She was all I had. She was all I wanted. Now, she is lost to me. Raped beyond reason, and long dead. To herself...and to the world. And soon...they will all be dead to the world too.
He is a beast. A shadowed demon, calling a hail of red lightning down upon any who cross him. None know his name. None ask. He is a beast. Monstrous, large and disgusting, with eyes sharper than a pony's, he can render a house a crater, a city a wasteland, with but a scream of Hellbolts.
He is Ferocity.
And he now walks the world again.
-EDIT-ADDITIONAL CHARACTER TAGS: Ember, Queen Novo, Gilda, Tempest, Little Strongheart, Thorax, Pharynx, Lyra, Pipsqueak, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Discord.
Inspired by the Doom Slayer's story, because, well, who doesn't have Doom on the brain nowadays? Rewrite of 'Rage of Man'. Take note, this story takes place in my own rendition of the story, thus, don't expect the same exact routine with FoE (Fall of Equestria) stories. I'm going for atmosphere here, as I try to with all my stories. Hopefully it's something you all can enjoy.
Displaced story. Fair warning.
Coverart is not mine! All credit to it goes to Edwardo Ontero! Give them some love, they make some good stuff!
10/8/2020 Well, shit. Another story featured. Thanks a bunch for all the support, guys. Means a lot!
1 - Enter Ferocity: Awaken, Great Beast (Edited...yet again)
These were the sounds that echoed throughout Ponyville. Caribou, as they did everyday, went through their routines. Fucking their mares, selling their slaves, and occasionally selling actual goods. Some paid with the promise of sexual favors from their 'pets', and on some cases money. Sex was, for the Caribou, as much a currency as a pastime nowadays.
After all, they'd little to worry about. They'd conquered most of the known world, after all.
Grifonnia fell after one of Dainn's sons assassinated one of their best generals and enslaved their Queen, Gilda. The Changeling Kingdom was ravaged by Caribou Mages and its King and Prince, Thorax and Pharynx, were forcefully changed into mares in quick order by the use of their foul potions. The Dragonlands were taken with much effort, but, with the discovery of Bloodstone in the Diamond Dog Kingdom, they soon fell too, with their Dragon Lord, Ember, becoming another pet for Dainn himself. Said Diamond Dog Kingdom had been a staunch ally of the Caribou, selling their own 'bitches' on occasion and trading openly. The Storm Kingdom, having fallen far below it's previous glory with the death of their King, was overwhelmed with superior numbers, and it's acting leader, Tempest, was brought to her knees and paraded through the capital's streets nude whilst bound and gagged. The Buffalo had been destroyed easily with the superior arms of the Caribou, their leader surrendering voluntarily and succumbing soon after to the way of life the Caribou brought. And finally, the Hippogriffs and Seaponies were laid low by the invention of Crystal Cock Gems, turning all their men to their side.
Equestria had fallen first. They were conquered easily once the Crystal Heart had been made into the Crystal Cock. Soon after, they conquered Canterlot, and the rest of Equestria soon followed once all the Princesses were dominated.
The Zebras, Minotaurs, Centaurs and Gargoyles were about the only ones left, and the war with them and their Alliance was ongoing. But, most Caribou lived rather peaceful lives now. Life was bliss for all...so long as they were male.
Most Ponyvillians went about their day as they had for the past few years; carefree, misogynistic, and typically whilst parading or fucking a female.
Currently, at the Castle of Friendship, a familiar mare was currently being taken over a balcony overlooking the town. Starlight, collared in black, moaned and bit her lip as she was taken missionary style by Dainn's eldest son, Ingvar, the pale purple mare leaning with her back on the rail.
Ingvar was not gentle. The bull rammed his cock so hard into her she almost fell off the railing every time, and he would slap her tits constantly.
"P-plea - Aahh, fuck! - give me, give me a brea-!" Starlight's plea was cut short as Ingvar slammed a fist into her muzzle, immediately drawing blood and eliciting a cry of pain from her as tears formed in her eyes.
"Shut up, cunt! We'll stop when I say so!" the Prince snapped.
And so they continued unabated, Starlight sobbing as she was taken and violated for the umpteenth time. Yet, below the balcony was a strange, exotic statue. It was of a very strange creature, but not one that had ever been found anywhere else on Equus.
Like most races, it was bipedal, but bore two horns that jutted out like prongs from the top of it's skull, with a sharp, bony muzzle and maw full of teeth, and wild, wild fur. Portions of it bore ridges, like along it's back, arms, legs, and tail. However, it only wore a set of baggy pants, hakama, as the Eastern Ponies called them, to cover it's modesty. Five long, sharp claws marked each of it's hands. It was stuck in a raging, berserking pose, stance wide, claws outstretched, and maw wide open and seeming to be screaming it's fury at the heavens.
No plaque was at it's base, no mark bearing the initials or name of it's sculptor, thus, barring it's unique choice of a seemingly demonic creature, it was otherwise a very unassuming statue. Not many knew who made it, in fact, no one did. How could they, when it bore no maker's mark? All anyone knew was that it was old. Ingvar was simply given it by his father as a present for conquering Ponyville. A lawn ornament, if you will.
Yet, as Ingvar continued to ravage Starlight, the blood seeping from her nose dribbled down her face. From her face, it dribbled down further, until it finally dropped, far, far below...right into the statue's open maw.
Not long after, some of the ridges along with the statue's chest glowed a blood red, followed by the eyes and claws. Then, cracks started to form. This was followed by crimson lightning crackling along the statue's figure.
Few noticed this change, and by the time any could, it was too late. Soon, the stone crumbled away...revealing a black scaled and white furred creature, with tainted silver, bony ridges and horns in a white, worn hakama. It's entire body held a light metallic sheen, even the fur. It roared, crimson lightning and black aura surrounding it as it did, drawing the eyes of Ingvar, Starlight, and many nearby, like the guards of the castle.
The two guards by the front gate were naturally stunned by this event, but...
"What in the-?!" they got little chance to enjoy it, for the creature swiftly ran up to them and ran it's claws through their armored chests, then filled them fit to burst with demonic lightning.
"Caribou...must...DIE!!!" it roared in a guttural, ugly voice. It ripped out it's claws, then tossed their now thoroughly lifeless bodies aside. "Must...kill them all...!" It raised it's head, and roared out, "AAAAASSGERRRRR!!!" More demonic lightning flashed around it, eyes aglow with unholy light.
Ingvar, hearing and seeing this, tossed Starlight aside, leaning over the railing to see the situation. "What in the name of the Gods?!"
The sound of claws meeting and digging into crystal, followed by the sight of the creature running up the castle towards him made his eyes widen as he staggered back. He swiftly turned to the entrance to the balcony and ran inside his bedroom - once Twilight's - and hastily tried to grab his armor and get dressed, calling out,"Guards! Guards!" in a panicked voice.
Starlight yelped when a heavy thud sounded out by the balcony, heralding the arrival of the beast. It snarled, baring it's fangs as it stomped towards the prince, abyssal lightning cloaking it's form. Starlight backed up to the farthest corner of the balcony as much as she could, and Ingvar soon followed her example, falling on his still bare ass and scrambling backwards towards the bed, dropping his armor and the little clothes he'd tried to grab on the floor.
He looked around desperately for a weapon, anything to use against the beast, the demon before him. The beast only stomped closer, growling and snarling lowly.
"Guards! Guards! Get in here!" Ingvar cried, backing up so much against the bed it actually creaked and moved from the force of it.
The creature only continued it's approach.
Thankfully, four guards soon kicked the door in, spears brandished and white and gold armor shining brightly. Seeing the situation, one could say they were brave, because all four charged in without much of any hesitation.
But the beast cared little for bravery.
The demon roared, then grabbed the head of a guard and ripped it off, portions of the spine coming with it, before using it as a flail to smack the head of another. This was followed by it opening its maw and spewing out an orb of dark, crackling red and black energy at yet another, flash frying him and tearing a hole into his chest at the same time. As the last two faltered, the beast whirled around, slamming it's tail into them and knocking them away.
But it didn't let up, pouncing on them both and beginning to tear into them both relentlessly with it's claws. It only continued to roar as it ripped and teared at the hapless Caribou, the poor sods screaming and howling like pigs being slaughtered.
Ingvar, seeing it's back turned and obviously engrossed in it's gory work, seemed to gain a modicum of courage and picked up a dropped spear from one of the now dead guards, then rushed the beast with a war cry, spear poised to run it through it's throat.
To his shock, it broke on impact with it's hide, and the beast slowly, coldly turned to him. Ingvar paled. The demon snarled, then, in one swift motion, cut his still exposed manhood off with one claw, then slashed upwards with it's other claw, leaving a deep gash from his belly up to his throat.
The Prince gurgled up his own blood, before falling over in a pool of his mortal ichor, dead.
The demonic beast let out another ear-rending roar, as if in victory. Starlight watched on with wide, terrified eyes, shaking like mad as she lay on the floor of the balcony, ears pinned flat to her head.
The beast panted as it slowly seemed to calm, the crackling, blood red lightning that covered its form diminishing. Its eyes retained their glow, however.
"Wh-What...are you?" Starlight shakily asked.
The creature looked to her slowly, and she tensed up.
"..." It stood up, claws and body covered in and dripping Caribou blood. Slowly, it walked over to her, and she tried to press up against the rail, to escape, to get away. To her surprise, it leaned down and offered her a hand. "...An enemy of the Caribou."
Starlight stared up at the strange and frightening male above her. After years of being violated, years of trying to keep her dignity and sanity, years of being seen as nothing but a plaything for males, she'd grown to wonder if she'd ever truly be saved. And here she was, her captor and tormentor dead in the most brutal of fashions, and her seemingly free. For once, after ten long years, she was free.
Hesitantly, she looked into his eyes, and swallowed visibly as she felt the sheer power in them. "Wh-What do you want?" She asked carefully.
The creature stared her down. "To end the Caribou," he stated firmly.
Starlight's eyes widened at the audacity of that claim, but she eventually shook her head. "Wh-Who are you?"
The demon paused, blinking slowly and retracting it's claw. "...I haven't been asked that in a long time," he said, looking elsewhere, eyes suddenly far away. Slowly, a smile came to his face. "...I am Horus." He looked to her. "But now's not the time."
Starlight blinked, then quickly scrambled to her feet. "Oh my Celestia, what am I gonna do?! Ingvar is dead, and there's literally thousands of guards out there and-!"
Horus gently placed a claw to her lips. "Calm down, and go hide in the closet." Starlight's eyes were wide and fearful, but shakily, she nodded, and raced into the closet nearby, glad that it was a walk-in one.
Horus' ears perked up as he heard multiple heavy footsteps approaching, all in heavy armor. He grinned like the beast he was, bearing his claws as his form crackled with the light of his profane lightning. His blood was boiling, his tail swishing back and forth in excitement.
Soon enough, dozens more guards rushed into the spacious bedroom, spears, swords, axes, maces, and even a greatsword or two in hand. They swiftly scanned the room, and, upon seeing the bodies, narrowed their eyes.
"Foul beast! You won't get away with-!" The guard didn't get to finish his sentence as Horus rushed forward, claws outstretched as he tore them through the guard's throat, nearly cutting it clean off. Said guard dropped his axe and collapsed, gurgling on his own blood for only a second before dying.
Horus didn't waste any more time, shooting another wad of volatile, vile crackling red and black energy at one clustered group of guards, atomizing some of their limbs and sides and turning them into bloody messes. Dodging a thrust from a spear behind him, Horus wrapped his tail around the haft of it, held his claw out, and yanked, pulling the guard forward and grabbing his head before crushing it like a grape.
Another guard smashed his mace over the demon's head, only for the mace to shatter upon Horus's horns. Horus grinned, then leaned forward and clamped his jaws around the guard's head, and crushed it with his powerful jaws before spitting it out.
Blood leaking from his fanged mouth, and profane lightning covering his form, Horus looked the part of an utter demon. Starlight shuddered in fear as she watched from the closet, the slits in it's doors allowing her to see some, but not much, of the scene before her. Some was still enough to make her tremble, however.
'What IS he?' She tried to quiet herself, to keep still, but nothing helped. As she watched Horus pluck out the eyes of one guard and stuff them into another's mouth before slamming both them together so hard their skulls shattered, she could barely keep her lunch - or at least, what the Caribou considered lunch for females to be - down.
Horus weaved through the battle- no, he didn't weave. He tore through the battlefield of the room like a serial killer in a parade. Each swipe of his claws, each bite of his sharp fangs and jaws, each slam and whipping of his tail, each hellish crackle of his lightning, only solidified to her what he was. What he truly was.
A beast.
'A monster...' A hand went to her mouth as the screams of pain and agony filled the room, Horus continuing his bloody work with a revelry saved only for demons.
Soon, the tide of troops was quelled, and the room's carpet was dyed red with blood, corpses and gore covering almost everything on one side of the room.
Horus panted for breath, then looked back at Starlight in the closet. "Stay in there," he turned back to the door, stomping towards it. "I have Caribou to maim."
Starlight shivered at that. 'There's no way I can stay in here! If I do, you'll just come back and kill me!'
Of course, she didn't voice these thoughts, and the beast stomped out of view, beyond the door and into the halls of the castle. Starlight fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "This isn't what I wanted...!" She sobbed. "This isn't the hero I wanted...!"
The sound of distant screams down the hall was her only answer.
Horus sped down the halls, killing every Caribou he saw as he did. He went room to room, as well, searching for Caribou with his exceptional sense of smell. Every now and again he'd find stallions who'd been tainted by the Caribou's ways, and he gave them a bloody send off to hell as well.
He even went into the cellar, smelling the heady scent of Caribou and sex. Growling as he sped down the steps on all fours, he came to the racks of wine where he found a Caribou and a stallion, bottles in hand...as they raped two barely teenage females. One was a zebra, and the other a full-fledged dragon with green scales.
The Caribou was fat, and obviously old, yet his antlers large and almost imposing. Said Caribou also looked to be rather rich, bearing a noble's tunic and gold rings. He was the one driving his filthy dick into the dragoness' snatch.
The stallion was young and spry, for his part, looking to be a young but well-decorated guard, if the medals and knife sheathe on his chestplate were any indication.
But Horus didn't care about that. When he saw the two youths being raped...something inside him snapped. His form absolutely stormed with red lightning, and he roared loud enough to rattle every bottle of wine in the cellar.
As the two males and two females looked to him, Horus let out a breath of steam, little motes of red dancing around him along with the lightning. He stomped towards them, claws seeming to glow with his power.
"Wh-What in the name of Dainn are you?!" the Caribou cried, backing up and away from the dragoness.
A zip of stygian red, and Horus' claw was in his gut. "Your Hell." He then grabbed the bull's intestines, ripped them out, then wrapped them around his throat tightly. The Caribou fell to the ground, gasping for air and coughing up blood. Horus didn't let up, freeing a claw up to stab his hand continuously into the bull's body, over and over, over and over, each time the bull coughing up blood.
Eventually, the life in the bull's eyes died out, and Horus let go...before whipping the intestines at the stallion, slapping him with the bloody organ.
"Gah!" the stallion cried, falling on his bare ass on the cold stone floor. Horus stomped over, the stallion backpedaling. "N-No! Stay back! Stay back! I'm warning you!" He said, pulling a knife from his sheathe and pointing it at Horus.
Horus simply stomped forward...onto the stallion's package. The blue stallion screamed bloody murder, but Horus wasn't done. With a growl, he stomped again, and again, and again, and again, roaring as he did, before finally stomping on the stallion's chest and pulverizing it with a bloody, sickening crunch.
Horus panted, before turning to the two terrified girls. They hugged each other for safety, staring at him with wide, terrified eyes.
"Don't hurt us! P-Please!" the dragoness begged.
"J-Just leave us alone!" the zebra pleaded, tears in her eyes. Both of them shut their eyes, waiting for him to end their lives.
Horus frowned, before slowly walking away. They listened to his steps recede, but didn't dare open their eyes. Eventually, they heard him come back, and started to shiver as he grew closer, closing the distance.
And then, they felt a warm blanket wrap over them both. Opening their eyes in shock, they looked up at him to see him smiling down at them.
"I will not hurt you," He said kindly.
The two girls looked to each other, then slowly back to him, leaning away from him.
"Wh-Who...What are you? Are you a demon?" The zebra asked.
Horus shook his head. "I am the Caribou's end."
The two girls shared a look once more, before again looking to him, eyes still afraid.
"H-How do we know you're not just...just gonna kill us, too?" The dragoness asked.
Horus frowned, then sighed. "You do not trust me. I understand." He turned around, starting to walk away. "Just keep your heads low, and stay where you are for now."
Without any other words, he walked out of the cellar, leaving the two alone with the stench of blood and gore.
Horus continued his rampage, moving on from the castle and saving countless more females as he did. However, instead of staying to protect them, or even to talk to them like he had Starlight and the two young girls, he simply moved on. He knew now that things were still the same as before.
He was still a monster to them.
'I suppose that's just how it is,' he reasoned as he cut a Caribou to ribbons in the streets of Ponyville. 'All I can take solace in is that I can kill Caribou again.' With a deep breath, he grabbed a stallion's leg and started to use him like a club to beat other Caribou to death. 'At the very least...it's fun as Hell.' He surmised, grinning like a beast once again.
And so he went on, leaving Caribou and traitorous blood splattered all over the streets of Ponyville, leaving no house unchecked, no bar, no tavern, no store or stall. Everywhere a Caribou or traitor could be found, he killed them. Viciously, and without mercy.
Only the females were spared. Them, and the children and few stallions not aligned with the Caribou. His only regret was leaving so many of them crying messes. The females and the children were scared, and some of them he knew to be angry as well. He could tell. He always could. But he knew...his work had to be done.
'For my treasure. In her name!' He resolved, pulling the wings off of a pegasus stallion before goring him in the head with his two horns.
After the stallion fell lifeless to the ground, he looked around, panting and now very out of breath. "I don't...see anymore...Caribou..." He sniffed deeply, trying to smell anything besides slowly decaying flesh and newly spilled blood. "Too many...scents..." He frowned. "I think I cleared...all the houses..." He looked around, eyes growing heavy. "Need...to go on...to the next...town...then..." He then fell to the ground, out cold.
3 - Enter Ferocity: And Show Them The Light (EDITED)
...But I couldn't see her. Darkness was all that covered my vision. But I knew she was there. She always played that music box. It had to be her. She had to be here! I strained my eyes, trying to blink, to even move towards the sound, but nothing.
Then...
...Light. And her smiling, soft face.
I tried to reach for it, to caress her cheek like always, but my hand stopped short, as if held in place by something. I snarled, struggling against whatever bonds held me. The song was ending, her face and her light was getting fainter. I thrashed, I kicked, I screamed in rage.
"LET ME GO! LET ME GO YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!" I tried to reach a hand to her again. "AURELIA! DON'T GO! DON'T GO!!!"
Darkness overtook me again.
And so did my rage.
I could feel the Dracophage Bugs caress my hide, filling me with their power as my fury skyrocketed.
Another familiar face filled my vision. 'They took your light, and yet you remain here, asleep? They rape, torture and degrade, and you sleep? They corrupt, ruin, demean, monopolize and destroy, and you sit here, twiddling your silly little claws up your ass, SLEEPING!?' The face snarled. 'The Caribou destroyed your happiness, tainted it!! The Caribou took your light, the Caribou took your family, your world! They took your home, your livelihood, your happiness, your will to love! So WHAT!WILL YOU TAKE!!FROM THEM?!?'
"EVERRYYYTHIIIING!!!"
"Doctor, he's waking up!"
I jumped up with my claws and fangs bared, Dragon Lightning crackling over me, breaking something that held me down. It sounded like metal, but I cared little. My vision was blurry, red in almost every corner, and all I could see, no, all I wanted was to kill, to maim, to destroy, to TAKE.
I heard a scream from my right, smelled the scent of a damned Caribou, and acting on pure bloodlust and instinct, pounced on the source. Snarling, lowering my fangs to the neck, I growled out, "Caribou like you deserve no quarter, NO REMORSE!" I opened my maw wide.
Then, something slammed into my side, knocking me across the room. I slowly, angrily looked up at my attacker, expecting to see or even smell Caribou, but...
...My rage faltered. There was the scent of a Caribou, but also...a female. A Griffon female. The stench of Caribou was heavy on her, however...
My vision cleared, just enough that I could finally make out her features. She had cerulean feathers, from head to toe, like that of the sea. A doctor's coat was covering her modesty, though I could see she'd barely anything else on. I clicked my tongue at this. 'Disgusting fucking Caribou, keeping their women without proper wear.'
She was shaking, though from the lack of weapons or any object she could use to knock me around like that, I could only assume she had pushed or kicked me. More likely the former.
"St-St-Stay back! I'm w-warning you! I...I know karate!" she threatened.
I looked around briefly, ignoring her for the time being. There was a Caribou here, I know it- My nose suddenly wrinkled, and I honed in on the scent to find... Oh.
There certainly was one, laying prone behind the Griffon, in a very revealing nurses outfit - likely being all they could find - and most certainly a doe.
I'd met countless does in my life. Some were completely okay with and even worshipped their males, like said males wanted. Some begrudgingly went along with their ways so that they and their children could survive the hostile-to-women culture. Some resisted and cried and were overall scared.
I figured this doe to be one of the latter, considering she'd just peed herself.
However, I'd had many doe do that in my presence. And some...some only did it after I was forced to show them my power. My rage. Even so...she did not seem the same as those particular doe.
"...Caribou," I barked out. Said doe squeaked, backpedaling into the wall and staring at me with frightened eyes. "Where am I?"
"P-P-Ponyville G-General Hospital," the doe squeaked out.
I frowned, still disregarding the Griffon. "How did I get here?"
"We found you collapsed outside town and brought you here," came a vaguely familiar voice from the entrance.
I looked to it to find that same, purple furred unicorn from when I was released, but my frown remained as I then looked to my claws. "..." It seems my body has grown weaker over my time in stone, then. I slowly looked back up to them. "You seek to chain me?"
"That depends," the unicorn began, crossing her arms over her thankfully covered chest. She was in armor, in fact. The same armor of the Caribou. "So far all we've seen from you is bloodlust."
I looked to the two other females. Both watching me with scared eyes. I could feel the unease in this unicorn, as well.
I was still only a monster to them.
Slowly, I stood up. They tensed. I didn't react. "I have no interest in being interrogated for only doing what is right. If you cannot divine the truth in my words, then I see no reason to remain here." I started to walk towards them, and I saw all but the unicorn step back. "If you seek to chain me, or worse, use me, then you will not receive mercy from me." I stopped in front of the unicorn, staring her down. "I suggest you let me go, pony. I do not want to dirty my claws further with the blood of the innocent."
"So you've killed innocents before, then?" She replied coolly.
I narrowed my eyes at her, tail flicking to the side. "Speak plainly. I have no patience for subterfuge or veiled words."
A frown, then a sigh. "I just want to know your intentions. Your...actions have been...confusing."
I crossed my arms, still staring down at her. "Because I left the females and youths alive."
She nodded.
"..." I let out a heaving breath. "I will not harm the innocent if I have no need to. Even then, I will not kill them."
"Prove it."
I growled. "Mind your tone, pony. You have seen already I have no intentions of harming you all. Only the Caribou." The one Caribou in the room squeaked at that. I didn't care.
The unicorn still stood her ground, even though I could see her shaking. I knew she did not have the strength to stop me. Even if she still had a horn. That's what always made this so hard.
