Raging Star

“Ursara Minor!” Raging Star shot his arm forward, unleashing a powerful wave of energy at Satyan. The Minotaur was engulfed in blue flames, ripping and tearing at him as he tumbled about in the air. Raging Star’s attack vanished, leaving Satyan on his hands and knees. The Minotaur huffed and puffed heavily, glaring upward at the boy standing over him.

“Damn you, Raging Star,” he gasped.

“Not so powerful anymore, huh?” the boy asked, bringing his voice to a shout. “Do you still want to see my full power?!”

“You insolent… AH!” Satyan tried to lunge at the child, but the boy stepped to the side and swung down, cutting through the Minotaur’s arm with his own.

“Die!” Raging Star shouted, smashing his fist into Satyan’s face. Suddenly, a bright flash of light engulfed both bodies, and Raging Star felt his feet leave the ground. “What?!”

“We’ll die together!” Satyan smirked. The boy looked down and saw that his chest had a powerful arm lodged inside of it.

“No!” he cried, spitting up blood.

“Hahahahaha! Now, die!” Satyan shouted, ripping his arm out of Raging Star’s side.

“Raging Star, you’re not going to die!” Viololá’s voice resonated in the background.

His eyes opened.

“You’re not going to die!” she said again. This time, her voice sounded closer. Immediately, Raging Star became aware of his surroundings. Viololá had him in her grasp, restraining him with her magic.

“W-what? Where am I?”

“You really don’t remember? That can’t be good for your brain.” Viololá sighed and let the boy go. He jerked around after she released her grip, but then regained control of his body.

“Shut up,” Raging Star groaned, clutching his head and falling back down on the mattress he was sitting on. “Where are those dragons? Where’s the turtle?”

“Tortoise,” Toh corrected from the side. He held a platter in his hand with a bowl of rice and a steaming cup of liquid. “I’ll have you identifying your species correctly soon enough,” he chuckled, setting the tray down next to Raging Star. “How are you feeling?”

“Like crap!” Raging Star growled, pulling the covers over his face. “My body aches, and I feel like I haven’t eaten for weeks!” At that instant, his stomach gurgled painfully, and he sprung up and eyed the bowl of rice. “That reminds me,” he slurped, grabbing for the bowl.

“Truly marvelous, that he can give such an output of energy and still breathe,” Toh To Ga mused. “Hey! That’s not food, if you want some more just ask!” Toh shouted as Raging Star began to bite at the bowl.

“He hasn’t really eaten in a while,” Viololá said.

“Neither have you, yet you relented after a single bowl!”

“Hey, old fart, I want some more! Give me more of this stuff!” Raging Star burped, chugging the drink in the cup.

“Be careful with that tea! It’s not meant to be drunk all at once!” Toh exclaimed, rushing towards Raging Star.

Raging Star swallowed, and then gagged a little. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, letting out a long yawn afterwards. His eyes drooped low and he burped up a small exhaust of tea refuse. His head collided with the pillow, and he began to snore.

“What was in there?!” Viololá asked, feeling the child’s head.

“It’s… an elixir I’ve made from the resources of the desert,” Toh replied, picking up the bowl and tray, “to be consumed in small increments, as it is a powerful drug. It heals the body from the inside out, starting with its organs. In order to repair a broken body in such a short amount of time, it has to slow the functionality of the body, and consuming excess amounts like he did could result in a coma-inducing state of healing.”

“Coma-inducing?!” Viololá cried. “That’s not good! Will he wake up?”

“Eventually,” Toh replied with a sigh. “Though it could take days, maybe even weeks for the drug to wear—”

“Are you still talking?!” Raging Star asked, launching himself from his bed. Both Viololá and Toh To Ga screamed, falling backwards into each other.

“Y-y-you’re.. a-awake…!” Toh To Ga gasped. “Impossible… There was enough elixir in there to keep you under for a few months!”

