> Flames of Hate > by DanishDash > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Inmate 735 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Theft, bribery, murder, treason.. These were the crimes I was accused of. They came for me one night, the guards. They kicked in the door, grabbed me, and searched my house. Quickly they found what they had expected to find, the elements of harmony. I protested the accusations of theft, but it mattered little as they chained me and took me away. I was disgraced, stripped of my freedom, and left by my friends.. The trial was quick, too quick for my liking, and before I knew it I was headed to Frostbark Prison in the cold frozen north sea. During the trip, I kept expecting my friends to turn up, kept hoping that they would have found whoever was setting me up, and rescue me. No such rescue came.. Not on the ship, not on the arrival, nor ever.. The warden and the guards are not ponies, but Diamond Dogs. They run the prison, this entire rocky island, and look after the worst of the worst from every kingdom. In exchange for such a service, me and my fellow inmates have become free laborers, forced to work in the mines under the prison.  It is here we spend most of the day, cramped into small tunnels, mining for gems, diamonds, minerals, anything valuable. The air is thick, and the stench is strong, the place is not well lit, or well ventilated. Many die, either they just fall over and never get up, or they travel to the deepest and darkest tunnels, and just never return. When not in the mines, I am locked in a stone cell. It's cold, and I have nothing but the fur on my body to keep me warm. If I was still human, I am sure I would have died from the cold many years ago.  There is no window, but a small bared hole far above me to let in air. I can hear the howling wind, and the waves of the ocean crash into the rocky shore. It is the only sound of the outside that makes its way into my life. The rest of the time it is chains, screams, cries, and terror that has replaced the sounds of freedom. The guards are not kind, they seem to take pleasure in making us suffer. They've broken my wings multiple times, either directly, or as a result from whatever torment they've put me through. I can no longer see my cutie mark, it is hidden behind multiple scars. I am not the only pony who has these scars, every pony does. It is the guards' way to erase who we are, and for some, it has broken them. I often wonder if Princess Celestia knows what is going on here? If she does, then she does not care. I've seen no officials from any kingdom, I've only seen my captors and fellow inmates.  For the first year I kept expecting my friends to show up, to get me out, and explain it was all a mistake. The next two years it was a hope, the next three it was merely a dream.. For a while I cried, whispered pleas into the night, hoping the elements, my friends, would come for me. I never saw them, nor did I ever hear from them. I stopped crying, stopped pleading, and for a while I was nothing but an emotionless husk, only thinking about death.. At times I found myself thinking about going to the deepest pits of the mine, and just waiting for the sweet mercy of death. Lay and wait between the corpses of former prisoners who'd also given up hope. Something inside me kept me from doing so, at first I had no idea what it was, but that would soon change. As time passed, I felt a burning hatred grow inside me like a wildfire. It grew and grew until every fiber of my very being glowed with anger and hate. I'd been betrayed, not just by whoever framed me, but by the ponies I called friends.. Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie... They'd abandoned me, left me to rot, left me to die and fade from memory. They'd never spoken to my defense, never even having the decency to look me in the eyes, not even as I was dragged away crying and screaming. Friendship is magic.. That is what Twilight told me when I first arrived in this world.. She was nothing but a hypocrite, and I found myself thinking about ways to punish her. The star student of princess Celestia, the element of magic, the hero of Equestria.. How I longed to see her fall from grace, to be cast aside by those she loved, and left disgraced and alone, just like me. Every single element deserved pain, deserved to be punished! They were not worthy of calling themselves the elements of harmony, they were liars, cheaters, deceivers.. This hatred kept burning inside me, and soon enough it hardened my heart, and kept me warm even through the coldest of nights. My hatred kept me alive, pushing me to become feared among my fellow inmates. My spirit was not broken, but reborn in the fires of hate and suffering. Felix had died, but I.. I was still alive, and it scared everybody around me, even the guards. They'd even stopped beating me, now only approaching me to give me meals. Perhaps I'd have traded my soul for this chance, if I had, it was a deal worth making, because soon enough I saw my chance of escape. Having become feared, I used my newfound power to lead a rebellion on the island. Using the mining tools, and lending my brothers my hate and vision for revenge, we revolted. I was amazed how easy it was, cutting through the guards like weeds on a field. I don't remember the battle itself, only that when it was over, I was the only one left standing. Covered in blood, I left the prison, and tasted the cold air of freedom. I let out a scream, and lightning flashed through the sky as if sealing the vow I made that night.. I would devote my life to revenge, or die trying.. I wanted death, but I could not allow myself such mercy before I'd destroyed the element bearers. Death was too good for them, and so I would find ways to destroy them one by one.. This was my new purpose in life! With no boats or any other way off the island, I threw myself in the ocean. If I die, then so be it. I no longer feared death. The dice of fate had been cast.. Should I die, then at least my nightmare will be over. If not, then theirs has just begun...