I pushed past the unicorn, making her stumble back as I made my way for the door. "For what it's worth, I thank you for taking care of me. May you all have better days in your future."
Before they could say anything, I walked out the door. I was stopped, however, by two familiar females. The young Zebra mare, and the young Dragoness.
"You're leaving...?" The Zebra asked, looking up at me with her pinkish eyes. The same eyes that... I shook my head rapidly.
"I see no reason to stay when Caribou remain alive," I answered.
The Dragoness frowned, playing with her hands. I tried to ignore how they both wore were bikinis, instead putting it away as further fuel for my rage.
"You haven't even told us your name..." She said, wings drooping.
I frowned. A sigh left me as I heard the others come up behind me. "Horus. Horus Blackbriar." I knelt to one knee, looking them both in the eyes. "Might I have the honor of receiving your names?"
"M-Myrtle," The Dragoness said, looking away.
"T-Titania," The Zebra mare told me.
I smiled, nodding. "I imagine you wish to know my reasons for saving you, as well?" They nodded slowly. I sighed again, shaking my head and standing up. 'At least there's a chance these two children do not see me as a monster.' I turned my head to those behind me, then back to the two youths. "Then I apologize."
They all frowned, a few stepping back, even. "W-Why?" The Doe asked fearfully.
"Because the true reason is something I shall take to my grave. All you need to know..." I grinned, showing off my fangs as I flicked my tail to the side. "...is that I will end the Caribou."
4 - Intermission: Afore The Fight (Edited...Again)
"Remind me again why we're trusting this guy?" Bon Bon queried, rubbing her forehead with her hand as she sat at her chair in nothing but an old Caribou gambeson.
"Did you not see how well he fought? I'd shudder to be on the end of that wrath when wrought," Zecora said, followed by an actual shudder as she looked to Horus. She wore what looked like a set of dancer's attire, replete with gold filigree.
"That's exactly why I want to know why we're trusting this guy," Bon Bon shot back. She gesticulated to the beast. "I mean, look at him! He looks like he came straight from buckin' Tartarus! I should know! I've had to fight the monsters and demons that escape from there!"
Lyra, wearing a similar dancer's outfit, placed a hand on her marefriend's shoulder. "Easy, Bon Bon, we're all worried ourselves."
"I'm with Bon Bon on this," Redheart began, arms crossed over her bosom, which was only covered by a very tight-fitting nurse outfit which barely kept her mammaries from bursting out of their confines. "We barely know anything about him. Only that he hates Caribou, likely more than even us."
"Speaking of which," Starlight interjected, looking to the male in question. "You said you were in stone before, right? How did that happen? Petrification spells are pretty hard to use if you aren't experienced in the field."
Horus frowned, gaze locked on the hollow, circular table before him. "It was a combination of casters. Their High Priest, their Master of Bloodlines, and their Hero-King, Asger." Horus spat to the side after saying the last name, as if it was toxic to his tongue. "Regardless," he looked up to them. "If I hate the Caribou, and do not wish to harm any of you, would that not be enough proof that I am an ally?"
"Allies normally explain themselves to a better degree than you have," Bon Bon retorted with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest.
"My past is of no concern to any of you. You have your proof of my intentions already, do you not?" Horus replied, tail flicking to the side.
"Just because you spared us doesn't mean you don't have ulterior motives. So, spill," Redheart shot back, eyes narrowing. "I've had my fair share of patients trying to lie about one thing or another, so don't think I won't notice any of your own lies."
Horus snorted. "I have nothing you need know. My intention is only the erasure of the Caribou and their regime from this planet."
Redheart frowned, narrowing her eyes at him. "You're not lying, but you're still leaving out something else."
"Something else being something you needn't know. Now kindly drop the subject," Horus hissed, tail slamming on the floor beneath them and easily cracking it, making Lyra and Zecora flinch.
"I believe for now we should work to win one another's trust, else we shall never stop the Caribou's lust," Zecora said hurriedly.
Horus rolled his eyes. "At least one of you understands that. Trust is earned, not given." He intoned as he stood up from his chair. "This conversation is pointless. If you'll excuse me, I have a a duty to fulfill." With that, he began walking out of the conference room.
"Hey! We're not finished yet, you-!" Bon Bon began, but the doors opened themselves, and out of them came a familiar, short, white and brown mottled young stallion carrying a roll of paper.
"N-News! Big news! The C-C-Caribou are-!" Pipsqueak stopped in his tracks before Horus, staring up at him in shock and surprise as well as horror. "-Uh, um, uh..."
Horus frowned. 'Even a child.' He shook his head, kneeling to the boy's height. "It is alright, young one. What news do you bring?"
Pipsqueak looked behind the canine to the current leaders of Ponyville. "U-Um, the uh..." He gulped, looking back to Horus. "Th-Th-Th-The Caribou are, um, sending someone from the Council here in t-t-t-two days..." He announced, ears drooping.
"What?!" Starlight and the others cried.
Horus' frown only deepened as the others panicked behind him. "Young one, would you mind giving me the letter? We need to see just what this is about." Pipsqueak gulped again, then slowly nodded and offered the scroll to Horus. Horus took it gently and smiled down at the young colt. "Good. You may leave us now. Go and find something to eat, as well, you look positively malnourished."
Pipsqueak blinked at this. "O-Oh, um, o-o-okay," he said, before scampering off, the doors closing behind him.
Horus unrolled the scroll, reading it over.
"...What does it say?" Starlight asked uneasily.
Horus lowered the scroll from his face. Then, he tossed it to the mare. "Apparently, Ingvar had a trade of some sort set up for two days from now." He walked back over to the table.
"What do we do?" Redheart asked uneasily, looking between the scroll in Starlight's hands and her fellow colleagues.
"We can't fight them conventionally, not in our state," Bon Bon noted, rubbing her forehead again.
"But you're a spy, aren't you, Bon Bon?" Lyra asked her marefriend, giving her pleading eyes.
Bon Bon sighed. "I was. It's been years since I held that distinction, and even with what I know, we wouldn't stand a chance against the Caribou in the numbers they'll send."
"We cannot just sit by idly, though, lest we fall again to our foe," Zecora urged.
Starlight's mane started to fray. "If I only had my magic, I could get us out of this no problem..." She ran her hands through said mane. "But with it gone, there's no way I can get rid of the platoon they'll be bringing in, much less the two in wait!"
"If more Caribou are coming here, then you must prepare," Horus told them, placing his hands on the table and leaning on it. He looked to Bon bon. "Bon Bon, correct? You must know how to make traps. Use that knowledge to turn the town into a weapon."
All of them looked to him in shock. "You're...going to help us?" Starlight asked, eyes wide.
"Why? Just why in the world do you care so much?" Bon Bon fervently questioned, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Because I am tired of seeing so many suffer at the hands of the Caribou. That is all," His gaze hardened. "Now, can you make these traps or not?"
All of them shared a look with Bon Bon. She looked to each of them in turn, before slumping and groaning. "Fine. Fine!" She shook her head, sending Horus a glare. "I know how to make the traps, and the materials needed we should have on hand, but after we get rid of these guys, I want some bucking answers."
Horus straightened up, removing his hands from the table. "Good. Now, let's discuss the specifics. Lady Zecora, correct?" At the Zebra mare's nod, he continued. "How many potions can you concoct in two days' time? Most of what we will need are poisons or adhesives."
Zecora blinked a few times. "I...do not know." She said, dropping her rhyming.
"What is your best estimate, then?" Horus pressed.
"A-About four or five cauldron's worth a day, perhaps?" she said, ears lowering.
Horus nodded. "That will work well enough." He looked towards Bon Bon. "How long will it take you to set up the traps and teach others to do the same?"
Bon Bon scowled, but responded nonetheless with, "With the force we're going up against, not enough. Most of the traps would have to be at key choke points. Even then, it'd take at least all of the time we have."
Horus only nodded, then looked at Redheart. "I'd suggest finding a way to hide those not prepared for battle." With that, he turned and began to walk out. "I also suggest you all prepare thoroughly and quickly. This is a war now, after all." With that, he left, the door closing behind him.
Horus sighed as he sat down on the makeshift cot he'd made in his tent. He glanced behind himself, through the gap in the tarp, at the remains of a fairly large oak tree - which looked like it was once a home - and gained a thoughtful expression. He noted how old the tree was. How scarred it was.
How dead it was.
He gained a small smile as he looked back to the ground beneath him. "..." His frown slowly returned as his thoughts drifted to recent events. "...One day until the representative of Dainn's Council arrives..." He clenched his claws, then looked back to the tree once more. "...I'll need to find information about what all has happened since I've been petrified. I haven't exactly been privy to every single development with how stationary I was." He sighed deeply, head and shoulders slumping. "Just further reinforcement that it's all gone..." He grit his teeth. Then, he shook himself harshly. "No. Not now."
He sighed and laid back on his cot. "They said that 60% of the world had been occupied and conquered..." He bared his teeth at an image only his eyes could see. "That dream of world domination they bore seems to have finally bore some fruit." His eyes flashed with a glare of black for a brief moment. "...Despicable, perverse filth. I'll enjoy tearing down what you fools built..." He slowly relaxed, sighing again as he went silent, mind awhirl with thoughts.
For a while, he simply stared up at the tarp above him. Then, suddenly, a flash of light, and an object dropped onto his bare chest. Blinking, he slowly picked it up. It was a cotton fabric lanyard, with a strangely shaped piece of crystal hanging from the end.
"A Token?" He lifted it, noticing the crystal refracting the dim light of the lantern in a rainbow of colors. "Odd...no message. I haven't exactly gotten a Token in a while, either..."
P.O.V. CHANGE
Suddenly, a portal opened up above the beast, and out dropped a woman...face first into his chest. He didn't feel it, but he still looked down in surprise nonetheless.
She was surprised at first. She didn't expect the stench of blood to be the first thing to fill her senses when she arrived, nor the strange warmth from her landing. It was furry, similarly to a wolf, but with dull, hard protrusions and silvery plates that met like armor. “Oh. Um. Hi. Let me get off of you.” She sprung off of him quickly.
Which caused the cot to collapse.
The beast simply stared blankly up at the tarp above, laying on the ruins of his work. “...That cot took hours to make.” His voice was like the crumbling of ruins as he sighed, sitting up. “Well, not like I wasn’t used to sleeping in the dirt.” He looked to the woman, taking in her appearance.
She was wholly human, except for her stark white hair and pale skin. Traditional signs of albinism, but that really didn't suit her. Her shirt clung to her torso loosely, despite the thickness of the fabric, and her leggings were baggy up to her boots, mostly made of a thick, dark leather. The only notable accessories to her was the long Katana sheath slung along her back, and a locked grimoire, chained to the belt around her waist. Her form was notably hourglass in nature, with a full bosom and wide hips one might seek for children, but would be just as fitting on a stage or in a brothel.
“...You have white hair,” he noted suddenly, still staring at her. A sniff. “And a lesser Demon bonded to you. A fragmented one, at that. Interesting.”
"The fact you picked up on that is actually quite impressive. I'm Illua." The new arrival held out her hand, as if to shake it, her azure eyes unwavering from his face. “I’m Nyx.” Her voice took on an echoing tone as her eyes faintly lit up with a violet light.
The beast grunted, standing up and taking the hand carefully so he wouldn’t cut her with his long claws before shaking the offered appendage. “Horus Blackbriar. A pleasure to meet you both.”
"I'm sorry about your bed… uhm.. why does everything smell like blood and carnage?" Illua’s nose scrunched up from the acrid smell, her brow furrowing as her gaze began to explore her shabby surroundings.
A tent made from rough, turquoise cloth surrounded them, the ceiling arching up higher on the right and supported with small and thin wooden poles. A flap lay behind Illua, leading to whatever was outside, whilst directly in front of her and behind Horus the tent was entirely open to what seemed to be a massive oak tree with a door carved into it.
“Because I recently liberated this town. It has only been four days since,” Horus glared off to the side. “With the second day being filled with me sleeping, naturally.”
Illua tilted her head at the use of the word liberation, only to scowl slightly. "Alright, who's the oppressor this time? Is it fucking Celestia again?"
"Wouldn't be surprised honestly. She lacks basic leader qualities and doesn't know how to run shit…" Nyx’s own voice echoed the sentiment, a thinly veiled growl to her tone.
Horus snarled. “From what little I’ve been told, she has been the one getting fucked herself. Repeatedly. Every day. Every hour. Willingly. By her oppressors and conquerors.”
"Oh really? That’s great news she's getting royally screwed, but that then implies we have worse enemies that we've been summoned to help with." Nyx positively purred at the news, although the expression didn't match on the human's face.
“The Gods of Night, Love, Civilizations, Fire, and the Sea have also been turned into naught but slaves of pleasure. Apparently even a new Goddess has been as well, one of...Friendship, I believe,” Horus shook his head, scowling. “Thankfully only one of them is willingly obeying every perverse demand. The Goddess of Love.”
"Hm.. so who exactly is the enemy again? I haven't heard of anyone being able to topple the Alicorns, the gods as you said, besides myself and maybe Discord?" She definitely came from a more peaceful Equestria, so her confusion was evident. "I guess Tirek might be able to as well, but… sex slaves? What has happened here?"
Horus let out a heaving breath as he looked to her, crossing his arms over his muscled chest. “Caribou. How they managed to overthrow so many Gods and Goddesses I still do not know, but I suspect foul play by some of the more evil or neutral deities.” He shook his head, then sat down cross-legged. “Come, sit. There’s much I must explain to you, if you are to be here for any length of time.” He gestured to the ground across from him.
Shrugging off the blade, she took a seat before him, tucking her legs underneath herself as she leaned on one hand, making herself as comfortable as the ground could be.
"So, to sum up.. The Caribou rushed the societies with advanced warfare and then enslaved fifty to sixty percent of all life to stroke their over inflated egos? What are they, crusaders of the lost dick?" Illua’s tone dripped with venom, her fists clenched as she felt the indignation rise within her. "And I thought the nobility was bad enough when we did our revolution. Although the murder was fun, especially when it was especially karmic.” Illua released a heated breath, releasing the building agitation. “I apologize for Nyx. She is not usually this active or disruptive.”
Horus shrugged. “It’s fine. Regardless, I can only imagine my Displacer made a deal with your own, or someone in your own universe. Which means you are here for a reason, and thus we must find out what that reason is.” He got to his feet, offering her a claw up.
Illua nodded in agreement, taking the offered claw, pulling lightly to get to her feet. "I'm betting it was Discord. I gave him the Token, so it makes sense." She dusted herself off momentarily. "So, let's see how bad this is, shall we?"
Horus nodded, before glancing out the tent. “‘Tis still night. Midnight, by the looks. Unlikely any will be awake for us to look for lodging for you.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Especially since all of them are likely exhausted from their work.”
Illua smirked as she slipped out the back of the tent, approaching the great tree. “No one awake means no one to see what’s about to happen.” She swiped the air in a practiced gesture, summoning up what appeared to be panes of frosted glass, each etched with a variety of numbers and indicators, each reacting to her touch as she quickly navigated them. “Knife, knife, knife, where is my carving knife… Ah.” Reaching into the pane of glass, she withdrew a stout knife, with a well worn bone handle, only to dismiss the panels into the air.
Horus watched with rapt attention, stroking his chin. ’I haven’t seen an actual game menu like that in some time…’ He gained a small, wistful smile. ’Though I suppose it being real life makes it different. If only…’ He shook his head slowly. ’...No, now’s not the time to think of that.’
Illua began the carving of the intricate symbol into the bark of the oak tree, starting with the outer circle, and filling it with a simplified tower, surrounded by runes of varying shape and size.
“Most intriguing… It reminds me of the Caribou's Runic Magic…” Horus mused, walking up to her side and inspecting the arcane symbols for himself.
Illua’s smile widened. "There are some runes used as part of this, but this is called sigilgraphy, or Sigil magic for easier terms. It’s my primary skill set, as I am a War Magus." The inscribed sigil flared to life for only a moment, but the magic was being infused into the fiber of the wood. "This one is called Sanctum, and it gives a safe place to stay, akin to a fortified tower." Her eyes drifted over the short door, frowning. “This was someone’s home at one point. Do you have any idea whose it might have been?”
Horus nodded slowly. “Supposedly it was the Goddess of Friendship’s home before the crystalline tree showed up.” He frowned, placing a claw on its surface. “I decided that I would at least honor the memories this home had of hosting others by sleeping near it, if only to give it a fleeting feeling of old memories.”
Illua smiled at the sentiment, before pushing the door inward. The inside, while scuffed and dirty, seemed empty. Empty shelves formed the wall, while broken ladders denied access to raised reading nooks. It was all lined with a thin veneer of dust. "Abandoned, huh. We could rest inside for the night."
Horus blinked, ducking under the far too short door frame before walking in. “I would have expected this home to be filled with far too much rot to be livable, but it is surprisingly intact…” He looked to the stairs nearby. “Hopefully there is more than one bedroom in this home.” He mused as he made his way up them.
The doorway slowly expanded to accommodate her companions unusual height, as bookshelves along one wall collapsed and retreated, forming a new room. "I'm already ensuring that is not a problem. It seems well set up for a living quarters already.” She directed the shifted fibers to reinforce the outer walls and bark, weaving in a hardy defensive layer of mana into it.
As Horus arrived on the upper floor, he noticed the observatory on the balcony to the right, and the relatively Queen-size bed on the left, with a small basket near it that read ‘Spike’ on the side. The sheets on both were burned to a crisp, though the mattress of the bed seemed relatively untouched, if covered in soot.
“Hm,” he looked out the window next to the bed, then slowly walked back down to Illua. “You may take the more scenic room. From what I observed, it had an observatory near it.”
She looked up as he spoke, and nodded. "Alright, let me do this then." A slight shift in her fingers, and the new room grew taller, and a bed shelf formed within, sufficiently large enough for two of her canine summoner before she released her control of the spell. "Tell me how that is." She pointed to the freshly made room.
He looked to it, then walked over and began to inspect it. Unfurnished, one could consider it similar to a dormitory. A set of shelves, a desk, and the base for a bed, with room for chairs and a table. All of it seamless, as if it had been carved from the wood itself. “Hm. It will do nicely. Thank you.” He nodded to her, then closed the door behind him gently.
Illua beamed with a bit of pride, and began her own ascent up to the singed room. “Hrm. Definitely going to need new sheets when I get the chance.” She undressed with a few careful motions, setting her clothing off to the side before she climbed in bed for the night, pulling only a fur from her inventory for cover.
”AAAAAAAASSSSSSGGGEEEEEEERRRRR!!!”
Illua shot awake at the reverberating roar from below, jumping for her blade and ready for battle. It took her a few seconds to realize she was in the library, but her adrenaline was still high. Throwing her shirt on, she leapt down the stairs to check on Horus.
She opened the door just in time to find a set of claws stopped inches from her throat. The magus held her ground, carefully watching her acquaintance with the gaze of a hardened warrior. Horus paused, eyes losing their glow as his nose twitched. “You...are not...him…” That was when she noticed something dripping from his eyes. A black fluid. And it was dripping copiously. He lowered his claws, stepping back as he relaxed ever so slowly. “...I...suggest you wait outside.” He said, his voice losing the power and confidence it once held, before slamming the door closed with his tail.
Illua relaxed as he did, releasing her grip on her blade. “Take your time. I’ll be here.” Her head swam as the adrenaline faded, leaving specks of shadow on her vision. She leaned heavily on the wall while she took her time to breathe, slowly steadying her pounding heart. A ripple of light engulfed her temporarily, easing the sensations enough for her to ascend the stairs to dress.
A few minutes later, roughly fifteen by her account, she heard clawed feet pad up the steps to her bedroom. When she looked behind her, she found Horus there. He rubbed his mangy, white furry neck as he looked anywhere but at her.
“I apologize for earlier, it was...it was wrong of me. Sinful. I did not mean to-” He stopped himself and cleared his throat. “-could we...put it behind us?”
“Sinful? I’m not so sure of that, but yes, we can.” Illua, now fully dressed and ready for the day, attached her grimoire to her belt, and slung the katana over her shoulders. “So, all of the Caribou in the area are pretty much dead, and I’m guessing some escaped to report to other outposts. What do you have in mind for preparations?”
Horus let out a breath, seeming relieved for the change in conversation. “We don’t know if anyone escaped. I’m certain I butchered them all, but what has the remaining residents concerned is the fact that we received a letter the day I awoke from my exhaustion, asking Ingvar for clarification on the date of ‘the deal’.” He shook his head. “It was signed with the signature of the Council of Dainn. Based on the calendar I was shown previously, whoever it is will be coming tomorrow, early in the morning.”
Illua chuckled. “So, do we have any sympathizers? Anyone who might rally under us as it stands? I led a revolution against the monarch at the time, so I’m used to starting fights like this. If not… might I suggest traps?” She looked out over the town from her window, her eyes flicking across different angles. “This tree is in the middle of a plaza, and depending on where the broker or middle man is going, we might be able to intercept him for information…” Her mind began to wander, her mouth speaking of her plans as they came to the forefront.
Horus smiled at this. “A revolution leader indeed.” Horus followed her gaze, walking up behind her. “It’s almost a novel idea to me. I only ever fought against armies, instead of leading them. But, considering where I was before this, I did have to learn how to make traps.” He pointed with a claw - which easily went past her shoulder - to a building with a slightly collapsed thatched roof. “I had the residents set up traps starting from there, and then there’s…” He started to ramble on himself, explaining the various traps himself and the residents had made and designed. As he did, his fairly thick tail gently swished behind him.
Illua hummed and flipped through her grimoire as he spoke. “So we do have some allies here, good. The Sanctum spell will make this place pretty hard to take down, so if they need refuge, we can move them down the basement. I could feel it being relatively expansive down there, so it’d be a fine place to bring allies, or to hide for possible ambushes... Do you have any ‘barrel behind the door’ traps set?” She pondered, Nyx interrupting only to provide an additional thought.
Horus nodded. “Something like that. We also have a number of picket fences set up there-” He pointed to a corner that led to their current location. “-and there,” he pointed to another corner beyond the last one. “Do you see the odd patch of grass over there, by the town square’s fountain?” He asked, pointing to said patch, which stretched in a line between the cobbles of the main street and that of the square. “There’s a covering of green adhesive there, which should keep them grounded long enough for us to pick them off if a few manage to step in it.” His strong chin was just a bit above her head.
She nodded, a grin on her face. “So traps are set, we do have allies, and we have a home base effectively… How soon can we arrange a meet up with some of the local- Hold on, they’re humanoid?” Illua’s face pressed to the glass at the sight of a few of them, with physiology similar to her own. “Holy fuck. I thought these were actual ponies and dragons and such.”
Horus chuckled. “I almost wish they were. But, only dragons have that honor, and only when fully grown. There are very few exceptions.”
“God, I have supplies, I can make some clothing for them, and not have to worry about stitching for 4 legs.” rolls of leather and bolts of cloth came out of her inventory, along with a small tool bag. “Old supplies from my revolution I just never got rid of. If we’re doing this, I’m armoring them up.”
Horus smiled down at her. “That would be greatly appreciated, but most here are not prepared nor trained for a fight with battle-hardened warriors. Only light armor would be of any use to us with their level of training. Any member of the Council, even a representative, is always accompanied by a platoon of veterans from the front lines.” He looked back out the window. “We are not planning to win this fight. Or, at least, they aren’t.”