“Really? Well, whatever that stuff was, it sure did do the trick,” Raging Star grinned. He leapt up from his spot and flexed his body, laughing as he was able to jump up and down without a problem. “Hey, you haven’t refilled my bowl,” he said suddenly.

“Oh, your bowl?” Toh To Ga asked, looking down at the tray. “Ah… Well, perhaps it would be better if you just follow me to the kitchen, now that you seem to be able to move.”

“Nice! I hope you have something with flesh in there!”

“Ack! What are you, a savage?!”

“You’d be surprised,” Viololá said to the old tortoise.

“I already am,” he replied, motioning for his guests to follow him. They stepped out of the shady hut and into a densely vegetated jungle. A line of rope trailed from the tops of the hut behind them towards a section in the middle of the jungle. A large decorated tree trunk, adorned with various relics of the land branched off at its split top, leading to other sections within the jungle.

“The kitchen is in the central hut,” Viololá explained. “I helped carry you over to it when you first arrived.”

“Oh yeah, I was knocked unconscious again, huh?” Raging Star rubbed the back of his head. “Dang it… if this keeps up, I won’t have much of a brain left.”

“Who says you even had one in the first place?” Viololá asked. “You act more on your animalistic instinct than your brain. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were bred for war and nothing else!”

"So then, you sure that you know better?" he chuckled, flexing his arms again. He stretched the entire time that they had spent walking to Toh's central hut. Viololá watched him closely, her mouth slightly agape as she scanned his torso. Her body quivered at the sight of his body--It was completely healed, not a scratch or blemish to be found.

"Ah, we're here," Toh stated, brushing aside some drooping vines and allowing his guests to enter before himself. He set the contents in his claws down and motioned over to a large steaming pot, removing the tin lid and stirring the contest with a wooden spoon. "This is supposed to be dinner tonight, but I suppose I could spare some for the moment," he said, grabbing another bowl and filling it with the creamy red sauce from the pot.

Raging Star's mouth watered at the sight of the stew. A plume of mixed spices and herbs traveled through his nose, exciting his appetite even more. Toh To Ga strained some softened potatoes and wonderfully fried vegetables over the dish, adding a nice helping of rice on the side. He closed the lid, the clang signaling Raging Star to step forward and hold his hands out, and Toh To Ga handed him the bowl.

"I strongly encourage you to savor the flavor, because I--"

"More of that stuff, please!" Raging Star interrupted. Toh nearly fell to his knees and puffed his chest at the child.

"You didn't even taste it, I bet!"

"Sure I did, it was good and I want more, gosh I even said please!" Raging Star growled.

“Mr. Ga, I would just give him the food… The alternative would bear undesirable results,” Viololá gulped.

“Oh, I plan to,” he replied, quickly refilling the dish. Raging Star greedily grabbed the bowl and began eating once again.

“More to the point, Raging Star, Mr. Ga here had an interesting proposal he wanted to share with you.” Raging peered around the edge of the raised bowl and moaned. He looked at Viololá and huffed.

“Whatever he wants, I don’t care.”

“You terrible brat!” Toh shouted, swiping the bowl away.

“Hey! I was eating that!” Raging cried.

“I offer to help you control your massive power, and you respond by not even hearing me out?!” Toh To Ga growled at him and tossed the dish into the sink behind him.

“Listen, old man, I don’t need help with anything! I’m strong enough as it is, and I don’t need any help from you or some stupid ponies to beat up Mr. Satyan!”

“I suppose that’s why you did so well against him when he showed up,” Toh replied.

Raging Star growled. “How do you know about that?!” He came close to the hermit’s face and held a fist up. “The only reason he beat me that time was because I hesitated. I choked up, but next time will be different!”

“Is that so? Well, has your pony friend cared to explain to you why you woke up with nigh a memory of your escape from Diamond Dog territory?”

Viololá gasped, motioning at the tortoise, but he did not stop.

“Y-yeah… She told me that a big monster came and… attacked him.” He looked at her now, but she quickly turned away.

