper the tunnel he walked down, the more he could feel an enormous presence of chi around him.
"Y-y-you're..." A voice struggled to growl out.
Taharis gave a sideways glance towards the stallion he dragged behind him, not letting his own weariness show, "Ah, finally able to speak, are you? I find that surprising, given the ride we've been through on the way down here." He let out a low chuckle, "It's a shame I wasn't able to find any agents quite like you."
Gnome growled under his breath, "Where... are they?"
"Your comrades?" Taharis presumed, "They fell like flies before me. Now they resemble your likeness more than ever." The warlock chuckled, "I don't suppose they have any field training against someone like myself, do they?"
The stallion only glared over his shoulder, "Traces of magic have become scarce with our generation of agents. You can't blame them for serving as best they have under me."
Taharis only grumbled back, "Just shows how mundane this world has become, so devoid of magic that makes life worth living."
Silence rolled through the dim passage as the two progressed deeper and deeper. After another pesky wall rising to bar Taharis' way, the metallic walls and corridors melded with stone and earth, before only a tunnel cut out of stone remained. Taharis felt a small bit of relief that no more walls would appear now, save for the last lock between him and his target.
"You're after its power." Gnome growled with hostility, his limbs aching too much to move enough to fight the grip on his suit coat. Even if he could move like he did before in this new body, he could feel his chi reserve was dangerously low, with almost none at all to spare. He'd be at a disadvantage that could cost him his life.
Taharis simply replied, "Yes, the Archterra. It's my key to my final goal for this world."
Suddenly, the warlock smiled as what appeared to be a stone wall came into sight. It was engraved with intricate designs running through its entirety, like a spider's web.
Or a chi flow, all encompassing. Taharis stepped before the door, pulling Gnome just in front of him, "I find it quite clever how you sealed it off so intricately by using the very force you want to subdue in this world. But unfortunately, any warlock worth his salt would be able to sense who holds the key to this door."
Forcefully, Taharis grabbed Gnome's hoof, but despite the agent's best attempt to resist and pull back, the warlock pressed the blue hoof against the stone wall. Grinning, Taharis quipped, "Just a little drop of your chi will do."
The wall responded at Gnome's hoof making contact with it, the lines engraved into it glowing brightly as chi filled their grooves. The whole structure rumbled violently, before crumbling to dust before them, as if it had never been there before.
What lay just beyond the doorway, however, caused a grin to spread beneath his mask. The tunnel opened up a few feet ahead into a large cavern that could have housed a building itself. And in the center of the cavern stood a giant alter, a raised platform that dug into the ground with its sediment, yet strangely, it appeared as if it were as natural as the dirt and rocks it sat atop.
With a chuckle, Taharis shoved Gnome against the dirt wall, and with a pulse of magic, rocks protruded from the wall and wrapped around the pony's hooves like shackles. The warlock didn't bother with giving him so much as a passing glance as he strode towards the alter, "This is where we part ways, little gnome. Thanks for your usefulness, but I'm afraid yours has come to an end."
Gnome didn't speak back, only grunting as he struggled to free himself from the shackles of stone.
Taharis left him behind, travelling up the alter's craggy stairs to its top, a wide, flat slab, perfectly smooth and ready to be used. Feeling more confident than he had ever before, he pulled the mask from his face, tossing it aside so he could bask in the great moment to come. "Finally, the Archterra," From his overcoat's pocket, he pulled out a stick of chalk, crouching down to begin drawing the ritual, "The heart of the continent."
__________________________________
The metal halls of DISPEL's facility echoed with the sound of two dozen hooves as Angela, Liz, Emily, Dale, Fiora, and I all ran deeper underground, with Angela leading the way. But the whole way we had ran, we had seen other ponies incapacitated, dressed in oversized clothes or battle gear. They were DISPEL's agents and officers, and from the looks of it, none of them were in any state to take on Taharis with us.
If only we could run into somebody who wasn't a pony. Yeesh, and here I was, starting to miss seeing normal, human people. Unfortunately, those were becoming a ...rarity these days. YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH\
/
Fiora grumbled as she galloped past a white unicorn mare with a purple mane buried beneath a bulletproof vest too big for her, "Is it just me, or is looking more and more like we're on our own the farther we go?"
"Shouldn't we stop to help these peo- er, ponies?" Dale asked.
Emily gave him a wry look, "I'm sure they'll be fine. They did just go through the same thing you and Lyle did, and you two are fine." She winced slightly, "Though, that's if you consider being a pony for the foreseeable future 'fine'."
"Yeah," Liz agreed, having gotten back on her hooves a bit earlier in the journey downwards, though she still gave distracted sideways glances in Dale's direction on occasion. "We'll take care of them on the way back up after we smack some sense into the Taharis guy."