“So they have a walking graveyard with them, and we have the two of us and a whole load of traps. I wonder if that Starlight Glimmer is anywhere, The Princess of Friendship from our world said she had an amazing spell she used for binding.” Nyx chuckled darkly. “You really need reel back the bloodlust for now Nyx. We are not in combat.” Illua chided her other half, rolling her eyes.
Horus growled. “Unfortunately, we will not have magic to help us in this fight. Caribou file the horns of Unicorns down to a point they cannot be used, and on some occasions even place jackets on Pegasi to bind their wings. They are nothing if not ruthless.”
“So what you’re telling me is that they just need a new focus? That… Okay, honestly, that would probably be difficult for them to learn in a short manner. So… Based on what you told me, it may be a better situation to attempt a pincer attack, and lure the guards into the traps, and eliminate any that pass through, unless you might have another option?” She began pushing the supplies back into her floating panes of glass, cleaning up the mess she had made already.
“The Unicorn’s horns can regrow, but it takes years. My plan, however…” He glanced towards the plains beyond the hamlet. “...I will be engaging the main force. Unlike most here, who have been in slavery and service for years, I know the tactics these scum use. They’ll try and make it seem like the platoon with the representative is all they’re sending, but there will be at least two other platoons waiting somewhere in case the Council member or representative is in trouble.”
Illua rested her chin in her hand, her gaze breaking away from the town in thought. “With how different things are, it’d be best to walk the town. This way I can develop a mental map for the coming battle.” Carefully stepping around her looming partner, she took to the stairs. “By the way, do you have any questions for me before we get too busy?”
Horus shook his head as he followed after her. “None at the moment. Whilst I did before, after observing you, they vanished.” He strode past her. “Your strength and cunning should serve you well.”
Her face flushed slightly at the verbose compliment. “I appreciate that. Shall we?” The magus queried, the clicks of her boot heels faintly echoing in the empty home to be.
Horus nodded as he stopped by the front door, opening it for her. “You first.” He urged, gesturing to the now open door.
Stepping through the now enlarged door with a spring in her step, she seemed almost giddy to explore. The October-like chill caressed her, bringing the scents of fall into the newly renovated library as she departed. “This is wonderful weather. It’s still springtime back in my world. I’m frankly surprised the smell of blood has almost dissipated completely.” She spun around, waiting for Horus to follow.
Horus smiled as he followed after her. “I quite enjoy it myself.” He agreed as they strode through his old tent and into the town proper. “Now, let’s see what plans we can devise.”
The walk through Ponyville served a grim reminder for Horus. Broken doors and a few remaining blood splatters, along with the rare remainders of gore, served as a testament to his handiwork.
There were a multitude of ponies around the town, with even a good few dragons and zebras and even griffons, all of them busying themselves with preparing more traps or feeding themselves with what food remained. Most of it was fruits and vegetables, but some were in containers of aluminum foil, something Horus tried to not look at for some reason. With most of the remaining population of the town being females now, it was hard not to notice the effects the Caribou had had.
Some of the traps appeared to be pitfalls, judging by the pieces of road that many were digging up. Some were just strategically placed barricades. Many were, as far as Illua could tell, traps geared towards home invasions, judging by the sounds of hammering and sawing and more coming from within most of the abodes in town.
The duo could also easily see a few remaining mares and other females chasing after the remaining stallions, only to be grabbed by other mares and dragged away, kicking and shrieking for sex and pleasure.
None of them ever approached Horus, or Illua.
The shorter of the two observed the wreckage, her mind wandering. “I really hate to ask, but do you know how the Caribou respond to fear tactics? We could easily create an impalement field in the direction the dealer is coming from. The bodies left behind would be good for that, but I’m not sure how the women would respond to that. It’d get the remains out of town, though.” She mused, her eyes tracing the map in her mind as they passed intersections and newly planted defenses.
Horus gained an almost feral looking grin as he looked to her. “I can see we will get along swimmingly, if that is your line of thinking.” He turned his view back to the path ahead as he continued. “Caribou are cowards as a general rule. Fear tactics and terrorism have always worked well against their kind. I’ve used such tactics against them many a time, in fact.”
“You did a good job describing the damage they’ve done to this world...” Illua frowned as she watched the hysterical displays from select individuals. “...And the proof is right there.” Illua ran her hand through her hair. “It means I need to reflect that cruelty. Last time, I was poisoning water supplies as part of a siege. I’m…honestly not proud of that battle.” Her voice was lined with deep regrets, but she shook it off. “At least the enemy is mostly irredeemable in this case.”
Horus raised his hand a moment, then lowered it. “Yes...at least.” He looked to his palm. ’At least…’
Breathing out her discourse, Nyx continued Illua’s line of thought. “Combining an impalement field with a fog spell would be great for instilling terror. Most of the species of this world are quite reactive to environmental conditions. Fog, bloody bodies, perhaps a bit of necromancy might be in the wings…” The now controlling spirit ran her hands over the upper arms, giggling. “Especially since many of them still have their death masks intact, full of fear and suffering.”
Horus nodded. “It certainly would be.” He gained an almost wistful smile as he looked skyward. “The scent and taste of blood in the air and in my mouth, the screams as they were torn apart in the cold, uncaring mists…” He let out a sigh. “...there’s nothing else like it.” Several residents nearby shied away from the duo at those words. He shook his head lightly. “Regardless, that would indeed be a fine plan. However, we will have to run it by my...allies, first.”
Illua seized control once more, grumbling. “God dammit Nyx… Okay, we have a plan. It’d be best to talk to them now, since we have a clear idea of what we want to do. If there’s any leftover remains after that, we can literally grind it down and turn it into mulch for planting.” Her thoughtful, less-terrifying tone had returned.
“Agreed.” As they walked through the streets, Illua noticed just how far gone things were. There was a building that looked like an actual gingerbread house, with a sign near it’s front reading, ‘Creampie Corner’. More than a few pits for bodies had been dug around it.
There was another building high above, though it was hard to miss thanks to the bright, neon signs at it’s entrance which gave it a Las Pegasus feel. A few signs were silhouettes of Pegasi mares in provocative positions, and one in particular depicted wings wrapped around a large phallus with a mouth above both, tongue out. The entrance’s sign was just below the symbolic one, the words, ‘Rainblow Club’ in bright, rainbow lettering.
What drew the eyes most was the hellish red sparks still rumbling and crackling around countless holes in the structure. Portions of the building were also drifting ever so slowly away from one another, the airship dock in particular being the farthest from the rest.
“I’m going to take a guess and say that it was you,” said Nyx.
Horus nodded. “It was. I had and still have no way to fly. So, my other abilities were what I had to rely on.” He shook his head. “I’m still surprised the Dracophage Bugs are still up there. I never knew they could like clouds so much.”
Illua raised an eyebrow. “Dracophage? As in… Monster Hunter?” Her interest was piqued. She hadn’t recognized it at first, but she could see the resemblance to the Hellwolf Wyvern. “Mmh…that makes a lot more sense now.”
The Hellwolf simply smiled at her, then turned on his heel and started to walk again, off towards what looked like Town Hall.
He has a cute smile, don’t you think?
Oh fuck off, Nyx.
A light but constant swishing of Horus’ tail, thick and lined with fur and scales drew her eyes. Next to do so was the hakama. The holes, the tears, dried bloodstains, dirt, haphazard stitches and muck gave a stark contrast to the ory sheen to his fur and scales. It had certainly earned its war-worn appearance.
Illua chuckled softly, catching up to his long strides. I wonder if I can steal those long enough to get his measurements…
So you want his pants off, ooooooh.
Horus continued to lead them through town, passing more locals and walking around a pitfall trap.
So help me GOD Nyx. Stop projecting your crushing power fantasy onto me, for like, 5 minutes. You did this with the Kirin dude way back in Hameltsburg.
Hey, that isn’t exactly fair, I did use protection.
They passed a building that must have once been a two-story boutique of sorts, but had been retrofitted into a makeshift sentry tower, complete with wooden parapets lining the balcony around the third floor suite. All the windows had been sealed with wooden planks, save for a set of embrasures, as well.
No, but you forget that the last time, you didn’t ask! I was sore. FOR 3 DAYS. You didn’t even use any spells to prevent that! And your protection was a flimsy force spell that you let sputter for your pleasure. Besides, I highly doubt he’s going to be even remotely receptive of that considering… All of this.
You’re looking both ways too. It’s not my fault you have all the pent up needs.
Just.. Just stop. I don’t need this right now. Go.. wander the mindscape or something. Illua mentally shoved Nyx into her subconscious, giving her the freedom to think alone for a while. A light sigh escaped her as the growing headache had receded with her lovable parasite.
Horus’s ears perked up, swiveling towards her direction, then the West, before he grunted and they faced forward again, continuing to march ahead. Horus then stopped. “We’re here.”
Illua’s situational awareness returned in a rush, breaking her line of thought as she bumped into the back of Horus. “I’m sorry, I was dealing with Nyx… Is this Town Hall?” Her eyes began to scan her surroundings, piecing together how far they had walked in her internal discussion.
The Town Hall now looked more fit to be called a ‘Towering Hall’, what with the still ongoing construction of more levels and the numerous oaken barricades and wooden walls surrounding it and closing it off from the rest of the town.
Countless locals littered the area, most of them with the signature white and gold armor of the Caribou donned, even if almost every piece was dented or had massive holes or claw-shaped gashes still. Many of them also bore sabers, longswords, warhammers, a number of crossbows, and more.
None of them looked actually ready for a fight. They were constantly checking their surroundings like frightened children, constantly inspecting their equipment, or, in many cases, trying to offer prayer to whatever deities remained.
Horus began to walk forward again, towards the front doors of the Town Hall. “It is.”
Many around them seemed to give the duo a wide berth, or outright glare at them. Hushed murmurs greeted them as they drew closer to the Hall’s doors.
Illua recognized the stares and behaviors intimately.
These truly were civilians trying to play soldier.
6 - Beginnings of Vengeance: Beginnings of Vengeance
Their entrance into Town Hall was silent as the grave, even with all the locals-turned-guardswomen lining the hallways and more. When they reached a set of heartwood doors, however, the silence was broken in exchange for heated debate.
Horus opened the doors with one claw, revealing five mares all arguing at a circular yet hollow table.
“I already told you that if we try to add more guards around the Hall we’ll only leave ourselves open elsewhere!” Bon Bon shouted.
“And leave all the foals, injured and unstable unprotected? How heartless can you be?!” Redheart shot back, slamming her hands down on the table.
“Girls, calm down, please!” Lyra urged, placing a hand on her marefriend’s shoulder.
Horus walked in, brazenly ignoring the argument in front of him. “I have found us someone to help with our cause.” He announced.
All eyes turned to him and Illua at that. The disagreement had halted in its tracks.
Illua stepped around Horus, and bowed slightly. "Hello. My name is Illua. I am a warrior of spell and blade. It's wonderful to meet you all, in spite of the current predicament." She rose back to her normal height, only to approach the table as if she belonged to the discussion. "I hear the argument is unit placement currently, yes?" Her probing question lingered in the air, allowing the mares time to read the newest of the two.
They all shared looks, before Bon Bon and Redheart settled back into their seats. “We are, yeah,” Bon Bon affirmed with a snort. “What does it matter to you? We don’t need your help.”
Horus placed a claw on Illua’s shoulder, ignoring the comment. “Illua has led armies before, whereas none of us have. I deduced that she would be able to give all of us better insight on warfare and it’s tactics.”
The magus smiled, taking a moment to get comfortable in one of the remaining seats. "If you don't mind, I'd like to know a few basic things. Namely numbers, and locations that need protection, in order of priority.. without arguing." Illua seemed almost different, as if she suddenly held a higher authority.
Silence reigned for a time, all of the mares seeming to have silent conversations with their eyes alone. Horus and Illua remained silent, letting them do so.
Starlight was the one to finally speak up as she looked back to Illua. “...We have roughly 4,000 still living citizens, almost all of them mares or female in general. Of those, about…” She looked to Bon Bon. “...1,000 volunteered to fight, and 2,000 volunteered to help with the traps, right?”
Bon Bon nodded slowly. “Roughly. A good portion of the other citizens up and fled the town entirely. For all we know they’ve been recaptured, or killed.”
Redheart soon chimed in. “We also have about 800 who are indisposed in one way or another, underneath us in the bunker.”
“The locations we decided as a group were the most important were the local barracks, the Castle, and Sweet Apple Acres, with Town Hall coming last-” Lyra began, before Redheart snarled.
“You mean you and Bon Bon decided that,” She snapped. “The rest of us have still been debating.”
“We should follow the stranger’s advice, instead of returning to anger cold as ice,” Zecora intoned, shooting her colleagues warning looks.
Illua's gaze turned to each as they spoke, nodding. "Good information, bad priority. First of all," she turned to the nurse, "where exactly are these indisposed individuals?" She leaned onto her hands, keeping her now steely watch upon her.
“In the bunker beneath this building. Mayor Mare had it made as a precaution back when the Elements were still together,” Redheart said as she shook her head, as if banishing some dark thought. “Regardless, we decided to keep them there and bring the hospital’s equipment there as well, at his directive,” she nodded to Horus.
“Keeping them in the hospital would have been too obvious a target if the Caribou managed to overrun the town,” Horus said with his own nod.
Illua grimaced at the thought. "Good decision. So, based on the order you said the location, the castle and barracks have more value than this town hall and Sweet Apple Acres. If that is the case… why are we stationed here and not in said castle?" Poison laced her words as she attempted to explain the folly of their priority.
“Because they denied my own request for such,” Horus explained, crossing his arms over his chest. “She argued that we should station ourselves here to better protect the indisposed.” He nodded to Redheart. He then nodded to Bon Bon. “And she argued that the barracks should be protected to keep a firm hold of our supply of weapons.”
Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Just because we ourselves have never used guns doesn’t mean we can’t learn to.” She retorted.
Illua pinched her brow. "Someone send an order to transport all supplies from the barracks here. Secondly, since we have already fortified this location, there's no point in moving to the- Horus, how long do we have till our visitors arrive?" She stopped to ask the Hellwolf, turning to face him. "That is our biggest limiter right now."
Horus’s furry brow furrowed, and he glanced out one of the windows on the ceiling. “...Roughly 18 hours.”
"That's tight but doable. Send the order to bring all supplies from the barracks here, burn anything remaining if it is not finished in 15 hours. Abandon the castle; if we aren't using it, it's just wasted resources." Illua’s commands were spoken as if they were to be followed, not to be taken as advice.
"Lastly, we want sixty percent of our combat forces in Sweet Apple Acres. Not only will it protect a viable food supply, it will provide a viable secondary gambit we can attempt later. Any volunteer from trap setting will be taught how to fire a gun and act as a firing squad from the balcony here. Any questions so far?" She looked to the other mares expectantly.
“Quite a few, actually,” Starlight began,steepling her fingers. “Where did you come from? Why are you here? What gives you the right to order us around? What is your reason for helping us?”
The other mares silently and expectantly looked to Illua at these words whilst Horus scowled.
"Allow me to pose a question in return." Illua stood up, Nyx's venomous tone slipping into her voice. "How much do you value your lives? Your newfound freedom? If that answer is less than your desire to return to bondage, I suggest you surrender, and cut all ties with someone who sought to protect you." The warrior-mage waited, her glowering gaze scanning each of them.
All of the equines present flinched back, as if struck...all, save Starlight, who met the gaze with her own. “I value the life of all those present here as well as my own. That is why I’m not going to immediately rush into an alliance such as this. I will NOT allow myself to make that same mistake.” Starlight stood up from her own seat. “I don’t care how powerful you two are, or how much you know. We deserve to at least know your intentions for us, to have some modicum of respect for our situation.”
"Good. You're going to need that defiance." Illua sat back down. "In order, I'm not sure where I came from in relation to here. I was summoned by Horus. Nothing gives me the right, however, my experience gives me the wisdom behind the plan I provided. My reason for helping is simple; I was summoned explicitly to help Horus. If he is assisting you, so am I." She smirked a bit, her finger tracing a circle into the table.
“...” Starlight sighed deeply, slowly sitting back in her chair and holding her face with a hand. “Just why in the world do either of you want to help us? It makes no sense…”
“I’m still wondering what you mean by ‘summoned’,” Lyra said, looking to Illua, then Horus.
“As much as I would like to explain that, we’ve no time for such a lengthy discussion,” Horus said with a shake of his head.
“Would you please stop avoiding the Faust-damned question?!” Bon Bon roared, slamming her fists on the table.
Horus’s eyes narrowed, before he let out a tense breath, Dracophage Bugs briefly making his form crackle with their power. “For vengeance. That is all you need know.” He looked to Starlight, eyes boring into hers. “Make your decision. Either send out the orders, or send me to fight the Caribou head on.”
“Head on? You’d seriously just throw your life away like that?” Redheart asked, eyes wide.
“It would not be a life wasted, in my eyes,” Horus said firmly.
“And yet I sense more to your words, at least enough to suggest accords,” Zecora noted, giving the Hellwolf a scrutinizing gaze.
Horus’ tail slammed down on the floor, cracking the floorboards. “Enough.” He said coldly, before looking to Starlight. “Make your decision.”
"There is one more plan I would like to suggest." Illua leaned forward. "We need spears, and any caribou bodies that still have heads. I'm suggesting we instill as much fear as possible into them… as if basting a turkey. I will be actively engaging them within the village, acting as an independent ambusher. Is this agreeable?"
The others gave Illua looks of disgust, whilst Zecora, surprisingly, slowly nodded. “I can agree to this plan. It has served me well in the Everfree during many of Fate’s hard-dealt hands.”
Horus smirked. “Good to see you agree.”
“What?! Buck no! There’s no way we’re stooping to...to that level!” Redheart shouted, springing from her seat. “Do you know the kind of message that will give any other resistance cells? It could label us as a more radical group! We could even be targeted!”
“I’d have to agree,” Bon Bon said, nodding. “For monster traps it’s typical, but when used on something sentient? It’s just...not right,” she shook her head.
“I don’t think any of us wants to tell anyone to do anything so gruesome-” Lyra started, but Starlight interrupted her.
“Fine,” the pink unicorn said, still with her head in her hand. “I’m willing to go with both ideas.” She looked up, meeting Horus’ gaze. “If there’s one thing I can understand and agree with you on, Horus, it’s that the Caribou have to die. And I think we can both agree making them suffer is just a good bonus.”
“WHAT?!?” Redheart, Lyra, and Bon Bon screeched.
Horus smiled and nodded. “Good.”
“Starlight, what the buck are you saying?! You can’t really mean that we should just stoop even lower than the Caribou, can you?!” Redheart asked.
"She's saying we should fight to live another day. Not to win one fight on a moral high ground." Illua retorted. "Give the orders, we are strapped for time and the sooner we get things started, the more effective this will be."
They all shared uneasy looks, but Starlight’s remained hardened like steel.
“We’ll get on that. In the meantime, I would like you two to help out, and take your own time to prepare,” Starlight replied.
Horus nodded. “We already planned on it.” He turned on his heel, making his way out of the conference room.
Illua followed suit, closing the door behind her. As soon as they had made it back to the silent hall, she let out a tense breath, holding her chest. "God dammit.." a quick flash on the back of her hand and she was wreathed in a pale green mist, her breathing settling as it absorbed into her skin.
“Are you alright?” Horus asked, looking her way.
"I'll be fine… just an old issue that acts up once I start coming down from tense situations.." she only half-lied, but returned to her typical self all the same. "Hopefully they have a decent communication chain to get them moving."
Horus frowned at this, but nodded slowly as he led them both back outside. “It is as reliable as it can be in these situations. With the main postal service of the town so backed up with mail, the Caribou had apparently decided to set it’s only employees to other…’tasks’.” His tail flicked to the side. “Regardless, the mare in charge of it, while clumsy, is the best there is in town. It will be done.”
"Fascinating information, but I was referring to getting the orders out to the troops." Illua giggled softly.
Horus blinked, then turned his head away, but not quick enough for her to not see his cheeks redden ever so slightly. “A-Ah, of course. Well, I’m certain it will be fine. They’ve coordinated well so far, after all.”
Illua’s brows raised a bit, his embarrassment eliciting a tender smirk from her. "Then how about you and I return to the Library and we can talk some more? Play 20 questions?" She lightly nudged him. "Fix your pants?"
Horus’ cheeks only turned a darker shade of red at that as he refused to look at her. “I-I believe I shall pass on that offer, but thank you nonetheless.” He cleared his throat as they walked through the streets of Ponyville once more. “And besides, I...do not exactly have anything else to wear. I’d rather not be without my hakama for any stretch of time.”
"Fair enough. I would like to get your measurements though. It would give me something to work on while we wait for their orders." She kept looking around, watching the various preparations go up. "Hey… give me a sec.." stepping to a wall, she inscribed yet another circle onto the wall using a piece of charcoal, filling it with clouds around the root of a tree. "Just a bit of extra fun for the enemy."
Horus quirked a brow at this, blush receding quickly. “What exactly does it do?”
"Fog. Dense fog. It will be useful for sowing chaos." Illua's pride was clear in her voice. "Besides, it's not gonna be much use outside of when they first approach. Do you like foggy weather?" Her thoughts moved back to querying Horus more.
Horus blinked at this, before slowly nodding. “I do… Why do you ask?”
"It's calming. Watching as sentient beings walk through, as if shadows to one another. It was always fun to see in the larger cities, acting like a privacy wall between travelers." Her tone became wistful, full of nostalgic memories. Her feet began to move once more, catching up to her long strided compatriot.
Horus gave her a sidelong look, before returning his gaze back to the street ahead. He remained silent for a time as he walked side by side with her, before he slowly began closing his eyes, ever so softly.
’I can’t read her at all. Still...the memories she brings to mind…’
He slowly smiled, eyes still closed. “...Never knowing where you’re going, but always finding something new, something exciting as you wander through the mists. The feeling of walking through a cloud itself, yet still being grounded on the Earth…” He gained a small smile, one with an unknown context. “...Yes. Fog has always been a favorite for me.”
"Then we should hope for a cloudy day tomorrow." She slowed as he did, permitting him his memories as he did for her.
He hummed, the sound not unlike that of a soft thunderstorm. “Yes...we should.” His eyes remained closed.
The sun had not yet risen before the snow haired woman was awake. Her eyes opened to a starless dusk. Time to start. A quick flick of her wrist and a few taps led to a small, metallic stand with a tall handle and a deep bowl fitted with a stained cheesecloth sitting before her.
It wasn't long before the scent of coffee filled the main room, and the magus sipped a quiet cup whilst she watched the sky brighten.
Barely ten minutes later Horus came into the room, pure red eyes closed as he sniffed around, following the scent of coffee. When he drew close to where she was, he stopped and slowly opened his eyes, looking down at her.
"Not sure how you take yours. I still have a cup ready for you." She gestured to a significantly larger cup than her own, closer to a ceramic stein, half full with the elixir known for wakefulness.
He looked from her, to the cup, then back to her. “...I’m almost surprised you are carefree enough to do this before a major battle.” He strode past her, but not before smiling at her. “Thank you, it is appreciated.” He said as he picked up his cup, holding it up to his lips. After taking a long, drawn-out sip, he lowered it from his lips and took a deep breath. “...How long it has been…” he breathed. His smile turned melancholy, but he spoke no words.
Illua sipped her own, the color difference between revealing her love of cream and sugar. "It took a long time to find them, but I save them for events such as this. A little reminder of home, I guess." Her own mood was uplifted by his reaction. "With all that’s to happen today, it's gonna be busy. The ladies should be setting fire to the barracks any moment now, too."