“I planned on breaking this to you a little softer, but you have drawn my claw, and I see no further reason to mask your identity from yourself,” Toh replied. Raging Star looked at him, but said nothing and tilted his head to the side. Toh To Ga sighed and pointed at him, coldly staring back. “You are the giant monster.”

“What? Me?!” Raging Star chuckled at first, then began to laugh. “I thought you were smart, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Dismiss it all you want, but there is no escaping your heritage. Whatever you are, you are capable of a destructive force beyond that this world has even conceived,” Toh continued.

Raging Star quieted down, and frowned. He crossed his arms and spat on the floor. “Gee, thanks… It’s awful nice of you to say I’m strong, but you don’t have to call me a monster too!” He pointed at Viololá. “She told me a giant monster came out of the ground, not that I turned into a monster. I’d believe her over you, even if she is just as bad!”

Viololá swallowed and cleared her throat. “Raging Star,” she said.

He turned to her and nodded. She cleared her throat again, but still refused to look him in the eyes.

“What… What is it?” he asked.

“I might have… fabricated some things when I told you about what happened before,” she stammered.

“You mean, you lied?” he asked.

“A giant monster did indeed attack Satyan, but it didn’t come from the ground… It came out from inside of you.”

Raging Star stopped breathing. He stared at her, mouth agape slightly and remained silent. Suddenly his hands closed into fists and his brow furrowed. A raspy growl emanated from his throat and he glared at the unicorn in front of him.

“You… You said… But you said…”

“I know what I said, but that’s only because I didn’t understand what actually happened,” she replied.

Raging Star took a step forward, but Toh To Ga was already in front of Viololá.

“Now then, there’s no need for that,” he said. “You would’ve been told sooner or later, and better sooner than later.”

“How… How is that better?!” Raging Star asked. “You mean… I had Satyan pinned… I had him beat… And we RAN AWAY?!” A powerful wind blew through the kitchen, rattling all of the pots and pans.

“It wasn’t like that!” Viololá shouted back. “Yes, you were fighting him on his level, but he was still stronger than you! He nearly killed you! I had to stop him, and I had to get you away!”

“Who the hell are you to decide what to do with my life?!” the boy screamed. A bright red aura began to surround him.

“Raging Star—” Toh began to say but was cut off.

“I’m the one who saved your life! I’m the one who helped you escape from Roxie’s Den! I’m the one who carried you around with me even though you destroyed my life!” Viololá yelled back.

Raging Star, dropped his arms, and the wind died down. The energy around him vanished, but he still fixed his glare upon her.

“I didn’t destroy your life, you were sold into slavery, you told me that yourself.”

“Yes, I did,” she began. “But what I didn’t tell you was that the reason I was sold into slavery was because of you, seven years ago, when you first appeared as that horrific ape!”

Raging Star could not respond. He looked at Viololá’s face, and saw the hate that he felt back in the desert. He turned away and grunted, though refrained from speaking.

“Raging Star,” Toh chimed in now, “Seven years ago, Equestria was plagued by a terrible monster…”

The Equestrian military was powerless against this raging beast. One night, on a powerful full moon evening, a giant ape emerged from the mountains and began destroying the city of Manehattan. Only when the princesses intervened was the monster stopped, however, it was unclear as to what they did with the beast, for by the time they had vanquished it, it vanished.

“I can see now that instead of destroying it, they instead sent it far away, perhaps in hopes of it never again emerging,” he finished.

“Shortly after the destruction,” Viololá started now, “rebuilding began, but not without great hardship. Many families were broken, and lots of ponies died. The other nations took advantage of this opportunity and invaded Equestria while it was weak, and I was one of their spoils of war.”

Viololá’s voice began to crack, and she sniffed some dribble from her nostrils. Raging Star turned around now, looking at her tear-streaked face.