Again, we found a steel wall just ahead of us, but like all the others we had encountered before, a hole had been torn through it. I cringed slightly as we stepped one by one through the opening, "Liz, no offense, but you say that as if it's going to be easy."
Liz took a glance at the open wall as she stepped through herself, "Um... good point."
"To the right," Angela directed, turning the corner to a set of stairs, and we descended lower into the facility. Honestly, this place was like a maze. I couldn't understand how Taharis could navigate through this place at all without going blindly through it.
"How much farther?" I asked Angela as we continued to gallop.
"We shouldn't be going down any more stairs." She replied, her green eyes glowing slightly, "Taharis should be straight down this hallway."
"Great."
"But he's stopped moving."
"Even better," Fiora commented, "Now we can catch up to him."
"No, that's bad," Dale argued, "That could mean he's already where he wants to be."
Fiora deadpanned, "Oh... that's bad."
"So what's the plan then?" Liz asked, "Just run in, hope Taharis doesn't blow us up right away, and knock his lights out?"
I winced slightly, "I don't think gang rushing him is the smartest way to go." I glanced towards Angela, "I'm thinking everyone who can use magic act as long-range cover while everyone else tries to find an opening to take him out."
Angela gave me a fanged grin, "That sounded like something you say when you play Starwars Battlefront."
Liz gave a wince of her own, "Given Lyle's track record on that game, I don't think this plan's going to go well."
"Ow, harsh." To the side, I noticed Emily had gone oddly silent, "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure if this is something to go off of, but..."
"What?"
"Even with all the ponies we passed in the hall, it doesn't look like Taharis has killed anyone, or really hurt any of them," Emily replied, but uncertainty still covered her features.
A silent moment of thought rolled by before I realized she was right. Nobody looked injured, or even dead, albeit they were transformed into ponies with a curse that was meant to be permanent.
I shook my head, "I know what you're thinking, Emily, but I don't think we should try to work peacefully with this guy. He says he's going to destroy the country for revenge, and if he's willing to go that far, I don't think he'll stop to think twice before he tries to kill any of us." I turned my focus forward, "We'll have to improvise, do what we can to stop him, without putting ourselves in too much danger."
"Well, better start improvising," Dale whispered, "Cause I think that's him up ahead."
The tunnel had gradually changed to one made of stone, and after a little bit, it opened up into a giant chamber. But shackled to the side of the tunnel, struggling under his restraints, was Agent Gnome the pony.
"Gnome!" The weakened pony glanced up at the sound of us and no doubt our hooves stomping against the dirt floor.
"What are you doing here?" He snapped.
Fiora only fixed him with a glare as she eyed his restraints, deadpanning, "Look, Mr. Agent guy, we're the only help you're getting at the moment. Nobody else seemed conscious enough to even walk right."
Suddenly, a cold, familiar voice echoed through the chamber, "You... I warned you what would happen if you followed me."
All eyes turned towards Taharis, standing on top of a giant, earthen alter, a piece of chalk in his hand. To my surprise, he no longer had his mask on. He looked just like any ordinary person, not a crazed man I had thought him to be. His eyes seemed focused, full of knowledge, as if nothing fazed him.
Taharis raised a gloved hand towards the six of us as we entered the chamber. A quick glance around the chamber showed nowhere to hide, or even take cover. We either would need to be pretty darn good at dodging, or take him out quickly. Luck would normally be an option there too, but honestly, our luck wasn't about to turn around for us very soon at this rate.
The warlock narrowed his eyes, "I told you kids I wouldn't hesitate to kill you all if you followed me... yet you still came." He sighed, shaking his head while keeping his eyes trained on us, "You're all too young to be playing hero."
"Well, we're the only ones that can stop you," I grumbled, stomping my hoof against the ground, "It's either we fight back, or let you destroy the country."
"It's bad enough you turned us into ponies for who knows how long!" Fiora shouted.
Taharis glowered back at her, "At least because of your transformation, you will be better off than anyone else on this continent." His hand suddenly pulsed green with power, "I'll warn you one last time. Run away, or I'll make your deaths quick and painful." We could feel the pressure his chi gave off in just his hand alone.
The changelings of our group charged their horns on reflex, ready to strike back. The air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of an inevitable battle of magic as the two sides of the incoming combat stared each other down. Silence passed the gab between us and Taharis, as if goading somebody to make the first move. I had never felt so much intensity in my life by just standing before this warlock; I could feel the hairs of my fur standing on end in anticipation.
For long moments, it was only this stalemate between ponies and warlock, as both waited for one to strike, ready to strike back when that first blow came.
However, those moments of intensity suddenly shattered as Dale tried to charge his horn, but to everyone's horror, he charged too much and a shot of magic sailed from his horn, flying just past Taharis by inches. Everything paused for a split second at what had just occurred. Everyone stared at Dale in shock, and the unicorn just glanced back sheepishly.