Horus nodded, taking another sip. “They should.” He looked towards her, then down at his drink. “Did you...sleep well?”
Illua looked down as well, swirling her coffee. "Not particularly. This will be my first battle against mostly humanoid combatants. Even though they are a completely separate species, I can't help to see the similarities." An anxious sigh escaped her. "This is something I will have to accept, but for today, they are the monsters of this world."
Horus slowly nodded. “They are.” He continued to stare at the liquid in his cup. “Illua?” He asked after a few moments of silence.
"Yes?" Illua looked up at him, her expression a mask, caught in quiet contemplation, unmarred by the stains of war.
He paused for a time, seeming unsure, before he finally spoke. “...If you see any Caribou with gems in the shape of phallus’...destroy those gems first. I was told after I awoke that the Caribou managed to make portable versions of the Crystal...ugh, Cock.” He shook his head and looked her way. There was something different about his eyes. Something old, and worn. “I may not know you, but I’d rather not see a comrade in arms become another slave to the filth that is the Caribou.”
"I'll remember that. Thank you, Horus." Finishing her drink, she set the cup down as she began to walk back upstairs. "I'm going to sharpen my blade before I head out. I'll see you later."
He nodded slowly. “Alright.” He looked to the cup in his claws for a moment. ’I certainly hope so…’ After staring for a while longer, he chugged the rest of the drink down before heading for the front door, cracking his neck as he did. “I suppose it’s high time I get back to work.” He mused as he walked out the door and into the town beyond.
POV Change: Illua
Illua sighed as she sat upon the edge of the bed with an open menu.
I gave you time. What’s the plan, Lulu?
Well… Cast a few spells, incite as much terror as possible, and then proceed to kill any enemies. Take special care to destroy any blue dick accessories..
You’re joking right?
Not really.
So…
So, what?
How big can we go?
Nyx, I want to limit the collateral damage, we have people who still live here. Nothing in the -Aga category. Honestly, I’d prefer if we stick to Blizzard or Thunder for spells outside of survival.
Poo. I thought some smoked caribou would be fantastic.
Illua pinched the bridge of her nose, but a small snort escaped her. “God, you’re terrible.”
Glad you can still laugh about a situation like this.
Opening the door to leave herself, Illua looked to the sky to see the plume of smoke rising from the direction of the barracks, eliciting a satisfied grin. So they are actually burning it. Good. Her eyes traced the rooftops further, the outlines of bows and muskets protruding ever so slightly above the peaks. Time to take my starting position.
From atop the Boutique, she could see the lowlands around Ponyville, clear of all but sparse trees and a solitary figure, lying in wait. Upon the northern horizon, she watched as one company approached Horus’ position, but her eyes drifted to the west. The approaching platoon was obvious in its intention, with its heavily armored steam engine encroaching. They were here to secure the town. So be it.
Illua’s fingers lit up as she traced the sigil she had scored into her rooftop perch, linking to the others she had left amongst the alleyways between homes. A dense fog poured out from these magic circles, filling the streets in with low lying clouds, with a second spell pushing it out to the plains beyond the limits. In a matter of moments, the town was swaddled in a blanket of mist.
“Hey, Sapphi. Let your allies know that if they see lightning or hear thunder, that’s me.” Illua leapt down from the roof to address the woman in question. “Also, don’t shoot me. I have no horn or wing to identify myself otherwise.”
The fittingly sapphire colored unicorn mare nodded crisply as she kept her golden eyes on the approaching train as best she could. “Understood,” she said firmly, cyan tail flicking to the side before she picked up a lantern from a nearby crate and started to flash signals with it to those in other key points of the town’s defense.
Along with most of the makeshift militia in Ponyville, she wore the white and gold splint mail the old Caribou guard bore. Despite the obvious breaches in it’s structure - four long gashes across the chest - all of the volunteers agreed some protection was still better than none at all.
Illua nodded at the mare, before throwing herself off the balcony. “Keep your eyes to the north west, and be prepared to engage at any moment.” She called out, tossing a quick air spell to catch her as she landed. Now to intercept them before they get too far into Ponyville.
Horus sat with his legs crossed in the plains outside the hamlet, eyes closed as he waited. His ears perked up as he heard the train whistle as it roared down the tracks only but a mile from him.
He remained still nonetheless. ’Not yet.’ He told himself. An ear twitched at the distant sound of heavy boots and metal encroaching on his position. ’Not yet…’ Another twitch of an ear as he heard idle, if hushed, chatter. ’Almost…’ The sounds were more crisp now; closer.
His eyes opened. “Now,” he almost purred, before getting on all fours. As he did, he let out a roar that would make the heavens shudder. Soon after this, his body started to grow exponentially. Larger, larger, and yet larger, until he was a hulking wolf of Hell in all his quadrupedal, titanic glory.
Sadly, even when the approaching company saw him, it was all out of their hands...and into his. Already he had leapt into the air, slamming his weighty tail between their ranks with a somersault, the immense force behind the strike cracking the earth below and leaving only a crater filled with the pasty remains of Caribou soldiers.
The cries of fear from the Caribou were followed by the booming retorts of muskets and flintlocks that opened fire soon after. Each bullet seemed to dent the Hellwolf’s hide, but this only furthered the intensity of his rage, his hatred. With a roar that almost ruptured their eardrums, his symbiotes fanned out in clusters, soon after calling down bolts of hellish lightning, flash frying many of them.
The Caribou either scattered to the winds in fear, died on the spot from the lightning, or tried to retaliate with blades, since bullets had failed them.
None of it was enough, as Horus simply spun and tail whipped them with a sickening crack as their armor bent inward, piercing their stomachs from just the one blow.
Horus snarled, but there was a distinct joy in his red eyes. His ears briefly perked as he heard the train nearby whistle it’s arrival at the station. He spared a glance back to see flashes of white light and the rolling timbre of thunder. He smirked, then turned back to the Caribou fleeing before him and licked his chops menacingly.
’This is proving to be just as fun as I’d hoped.’
The engine pulled into the station, the fog barely thinning at its approach. The whistle sounded off as thick metal doors opened, revealing the glittering platoon. They advanced onto the cobblestone platform, weapons in hand as they scanned the fog. They’re nervous. Good.
Lightning flashed from the fog at Illua’s command, running holes through the chests of the vanguard. Illua quietly stepped just close enough to give the platoon her silhouette. Her eyes glowed with the violet energy of her spiritual parasite. “I’m so glad you could make it. Now you can all die for me.” Ice launched from her now outstretched hand, slamming into the side of the train, locking the gears. “Escape is not an option.”
Her blade left it’s sheath as she lunged forward, carving her way through steel, flesh, and bone. Step. Strike. Step. Strike. Turn. Each movement was punctuated by another flash of her blade, and another victim was slaughtered. A step forward brought her blade from hip to shoulder. Spinning to face the horde brought the deaths of those who approached her. It was mere seconds to her, but the first departees lay slain upon the flagstones. “Bring me your leader.” Her fingers were tipped with individual spells, each ready to fire at a moment’s notice.
Many of them stepped back at this, but a few remained defiant. “Hah! Nice try, but I think we all know that little display of yours was just luck!” One Caribou said, hefting a long-mace over his shoulder. He seemed larger than the others, and instead of the splint mail the others wore, he had full-plate armor.
The retort of several muskets from the rooftops showed him this had nothing to do with luck, many of his comrades falling into heaps around him.
Illua could only grin. “Luck wouldn’t have turned you into an easy-bake oven.” A plume of red leapt from her fingers and caressed his armor, liquefying the heavy plate onto his soft flesh. “And it definitely would have saved you from me.” Another crack of lightning, and his head splattered like a watermelon on concrete. “Bring. Me. Your. Leader. Or I will murder every last one of you until I find him.”
“[Hagalaz.]” A new voice spoke, just as a storm of sharp icicles sped through the crowd, burying several of those very icicles into Illua’s right arm and side. “[Elhaz.]” The voice said again, as a cyan glow emanated from the fog before shooting towards the rooftops, followed by many muskets dropping from the rooftops with muffled curses from those above.
A Caribou in gold, armored robes stepped past those around him, his face covered with a mask hewn from the skull of a fellow Caribou, or mayhaps an elk. The skull bore runes all over its surface, and in his clawed, silver gauntlet was a small stone with a glowing blue rune on it. Several more stones were attached to his hip, as was a crossbow of some sort.
“Where is Ingvar, wench,” he asked in a voice as cold as the grave from which his mask was dug.
A purr of excitement escaped the magus as she pulled one of the shards from her arm, the hole glittering green as it resealed. “You have no idea what's about to happen, do you?” The magus’ almost feral grin was highlighted by a series of sigils glowing along the edge of her blade. The blade itself warped into pure flame, keeping only the silhouette of a weapon. “I’d like to know if you’re truly a leader, or just another minion Shitlord.”
A snarl emanated from the skull-capped Caribou, as well as those remaining behind him, whom were picking themselves up. “I am the Chief Representative of the Council, whore. Do not think you will escape punishment for these transgressions, no, these heresies.” The Caribou pulled another rune out, this one glowing orange as he raised it up. “Do not kill her, men!” He ordered as the rune pulsed with energy, which soon enveloped those around him. “Capture her at all costs! We must learn what happened to the Prince! Show her why men are the best warriors!”
All the remaining men of the platoon cheered and whistled, before rushing Illua with greater speed than before. Five rushed her with sabers in hand, whilst others readied ropes to toss her way and bind her. Six more moved to fire their muskets at her after loading them with green capsules.
All the while the Council Representative stood his ground, holding the same rune high as it continued to pulse with magic.
“[Double Cast: Hastega - Protect].” Illua blurred suddenly as a reflective layer coated her form, stepping back and retaliating with a lash of flame, amputating the oncoming warriors’ hands with a cauterizing blade. She dove into the firing squad next, the fiery weapon eating through their primitive muskets, her eyes constantly glowing with that intense purple glow, leaving a streak of light behind her. "You really don't understand the situation, do you? Your plan is fucked and you still think yourself above us? What a waste." A flick of her hilt sent a wave of flame towards the skull-masked man.
A brief wall of blue covered him, shielding him from the flames yet also concealing his form thanks to them billowing over that very shield. Just as the flames died, a crossbow bolt shot out and grazed Illua’s shoulder, leaving a burning sensation in it’s wake. This was followed by at least four more, before Illua could finally see the repeating hand crossbow in the Caribou’s other gauntleted hand.
Illua smirked, pulling her blade back. “[Fire Whip.]” She grinned as the flames curled back around, slamming into the back of the horned mage, a fragment of his mask crumbling away. Stepping in once more, her fist shot out, slamming him in the throat. “[Aphonia.] Your magic is fun, but It’s annoying.”
The Caribou grunted in pain, stumbling back and clutching his face. “You bitch!” He swore, before flicking his wrist, in turn causing the repeating crossbow in his hand to fold and reveal a blade within it, which he slammed into her elbow. “How dare you strike me! I am you superio-!”
She looked to the impaling instrument, only to respond by slamming the pommel of her blade into his mask again. “ [Sleep.] You’re gonna want that.” She turned to the rest of them. “I’ll give you a choice. Retreat, or he dies, and you get to wallow in the regret you couldn’t protect him before I kill you.” She spat at them, as she removed the bladed gauntlet from her body, the glitter of Regen closing the wound once more.
The remaining ten looked to each other, then finally noticed their surroundings. The heads of their own on pikes, the eerie fog, the distant cries of slaughter…
They couldn’t help the tremors. “We-We surrender-” A mace slammed into the head of the one who uttered that phrase, crushing their skull in an instant.
Similarly, a long arm slammed into the gut of one other, knocking them prone.
Two Caribou stepped up. One was yet another long-mace wielder, but with much heavier plate armor of what looked to be steel, covered in numerous runes and tassels with yet more runes inscribed on them. His long-mace seemed to be made of cast-iron, and looked like a set of double-edged talons gripping a gem at the top.
The other was wearing nothing but a set of red fur leggings and wielded two battle-axes of iron laced with rusted, old copper. But his build was nothing to sneeze at. He was easily equal to Horus in height, and all over his chest and arms were runes, carved straight into his flesh.
“I won’t let my brother’s death go unanswered, whore. I’m gonna use you ‘till you drop dead and full of my seed,” the mace wielder snarled, twirling said mace like it was nothing.
“Mind if I join in afterwards, brother?” the axe wielder asked, licking his lips. “I’m quite curious how different her breed is from the other bitches we usually get.”
“As long as you help teach her her lesson, I don’t see why not,” the mace wielder replied, shrugging but glaring at Illua all the same from under his barbute.
“God, it’s as if your entire species has been blue-balled and jealous of fair treatment or something. [Scathe.]” Illua shot out a beam of light from her fingertips, taking the red adorned caribou out at the knees.
“Gah! Fucking bitch!” the axe bearer swore as he fell to what remained of his knees.
“One, if this cum stain is your brother, he’s not dead. I’m willing to barter for him. Secondly, if Ingvar is your brother... I’ve never met him. And lastly,” Illua hefted the council representative up on her shoulder. “Don’t die in vain. You’ll only sully his ‘honor’ further. Fuck his bitch or something, I don’t care.” She raised her hand with a sigil, letting it hover behind her as she began to walk away.
“Where do you think you’re going, girly?!” the mace bearer roared as he charged after her, only to suddenly feel the ground underneath him give way. “Wha-?!” Before he knew it, he was at least ten feet below ground in a ditch. “You whores! I’ll kill you all for this! My brother will be avenged, I swear it!” He screamed.
Horus walked through the remaining fog of Ponyville, covered in Caribou blood and gore and occasionally licking some from his claws. He was making his way to the train station first, so as to see just how effective the defenses had been.
Horus could see the numerous traps that had yet to be sprung, and judging by the lack of bodies or blood in the streets themselves, they had taken few, if any, casualties.
He didn’t have to walk much longer to hear the cursing of an unknown male voice. Ears perked to the sound, he followed to it to find a number of bodies arrayed all around a pitfall trap as well as the train station itself.
He smirked as he noted that one Caribou had died trying to crawl towards the pitfall trap; likely to save whomever had been caught in it. After walking over himself, he saw the one making all the noise.
“You! Diamond Dog! You’re our reinforcements, right? Get me out of here, and we can both take turns with that hairless bitch!” the heavily armored Caribou offered, looking to Horus with eyes full of vengeance...and hope.
’Hope is a luxury you scum shall not have.’ He reasoned as he snarled. “I have no reason to free filth such as you.” His maw opened wide, and out shot an orb of Dragon Lightning, obliterating the Caribou’s head by breaking it’s runic wards and crushing the helmet, effectively crushing the skull with it.
Horus started to walk away again, towards Golden Oak. “Stay there and rot.” He spat as the corpse in the pit spewed blood.
As he continued his walk through town, he noticed how many residents were peeking out from their windows, and how many whom once held weapons now had them shouldered and were burying Caribou bodies.
’Good. Seems we lost barely any lives.’ He looked to the oak tree in the distance. “With any luck, Lady Illua has the captive and is interrogating him.”
Starlight came rushing up to him. “Did you-” She began, before her nose scrunched up and she gagged. “N-Nevermind, I can see that you kept your end just fine.”
Horus nodded, not breaking his stride. “It was a delectable slaughter.” He looked to her as she matched his pace. “Any casualties?”
She shook her head, pinching her nose as she followed him. “None. Barely any of our traps were sprung, too. Illua managed to stop pretty much all of the first platoon from going too far or doing too much damage. We may as well have prepared for nothing.”
Horus grunted. “‘To be prepared for war is the most effective means of preserving peace.’” His tail flicked to the side, a bit of gore flying off with the motion.
Starlight blinked at him. “That sounded...surprisingly well-thought.”
“I am not just a mindless beast. You’d do well to remember that,” Horus replied evenly as they reached Golden Oaks. He pushed through the tent at the front, before opening the door behind it, Starlight following him and walking inside.
The Caribou whom had been captured was bound and gagged in a chair, his mask, gauntlets and most of his clothing off to one side, whilst on the other, Illua was vomiting into a makeshift bucket, covered in the blood, gore, and the soot of her own battle. Horus and Starlight immediately rushed over to her.
“Illua, what happened? Are you okay?” Starlight asked hurriedly.
“My stomach is tied up in knots, and my old disease is working against me. Do we have any ginseng, mint, Mana leaf…?” She said weakly, looking up from her bucket with puffy eyes and a face dripping with saliva and snot.
Horus noticed one of her wounds and lifted her arm before sniffing experimentally. “Kame. Dammit,” he swore, before looking to Starlight. “Procure some white sage tea, and mix it with echinacea, swiftly!”
Starlight swiftly nodded. “I think Twilight left some in here before she abandoned the place. I’ll go look.”
“Hurry,” Horus urged as Starlight ran off and into the kitchen. Horus looked back to Illua and picked her up bridal style as he began carrying her to the bedroom. “Close your eyes, the more your brain is overloaded with sensory data the faster the poison acts to make you nauseous.” He ordered gently.
Illua nodded, grimacing as she closed her eyes, taking slow breaths. “I spent way too much mana. I could have just Esuna’d this away, but no, Lord Cuntabus down there decided he needed to experience excessive force,” she idly complained, before another wave hit her, forcing her to shut her mouth reflexively.
Horus soon reached the bedroom, gently and carefully laying her down on it. He looked her over. “Where else were you hit?” He asked.
“He shot me a couple times. Protect deflected a couple of them, but I got struck here, here and here.” She pointed to her arm, shoulder, and the graze mark from her rib, most having been sealed by her healing spell, but faint marks still lingered.
Horus winced. “Then I’ll have to remove your upper armor. Apologies for this, but your health comes before any reservations either of us have.” He told her solemnly.
“That’s fine, It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been injured.” She remarked, a slight smirk on her lips as she kept herself up.
Horus gently grabbed the hem of her tunic, lifting it up and over her head as she raised her arms so that he could pull it off her. He tried his best to not look at her now exposed mammaries with a brief blush on his face as he placed the article of clothing aside before taking a deep breath.
“I’m going to have to reopen your wounds. I apologize in advance for the pain,” he told her as he lowered a claw to the wound on her ribs and gently but swiftly cut it back open.
The sickly magus nodded as he warned her, taking a deep breath as the claw expertly cut open her rib once more. “That’s gonna scar, I can almost be sure.”
As he applied pressure to the newly reopened wound, he moved one hand to a patch of his fur, memories coming unbidden to his mind as he ripped a clump off with a grunt of minor discomfort.
“Daddy, are you sure-”
“I am, Goldie. Just bear with me, okay? Daddy will have you fixed up in no time,” Horus said hurriedly, applying pressure to the girl’s wound with his clump of fur, watching as it soaked up with sickly green and purple liquid, as well as blood. Horus looked back to the small, red-skinned creature behind him. “If this doesn’t work, your head will be on a platter with my next meal.”
The creature smiled with razor sharp teeth seemingly permanently stained with blood. It's strange, cross-like pupils were filled with an inexplicable emotion. “I’d consider it an honor, ser. Either way, you’ve no need to worry. Many experiments with your species has shown this to be a tried and true practice for such operations.”
“You better hope it is,” Horus shot back.
“Daddy, it hurts…” The girl cried, tears stinging her eyes.
Horus raised a hand to gently cup her cheek. “Don’t worry Goldie, it’ll all be over soon…”
Horus shook his head as he applied the clump of ashen-white fur to Illua’s first wound, holding it tight against the injury. “Pony! Speed it up, if you would! And gather some wrappings as well!” He called over his shoulder.
“I’m working on it! Don’t exactly have magic to carry more than two arm-fulls of stuff anymore!” Starlight shot back.
Illua grunted. Nyx’s voice this time came from the mirror nearby, her ethereal form waving from the reflection. “Mmh. Harder.”
“Go fuck yourself.” Illua growled back at her other half. She put her head back down on the bed, remaining as still as possible for her careful attendant, her nausea still fighting to escape.
Starlight soon entered the room, bundles of wrappings held under one arm as the other held a steaming cup of tea.
“Here, this is all I could find,” Starlight said, placing the items on a nearby nightstand. “Most of the other items were rotted or just not usable. Thank the stars Twilight had the sense to use preservation spells, even if only on a few things.”
Horus nodded swiftly. “Thank you,” he said, before reaching over with one claw and grabbing the wrappings, starting to wrap Illua’s ribs and making sure the clump of fur remained tight against her wound.
Starlight blinked a bit at his words, before nodding slowly. “..Of course. Is there anything else I can do to help?”
“Rip off two more clumps of my fur, carefully open her other wounds, and start wrapping them,” Horus told her, moving so the mare had access to his back.
“Don’t be gentle, we can take it,” purred Nyx from the mirror, waving at the frazzled unicorn. Illua only growled again, looking up at her with a single, reddened eye. “Don’t mind Nyx too much. She likes to instigate things.”
Starlight looked between Nyx and Illua for a moment, before sighing and setting to work. “I’m not sure I even want to question why you have Nightmare Moon inside you. Too much bullshit going on already.”
Horus grunted as Starlight pulled a clump off. “You likely don’t want to know.”
7 - Beginnings of Vengeance: Not A Farewell (Edited)
Illua’s eyes fluttered open and blearily looked around. Horus was sitting in a chair beside her, his eyes closed, arms crossed and tail curled around the chair’s legs.
The magus groaned from the dull pain of yesterday's battle, the bruises making themselves known amongst the bandaged wounds. Nyx waved from the mirror once more.
Good morning, Snow White. Feeling better? Nyx asked, using their telepathic connection so as not to wake Horus. Her tone was surprisingly soft, despite her sarcastic words.
I'll be fine, are you alright?
Now that I know you're fine, yes. You got reckless yesterday, what got into you?
I really don't know. Normally I'm holding you back but..
But you instead went with my bloodlust. Angry much?
Maybe.
Illua attempted to stretch, groaning again as her bandages held fast, reminding her of the reopened wounds her ally had treated.
“You shouldn’t move,” Horus’ voice rang out. His eyes remained closed.
"Shouldn't, but Lord Faarquad should be waking up from the sleep spell, and I'm going to let him think I'm immune to his silly poison." Illua retorted, scooting closer to Horus. She retrieved a different shirt from her inventory, this one made of a lighter cloth, dyed a deep blue, resembling a form fitting tunic.
“Your health is more important,” Horus pressed, cracking a crimson eye open to look at her. “Besides, once he outlives his usefulness, he will be butchered like all Caribou.”
"Then get me a front row seat at least." She locked her determined gaze with his, crossing her own arms. "Besides, are we going to have any of the other leaders be witness or not? You need people to verify information."
“They’ve been downstairs waiting for us. I told them I would stay here until you woke,” Horus explained, standing up from his chair.
Illua pushed up from the bed, taking to her feet and taking a few uneasy steps. "I have one last thing I want to do to him. How much meat do the Ponies eat here? They're completely vegetarian back on my Equestria."
Horus quickly moved to her side, supporting her as she walked with a frown on his face. “They eat kibble. Even the dragons and carnivores.”
"Oh." Illua gritted her teeth. "I don’t know about you, but I'm going to be eating some food while we interrogate him, and start getting my strength back. I have enough manticore jerky to share with you and the leaders, at least until we can get people cooking again." Composing herself once more, she leaned on Horus as she moved to the stairs.