“I was separated from my family, stolen into the night by some bandits and sold as a slave to Roxie and her mutts. I spent seven years not knowing if I’d ever see my husband again… My daughter…”

“So then, why?” Raging Star spoke up. The other two looked at him. His face did not contort like theirs, but he was no longer fixated with his stern countenance. “Why did you still help me, knowing this?”

“Satyan was planning on using you as a weapon,” Viololá replied. Raging Star flinched. “I decided… I decided to keep him from doing that, because I refuse to let you run wild like that again!”

“But… You said…”

“I told you I was taking you to the alicorn sisters to help you get stronger, but really I was keeping you away from him—from Satyan.”

“Grr… It still doesn’t make sense!” he cried. “I understand you don’t want me to transform… but why didn’t you just kill me when you had the chance then?”

“Believe me… I wanted to,” she replied. “I wanted so bad to hurt you. I wanted to make you pay for what you did to me and my people… But… when I looked down at you after you had passed out, I didn’t see a monster… I saw a child. I saw a helpless boy, thrown into a cold world and forced to be in exile, and for what? Because he didn’t realize what he was?”

“What… do you mean?” he asked, leaning in closer.

“I guess, I felt sorry for you. I felt sorry for what you were, because even if you are an uncontrollable beast, you’re also still a living creature, and when you told me that you didn’t remember ANY of what you did, that only cemented my reasoning,” she said.

“I’m not certain what species simply throws a child into the wild and hopes it grows up, but that’s not how we do things in Equestria… And if it really was the princesses that sent you away, then I’ll just have to talk with them about that personally!”

“Why do you care so much about me? What’s wrong with you?” Raging Star asked.

“You could call it a motherly instinct,” she said in a half-smile. “My reasoning is still two-fold, however—I keep you away from Satyan, and I show you what it means to truly be loved.”

“L-loved?!” Raging Star growled at the word. “What makes you think I need your stupid love, or your sympathy?!”

“Because I believe you can actually use your power for good instead of evil!” Raging Star calmed down again after she had said this. She fixed her gaze upon Raging Star and gave him a stern glare this time. “Before we escaped, I was able to use a technique on Satyan to paralyze him.”

“You what?! How?”

“Ugh, that’s not important! What is important is that I didn’t stick around to make sure if the effect was permanent, and if it isn’t, that madman is going to hunt us down in order to use your power to destroy my home!”

“I want to stop that from happening, so I reasoned that if we found a way to control this monster inside of you, then you can stop Satyan and prevent the disaster from seven years ago from happening again.”

“You really thought this through, didn’t you?” Toh To Ga interrupted. She nodded.

“I saw Satyan trying to perform a spell to put a leash on that ape form of yours, but it didn’t work. I figured, if you can control it, then you can use it against him, that way you get to do what you want to him, and I get to return home, and save my country.”

“In essence, not a bad plan,” Toh entered again. “Viololá has discussed this with me prior to your awakening, and I agreed to help her, lest you break free of your reins and transform again. Although, I did expect you to recover a little more before taking this on.”

“I know this puts a damper on our already strained relationship, but I came up front with you about it all this time, no more secrets, Raging Star,” Viololá said. “I wanted to wait until the time was right, and it seems now is that time.

Raging Star stared at her, his eyes examining every inch of her body, from her gestures to her lip movement, and even down to her heartbeat. He could feel the tension tearing at her soul as she explained herself, and it ate him up inside. Despite all she had claimed he put her through, she was willing to still help him.

“It’s the only way everyone gets what they want.” Her words came back into focus. “Raging Star, please.”

“Fine, okay, whatever… I’ll do it,” he said, looking at the floor.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“That was… more intense than I anticipated,” Toh claimed. “Regardless, that was the easy part. Now comes the next step.”

Both Viololá and Raging Star turned in his direction. He chuckled and led them both back outside, taking a branching route from the main path this time. Instead of more oasis trees, this area led to a very dry and dusty landscape. A solitary cave sprouted from the ground, darker than the deepest black either of them had seen. In front was a crisp, clean pool of water, bubbling slightly in various locations.