He scratched the back of his head nervously, "U-um... oops?"
Liz only sighed in annoyance while Fiora facehooved.
As for Taharis, the warlock on the alter glared at the umber unicorn, "So be it." His chi flared about his hand, and-
"Wait!" Emily shouted, suddenly running in between Taharis and Dale. My heart skipped a beat as she stood still there, Taharis' raised hand just inches from dropping and throwing the spell he was about to cast. But to my relief, the warlock halted momentarily, his steeled gaze never wavering.
Emily took advantage on the warlock's pause, "Before anyone has to fight... I just want to ask something."
"What is it?" Taharis coldly asked.
Emily locked up at him in the eyes, sincere as she asked, "Why are you doing this? Who are you avenging?"
For a moment, Taharis glared down at Emily in silence, his hand ready to strike with magic as his mouth made a tight line across his face. But to everyone's surprise, the warlock dropped his arm harmlessly to his side.
Taharis steely gaze pierced like knives down at the pink maned changeling in front of him, "You wish to know why I seek to change the world for the better? Why I go through this trouble for revenge?"
Emily nodded, not showing any sign of fear, only genuine curiosity.
"Very well," The warlock growled, "You shall know my tale.
"It began seven years ago. I was married once, and despite my heritage, my wife, Terese, thought nothing of my magic. She saw past it and came to be the love of my life. For a time, we were happy, living a normal life we built together. We used to own an auto shop, which we had built from the ground up."
"Parkway Auto," I gasped, remembering the rusted building Taharis had lock us in.
Taharis glare fell on me, "Yes... as you saw, that business didn't last for very long." His voice turned grim, sorrowful, "But that didn't happen... until I lost Terese.
"It was only months after we had our first daughter, McKenna. Our little girl was being watched at home, but Terese and I were caught in a car wreck. If it weren't for my magic, both of us would have surely died." Slowly, his face twisted into a snarl, "But some superstitious saw the magic I used, and like the coward he was, he attacked to rid this world of unholy witchcraft."
Taharis' eyes burned with hatred I could have only imagined before as his voice bellowed through the chamber, "That son of a bitch mistook Terese for a witch and murdered her! I had all the power I could ever need, but I didn't see that worthless bag of scum until that shard of a windowshield was in her throat! I couldn't do anything to save her, not even my magic can bring back the dead!" His shouting was the very definition of rage, but yet there was no look of frenzy. His face was controlled, but menacing, like a crazed lion on a leash.
Taharis huffed, hissing between his teeth, "He was imprisoned for murder, but rumors spread like fire in those parts. Soon, DISPEL came knocking on our door and forced me and my little McKenna into hiding. I lost the business Terese and I built up, for the sake of hiding any relation to magic I held with the love of my life. I despised every moment of it, and I hated everyone that made me do it." His blazing eyes glanced slightly towards Gnome shackled to the wall.
"But why now? Why not then?" I asked, "That happened years ago. Why are you taking your anger out on the whole country just for that, so long after what happened?"
Taharis glared at me with a ferocity that could have made snakes keel over. My own stomach flopped at the sight. "After DISPEL forced McKenna and I underground, they kept tabs on us. But now my daughter has come to the age where her chi is blossoming, and she'll learn how to be a witch." His teeth gnashed together, "But because of that, DISPEL was going to take my daughter away from me. They claim they'll only teach her to control her powers, but they'll brainwash her as well. By doing so, they could ensure they had another witch to work in this agency for them later in life. How do you think they find so many magic wielders when only a handful exist in the world?"
The look in his eyes only affirmed truth to his statement. This wasn't just a claim made out of paranoia. It was clear that Taharis knew what he was talking about.
Emily gasped in shock, and the rest of us fell silent. This guy was willing to go so far, all for his daughter... but what about his wife, and everything else he lost?
Emily spoke up, "But... why do you have to destroy the country? Isn't there some other way for your daughter to stay safe from DISPEL? Is there anything else that can be done?"
Taharis narrowed his eyes, the snarl disappearing from his features. But the firmness of his face remained, "My daughter is all I have left, but this matter is no longer just about her. All the misfortunes in my life have been caused by DISPEL and civilization's expulsion of magic. They could never accept the power that magic is, always acting out of fear that this power they don't understand will be turned against them. It's the same everywhere, witches are shunned and live as outcasts, magic is looked at as either party tricks or acts of the demons, and all of this, despite the fact that magic existed on this Earth long before humans could even build a dirt hut.
"They could never accept magic, and they never will. I've seen too much tragedy in my life to let my daughter face the very same for possessing power that will become rightfully hers." For a moment, I could have sworn I saw a tear shed from Taharis' eyes, but he turned to the side before I could see it. "I will never let her experience such heartbreak as I have."