“Even with what they’ve been forced to eat, I imagine only Zecora would eat it,” Horus mused as they slowly descended the stairs. “Though I admit I do not know them well enough to be sure.”
Already they could hear the heated debate going on downstairs, shouts and yelling prevalent and ringing throughout the abode.
"They never truly stop arguing, do they?" Illua stifled a giggle.
“They have that luxury thanks to your efforts,” Horus replied back with a small smile.
"Very true. Hopefully they'll stay wise to my method." Illua smiled in return.
They soon reached the bottom floor, and could more clearly make out the voices as they were raised.
“You better fucking speak up, shithead, or I’m just gonna keep shoveling these ashes down your fucking throat!” Starlight roared, having ahold of the Caribou’s antlers with a pile of ashes in her off-hand. Said Caribou was still coughing up the ashes he'd already been fed.
“Starlight, don’t kill him! We need his information and shoveling ash down his throat will just give us a damn timer!” Redheart argued, trying to hold the pink unicorn back.
“Shut up, Redheart! I don’t need your fucking pacifism right now!” Starlight shot back.
“Bon Bon, why are you not doing anything?!” Lyra cried, before gesturing to the scene before them. “They’ve both gone nuts!”
“Because whether you two like it or not, this is a valid form of gathering information,” Bon Bon replied, arms crossed as she watched the scene passively. “Besides, the bucker deserves to have some suffering of his own.”
“Ladies, please, do not-” Zecora noticed the duo. “Oh thank the stars, there our heroes are!”
Illua's eye twitched, but then simply let out a quiet breath. "Starlight, Redheart is correct in this manner. We do need him alive, at least for now. The more valid information he gives us, the longer he lives." Illua’s commanding tone returned, staring down the eager woman.
“After everything he’s done? After everything they’ve done?! Fuck no!” Starlight raged, throwing Redheart off of her and making to shove her fistful of ashes down the Caribou’s throat.
A thunderous slam shook the house, throwing Starlight off balance and onto her rear. All eyes looked to Horus, whose tail had embedded itself in the floor.
“Calm yourselves. This is no time for bickering. We all hold hatred for the Caribou, but letting that rage control us in critical moments like these serves us none,” He looked to Illua, then gently guided her to a free chair that had been prepared, and carefully helped her take her seat.
“But I-!” Starlight began, making to stand.
"Starlight, a book burned provides no information." Illua interrupted her, a sigil hovering above her palm. "I'm prepared to do what I need to, when I need to. But for now, take a seat. Horus can handle this. Watch and learn."
Starlight grit her teeth, looking to Horus, before grunting and standing up, dusting herself off and sitting forcefully in her own chair, Redheart following suit with a modicum of grace.
“Fine,” Starlight conceded.
The Caribou smirked. “As-” A raucous cough came from him, along with a wad of blood from his throat. “Full of...impulse and emotion as...any female.” He sneered breathlessly. A calculated swipe saw one branching portion of the Caribou’s right antler cut clean off. “Gah!” He glared at Horus, whose claw was outstretched.
“Do not test your luck, you gutless child. I am not afraid to relieve you of your pride,” the Hellwolf flexed his claws. “And I do not just mean your antlers.”
The Caribou turned his head away at that. “Hah. Do as you wish, beast. I am not so foolish as to reveal state secrets just because of a little pain.”
Horus smiled wickedly. “Oh? And if I said I knew where your son is?”
The Caribou rolled his eyes. “Like you actually-”
“His name is Harold, correct? Harold Brimsgold?”
The Caribou suddenly froze.
Horus’ smile grew. “I know your House well. Even more so it’s insignia. Your son would be Harold XVI at this point, yes?”
“H-How could you possibly-”
“Because I was the one who ended the life of Harold II. I endeavor to remember the names of all those I slay, and have failed to wipe out,” Horus began, walking towards the Caribou’s back.
“Y-Y-You still wouldn’t know where he-”
“If I had to guess, your pride and joy is taking care of things for you with the Council while you came here. Which means he must be in Canterlot,” Horus deduced.
The Caribou visibly paled. “H-How...How could you know-?”
“A hunter is nothing but a beast if they stalk their prey without researching them first, without studying their moves, their way of life,” Horus said in a chilling tone, trailing a singular claw along the Caribou’s neck. The Caribou shivered. “Now...why don’t you tell me a few things, hm? All the more to keep your son alive, yes?”
“I-I-I-I-” The Caribou stuttered, his teeth even chattering.
Horus only chuckled. “Come now, I won’t bite…” He bared his teeth right against the male’s neck. “...Much~.”
The Magus smiled as she began taking notes, listening to the interrogation. She scooted closer to Starlight, if only to show what she was writing. Don’t speak for now. Just read. He's revealing relevant information to him to prove a point. Blackmail, or perhaps a bargain chip is being proposed indirectly.
“Now...what is the situation with those that fled Ponyville recently?” Horus began, standing up straight again.
The Caribou looked up at Horus, eyes wide, before sweeping his gaze across those present. None were ones of sympathy. He gulped, then looked back to Horus. “Y-You won’t-" Another errant cough, followed by blood. "H-harm my boy, r-r-right?”
Horus nodded. “Not even a scratch.”
The Caribou took a breath. “...They’ve been sent to rehabilitation centers.”
The mares all frowned visibly, Starlight and Bon Bon even scowling. Horus hummed, but a slight downward twitch to the side of his mouth was unmistakable. “And what is the Council doing currently? What are they planning in terms of the war? Of this new resistance cell?”
“Th-They’re…” A pause, the Caribou swallowing down another cough.
“Yes?” Horus pressed, placing a full hand on the Caribou’s throat, albeit gently.
“...Th-they’re pouring funds into some...weapons project. T-Tirek has been....pushing hard, and they have little to counter his...brute strength. The Minotaurs have gained...k-knowledge of firearms, so we’ve b-b-been...sending some of their captured females in...to mess with their production lines.”
“And what about the reactions to our resistance?”
“I...don’t know that much. H-His Majesty seemed...suspicious, but otherwise all they’ve done to my knowledge is...send me and my men.”
Horus stroked his chin, then looked to the others.
"So you're telling us that, other than anything directly relevant to us, you're practically useless? God what a waste of time." Nyx was bored, but she knew the actual value of his info.
Horus raised a hand to Illua. “He’s hiding something still.” Horus laid a hand on another antler.
“W-Wait! I swear, I’m not-!” A sickening snap, and one antler was ripped off near the base. “GAAAAH!”
Horus moved a claw to the other antler. “I suggest you tell us, or your son may well be next after you.”
“O-Okay! Okay okay okay okay!” The Caribou thrashed in his bindings. “J-Just let go! Don’t hurt my baby boy!”
Horus let go of the antler. “Good. Now speak.”
The Caribou panted for a short span of time, trying to recover from the pain of having one whole antler torn off. “Th-Th-They did mention...something about marshalling forces f-f-from the strongholds...set up around Canterlot to converge here,” the Caribou explained hurriedly after catching his breath.
“WHAT?!?” the mares in the room shouted.
“They were a-a-arguing about it...saying that the troops there were untrained a-a-and that it’d take...too much time to get them trained up...or to even bring veterans in to q-quash the...resistance instead,” the stag continued.
"Continue. Be as clear and precise as you can. Your son's life depends on you." Illua leaned forward, her fingers idly spinning the crystallized magic circle in her hand. "How long before they send another unit here?" Her gaze lingered on him, fingers at the ready to write.
“A-At least two days by train...five on f-foot, but m-most of them would be inexperienced. All our g-g-good men...are on the frontlines,” the stag informed, coughing once again.
“Two days? TWO DAYS?! That’s barely any time at all!” Starlight shrieked, clutching her head.
“Unless we sabotage the tracks,” Horus proposed.
"Or… we can use the tracks." Illua countered. Horus frowned and grunted, but made no other comment. "We are close to too many hubs for travel, meaning deploying another unit is justifiable. Which means leaving Ponyville may be the best option." Illua ran a hand through her milky hair. "Starlight, do the trains go anywhere besides Canterlot?"
Starlight ran her hands down her eyes and muzzle before groaning deeply. “Literally all over Equestria, even before the Caribou. They even go up to Yakyakistan nowadays, and a bit towards Abyssinia and Griffonstone. Other than that, they connect to basically every major city in Equestria.”
“I vaguely recall hearing some of the Caribou that...used, to be here, talking about taking the train to your old village. Maybe they’ve expanded the trains to smaller towns now too?” Lyra proposed.
“We’ve been living under their bootheels for six years,” Redheart began, crossing her arms. “It’s not unlikely. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
"Hm. Well," Illua opened up her panels once more, pulling a piece of jerky out and gnawing on it, "It's possible we could find a nook of the world to hide in, or we can possibly join up with a larger force, possibly getting training in the process." She swallowed, only to pull some more out. "You think in twenty four hours we could pack that armored train and bail?"
“It’s possible,” Bon Bon said with a nod, seeming to completely ignore what Illua was eating.
“But what do we do with it’s cargo? I would not wish to meddle with those ‘stones’ that glow,” Zecora chimed in, shivering at the thought of the cargo they’d found. She glanced to Ilua’s apparent snack, but otherwise said nothing about it.
“The Gems, you mean?” Horus said, turning his head to the Zebra mare. Zecora nodded. “Hmph. Destroy them, I say. As for the females, do the same for them as you’ve done for all of the others. Help them.”
"I can take the gems." Illua declared. "Not only do I have the ability to transport them, I can probably recycle them."
“Ha! Good luck, whor-” Horus swiftly slammed an open-clawed hand to the stag’s face, knocking the head off with pure force and a spray of blood as a portion of the spinal cord came with it, the head tumbling and rolling across the room.
"Thank you." Illua nodded, only to continue her thought. "The gems themselves aren't the problem, but the enchantment upon them. Given time and magic, I can purify and repurpose them. A little bit of grinding and I could make temporary replacement horns."
The mares' eyes widened collectively, and they all shot their gazes to Illua. “You could?!”
"If you still have any grindstones in town, bring me one and a few of those jewels, and I'll see if I can make a couple before it’s time to leave." Illua stood up and walked to the now deceased indignitary's old gear. "Now, what to do with these? They are enchanted gear…"
“We could actually have magic again!” Lyra squealed, bouncing in her seat.
Bon Bon rolled her eyes. “Easy, girl.” She looked to Starlight, seeing how her eyes had glazed over with thoughts and ideas. “Same goes for you, Star.”
Starlight blinked. “Huh?” She looked around, then noticed the looks she was receiving. “O-Oh! Sorry!” She shook her head, then looked to Illua, clearing her throat. “If you can really make us temporary horns, we should be able to improve that gear with more versatile enchantments,” Starlight began, before her eyes lit up again. “Oh, the things I could do if I had magic again!” She squealed in delight.
Horus walked over to the set of armored robes. “I have a better idea.” He picked the wargear up, holding it out to Illua. “Take it with you. Having equipment with built-in wards like this will come in handy, I’m sure. All you will have to do is refit it to your size and shape.”
Illua took the armored robe, and smirked. "This is almost like cheating." She donned the robe, closing the clasps that held it in place. It was a little big on her at first, but a faint white glow conformed it to her. A small window opened in front of her, but she dismissed it quickly. "Its surprisingly breathable for its appearance. I’ll probably dye it later…" she mused idly.
Horus blinked. “Odd. Most magic gear in this world does not immediately conform without a specific enchantment."
"Game mechanics. That's all I gotta say."
“...What?” Bon Bon asked, giving Illua a curious look.
“Is it related to those screens or whatever we keep seeing in front of you?” Redheart asked.
Horus looked to Illua.
".... They don't have video games here… do they?" She replied sheepishly, looking back at Horus.
Horus sighed. “Not to my knowledge, no. Though to be fair, I was in stone for many years, and I haven’t bothered to ask.”
“Wait...video games?” Lyra piped up, looking to the magus. “You mean those things that Button Mash used to play before he…” Lyra paused, then shook her head. “...before everything happened?”
"I’m going to say yes, only because I'm pretty sure it's a close comparison. In a nutshell, I have certain capabilities that accelerate my understanding of combat, and assist in certain manners, such as what you have been seeing with the armor and my ability to pull items from 'thin air.'" Illua explained. "As to why I have these abilities? It's just as much a mystery as why some people are good at different things."
The mares all shared a look, before sighing collectively.
“I feel like our best bet is to just chalk that up as another thing we shouldn’t even ask about,” Starlight said, shaking her head.
Zecora stood up slowly. “Much like she whom was taken so soon.” She said solemnly.
They all gained somber looks at that. “Yeah...just like her.” Bon Bon shook her head, standing up herself. “We’re gonna go get things prepared. You two should try and recuperate.” With that, the mares all got up from their chairs and left, leaving Horus and Illua alone in the tree house.
"I'm surprised they took that at face value." Nyx chuckled. "Last time we had this discussion, someone didn't stop asking questions."
“They are still recovering from managing a defense, when previously they had no experience in leading. Not to mention they are all recovering from enslavement,” Horus pointed out, walking towards the corpse of the Caribou which remained in it’s chair.
Illua sighed as she sat back down, unclasping the war robe and removing it, setting it on the back of her chair. "Unfortunately, they're gonna have to learn to lead more, and find solutions without fighting soon."
Horus nodded, before hefting the corpse over his shoulder. “True.” He agreed as he carried it to the front door.
"I’ll be here when you get back. I'll be waiting for those supplies from the ladies." She waved.
“I’m afraid that will not be happening, my dear,” came a voice like Christopher Ayres from behind her.
"Excuse me?" She looked up and behind her, her brow quirked.
Horus snarled as he turned to the voice as well, tail lashing to the side as both of them took in the new arrival’s appearance. It looked to be a man with a suit literally made of playing cards and held together by clasps of gold and platinum, with aviator glasses made from jade with skin as black as night. He idly juggled a deck of cards in his hands, and he also wore a green bowler hat with a set of playing cards in a crown formation around it.
“Dealer,” Horus snarled.
“Hello, my dear boy,” Dealer smiled, before he looked towards Illua. “I’m afraid the time for this particular portion of my deal has ended. So, my darling, you will be heading back home.” Dealer continued to juggle the deck of cards, albeit with more flair now, even doing so behind his back. “Not to worry, though. I managed to get your own Displacer to agree to me transporting those Gems and that robe with you.”
“And we should believe that’s all there is to this?” Horus hissed.
"That would explain that new timer this morning. Huh." Illua muttered to herself. Shrugging the robes on, she stepped to the stairs to acquire her katana and sling it over her shoulder. "I guess I'll see you another time Horus?" Illua was slightly deflated, but it made sense. Summons were always temporary.
Horus frowned, but slowly nodded. “We will.” He shot a glare to Dealer. “Even if it means I must throttle him.”
Dealer shrugged, grabbing one card from his deck and tossing it behind Illua and himself, where it grew to about 10 feet tall, with a portal in it’s center. “You can certainly keep trying, dear boy.” He looked to Illua. His smile was all teeth. “Now, go on, girl. The longer you’re here, the less time you’ll have to help in your own Equestria.”
Illua sighed and stepped into the portal, vanishing into the kaleidoscopic expanse that traversed worlds. The Dealer bowed formally and followed her, an ever mischievous smile plastered on his dark face.
As they left, Horus simply stared after their exit as it disappeared.
Illua continued to walk the corridor, seeing the image of her exit point and frowning. "Hey, Dealer. I know I was summoned there temporarily, but is it possible I could summon him sometime?" Her question was curious and probing, but ever so innocent simultaneously.
Dealer smiled widely. “That was part of the deal, so yes.” He chuckled, twirling a card on it’s corner with the tip of his finger. “I’m honestly tickled pink you two have already grown so attached that you’re asking for a second date~.”
Illua blushed suddenly, turning away. Nyx floated alongside the pair, strangely separate from her. "Honestly, I'd like that, and he is definitely cute. She would too, but she's a bit more, how you say… prudish?" The night spirit giggled as she curled around her host.
Dealer chuckled himself. “The next summoning there will not be a set time limit, so you two can have as much fun as you desire.” He looked ahead. “Ah, there we are, Equestria No. 165-VG. Always fun to see what your side of the multiverse cooks up, my dear. I’ll be watching with my dear friend, you can count on that~.” With that, Dealer disappeared into the corridor itself.
Illua smiled, and stepped back out into her own Equestria.
Horus frowned as he watched the portal disappear before him. His eyes remained trained on where his only semblance of a friend in however many years had left, even after the portal was gone. Slowly, and with a heaving sigh, he opened the front door and walked out, carrying the body of the Caribou outside and toward the nearest mass grave.
“...If I lose even her, there will be far more than Hell to pay for your evil, Dealer,” he swore under his breath.
Horus would not lose anything. Not again. He would not allow this to be a farewell. He turned, walking out the door and through town. As he did, he looked up at the afternoon sky.
"This will be a departure...nothing else," he vowed.
8 - Intermission: Revelations And Ruminations (EDITED)
"What the fuck do you mean you can't stay with us?" Bon Bon snarled, gesticulating wildly at their surroundings.
"My only goal is to cull the Caribou. If I stay with you, I cannot do so as effectively," Horus replied calmly, arms crossed over his chest.
"So you're just abandoning us," Starlight deduced, glaring coldly at the beast.
"...No," he said slowly.
"Soo...you're staying, then?" Redheart asked, leaning forward in her seat to give him a sidelong look.
Horus shook his head. "No."
Bon Bon threw her hands up. "What the fuck is it then?! Are you staying and helping us, or leaving and abandoning us?!"
"I am leaving so you do not have as big a target on your backs," Horus replied coolly.
"You'd be depriving us of our most powerful asset," Lyra said, frowning at him.
"...Yes...and no," Horus answered, tail flicking to the side with a weighty woosh.
Bon Bon let out an unintelligible scream of rage, pulling at her frayed mane.
"Please, friend, leave the rhymes and riddles to me, the truth is what we must see," Zecora interjected, almost sounding like she was pleading.
Horus let out a slow breath, closing his eyes. "...I will draw attention away from you all as you escape south via the train. It is critical that The Equality Movement remains intact to continue it's work. Driving any attention away from your flight away from here to Abyssinia will ensure that it does remain intact."
Silence reigned for a time at that, even Bon Bon's eyes going wide. Slowly, Bon Bon sank down into her seat as she let out a heated breath. "You could have fucking lead with that, asshole."
"...Sorry," Horus eventually said, ears drooping ever so slightly.
All mares present sighed deeply, before shaking their heads. Starlight looked Horus in the eyes. "Will you return afterward?"
Horus nodded. "I shall," he said, ears perking back up. "That, I promise."
Starlight let a small smile play on her face. "Good." She then stood up from her seat. "Right, meeting adjourned, then. Ladies, Horus, you all have your jobs, so hop to it."
"Right," the mares chorused, filing out with tired sighs.
As Horus made to stand up, however, Starlight stopped him, the others filtering out of the meeting room behind him.
"What is it?" He asked, fuzzy eyebrow raised.
"There's some pon- people, I'd like you to meet," she said, before walking past him and towards the door. "Follow me." Curious, Horus did so, following Starlight out the door. "Since everyone threw a fit about us leaving when we'd been in the middle of improving the town, as well as the other, typical reasons of leaving the only home we've known, I had to appoint officers to help calm the citizens." Starlight explained as she led Horus through the hallways of Town Hall. Horus' eyes narrowed, but she waved him off. "Easy, I didn't mean like that. There hasn't been any excessive force or brutality, don't worry."
Horus snorted. "Good."
Starlight rolled her eyes as they passed a group of ponies and griffons carrying crates. "For a guy who seems so ready to abandon us, you sure seem to care a lot." Horus shot her a glare, and Starlight sighed. "Fine, fine, no jokes then." Under her breath, she added, "Just trying to lighten the mood, asshole..."
Horus didn't comment.
They soon arrived at a room to find a number of females being calmly talked two by two individuals he recognized; the young dragoness and zebra mare he'd saved just days ago. The names escaped him, but he did recall saving them. Many of those they were calming saw Starlight and Horus and started to glare at them, some even yelled at them for deserting their home, or the cause itself. Some called them cowards. Then...
"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU PACK OF PANSIES!" The dragoness roared. All went silent as every eye went to her.
Horus had had little time to speak with her, much less look at her. Currently she wore armor that was stolen from one of the officers of the Caribou, with four horns on her head curling upwards, along with red fins going down the middle of her head.
"We are not abandoning this place, it's a tactical withdrawal!" She began to explain. "We can't stay here because the forces around us can get to us too easily, and thus overwhelm us! We need a better base, and that's why we're leaving, got it?!" the dragoness snapped, eyes scanning each and every one of them with a snarl on her face. They all stepped back, ears lowered and cowed significantly.
Horus smiled at this. "It seems you know a bit about tactics," he began as he stepped forward.
The dragoness looked to him, her eyes widening a bit, before she turned her head away. "I know more than most, yeah. What's it to you?"
"A tactical mind is a welcome find, especially during a war," Horus explained, before reaching a hand out to her. "Horus. Horus Blackbriar. I do believe we never got the chance to truly talk, young one."
She glared at him out of the corner of her silver eyes, snorted, then grabbed his hand and shook it hard. "We already exchanged names, jerk. And I'm not that young."
Horus blinked. 'We have? Right, I...nearly forgot with all that's happened.' He shook his head. "Right, your name is Myrtle... Is that not the name of the Dragon Empress whom nearly took over Griffonia? The one labeled a demigoddess of war?"
Myrtle blinked, turning to look at him, before grinning widely. "Yeah. It is. Good to see you know some history."
A new voice, but one no less familiar, spoke up. "A surprise, considering his species." Horus and Starlight turned to see the young Zebra mare ushering the other females out the door, before heading back their way as the doors closed, and they were left alone. She had no mohawk, but instead black and white dreadlocks and an outfit from a Saddle Arabian belly dancer. It seems that unlike her friend, she had only marginally upgraded her coverage from the previous and far more revealing bikini she once wore.
Starlight tilted her head. "What do you mean, Titania?" She looked to Horus. "You mean because he's some weird mutant Diamond Dog-?"
"He is a Demon Beast," Titania interrupted, staring into Horus' red eyes with her own pink ones. Horus tensed at her words, but said nothing as the others stared at him with a new and frightened light in their eyes.
"W-What?" Starlight began, looking to Titania, then Horus as she stepped back from him. "H-He's-?"
"Yes," Horus cut her off. "I am of the Demon Beast species of Hellwolves, or Zinogres, if you wish to be exact."
Titania nodded as she narrowed her eyes at him, Myrtle getting into a battle stance at his words. "So you can understand our apprehension, then."
Horus frowned, but nodded. "I always could." 'Still, this change in their demeanors towards me... I suppose the truth does more than hurt. Even children whom I've saved still see me as a monster...' His features hardened. '...So be it.'
"W-Well, you're not getting any souls from us!" Myrtle told him as firmly as she could, wings splayed out to try and make herself look bigger.
Horus shook his head. "No. I will not be."
Titania crossed her arms over her modest chest, staring him down. He could see how she shook even still. "What was your pact, then, Hellwolf? And whom with?" She glanced to Starlight, who sputtered.
"Wh- Pact? I didn't make any pact with him! None of us did!" Starlight snapped, glaring at Titania.
"I'll believe that when-"
"You know well that pacts with Hellwolves do not happen easily," Horus interjected, crossing his arms over his own muscled chest as his tail flicked through the air with a weighty woosh. "She would have needed to offer me her flesh, or at least a substantial amount of blood, for me to have accepted."