“A hot spring?” Viololá asked.

“Not really,” Toh To Ga replied. “This is my meditation pond. This is the gateway into one’s spirit, the path to one’s energy, the road to spiritual enlightenment.”

“I still don’t get it, do I need to take a bath or something?” Raging Star asked.

“Not quite,” Toh said. “You can drink from the pool, but unless you conquer the demons within you, it’ll taste as bitter as a dried leaf in this desert. Face your inner conflicts and succeed in defeating them, then this spring will help you unlock your true power.”

“Amazing,” Viololá gasped. “That’s unlike any magic I’ve ever heard of.”

“It’s not magic, it’s simply enlightenment,” he said. “Though I suppose the water itself is magical in its properties.”

“Alright, so, how do I face my inner demons?” Raging Star asked. Toh To Ga pointed to the dark hole in the rock-face before them.

“That cave is the entrance to your soul, boy.”

“That cave?”

“Did I stutter? Yes, that cave. You, and only you can enter.” He looked at Raging Star and smiled. “Though, I doubt you’ll do fine, being as you are.”

“Is this still all that enlightenment mumbo jumbo?”

The tortoise looked at Raging Star and grinned. “Nope, this time, it’s magic. You’ll know what I mean.”

Raging Star looked at Viololá and sighed. He approached the mouth of the cave, taking one solid step after the other, until he was just feet away from it. His steps lightened, and he began to approach at a slower pace. His eyes caught glimpses of swirling shadows and an unforgiving, cold void. A certain eminence poured out of the cave and washed over his body.

“Oh, one more thing,” Toh To Ga shouted from across the pond. “There is a difference between beating your demons, and controlling your demons, remember that when the time comes!”

“So, what do I have to do to win?!” he shouted back.

“That is up to you, and how you decide to control this power of yours!”

Raging Star turned back to the cave entrance and growled. He clenched his hands into fists and adjusted his footing, standing firm in front of the darkness. His eyes focused on the path ahead, and his body was ready to go.

“Alright… Let’s see how much of a monster I really am then,” he said, walking into the shadows ahead. For a while, he didn’t stop. Raging Star kept going, refusing to turn around. Darkness completely engulfed him, and he could feel it creep over his body. He held his hand out and concentrated some energy into his palm until a light blue aura broke through the darkness.

“That’s better,” he said, and kept walking. It wasn’t long until a speck of light poked up from the horizon. Raging Star saw the growing exit and laughed, putting out his guide and running straight for the yellow glow. “Is this all? Was that my big challenge?” He didn’t care. The light grew with each passing step until the roof of the cave became visible now.

“Almost there,” he told himself and continued running. He broke free of the dark expanse of the cave and let out a cry of victory as his feet landed onto a soft patch of green grass. “Whoo Hoo! I made it!” He shouted, laughing victoriously.

“That wasn’t so hard… I’m not afraid of the dark or anything. That stupid turtle got me worked up for nothing.”

“Hey!” another voice cried out suddenly from afar. Raging Star turned around, and discovered the source of the noise.

“Who the heck is that?”

“What the hell are you doing in my world?!” the voice called again, getting closer.

“What do you mean, your world, this is my soul! Erm… Spirit, or something…” Raging Star shouted back.

“Exactly,” the voice replied, in a tone akin to that of the boy himself. Raging Star examined the figure before him and began to shake. His body could feel a tremendous energy exuding from the figure before him, but that wasn’t the culprit of his shakes.

“Y-you… You are…”

“You,” the other boy said, glaring at Raging Star. His eyes were dark, solid black and icy cold. His face held multiple wrinkles that helped to advertise the disdain upon his visage, and he held a stance that threatened to attack at any moment. The other child also had a tail, however, it was fully flared, swinging about like a snake listening to a charmer’s tune.

“Like I asked last time,” he said, contempt just spewing from his lips, “What the hell are you doing in my home?!”