The warlock pointed down at the alter he stood on, "This is the Archterra, the Heart of the Continent. This is the heart of the chi that flows through this land. Chi flows through nature continually, and all of it circulates through this point." He narrowed his eyes as he glanced back at us, "From here, I will have access to all the chi running through the veins of this continent, and with this amount of power, I will change the world."
"What?!" Angela gasped, awestruck, "But... how-"
"How will I do it?" Taharis answered impatiently. He pointed the chalk in his hand at the alter he stood on, "I have drawn a transformation circle on the concentrated point of chi. It isn't merely a transformation of humans into animals, mind you. This ritual is called Nature's Uprising.
"Once I activate this ritual, everyone on the continent shall see their world crumble back to a world before man dominated the land. Buildings will become buried beneath the earth as stone, machines shall shatter into nothingness, all of man's work to 'develop' this land will vanish before their eyes," A proud, almost manic look gleamed in the warlock's eyes, "And as for the worthless people of this land, they will become animals of any kind, in both body and mind. Every shred of their humanity will be gone, completely forgotten." Taharis' face split with in a wide grin, "This continent will return to its most natural state, one where magic will be able to exist freely and spread like it was meant to."
"That's insane!" Dale cried.
"Don't do this!" I shouted, "We won't let you!"
Taharis merely smirked, "Too bad, I never planned on fighting anyways. I need all of the magic I still have to activate this." Suddenly, the warlock dropped to the ground, slamming both of his hands against the alter's surface, and instantly it came alive as the glyph chalked into glowed with vibrancy that could only be imagined.
"No!" Angela shouted, rushing at Taharis at top speed with her wings.
Taharis simply chuckled weakly as he watched her fly at him, "Too late. You of all people should know you can't stop a ritual this powerful once it's activated.... Say goodbye... to the world as you know it..."
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Taharis you fricking maniac! Okay, okay... logical thinking. A ritual may not be able to be stopped, but can it be redirected?
Woah, so that was an insane chapter!
I wonder how it'll end...
-ThePortalPonies
My gosh! Please please please please please PLEASE don't leave us hanging after that. Did I mention please?
Well now we know what the villain's motives are. But panic in 3..., 2..., 1....
(breathes in)
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Taharis, you freaking lunatic! Game over, man! Game over!
I'm hoping he's gonna get hoisted by his own petard, or a deus ex machina occurs and saves the hero in the end, but my hopes for a happy ending to this story and to the series is rapidly fading away.
So just america? That's not so bad. And then the cycle will repeat.man will return from across the ocean.
But I can alter it slightly.
Oh, I probably won't be able to change it to something harmless and fetish fueling like cat ears.
Probably wouldn't have time.
But I can change the power output to something else more likely to let most of the people keep their memories.
And it's all on that neat little glove you got on your hand.
Now the question is:
Do you leave yourself open for us to hit you and not start the ritual?
Start the ritual, but have us change it?
Or something else improvised?
As Sherlock Holmes may or may not have said,
The Game's Afoot.
6516770 And Canada. Don't forget us up north. Or we won't share the maple syrup.
TAHARIS..... YOU SON OF A [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]
Though I will admit I did feel bad for him
And that pun
6517346 He's also proving DISPEL right. One magic user with a bit of power, sees it as his duty to destroy a continent because some freaked out person killed his wife.
6517362
Indeed he did grey indeed he did man
6517362
I dunno about you guys, but I'm not feeling good about how the story will end unless some sort of miracle happens. I liked the first two stories of the "Cool Story Bro" series, but this one is giving me a grim mood.
6517391 I see three prospective ways this could turn. Strike that, five. I don't mind that much if it goes Grim End. It was an awesome series. But I'll wait and see.
And then aMAREica was born.
6517397
Yeah, I just hope the series will end on a high note, but it's up to Shadowflame to decide how he'll conclude the series.
I think once he publishes the final chapter, I'll write my thoughts on each of the stories in the series.
Shadow. If you don't finish this story before you leave, I will hunt you down and force you to!
Come on! You said "in a week" on thursday! You have till thursday! But anyways.. goodbye, while I still can say it and you'll hear it.
6520584
Don't worry. Finishing this chapter tonight. I'll post it tomorrow morning, because Tuesday night is actually my deadline. I leave for good Wednesday. Sorry I'm a bit vague in my time presentation.
Alright. Before I read the next chapter, I want to call one thing...
This is your take on how equestria was founded.
or is it looking
I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!
I'mma predict crap! In order to stop the ritual, one of our heros will sacrifice themselves, but, it doesn't go as planned. The ritual will be half successful, yes everyone will turn into animals, but because of our heros sacrifice, the buildings and technology will stay, but everyone becomes a pony!
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!
You're gonna kill your daughter too you idiot! And the rest of the mages maybe.
DONT DO THIS!
i know what its like
To want to see the world change
But you cant do this!
people deserve the right to choose