"...Or the opportunity to eat as much flesh from her enemies as possibl-" Titania began, but Horus shook his head.
"I have eaten of the Caribou, this is true," Horus began, causing all of them to pale at his words.
"Y-You have?! Is that why clean up has been so quick?!" Starlight cried, taking another step back.
"BUT," he started again, glaring at Starlight for her interruption, before looking back to Titania. "I have made no pact. If I had, would I not bear the Mark of Binding over my heart, Child of The Mystic Clan?"
Titania frowned, eyes shooting to where his heart would be, then sighed deeply. As she did, a modicum of the tension in her body receded. "You are right." She looked back to his face. "But that does not answer the question of how you arrived in the mortal realm."
Horus snorted. "The stupidity, treachery and fallacy of the Caribou, many, many years ago."
"So they summoned you, but could not initiate a pact to bind you, and thus you were sealed?" Titania deduced, raising a brow at him.
Horus shrugged. "You could say that."
Titania stared him down a moment longer, before relaxing more. "...I see." She sighed deeply, then offered him her hand. It shook ever so slightly. "I apologize, then. I am Titania, if you recall, an apprentice shaman." She forced a smile. "It will be good to have some otherworldly help in our fight, at the least."
Horus looked to her hand, shaking more as the moments wore on, before taking it firmly and shaking it just as firmly. "It will be good to wipe out the Caribou together."
As they let go, Horus looked to the other two, still staring at him in fear. "I sense that I have given you all much to think about, so I shall depart with only one reminder."
"W-What would that be?" Myrtle asked, tensing up and looking at him warily.
"The Caribou are my only foe. I have no desire to hurt or devour any of you, much less your souls," With that, he turned and started to walk out of the room. "Starlight, I apologize, but I shall be taking my leave early. I will return in a day's time, if not a mite more." He licked his chops. "The blood of the Caribou must be spilled, and I will make good on my word in our earlier Council meeting." With that, he was gone, leaving the three of them alone with their thoughts.
"HE'S A WHAT?!?!"
Starlight winced, ears folding back at the combined shouts of her fellow Council members.
"A Demon Beast? You let a FUCKING DEMON BEAST into our fold?! What the fuck, Starlight!" Bon Bon shrieked, slamming her palms on the table.
"I didn't know he was one!" Starlight replied, trying to defend herself.
"But you still did it," Redheart pointed out, frowning at her colleague.
"I didn't know!" Starlight tried again, weaker this time. She scanned their faces, seeing only fear and distrust directed at her now. All, save Zecora. "Z-Zecora, you believe me, r-right?"
Zecora's eyes were closed, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Hang on, Titania knew what he was," Bon Bon began, slowly looking to the Zebra as well.
"And if an apprentice shaman knew..." Lyra caught on, following her marefriend's gaze.
"...Zecora, what do you know? Did you know about him?" Redheart asked slowly, eyes narrowing at the mare.
"...Not enough," Zecora eventually said, eyes still closed, and rhymes abandoned immediately. "His species I knew well, yes. But his mind, his Core, I knew less."
Bon Bon took a deep, trembling breath. "And you didn't share it with us because...?"
"Because his demeanor was unlike a typical Hellwolf," Zecora opened her eyes, looking to Bon Bon. "Tell me, didn't you belong to an organization that tracked down escaped Demons and Demon Beasts?"
Bon Bon growled. "Don't. Turn this on me."
"But she has a point," Redheart began, looking to Bon Bon now, eyes narrowed. "Your line of work had you hunting down Demons and Demon Beasts on the regular. And yet you didn't know what Horus was."
"I hunted down different things! Every agent did!" Bon Bon shouted, slamming a fist on the table. "Don't you bitches dare turn this on me!"
Lyra put a hand on her marefriend's shoulder, who growled but sat back down, before she turned cold eyes to Redheart and Zecora. "My marefriend is being honest. Each agent specialized in hunting certain kinds of escapees from Tartarus. Many did hunt down Demon Beasts and Demons, but some, like Bon Bon, hunted down only lesser Demon Beasts, like Bugbears and Impish Raptors."
Bon Bon nodded. "I never took on anything like a Gehennite Roller, much less a Hellwolf. All that was literally above my paygrade. No one had even seen a Hellwolf before Celestia tore the organization down, and I never researched them that much. I'd only heard about them."
Zecora sighed. "I apologize for making your tempers rise, then." She shook her head. "Still, I know little of Hellwolves and Demon Beasts, it is not as if I went to a college. I was taught, yes, but it has been long since then, I know aught." She looked to Starlight. "My memory is rusty and dusty, but I recall Hellwolves as beasts of independence and anarchy, known for trying to taking down a monarchy."
Redheart and Bon Bon shared a look, before Redheart sunk back into her seat. "And he's been pretty willing to work with us, even with how this all started." Redheart recounted.
Starlight let out her own sigh. "So you girls believe me, then?"
Bon Bon grunted. "For now."
"Thank Celestia..." She slumped in her chair, sinking into it almost.
A silence reigned for a short amount of time. Then, Lyra spoke up. "So...when is he gonna be back? We've loaded up quite a lot on the train already, we're almost ready to leave."
"...'Said he was gonna be back in about a day," Starlight replied, closing her eyes.
"...So he's gone to distract them, then," Lyra deduced.
"...Such a frightening fellow we've befriended," Zecora muttered. "One can only hope his spark is not ended."
I bit off another bite of meat from the leg in my claws, sitting atop a corpse beneath me. A sigh escaped me as I tasted the fresh blood of Caribou on my tongue, feeling it fill me in more ways than one. Chewing, I looked out at the courtyard of the fort I'd decimated, seeing the bodies of those I hated so stretching out before me.
A splat sounded as one string of entrails fell from a flagpole sticking out of a wall. I snorted at this, taking another bite. I had fired a flare from one of the Caribou not even an hour ago, to incite them to come to this position. By my estimation, more forces would arrive within another three hours.
Sighing, I stood up and tossed the leg of a Caribou away, starting to walk off. "I should return early as to not lead them to Ponyville." I mused, before closing my eyes. As my body shifted with my power and grew exponentially, I could feel bones crack inside me and under me as my skeletal structure changed and grew in weight and shape, crushing the bodies of the corpses under me.
In time, I had taken my Feral Form, now looking for all intents and purposes like a true Stygian Zinogre. I almost howled to the moon out of habit, but held back, so as to not draw more attention. Plodding towards the front gate, my mind wandered back to earlier last afternoon.
I had finally been revealed as a Demon to my comrades. A Demon that they, in all likelihood, would attempt to kill on sight once I returned. I frowned as I knocked the gates of the fort off their hinges with ease, walking through and into the cool night air before breaking into a sprint southward.
I did not relish the idea of having to leave them afterward, and I was tempted to go to the next fort instead, to save myself the...pain, of losing everything again, but... Something told me that this would be different. A feeling in my Core.
My Core told me vengeance, at the least, was not on their minds. I snorted at this, but continued to run. If they would truly not seek vengeance for my dishonesty to them, then I had only to find out.
Then, I thought back to Lady Illua. How she seemed to truly care. How she shared my hatred of the Caribou. How she resembled- I shook my head forcefully. No. Do not think of her.
I ran in silence for a time after that, before a new thought entered my head. The Equality Movement did not have much experience in warfare. They had not gained much either, even after the attack. Perhaps... Perhaps I should give them a test.
If I wanted to see if I could trust them, that they could hold the line, that they believed in me, even...
Chatter in the train was almost nonexistent. At most, it was kept to a dull murmur, which was easily drowned out by the roar of the wheels on the tracks. I swept my gaze around the car I resided in. The Equality Movement, as Redheart had coined, was meager in many ways. Far too many of them had little to no armor, little to no weapons, and worst of all, little to no experience. Their guidance, their leaders, were strong, but fragile. Full of fractures that the Caribou could exploit.
I saw Dragons, a people with females once proud and untamable, now cowed and huddled together with others. I saw Griffons, a people with females renowned for their grace and prowess in battle matched only by ancient Pegasi, shuddering as their eyes scanned the environment like children waiting for the bogeyman. I saw Unicorns, brought low and without the horns that made them the prime magic casters of the world. I saw Changelings - albeit a different brood - too scared to do anything but hold each other as tightly as they could, as if fearful some attack may come and end them at any moment. The Council members were seated near one another, but their grim visages gave none of their followers any hope.
It was pathetic, sad, heartbreaking...and above all it made me furious. These were all once proud and wonderful women. Now? Now the Caribou had made them doubt themselves. Made them weak. Even the few militia members milling around at each end of the car seemed too scared to be able to truly put up a good fight, much less win one.
I didn't like it. In fact, I despised it. Not because of any shortcomings of their own making, but because of how far the Caribou had gone to demoralize them. Yet, the problem remained.
And the only answer I could come up with, was to test them. If any found out, I was likely to be pushed away, this I knew. I clenched my claws at the thought, but soon relaxed. If that was what happened...then so be it. I was already close to being shunned after the Council found out about my species. If worst came to worst, I would shoulder the burden, just as I always had.
I glanced out one of the windows, seeing the southern countryside race by. My mind drifted to earlier times. Times when I would have enjoyed being on a train. Now...it felt empty. Hollow.
I glanced to the side, noting how the 'guards' were watching me intently. It was not yet common knowledge that I was a Demon Beast, yet even barring the openness of that knowledge, the fear of me still remained fresh. I knew why. Ignoring the thoughts that soon came from that mental train, I looked out the window once more.
According to the volunteer conductor, it was postulated that we would arrive in Abyssinia in roughly three days. Two had already passed.
Yet, I worried still. The Caribou scum have always been persistent, if nothing else. They do not let slights go unanswered, and I knew Dainn's bloodline well. His ancestors embodied the Caribou ideas of male dominance. There was no chance he wouldn't pursue.
So why had two days passed with no such pursuit? Even if my distraction had worked, the fact that I had been asleep for another two days after returning from said distraction was worrisome. That, and I highly doubted that Dainn would not muster forces to pursue, considering his son's death by my claws.
I had slighted him. He would not allow such an insult to go unanswered.
I looked at my claws at this. Could I fend off the forces he no doubt sent at us, with my constitution still recovering from millennia of no use? I clutched my chest at this. Could I protect them if this test failed?
Suddenly, a whistle sounded out, followed swiftly by a thunderous boom and a rocking of the train. I stood swiftly, rushing to a window and throwing it open.
Outside, what could only be described as a primitive armored car was racing alongside the train. It bore tracks in the back instead of wheels, and several large cannons were jutting out of it's armor while a small smoke stack rested at it's back, spewing noxious fumes from it's top.
A more shrill whistle, exactly like a train's, sounded, and I looked ahead to see a black, armored train speeding towards us. I growled. "So they mean to force my hand. So be it."
I looked back at the various Movement members around me, seeing how they huddled close together in fear and how the guards seemed unsure of what to do. I grit my teeth, pulling myself back inside.
"This is what you lower yourselves to?" I began, throwing a claw out at them all. "You would cower at the sight of these so-called men's forces? What are you?" They all stared at me. "Are you women, or are you scared little mice? Are you not stronger than these scum?" They looked at each other. "Tell me, was it mice who defended Ponyville? Was it mice who took back their independence?" They turned back to me and continued to stare. "No! It was you! Strong, able-bodied women! Women whom have endured more pain than any male could! Women who even during their enslavement endured in the hopes that retribution would come!" I pointed to myself. "I am not your retribution!" I then pointed a claw at them all. "You! You all must create your own retribution!" I waited for an answer. A response. Anything.
They simply stared at me, eyes wide and surprised. I frowned, then snorted. "...Very well. If you will not seek your retribution, then I shall seek mine." I made my way towards the window once more.
If this did not stir them, then nothing would. I would shoulder this fight alone. With that thought, I jumped out the window, tucked and rolled, then stood. As I heard the two approaching engines and the one behind me, I took a breath.
After precious seconds of my body shifting and swelling with new muscles and bones, I exhaled. Then, I bounded towards the oncoming train, feeling the scales on my back flare up and release the vestiges of power I'd kept under wraps.
The power of the few Hellbugs I had been nurturing in my body.
With their power, I sped forward like a rocket, and as I reached the enemy train, I slammed head first into it. Pain lanced into my claws and head, and I felt both my horns snap under the sheer force the armored train had behind it, but I managed. My hind paws dug in on either side of the tracks, and with a howl and Hellbugs fueling me along with my Dracophage Bugs, I shoved the train off the tracks.
With a raucous screeching and clatter of metal on hard ground, I grit my teeth as my muscles screamed from the strain of excess power filling them fit to burst. Power I was no longer used to. Then, a lance of pain lanced into my shoulder after a thunderous boom, and I looked to my shoulder to find a cannonball drop off of my shattered scales. I snarled as I turned to the proto-tank, stepping off the tracks, only for two more shots to slam into me. One hit my other shoulder, another whizzed over my head.
They had shattered my scales...but they had not broken through them. Growling as I pawed the ground, ignoring the pain and blood leaking down both my forelegs, I charged the ironclad.
A hail of bullets barraged my face, pulping my eyes and making me roar in pain as I stumbled and fell over my own legs, coordination now gone. As I tried to stand, the ironclad drove on top of me, then over, racing towards the train again.
"Get...back here..." I growled out, trying and failing to stand. My legs shook as I tried again, and failed again. My muscles were too busy reconstituting themselves. Even now I had to bite my tongue to keep from screaming as my body raced to heal itself. I could not see anything, I could only feel pain. Pain and remorse, as I waited in the dirt for my wounds to heal.
Instead of the resistance failing their test...
...I had failed.
The Council watched with wide eyes as Horus lay in a heap, crimson electricity streaking over his form as his demonic regeneration factor slowly started to kick in.
"He's...not getting up," Lyra noted with a gulp.
"His regeneration has been weakened," Zecora said slowly, staring at the scene with her own wide eyes, rhymes forgotten in her shock.
"How..." Bon Bon licked her dry lips. "...H-How long does it take for a Demon or Demon Beast's regeneration factor to recover from misuse?"
"...I do not know," Zecora said shakily.
"...What do we do?" Redheart began, looking to Starlight, eyes pleading.
"..." Starlight watched silently as the cannons of the new engine of war lit up with magical power. Slowly, she stepped back, looking to those around her even as a new shot rocked the train. "Ladies..." She started. "...This might just be our end."
Shocked and scared murmurs filled the car at her words, but her next ones stopped any further murmurs cold. "But I intend to fight. Even if it means my death." She scanned the crowd, seeing their shocked faces. "Who is with me?" No response. "Will you all be mice, like Horus said? OR WILL YOU FIGHT TO THE LAST WOMAN, WILL YOU SEEK RETRIBUTION?!"
They all looked at each other, uncertain. Then...
"I will," Lyra said slowly, shakily stepping up.
"So will I," Bon Bon vowed, placing a hand on her marefriend's shoulder. Lyra shared a brief smile with her.
"As will I," Redheart swore, stepping forward. She shook only marginally less than Lyra.
"And I," Zecora said, placing a hand on Starlight's shoulder.
Slowly, ever so slowly, more voices joined, even as more magical shells rocked the train.
"I'll fight!" A guard cried.
"Me too!" said a griffon.
"We're fighting too," said the familiar voice of Titania. Starlight looked over to see her and Myrtle with makeshift armor on, as well as flintlocks and muskets on their backs and hips.
Starlight smiled as she saw many more females voice their agreement. "Then it's settled! We're in this together, ladies! Now, let's tear those fuckers limb from fucking limb!"
"YEAH!!"
"Heh, this is too easy!" said the Caribou driving the ironclad. "These bitches are too scared to fight back!"
"Yeah, and that big fucker was laughably easy to kill!" His navigator agreed.
"Totally! I thought he'd be a good fight after he flipped that train, but he went down like a slut hungry for some dick!" The gunner concurred.
"Shut it! We all knew this would be easy, it's just a bunch of bitches after all!" Their captain scolded, before pointing at the train engine visible from the viewport. "Engines! Pour more power to the cannons and aim for that train! We're done scaring the shit out of them! It's time we get down to business!"
"Sir!" The two engine workers saluted, before slamming batons into the bare breasts of the unicorn mares chained to the large, rune inscribed cube.
"Oi! More magic, sluts!" one of them barked.
"W-We can't-!" they tried to argue, but another slam to their breasts stopped them short with a scream of pain.
"No excuses! Just do it, you whore!" the other ordered.
With a weak whimper, her and her fellow captives lit their horns even brighter, and the magic soon traveled into the cube, which flowed through rune after rune along the inside of the ironclad, towards the cannons, which lit up with their own runes.
"Powering main cannons!" The gunner Caribou called out as he hovered his hand over a large green rune set upon something not unlike a console in front of him. He cranked a lever. "Taking aim!" The cannon was soon aimed squarely at the engine of the resistance's train. He watched a pair of runes on a glass slate to his right, watching as they slowly changed from red to green. "40%...45%...60%...85%...100%! Firing!" He made to slam his hand down on the console's green rune, only for the ironclad to shake and shudder as hundreds of dents were made in it's armor. At least four bullets sped through the viewports and into the head of the navigator Caribou, the stag falling off his seat and bodily to the floor, right in front of the captain's feet.
"Shit! Those damn whores!" The wizened old stag cursed. "Gunner! Aim for-!" The sound of boots on the roof of the ironclad was heard, followed by the hatch opening and a Griffonness jumping down it and slamming her musket's bayonet through the captain's windpipe.
"Holy fuck!" The gunner yelped, pulling out his flintlock, only for the Griffonness to duck behind the body of the captain, letting his bullet pelt the captain's dying form. As the engineers and the driver made to pull out their own weapons, the Griffonness tossed a small clay orb down, which shattered with a cloud of smoke.
"Gah!" The driver cried, trying and failing to wave the smoke away as he and his cohorts coughed up a storm. Three screams soon rang out, each followed by the sickening sound of blade meeting flesh. Then, silence. "H-Hello?"
The only response he got was a bayonet through the mouth from within the shade of the smoke. Eyes rolling up into his head, he soon went slack as blood leaked from his eyes.
The Griffonness panted heavily as she pulled her musket from the body, feeling the ironclad stop with a jerk. She didn't notice though. Her eyes were stuck on the body before her. The cold, dead eyes. The warm blood on her face. The smell of fresh blood. The sight of a Caribou not too unlike her old captors.
A feeling came over her. One she hadn't even allowed herself to feel for years.
She raised her musket and it's bayonet again, before slamming it back down on the body. Once. Twice. Thrice. Four times. Five. Six. Seven. She lost count after twenty stabs. She stopped caring by fifty.
She knew this feeling now.
It was rage.
Horus groaned as he awoke once more to the sounds and feelings of being on a train. Slowly creaking his eyes open, he hissed as the sudden overload of light hit his newly regenerated orbs of sight. Closing them once more and making to rub them gently, he let out another hiss as the arm he was going to use lit up with pain from the shoulder down. On top of that, it was wrapped in a makeshift cast. He also took note of how much his head ached as well.
Carefully opening his eyes again, he looked up to see his horns had regrown. He let out a sigh, and looked around. He was in a different car this time, with far less occupants. To his side, sleeping while sitting in the seat across from him, was Redheart.
He let out another sigh, this time deeper. 'I can hardly remember the last time I had to have my wounds treated.' He glanced down to the cast his arms were in. 'Much less the last time I wore casts.' He lay his head back, staring up at the ceiling. He looked to Redheart. 'It seems we survived. That...is a relief.' A pause. '...And if I am here, and not in a Caribou prison before Dainn...then they...' Slowly, the Hellwolf gained a smile. "...Then they passed it."
"Passed what?" Starlight asked from the seat behind him. He stiffened. "What did we pass?"
Horus remained silent for a time, before letting out a breath. "I...needed to test you."
"For what?" Starlight said with more ice in her tone than before.
"...To see if you could be trusted to handle yourselves in a real fight," Horus replied with grim acceptance.
"..." Starlight didn't reply for a short while. Horus didn't say anything either. "...You're really pushing things, you know."
"...I am, yes."
"Then why the test? Why do you not trust us?"
"..."
"...Because we haven't fought wars before?"
"..."
"...I thought so."
"I did not mean to offen-"
"Yeah, well, you did," Starlight interrupted. "I don't care if it was needed. You should have just told us."
"...I'm sorr-"
"Sorry isn't good enough. We're supposed to be partners in this," Starlight intoned. Horus was silent. "You were just going to kill our pursuers and then leave, weren't you?" Horus still didn't respond. "After everything that's happened, you were ACTUALLY ready to abandon us?" She stood up, walking around the seats to stand in front of him, between him and Redheart. "Considering how your fight went, how long do you think you really would have survived alone?"
Horus stared up at her, then looked away and sighed. "I...don't know what to say to that."
"..." Starlight stared hard down at him. He didn't meet her gaze. Sighing herself, she relaxed slightly. "You say, 'I'll do better next time'."
He looked to her in surprise. "You...aren't going to banish me from the Movement?"
Starlight snorted. "Believe me, I'm annoyed enough with your literal lone wolf act, but..." She looked to the still slumbering Redheart. "...It's obvious we need you just as much as you need us." She looked back to him. "You didn't tell us your regen was stunted."
Horus winced, ears lowering. "I...didn't want to worry you."
Starlight stared him down for a moment. Then, she put her hands on her hips and let out a heaving breath. "You're hopeless." She shook her head, then finally quirked a smile. "Just be honest with us. We're partners. Allies. We need to trust each other to survive, especially against those bastards."
He frowned, looking to the ceiling again, closing his eyes. "I suppose you are right."
The mare rolled her eyes. "I always am."
Horus snorted, but said nothing. A momentary pause followed, neither saying anything, before Horus opened his eyes again, looking to the Unicorn. "What happened while I was out?"
"We aimed for the obvious viewport for the vehicle. Had a Caribou looking out, so we figured killing him would hinder them. We were right. After that, we sent Ilma in," Starlight explained.
"Ilma?"
"Griffon. Used to be a spy for the Griffons before the Caribou captured her a few years back," Starlight informed.
Horus frowned, closing his eyes once more. "...Was she harmed?"
Starlight shook her head. "No. She came back shaken, but otherwise fine. But what she found inside..." Starlight clenched her fists.
Horus' fur stood on end. "...What did she find?"
"They had Unicorns chained to a mana battery. Used their magic to power the engine, and from what they told us..." Starlight snarled. "...they used to be a group of four. Ilma only found two. The firebox had a smell to it, too." Horus' form briefly flickered with hellish lightning as he snarled himself. "My thoughts too." She shook her head, taking a few breaths. "Anyway, after that, we had a few fliers pick you up. Thankfully you shrunk down after you passed out, so we didn't have to worry about your fat ass weighing us down."
Horus rolled his eyes, but gained a smile nonetheless. "...I am glad."
"Because we survived?"
He shook his head. "Yes...and no." He turned his head to look to her. "Because today, you all found your rage, and took the first steps towards obtaining your own retribution."
Starlight blinked, then, slowly smiled herself. "Yeah... I guess we did."
No longer did I see fear in the eyes of these females- no, of these women. Now all I saw was rage. They kept it hidden, yes. Hidden behind excitement at their first true victory, at the first accomplishment they had made on their own since they'd been enslaved.
But I could still see it, clear as day.
Now, all that remained was to temper that rage, to keep it from leading them astray. I looked out across the car as the train rattled on towards our destination, seeing everyone talking amicably with one another in place of the fearful silence that had once dominated the air. I glanced to my arm, still in a cast.
"Worried you won't be able to fight?" Starlight asked from the seat next to me.
I frowned. "...No."
"You should be," Redheart began sternly across from us. "Your shoulder bone was fractured in 27 different places, to say nothing of the countless shattered cortexes and scales." She narrowed her eyes at me, crossing her arms. "You aren't in any condition to fight."
I growled. "I will be fine. It will only take a day for me to-"
"And if you get hurt just as badly again? How long until you recover from that?" Redheart shot back.
I furrowed my brows. "I will not allow you all to-" I started. A hand on my shoulder gave me pause, and I looked to Starlight.
"You've done more than enough for now," she said softly. Her eyes were genuine. "You helped free us from the Caribou. You killed them when we thought no one could. You gave us hope." She looked to the serried women around us. I followed her gaze. "You gave us a chance at retribution. Let us take some responsibility for once."
I clenched my claws, thinking it over. They had passed the test when I had failed. They had followed through where so many others would fall short or falter. I worried even then. I knew the fires of rage, of wrath, like no other on this plane. I had done worse than many alive.
I did not want to see others fall down the same path. I knew that their rage had finally been truly ignited. Could they truly keep it in check, should another battle come?
Starlight squeezed my shoulder, bringing my attention back to her. "Trust us."
I paused for a long moment at that, then, eventually, relaxed and slowly nodded. "Very well. But..." I looked to the forces of the rebellion, then back to Starlight. "...do not let their rage, or yours, consume, understood?"
Starlight rolled her eyes. "We'll be fine."
"I would hope so," Zecora interjected from the seat next to Redheart. "I would like our friendship to continue to grow."
I snorted as she smiled. There was a cry of alarm, then, followed by many rushing to the windows. Curious, I peered out of one myself, and smiled as I saw one of the many wonders of this world.
"The Great Trenches of Uktannu," I said softly. "A marvel made by the children of the Goddess of Earth."
True to it's title and fame, the Trenches were a wonder of wonders. They spanned from horizon to horizon, and from what I recalled, encapsulated the entirety of the borders of Abyssinia, not unlike the Great Wall of China. These Trenches were deep, reaching hundreds of feet down with mounted siege weapons like ballistae, catapults and burning pots of oil situated on the side of the trench walls behind fortifications of solid concrete reinforced with iron. Oddly, though, the fortifications were bereft of guards.
Similarly, the gatehouse that rose up from the depths of the Trenches had no lights on. Frowning as we gradually passed the bridge over the Trenches and through the open gate of the gatehouse, I soon saw the reason.
A village was aflame barely a mile ahead.
"Starlight," I rumbled as I stood. "I can smell bloodshed."
"No shit," Bon Bon fired at me as we encroached on the burning village, her gaze locked on the view outside.
"I grant it is obvious, but let me speak," I returned, raising a brow. "Or would you rather not have knowledge of how many stains are out there?"
"Speak up then, Horus," Lyra urged with a sigh as Bon Bon grumbled.
"There are over 800 Caribou in that village." My tongue swept over my chops and snout as I breathed deep. "878." I looked across the myriad of faces. "I could face them," their faces hardened, became conflicted and agitated. "But you have earned the right to sate your own bloodlust."
Starlight grinned. "Hear that, ladies?"
A cheer went up through the air.
"I think I'm starting to like you now," Bon Bon declared as she flashed a savage grin at me from the window.
"Let's hope you enjoy spilling their putrid guts more, hm?" Was my reply, giving her a wry smile. She chuckled darkly. I regarded them all once more as they began to excitedly plan and chatter of their upcoming slaughter. I cleared my throat. "I have but a few requests, however, if you will allow."
Their eyes collectively turned back to me, attentive. "And they would be?" Titania asked, quirking a brow as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Leave their bodies once you finish with them. Show any lack of respect as you wish, but leave them," I flexed my claws. "If I am to keep my Lazarus Furnace from atrophying, and thus regenerate quickly, I will need blood, fresh meat...and souls. And much of each."
Silence and pale faces. It was not atypical to see among mortals when this news reached them. Many heard tales of yore of the way Demons and Demon Beasts ravenously devoured nigh anything with blood, flesh, and soul. Few knew why. Few cared, and the same went for my kind.
It did not for myself. But all the same, a cord of kinship was struck within me, and I could not withhold the faint smile on my lips. 'Was this how it was for you, dearest friends, with your revolution? Spikes and pikes of guilt impaling your hearts as you saw the disgust on the faces of your soldiers? Your comrades? Was this the pain you felt, Illua, Nyx?' I shook my head gently from my reverie. "'Heavy is the blade bloodied and the heart stained' indeed..." Once more I regarded them.
They were still wary, yet...
"Fine." Myrtle growled, tail flicking behind her. All eyes turned to her. "If it means they don't get any rest in their cumstain of an afterlife, then fucking good." She noticed the stares. "Oh fuck off, all of you! Look at what they've ALL done and tell me they actually deserve fucking peace in any measure, much less respect!" The dragoness snarled, tossing a clawed hand out.
Gazes fell. Gazes soured.
'Caribou have no afterlife they are allowed into. They are mortal in the purest sense. Half-Born. And all the better.' My own thoughts were no better.
Redheart stepped up. "Good, then."
"...Really? You, of all ponies?" a mare from the crowd spoke, surprised. The stench of death was strong on her. A chosen of the Skull Crown, perhaps?
"I was a nurse. I saw a lot of folk die. Still do. I don't like to, and I don't like not giving proper respects. But these bastards? They've gone too far too many times," Her silver-blue gaze cold snapped to the point of an icicle as her jaw tensed.
Zecora nodded as she did the same. "They have lost their rights to any rite. They deserve more than spite." I could feel the hatred burning in her gaze, as potent as a viper's poison, yet restrained like one whom was coiled in wait in the brush.
Titania was not dissimilar. "...It goes against the Alder's teachings. But I agree." Her eyes flashed, like steel on hard armor. "She would as well."
More voiced their assent, and their hatred.
I smirked. "Good." I looked to Starlight. "But..."
Starlight's gaze was locked on them all. Theirs soon was as well. She did not flinch, but neither did she seem to be present. Waves of hatred, of wrath, rolled off her. Then, they cooled. Steeled. Tempered, along with her gaze.
"Don't get cocky," She ordered, looking through them. "Don't forget what they did. What they do. What they can do. None of us want it happening again. So don't get cocky."
Tense quiet.
"...After they raped mother to death," a familiar doe started shakily. "I don't think I can hold back." She looked up, a torn nurse's gown donned over a fresh suit of armor. One that looked to be from the wretch I'd pulped the head of in Ponyville. Her gaze was boiling, and not just with hatred.
I crossed my arms, giving Starlight an expectant look.
"...Alva, you're staying," The doe snarled, made to retort. "Later. Not now." Starlight met my gaze. "Lone wolf here hasn't told us the other requests after all."
I snorted. "I simply wished to observe the atmosphere after the first. Rest your suspicions." I looked to the serried women before me. "...Do not lose yourselves. 'Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.' Do not forget that, lest you become what you do not want to."
Another tense quiet. Rage filled, but tempered.
"We have 30 or so minutes before we reach the village. Let's shut up the pep talking and start prepping, ladies!" Bon Bon declared.
They made to leave, to make ready at this. “A final request.” I took a step forward. Some took a step back. I ignored it. “Do not play the hero. We are none of us heroes. We are not soldiers, either.” I gazed out at their faces. There were glares of indignation, of frustration and more. “Do not throw your life away needlessly. If you wish to save a comrade or an innocent or ally, do so. But do them the courtesy of living, instead of dying.” Some of their demeanors softened. Some just soured. I took another step forward. “I’ll reiterate. We are not heroes. We are not soldiers. We are what they made us.”
Fire burned in their eyes as they glared at me. Fiercely. “We aren-!!”
“We are their death!!!” I shouted back.
Silence, still, and shocked. But warm, and warming. I turned on my heel, walking away, towards another car. “...Now go and deal some death, some wrath, to those Half-Born.”
After what Big Red and Furry told us, it was hard to contain my excitement, or my pride when I circled back to the train.
“‘Their death’, huh?” I smirked. “I fucking like that. ‘Myrtle, Death of the Caribou.’” Couldn’t help the chuckle I gave, but it’s not like I cared. “Has a nice ring to it.”
Spotting a twinkle in my periphery from one of the windows of the train, I gave a two-fingered salute and circled around a few more times, waiting for an all-clear to be given. After a quick thumbs up was given from the same window, I started to angle towards a spot to land.
Landing on the small platform outside of one of the cars, - one which we’d renovated the past few days from a dining car to a makeshift war room - I knocked twice on the car door. A Crystal Pony mare opened it and stepped aside immediately, and I took the invitation wordlessly as I made my way inside. Fancy-ass dining booths lined either side, with a lotta women running around doing various prepwork for the battle ahead.
Moving through the small crowd of lookouts and team leaders to one of the private table booths, I stopped short just by Titania, who was leaning over the table with a large roll of parchment atop it.
“Still some infighting going on. Most of the locals are holed up in, well, a hole. Rest are barricading themselves in other buildings and holding ground but losing it steadily.” I reported.
“Layout?” Starlight asked, her new horn glowing dimly as she sat at the end of the private booth table.
“Getting a layout would take too long,” Titania pointed out, sending Star a look..
“Humor me.” I chuckled at the sass Starlight was bringing to bear. It’s good to see that all those rumors about her weren’t just hot air. “Well?” I blinked. “Oh, right.” Shaking off my inner monologue, I recited what I could remember as quickly as I could. When I was done, a crude map had been imprinted on the parchment with her new, er, recovered, magic.
Titania sighed before looking to me. “Where was the bulk of the Caribou forces?”
“The hole, but they’ve got a good amount in other places. Some were at the station but it was a small force there." I replied, scratching at one of my horns.
“Did they see you?”
I shook my head, grinning.
“Good,” said Lyra as she and Redheart came up to the table, both carrying what looked like guns at their hips but with cylinders of needles instead of bullets. Interesting~. “Did you see any warehouses? Larders?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I responded, “One or two. Hard to determine from the design,” I licked my fangs. “Can’t wait to have some of the meat they have, though.”
“Then let’s make sure we keep those away from the fighting,” Starlight said, then looked to Bon Bon next to her on the right side of the booth. “Got a battle plan in mind?”
“You bet your ass I do,” Bon Bon grinned.
“Then let’s hear it.”
This should be good.
"Titania, you'll lead and start off the ambush when we pull into the station. You gathered some reagents recently; use'em."
The train screeched to a halt as we waited just in front of the doors. All windows had been blocked with what we could spare using.
We were in the dark, but so were they.
I heard the chatter and accents before any of my sisters in battle had even flicked an ear to their noise.
Thumbing the cord loop of my makeshift grenade, I went low to the ground and pulled my mask up, signaling my sisters to do the same. It was easier for me, being younger and shorter, to get close to the ground.
The Caribou had used that against me.
Now I would return their 'kindness'.
More steps, more chatter. My ear flicked, its earring jingling with the motion.
Four yards. Three. Two.
I gave the signal, and the black powder sang it's warcry as the few musketeers we had fired.
Only a few cries of pain. We'd missed our aim.
I nodded to Myrtle. She snorted, and not long after, the car door burst open as she barreled through two lines of Caribou before launching herself up into the air in one motion.
I loosed my payload once she'd gotten clear, tossing the grenades as I was taught so the corks would pop off when thrown.
Clouds of angry grey toxins sprung up at the gold boots of the Caribou, seeping quickly into their nasal passages and eating away with almost carnivorous hunger.
"Now!" I ordered as the fiends wept blood from eyes and nose alike, gasping for air.
My sisters rushed in, piercing their bowels, hearts, and skulls before they could even last five minutes.
Striding through the cloud of toxins, I tread upon the corpses of our enemy as they had our pride and dignity for so long.
I gave an errant stomp to the crotch of one still twitching corpse.
"Not even a few minutes. Pathetic." I spat down at the corpse.
Looking up allowed me to see a wine colored mare pull her hatchet out of one Caribou's skull before chopping away at the antlers.
I gave her a grateful dip of my head. "Thank you again for letting me take some of your Skull Mites, Berry Punch. I know you were short on supply after everything."
She didn't bother with a mask, grinning openly at me. "Heh, no problem, kid. I got the feeling my God was just fine with it anyway! More death to these fucks-" she ripped off the antler, then reached for an eyeball to pluck. I made an effort to keep my gaze on hers. "-is more death all the same! Plus," plucking the eye with more ease than I would like, she grinned as she held it up. "Their eyes make some good wine!"
"...yes, well, let's move on, shall we?" All the better. I did not wish to know how she found that out, nor how long she or others have imbibed said 'wine'.
I shuddered. Berry always was too casual.
Even when covered in gore.
"Myrtle, you're our main eyes and ears, so you'll navigate Titania and the others to each target from the sky and help where needed."
I grinned to myself as I flew above my war-sisters, all of us rushing headlong into the fray like those warriors in the old stories!
“Left turn here! There was a group of ‘em just two houses down!” I called out, banking left and laughing as they followed. When the Caribou spotted us, I couldn’t help my grin, or how I clapped my wings and twirled mid-air to avoid a volley of musket fire. The screams of pain behind me, though, pissed. Me. Off.
“Ain’t you fucks heard the stories?!” Clapping them again and twirling as I zoomed in, I shouted, “When a drake claps her wings, you better start fucking praying!” Barreling through them was like zooming through the lava geysers back home; red fuckin’ hot but exhilarating!
Cries of pain tore through the air as much as I tore through them, and I loved every second of feeling their bodies tear under my power.
Stopping past them and looking back to the remaining Caribou, I growled as I stood atop their cleaved kin. “Dragonbone ain’t used for blades for nothing, bitches. We’re rock fucking hard.”
“SHOOT HER WINGS!” A vendel wearing Caribou ordered, taking offense to my joke. His funeral~
“GOOD LUCK WART-SCROTES!” I shot back, swinging a hand down to signal my comrades as I launched myself up with a strong flap of my wings. The volley my war-sisters sent at them had them scrambling. I knew from the amount of shots fired we’d lost some of ours with the first shots, but there was no way in hell we weren’t gonna pay them back.
I saw some of them in my periphery had started to move in too, peeking their heads and creeping from the corners and windows of the houses 10 feet down the road.
“Stay back!” I called to them, flames building in my throat. “I’ve got this!”
Some of the cumstains had survived by going prone. That wouldn’t stand. The Caribou with the vendel decided he would and took aim at me with a crossbow. I took offense. A clap of my wings and a twirl to avoid the bolt, before I came out of the spin to zoom towards their position, breathing death as I went.
The screams I got in response were like music to my fucking ears.
Grinning as I swooped through their now panicked and burning ranks, I walked through the flames to the officer with the vendel. Picking him up by the neck as he burned, I snarled into his screaming face. “Hey, guess what?” He just kept screaming, so I answered my own rhetorical question by slamming a claw through his groin. “FUCK! YOU!”
Dropping his now lifeless body to the ground, I looked to the flaming corpses, then to the home they were about to bust into.
“Oi! Anyone in there?” I called, stepping up to the door a bit breathlessly.
There was no answer, but I could see reflective feline eyes looking back at me through the windows, and hear shuffling on the inside.
“Allow me, you’ve still more to kill and spree,” came the voice of Zecora.
“Eh?” Looking down the street, I saw my sisters and one of the bosses coming my way, Zecora kitted out with a whole bunch of potion belts along with her usual staff.
“You’ve all more pain to spread to the Caribou, let me do what I do,” the shamaness chimed as my sisters ran past her, starting to put out the flames I’d made.
Snorting, I nodded. “Fine, you got it.”
Flapping my wings, I took to the air again and started to search for more Caribou to slaughter.
“Zecora, you’re the most knowledgeable of us about the Abyssinians aside from Horus. On top of that, you’re an expert negotiator and a friendly face. You’re the best we’ve got to help smooth things over once we save this village, and the best we’ve got to protect them at the same time.
Together with Redheart, you’ll be our support.”
“Hello?” I called, rapping ‘pon the door of the abode. “We mean you no harm, and I bear against you no arms.”
I could hear the chatter within. Deliberation, I surmised. Deciding whether or not to trust me, or let me in.
The minutes passed in tension as my comrades moved on, few being left behind to guard myself and Redheart, whom stayed behind to tend to those wounded. Eventually, however, the door opened, a green eye peeking through the slightly opened doorway. The sheen of a loaded bolt did as well. “What do you want?”
Smiling, I answered calmly. “To help, and silence these whelps,” I gestured back to the corpses of the Caribou with my staff. “Are any of you injured? I have tinctures that will see them cured.”
Another tense moment of silence passed, before slowly, the door opened wide, and a brown furred Tab of an Abyssinian woman stepped aside to let me in. “My sister, she’s…she’s in the basement. If you can help her, then…”
I nodded, giving a small smile as I stepped in the bounds of her home. “Worry not. I will do all I can with my draughts.”
The home was quaint, with fine rugs of Abyssinian Silk in front of the door and hanging from stone lattices interspersed with gemstones, gleaming together with the light of the precious metals the silk was woven from. The home itself was composed of the ancient mix of sandstone, lime, and obsidian I'd seen so long ago as an apprentice.
I was guided through the living room to a set of stairs leading down into the earth, and within found what was likely a family room, with three individuals on and around a fine mossy couch set before a bed of gleaming crystals. Two of the individuals looked to be young girls, barely out of their teens, while the third was older, and bore orange fur in the patterns of a Tab. She was currently clutching her abdomen, which was soaked with fresh blood.
I made all due haste to my patient.
“Girls, make room, make room,” the brown Tab urged the two youths.
They did so obediently, but warily.
Kneeling before my patient, I swept my gaze over her body, inspecting the wound. “A blow to the abdominals, common yet still abominable.” Leaning close, I sniffed. “...A stench of black powder and lead, a bad omen of dread.” I looked to the woman, placing a gentle hand upon her forehead. “What is your name, my friend? I wish to help you mend.”
She was burning up. The bullet had gone deep, and her body was fighting. Panting, the woman spoke, “A-Aea.”
I nodded, pulling a vial from one of my belts. “Aea, down this, and hand me your paw,” I instructed, dropping my hand from her forehead and offering it to her as I pulled the cork from the vial.
Hesitantly, she grabbed my hand, as I tipped the contents of the vial down her mouth. To my relief, she did not sputter, nor have any need to squeeze my hand due to pain. A good sign, as most would at the grainy taste of an Active Supplement, as well as its rapid applications of nutrients.
I looked to her wound as I entailed what she imbibed, “What you have swallowed will keep you flush, but I cannot mend those.”
“Y-You fucking peddler bitch-!”
“Zecora! I heard from the guards outside, where’s the patient?” came Redhearts voice from the floor above.
Smiling, I sighed in relief. “She, however, can do more for this puncture than my tincture.” I said, gesturing to my comrade.
True to my word, Redheart came down the steps, albeit to a growling brown Tab whom was now pointing her crossbow at her. “Leave. Both of you. We’ll deal with this on our own.” The Tab snapped, glaring back at me briefly.
In response, my medical companion merely looked to our patient, then cocked a brow at the Tab. “Do you know how to pull an object out of someone's guts and stitch them back together? Without killing them?”
The Tab faltered. Redheart nodded. “Thought so. Now,” Pushing past the crossbow wielding Tab, she sat down next to me, placing her bag down and opening it swiftly. “You may want to pull the children away.”
I watched as the Tab woman grit her fangs. “We are no strangers to gore. Life is but a cycle that ends and begins with death.” She glared fiercely. “Do not insult my daughters.”
Redheart simply snorted. “The family in the last house said the same thing.” She sent a glare towards our host. “Still sounds like you're giving up on her too soon.”
At her gaping mouth, I intervened.
“Please, friend, let us help your sister to mend,” I pleaded.
She glanced to her daughters, both of which gripped their mother’s flowing taboga, giving her pleading looks. Biting her lip, she gave the answer Redheart waited for with rubber gloves and tweezers at the ready. “...Do it.”
I nodded my thanks as Redheart did the same and set to work. “Thank you.” I said gratefully. “We will see her hearty and hale without fail.”
“Zecora, need you to keep her steady and hand me an antiseptic. You gave her painkillers already, right?” Redheart asked, recapturing my attention.
Turning to my companion, I grabbed the items she requested from her bag, along with the painkiller as Aea tightened her grip on my hand.
“I’ll be...fine, just…do what you must…” she looked to her sister. “Be strong, Taea...for…me…”
Our operation started not long after, as Taea knelt down and wrapped her daughters in her arms a mere few feet from us.
“It looks as if the battle is just about won,” I mused, sat upon a rooftop with my comrades, arm still in cast at Lyra’s behest.
“Just about,” Bon Bon concurred from my left, a spyglass in one hand and the map of the village in another.
“Just the Caribou around that hole left to deal with,” Starlight agreed from my right, a spyglass in her hand as well.
I looked to my arm, flexing it a moment with mild pain that set my hunger alight. I looked towards the corpses that were being piled up below us.
“If you need to eat then go eat. Just tell us so we don’t, uh, have to look,” Lyra commented from behind me.
I shook my head. “No. The temptation will wait until this battle is finished.”
“Don’t you need nutrients to, um…regenerate?” The mare asked carefully. I spared a glance back at her.
“That is why,” I returned my gaze back to the battle as it unfolded before one of many Mouths of Uktannu. “Consuming flesh would imply I have no faith in you-” I paused, corrected myself. “-our compatriots. I refuse to sully their names, their deeds or resolves in such a manner.”
Bon Bon snorted. “Alright, honor boy.”
“Heh,” Lyra snickered. “Isn’t that what Illua and Nyx called him?”
“Yeah, so? It’s not an untrue moniker,” Bon Bon shot back.
“She’s right,” Starlight agreed, a smirk visible on her features.
I made no reply, only continued to observe the battle. The smile on my muzzle was hard to repress, however, at the thought of the two women.
The thunder of cannon fire rattled our hastily made shelter for the 34th time this afternoon. The Sages of Uktannu, our Great Mother, had kept us safe with the blessings of Her Grace, but we had but four to our village’s name, and only because these four had come to us a scant four days ago.
Our last sages had been restrained, their hands broken, and their minds shorn by the taint these Caribou wrought with their very existence.
I worried now that this would soon be the fate of our four saviors and ourselves once again. The Half-Born’s numbers had been whittled down only by the traps and tactics of the eldest Sage’s guidance.
He had been tending to us in here since the canon fire began last evening, soothing us with prayer and what first aid he could provide.
Sacrilegious as it was, I did not take part in the prayers. I remained by the doorway to the 32nd Prayer Chamber of the Mouth, my old equipment donned and at the ready.
Twin adze’s gleamed in the Lowlight at my hips and my late husbands ‘tongue spear’ as foreigner’s called it, rested firmly in my grip.
I did not fully trust these new Sages. Not after what happened to our resident ones.
Another shot of cannon fire forced my ears to wilt as the shelter rumbled, and I risked a glance towards the inner barricade, where the other Sages lay beyond. No flashes or sounds of steel were present yet, and the sounds of moving earth rung out clear even now.
Yet my unease remained.
I had experienced the Caribou’s assault twice now, as well as their carnal assaults. I did not relish either, nor the species themselves. But I knew when to trust in the strength of my body, and when to trust in the strength of the Great Mother.
Another round of cannon fire, this time with a roar, likely of a hastily made golem.
I scowled towards the Sage and the throngs of my people before him, lifting their voices in communal prayer. Time and again I had voiced that we should steal one of the Caribou’s cannons. Time and again I had been rebuked.
And now my family lay in the embrace of the Great Mother, leaving me with an empty home. And weapons unsullied with blood.
My ear flicked as I picked up screams of rage from the site of battle, right as the cannon fire had been about to sound its usual metronome of death.
Cautiously, I looked back at the supplicants, then crept out of the doorway and down the left hallway.
Stepping soundlessly through old, ceremonially packed earth and mud, I moved an errant strand of my mane out my eyes as I gripped my spear tightly. Creeping around the corner of the doorway leading to the spiral staircase that descended further into the Mouth, I took pause. No guards were here.
Even if we had been routed again, they should have been the first to notify us of a rout and thus a need for evacuation. Anxiety creeping into my skin, I looked to the external barricade where the battle should have been taking place.
What I saw spiked my blood in an instant with excitement.
Reinforcements.
Ponies, Dragons, Zebras, Changelings, Griffons, even a few Minotaurs, all were ambushing the Caribou from their unprotected rear, and all were women. The Sages kept pressure on the Half-born from the front, creating a pincer movement that the Caribou, even with the bulk of their more elite forces here, could not counter.
The addition of our own guardsmen, even the new-bloods, all but sealed their fate.
With zeal, I gave voice to my relief with a cry of victory as I charged in with my guards. The filthy barricades the Half-Born had placed were torn down by my spear’s barb, their soldiers beaten and cut in twain by my hand as I and my comrades rushed into their front line.
Bolts and gunfire thundered in my ears along with the cries of the Godsdamned as they panicked, and I relished in the bloodlust and rage that coursed through me as I relieved three of their antlered heads.
As my allies slaughtered the rank and file whom remained, I looked to the so called 'Greygold Constable' of our town.
At last, after agonies and humiliations unending, he was all that remained. I stepped forth, as did an Equestrian combat medic of pink mane and white fur. The Constable, to credit of his foolish race’s arrogance, merely brandished his twin morningstars at us both.
I gave no quarter nor pause as I seized one with a practiced upward hook and yank of my spear’s barb, wrenching the weapon from his grasp as his attention was turned to the Pony.
His shock lasted only a moment as the combat medic batted his other weapon away with but a bare hand and thrust her shortsword at his lightly armored throat with practiced motion.
The gurgle he made on his own blood as he gripped the weapon was contrasted only by his retort.
“Damn…coward..s…” His hand wept fresh blood as he tightened his grip, attempting to push the blade out. She merely pushed it further in.
I took my turn after, pulling an adze from my hip as I dashed forward and plunged its edge through his half-plate into his collarbone and yanked, allowing my Equestrian ally to push her blade yet further until it burst out the back of his neck.
Snarling, I unsheathed my claws and swiped at his muzzle, more Half-Born blood flying through the air as I yowled and dug the edges in deep. “This, I do for my husband,” I hissed, sinking a claw into his eye and relishing his screams. “May you die seeing the red of blood that I did when you struck him down in front of our children!” I roared, squeezing my paw and rending his eye and muzzle naught but torn flesh.
Pulling my paw free, I spat into his mouth as he gave his dying gasp. “A pox upon your line, Caribou.”
The medic gave a flourish as she pulled her blade free, uttering only one phrase, “May he burn.”
The raucous cheers afterwards cemented a hope I’d dreamed of for years. We were free. After so long, finally, we were free, and my resolve was not for nothing.
The crunching of bone 'neath my jaws. The blood of the damned, the sinful, and their meager souls leaking through my jowls and down my throat.
The taste of their follies on my tongue, the thrill, the sensation of their fear and last moments condensed into their flesh and mortal ichor…
...my delight at the consumption.
It was all I could do to hold back until privacy had been given, until I had the meal my Furnace yearned to burn to myself.
Tearing into the belly of one Half-born, I pulled out their entrails with practiced ease, and proceeded to consume.
Their memories filled me, and were swiftly burned and consumed by my metabolism into fuel for my regeneration.
The sound of steps drawing closer on the stone drew my attention.
“Unless you wish to see the consumption of corpses, I would steer away, visitor,” I glanced behind myself. “A Demon Beasts’ meal is a gruesome thing.”
“As we know, Forefather of Wrath,” replied the melodic undertones of an Abyssinian.
I lowered my claw from the Half-born’s entrails. “...Child of The Mother. You should know well I dislike titles, even less so that which you just spoke.”
“Apologies, My Lord, but-”
“Even moreso that title. I am lord of none but myself. Those who follow me follow of their own accord,” ‘Much as I detest the notion.’ I snorted, but stood all the same from the corpse pile, licking my claws clean. “You have an urgent matter. Speak it.”
I felt their shifting more than heard it. “...We would deign to know your will for coming here-”
I snarled, my tail slamming upon the floor. “Dispense with the formalities, and for the love of everything in existence, cease your prostrating!” Rounding on the feline, I bared my teeth. “Speak to me as equal, and I will do you the same courtesy. I am the better to none; I am a Demon for gods’ sake! Look your demons in the eyes and face me, child!”
Fear shone in her eyes. It irked me. No.
It infuriated me. I’d seen it far too often.
“Y-Yes, Your-” she paused, steeled herself.
I snorted. Good. A start.
“...How may I address you, then…?”
“...Horus,” I added after a moment of gritting my fangs in anger at her hesitance. Uktannu, why must all your children be so damnably reverent?! I am a DEMON!
“Just Horus…?” she ventured.
“Just. Horus,” I echoed. Feeling her fear and sensing it, I waved her off. “I came for retribution upon the Godsdamned. The women wish only the same. Our goals aligned. That is all.” I raised a brow at her. “Now will that be all, child?”
She fidgeted, gaze lowered. I raised a brow. "What?"
Slowly, she raised her head. "What will happen to my people, My Lo- Horus?"
Her eyes still shone with fear, but…there was steel there. The steel one bares against tyrants.
I snorted, smiling. "Good. Keep that steel tempered in the face of even Gods, child, and you will find respect in Heaven and Tartarus alike." Tail flicking, I continued ignoring her confusion. "You wish an answer? You gave it. They are your people. Lead them. Rebuild with them. Toil with them." I shrugged. "I bear no weight in the decisions of mortals or immortals. They make their own weights and apply them to what they will. I go my own path. You must go yours."
The wide stare she bore was amusing. "Do not forget that Wrath is more than not a single-minded emotion and drive, Abyssinian." Crossing my arms, I gave her an expectant look. "Is there anything else?" She continued to stare. I rolled my eyes. “Cease your staring, you’ll only receive nightmares in return.”
Shaking herself, she quickly recovered. “My Lo- Horus,” she retried, and I nodded. “We…do not have sufficient grain or meats. I was…hoping you might deign to share some, if you have any…”
“Do your Sages not have the favor of Her embrace? Can they not ask for a bountiful harvest?” I queried.
“They are Footpathers, they…have not the right to attune to the Well,” she answered.
I swore, glaring at an image of the Great Mother across the hall. “Exclusion of rights to travelers.” I spat. “I did not agree with Uktannu on that manner ages ago and I do not now. Such tribalistic, barbaric, archaic ways have no place in any world.” My rage flared, but not my aura. I spared a glance to the Abyssinian. “Your name?”
“...Anatu Beltis, My Lo-” I narrowed my eyes. “-Horus.”
I closed my eyes, allowing my rage to dim. “Mmm…an old name. Powerful. Respected.” ‘A shame the lunar deity of this world may not recognize it now.’ "I will see what can be done." I answered after a moment's muse.
"Thank you," She bowed her head, and I snorted. "If I may…your compatriots have been looking for you as well, My Lo-er, Horus."
I grunted. "Very well. I will find them shortly." I turned my back. "Now, depart. Or must I repeat my earlier warning?"
"No, sir," she replied. I scowled as I heard her stand. "Thank you for your time."
As she left, I bit into the leg of a Caribou soldier, grumbling about the unnecessary honors bestowed upon me.
I was lapping the last of the blood from my maw when I reached the chamber where my fellows were resting. An Earth Sage, bearing green robes tinged with earthen paint, passed me by as I entered the doorway. One of the Footpathers, judging by the colors.
Turning my attention back to the room, for once I neither saw nor heard a heated argument, but a tense silence as my fellows sat cross-legged in the meditation chamber.
Four grand pillars stood at each corner, their bases and the walls and ceiling made of hand carved granite, granting no joviality to the room. The center of the floor where the Movement’s leaders sat similarly granted only comfort of packed earth and soil, bare of any grass.
I approached the impromptu circle they had arranged themselves in, their ears flicking towards me as I did.
“You’re late,” Starlight stated.
Redheart’s nose wrinkled, shooting a glance to Starlight, then back to me. “I…trust the meal was good?”
"...Yes," I replied, seating myself among them. "What is the situation?"
"Food," Redheart answered.
Rubbing her muzzle, Starlight continued, "Food was problem enough back in Ponyville, but here they've got a shortage and winter is coming up."
Bon Bon nodded, her muzzle twisted in a scowl. "And we're low enough on our own stores from the train's food carts."
I nodded. "I take it the Footpather told you of their side?"
Zecora nodded as the others scowled or grimaced. "They cannot grow food for themselves or another. They must survive off the land as it is, by a tenet of their Mother."
"So we're sitting here trying to figure out options. Word is there's a city run by the Sages not too far from here - if we had a carriage. Right now, we have the train, which doesn't go there," Lyra summarized, crossing her arms.
Raising a brow, I asked. "Do we not have those who can fly?"
"We do." Starlight nodded. "We sent Myrtle there with Titania, but the issue is feeding everyone for the days they'll be gone."
I frowned. "We do not even have the food to feed all our number?"
"Not if we add this town to it, no," Bon Bon nodded.
My gaze turned to the soil beneath us. I closed my eyes as thoughts turned to memories of a garden too far removed from this time.
And a woman whom helped in it's growth.
I still remembered her price.
I shook my head, opening my eyes and standing slowly to my feet. "I will return."
"You have an idea?" Zecora asked. "A panacea?"
I shook my head. "A plan. Whether it will be panacea to our efforts, to these people…that is not up to me."
Turning and striding back, towards the doorway, I heard the Agent call, "Are you ever gonna be not vague?!"
"Concision is a virtue, Agent Sweetie Drops," I replied as I approached the railings of the great spiral descent that was The Well.
"As is private humour," I allowed myself to quietly murmur. The Well's bottom remained out of my sight.
I allowed that to comfort me as well, in spite of the action I was contemplating. No. The action I was taking.
My joints and sinews tensed with the thought of it. The rage that would surge forth. And whom that would be against, regardless of relation.
I closed my eyes, remembering the few aside from my angels I mourned.
In spite of my demonhood, they still haunted me.
That rage, I allowed to spur me forward into action.
Placing claws upon the stone railing, I vaulted, allowing the depths of The Well of Days Long Past to intrude their sanctity, their infused auras of divinity, into my mind and body as I plummeted.
All cries of alarm from those above ceased to exist in my senses.
What remained was the tumble into what had passed so long ago.
I woke in a field of brambles and rosemary, rising to the satisfying scratch of their points upon my hide.
The Fields of The Mother stretched out before me, and once again, I'd been granted my own portion of the field. A sore thumb of brambles and briars in a sprawling plain of roses, tulips, dandelions, and daisies.
"You truly came." Her voice chimed behind me. I turned as she settled into a restless seat upon the soil, continuing. "You made me wonder about my prediction when you killed Aspen."
I grunted. "Fate and predictions are fickle as their mistress."
She smiled, nodding. "Unless you treat her well. But more so I wonder why you'd come at all," settling into a kneel in the brambles next to me, I regarded the form the Mother bore in the presence of my old race.
Whilst still garbed in the robe colored after damp, fertile earth, her form was human in entirety, and of a tan one would gain only after many years of life toiling under the sun.
And she still smelled of the old flowers.
I scowled. "You still remain the most fiendish torturer I've met."
"Do you truly miss your home so much?" She asked, leaning only a tad forward, never revealing her eyes.
I averted my gaze. "You know your answer."
"Horus…"
My scowl remained, and I growled as my ears flattened of their own accord. "I know your price, Uktannu. Painful as it will be, I will pay it."
"Horus…they were your-"
"Are. They remain my family, Uktannu. Do not placate me with platitudes and philosophies of your mysticism," I snapped.
"...and the two you recently met?" She asked, gold and platinum earrings dangling free from the confines of her shadowed hood.
I bristled, remembering the pale blue hair, the devilish, infectious laughter. "Do not manipulate me, Uktannu. You are friend, but you are not in rights to-"
A hand on my cheek. Her grip, and her green eyes glaring into my red. "-Do not. Do not become that, Horus." She pulled me closer. I had no strength to refuse. "You are my child, same as any who walk upon my body." Her embrace was firm, yet gentle.
I did not yield.
"The Half-Born are not children. They are blights. Pus. Pox," I hissed.
Her hand through my fur. Scarlet lightning crackled. She did not shy away.
"Why do you fight this when you have already come? Already chosen?" She queried, soft, like wind through grass and caressing downpours.
"You know why," My voice wavered. The memories were surfacing.
"Let them," she breathed into my ear, like warm air upon a chilled day. My fangs bared. My claws tightened into fists. “Let it free, Horus. Remember them.”
My heart burned, my body shook…and the memories took me.
The brambles bloomed into blazing spheres taking the names of flowers. A swipe turned them to just flames of black and unholy anguish.
Her screams as they used her. Their laughs. Their chuckles. The stench of their bodies. The pain. The fear.
A slam as my tail cratered earth like a meteor. My claws on my head as she released me.
All of it, every portion of the image enraged me. But what enraged me most was how I was not there. How I did not stop them before it happened.
How I broke my promise to my own daughter.
The sky tore. The air rippled, steamed.
I remembered how they would tell me summonings simply worked that way at times. Sometimes demons were summoned from Tartarus and chained or used for one purpose or another. There, they took it as a fact of life. Another challenge to overcome. Another blip of amusement in their laughably long lives. Some took it with disgust.
I took it with insult.
The Red Thunder stormed over the field, blood rain pouring down. In it all, I knelt, snarling, growling, as Uktannu simply looked on.
When I began to change, she still looked on. When my spine shuddered and snapped and my skin burned and burst with pain, she looked on as new hide, new scales, took their place. When I howled to the skies and the blood dripped from my face, she still looked on. When I raged at how I’d failed my daughter, my wife, when I trampled the Fields, burned them with abyssal flame, atomised them with the thunder of hells, froze them with the anguish of grief, she still remained, looking on. When the ground shook and crimson took my sight…I saw only two others looking on.
My Rage encapsulated me as the days long past filled my mind. My heart burned and blazed, throbbed, clenched. Roars of a thousand beasts of legend filled my ears. Roars of the old destroyers, the ancient fiends.
My vision remained obfuscated by their memory.
I remembered their laughs. Their smiles. Their gentle breaths as they slept. Their giggles. The drops raining down my face lost distinction. Their grins. Their eyes lighting up as they spoke their passions. The lightness of her tone as she teased me. Her warmth as she held my hand with her tiny one. The weight I shared with my wife. The jokes and labors shared with her family. The pain on their faces, in their tones, at her departure. The rage at my absence that day, at our home. The confusion on our daughter’s face.
Her blood on that sweater.
Her mind on that disgusting stone floor, twisted and broken beyond recognition.
Their spirits, tainted by men too far gone in their ambition, their pride, their dogma, their schemes and plans and desires.
My chest throbbed with pain. My throat tore with Wrath.
The Hellish answered with roars, wing, flame, madness, and apocalypse.
And wastelands were born.
I awoke to the smell of asphodelus blooms and my own blood. Opening my eyes, I saw Uktannu’s face, smiling gently down at me. Sadly.
I ignored the burning streaks still on my cheeks. “Was that payment enough, Uktannu?”
A tear dripped from her eyes onto my muzzle, fresh as rainwater. “It was.” She nodded. Slowly, she brought me into another embrace. She sobbed. I still ignored what burned down my cheeks.
“Thank you, Horus,” she breathed.
“You thank me for my rage?” I asked. I did not move as she ran a hand through my fur, static with flittering Dracophages and Hellbugs.
“It is how you care,” she wept. “And knowing you still care, my friend, after all this time, is the best payment I can ask.” She pulled away, smiling, tears in her eyes. I returned the embrace at the sight. I remembered the pits I’d seen in the Half-Born’s lands. The yawning chasms. The molten red spilling out from beneath, melting the snow. The entropy visible in the barrier placed around Abyssinia. The poverty and oppression prevalent in the village.
I still remembered.
Mortals are not the only ones who can be raped. Mortals are not the only ones who can suffer loss.
There were those whom called the dark formless. Horus always knew them as naive. He had known darkness. He was married to it, and it was beautiful.
It was when that was taken that he learned the other forms. Darkness could be a broader term than many cared to think or ponder.
Darkness was thought, after all. He learned that when he went through the Void.
His daughter did too.
The Void was like the thoughts of all mortals, immortals and forces congealed into a storm that blinded all five senses like you'd just been bagged and were waiting to have your organs spooned out for sale.
He'd seen that happen more than he cared to count when his Darkness was killed.
He never thought he'd see a perfect recreation of that done to his thoughts before eyes he wasn't sure he had anymore.
But there they were all the same. A knife in the back of a black turtleneck. A knife in the back of the nurses. A twist. A falsehood. And another as his Darkness rose from her deathbed and caressed their child with the blade of a Promise Knife.
A flash of blood as he swiped through the memory like a blob of paint.
That was when he saw another Darkness. When The Void deigned to show him his child being comforted by four unfamiliar women. One looked almost like his wife. One was like the Darkness of space. Two others were bright and Flaming. But the Darkness that weighs on stubborn flames was palpable.
He felt the Dark cloak of confusion sting at his brain like numbness that leaves you grasping for a way out as he looked at the scene.
And Horus then learned another type of Darkness as he saw his child scream across from him as she too was picked and pulled and prodded at like the Devil would his favorite Cursed Doll.
He smelled the laughter of the nothing space around him. He didn't know how. He only knew that it smelled confused when he became impossibly angry as it started to twist his body next.
A stab of the Promise Knife. But his Darkness hadn't faded. The Void had to stab him 88 more times before he stopped growling. Had to restitch his heart and lungs and arms and bones because the Void could be a frantic kind of Darkness.
It only stopped when an ebony hand grabbed the knife and a playing card was offered to his skull like an ATM.
But he couldn't forget Darkness. He knew it, because Rage made up a part of it.
Because Darkness had a form all it's own. And that form was Love.
I watched passively as the asphodelus blooms swayed in time with the hand that stroked my head. The wind was warm, as was the lap of Uktannu as I laid upon it.
"Always so restless," she said. I glanced up at her, then resumed watching the blossoms sway. "And always so quiet."
"Does it bother you that much?" I asked, watching as a bee moved to pollinate a bloom.
"No. But I would like to hear you speak more."
I furrowed my brow. "Why? What I came for is resolved."
She shook her head, earrings and bangles like windchimes on the breeze. "No. It is not." Her stroking continued. "You remain restless."
"Rest is not for my kind, Uktannu," I replied.
Her stroking stopped. "Was that another of your references?" Amusement was in her tone.
I kept my eyes trained on the insect, but it soon flew away.
"How cute," she cooed, and I felt my cheeks warm further. "A wonder you haven't shared something so tender with those two Visitors. It's quite a shame to hide that wit."
I exhaled, closing my eyes. Her verbal proddings were easier to see, but still hard to deflect. "That past is dead and buried, Uktannu. I am not that man. I am Horus, and nothing more."
"Yet you retain her family name," she said, resuming her petting of my head.
I chuffed. "Her name is worth keeping. Mine no longer is," I replied, tensing.
"I believe you'll find some disagreement with that, Horus." A softer tone. Worry. Concern. Pity.
"Then it can remain a disagreement," I opened my eyes once more, glaring up at the deity. "The corpses I've left should remain corpses." What was her game? Our agreement was simple, or supposed to be. In order to regain my standing, to have my strength again, I had to unlock my pain once more. She would aid. I would return it in kind.
It wasn't supposed to be some forced, softspoken coddling of each other!
She only smiled. "It's hard to keep them quiet when you continue to try and avenge them." A scratch behind my ear made me growl.
"Cease," I hissed.
She stopped.
Heaving a breath, I sat up. "Why do you insist on these questions, Uktannu?" I asked.
She faltered. "Am I not your friend?"
"..."
"Am I not?"
"You are."
"So why do you fear speaking-"
"I do not. But the Blackbriar name is to be held by none but myself and my enemies," I clasped my chest. "I am what they made me, Uktannu. Pain or no, released or not, I AM what they made. I will remain such until they all lie dead, tormented in MY domain until time immemorial for their sins."
The Lady Earth moved, and the breeze followed as she rested on her hand. "And you believe Tartarus would allow them in? Half-Born? When they've no souls to speak of?"
I snarled. "I. Care. Not. I will drag their corpses screaming to life if it means I can hear them scream again!" My tail slammed of it's own accord, cracking the earth.
She remained unmoved. But the frown was pain enough. "Do you feel like that would heal them? Heal us? Torment for torment?"
"The one fairness they shall ever gain from me," I said.
"Fairness? To you, or them?"
My teeth bared. "Are you telling me to forget my anger? The wrath they are due for their uncountable sins?"
She shook her head. "No. I am asking you, as your friend, to not lose yourself."
I stood, glaring down at the Mother Earth. "I am Horus Blackbriar, Uktannu. Now by our pact, let. Me. Go."
She exhaled, the wind whipping around us. I still glared.
"The pact isn't finished, Horus," Standing, she met my glare with her own. "Tell me, when your wife died, what did she whisper?"
I stared at her, chill filling my veins.
"What did she whisper to you, Horus, on her deathbed?" she stepped forward.
And for once in more moons than I ever wanted to count, in more cold nights without a shred of warmth to comfort and more screams I ever wanted hear, my gaze dropped, like it did that night I first asked my Bloom why she would stain her hands so red.
I clenched my claws, drawing blood. "What was whispered..." I began, looking up with fresh, burning tears of black. "...is for my ears, and mine alone, Uktannu."
"Then the pact is unfinished." She stated firmly.
I closed my eyes, trying to stem the tide. "...Then let it be unfinished. What my Bloom-" I stopped short, then corrected course. "-what my wife whispered, is not for friends to hear, close as family or not."
Her eyes finally peeked from her hood. Marbles as wondrous as she no doubt was. Blue and brown and green and agleam with splendor. And worry.
"I cannot leave it unfinished, Horus..." She began.
I took her hand. "Please. Let me keep that memory at least, Uktannu. Let me treasure at least that, if nothing else."
Her eyes stared into mine, searching. Hoping.
I felt only pain at seeing mine reflected in hers as she finally nodded. "Very well." Pulling me by the hand into a hug, she squeezed tightly. "I will do as you ask. But tell me before you finish your chosen task, at least."
I returned the embrace. "Thank you, old friend..."
We basked in one another's warmth for a time, before she relented. "I will explain what I can to my husband," she said, wiping a tear of her own. "But do not dally long on your hunt, wolf." She teased.
I grinned, wiping my own tears. "You have my word, Uktannu."
"The word of a demon?" she smirked, placing a hand on her hip. "Hmm, I suppose that will have to do, then."
We shared a final smile, before the breeze kicked up, and obscured my vision with petals uncountable.
