The Dragonslayer

War Bond lifted herself out a groggy dreamless sleep. The long rest still in her eyes, she took in her surroundings. She lay on a bed. She was in a small wooden cabin of some sort with no windows. A lantern sat hanging, swaying slowly. A soft looking carpet was covering the old looking floorboards. She picked herself out of bed and gave a hearty stretch. Her body was stiff, and resisted her movements. For some reason, it took her a little while to find her balance.

Where are we?
Not entirely sure. I can still feel the others near us. No need to worry just yet.

She made her way to the wooden door of room she was in. With a shove it opened.

However, the open sea was on the list of things that she did not expect to see. The light of the day refracted off of the waters. Two other ships slid through the water just beside the one she was on, not more than a bodies length away. Both looked just as aged and weathered as the one she was on. A number of ragged looking pirate ponies went about their duties, not really noticing her.

The air stung her wounds.

“War Bond. Goliath. You’re up and running. There’s some good news.” The tiny colt Stone smiled from the bow of the ship. He gave War a kind wave and beckoned them toward himself.

“What’s the bad news then?” War and Goliath asked together as they approached.

“Well…”
“You two might want to see for yourselves.” Behemoth answered.

“Is Fenrir breathing? And what of Ziz?” Goliath asked, his tone more serious than ever. War felt how nervous her dragon was, even though he had stated that he could feel those friends of his. Goliath was uneasy.

“No one is dead just yet. Relax. But things could be better. Moth said it, you’ll want to see for yourselves.” Stone replied with mild sorrow to his voice.

Stone guided the two to a neighboring ship, where notably less pirates seemed to be moving about. Judging from the size of the ship, she assumed that this was the lead ship. The Captain of which was steering the boat with two other pirates. He wore that faded uniform. War and Stone made their way into the hull of the ship. Where they saw the rest of their friends. Two of which were bedridden.

War Bond and Stone Wall walked in to find Freya, Ziz, Greep, and Life in the middle of a conversation, but from the sound of things, it was like more over an argument. Freya sat in bed, her wing nub wrapped up as well as the hole in her shoulder. Unfortunately for her, the hole was not on the same side where she lost her wing, making moving either side of her body painful. Beside her in another bed, Feral laid asleep and motionless. Covered in bandages and burns. Life sat in a chair across from the two adjacent beds.

“-but It would be more than just sitting her wait- Oh War! Just the mare I wanted to bring into this conversation!” Life stated enthusiastically. She looked both angry and exhausted.

“We’re at a stalemate, and you two might make us a decision.” Ziz stated. The room had enough tension to cut with a knife.

Freya gave a glare “These guys are nuts. They want Abvol to-”
“Let’s explain to her the problem first. Where’s Abvol.” Life interrupted angrily. And as these things go, as soon as she asked the question, the door opened, and the Zebra stepped through.

“Ms. War Bond, Goliath, there you two are. One would think it harder to lose someone on a boat.” Abvol said with a small laugh, ending with a warm smile.

“Please, just explain what you need for us to decide upon.” Goliath boomed with impatience.

Abvol gave an odd look between smiling laugh, and frown... Then gave a sigh, his smile fading quickly.

“Feral is more than likely in a deep coma. He has lost… a lot of blood. More than anything his size should be able to bleed. He and the She-Wolf are very strong to have survived. And that is not even mentioning the damage to the body getting speared caused. They are alive, but I worry they might never awaken.” War immediately felt Goliath grint her teeth.

“Fenrir was only lucid for a few minutes. She explained that Feral’s mind is dangerous. She knew what we would want to do and she warned us.” Freya stated strongly.

“But now Feral is in a coma! And some of us want to go into his mind the same way he, War and Fenrir did for me and Greep. Stone, Ziz and Dusk agree with me on this plan of action.” Life added hastefully and with a mean look aimed at Freya.

War’s head turned to the two present in the room, as Dusk was outside at the moment running the ship. Stone gave him a nod of confirmation, Ziz nodded Freya's head while she rolled her eyes.

“But Leviathan, Behemoth, Greep, and I agree that we should leave their minds alone for a while and wait to see if they wake up on their own.” Freya shot out without that smile of hers. Returning the glare toward Life Blood.

War’s head moved again, looking to the others, who looked far less than happy. Stone had a frown on his face, Greep grinted Life's teeth.

War knew this would be the end of the argument, none would interrupt Goliath or any plan he made. Except, possibly for one.

“This argument is stupid! We’re getting them back now.” Goliath boomed angrily, War could feel his anger, he felt as if everyone was just wasting time.

“But, shouldn’t we wait for a while? I for one do not want to go into another mind.” War stated matter of factly. She was the only one to question the dragon.

“Wait for what? An attack where one of us can’t move? Can’t defend themselves? So more of us can get hurt defending them?” Goliath roared back. “This isn't up for discussion anymore, Abvol is sending someone into Feral to wake his ass up.”
“Bu-”
“If it was you and I speared, they would do the same for us! For any of us! If you are scared to go, then don’t. Life you want in on this right?”- She gave a powerful nod in reply, smile on her face. -”So there is one. Plus me makes two. Max three right? So who else is going?”

“I shall.” Abvol stepped forward. “If you all vote, you tie. I am part of this as well, and I want Feral and Fenrir to wake up as soon as possible. So I break that tie. There is danger however, Feral’s mind may not be normal, but that is all the more reason to go! The process shall clear his mind of the bad clouds that fog his world. And Feral most likely has some very dark clouds. If you see how this helps him, maybe you all could do this too. I understand more than any of you this process and how-”

“Enough. We are doing it. I need no argument for something I already want. We save our friends, even if that means taking risks.”- War Bond’s hoof lifted and moved toward Feral with a vigorous point. -“He put his own life at risk in order to help Life and Greep, twice. And I know he would do it to help any of us. We are going to do the same for him dammit! No arguing, no more talk! Talk does nothing! Actions and results do things. Abvol!” Goliath lectured loudly. No one wanted to be the one to interrupt him still.

“I need only a moment to prepare.”

Abvol felt a hard tap across his cheek. He found himself in a wide open green grassy field. Goliath sat beside him, his tail had coiled around and not so gently woke him up. Like Fenrir was in Life’s mind, Goliath was much smaller. Three wolf pups ran across the grass field, dashing, playing. Only these pups were as big as Goliath was currently. One was broader, like what Behemoth would look like as a wolf, the other looked much more like Fenrir, third was just a might smaller, and had tangled fur. Oddly enough, Abvol got the feeling that Fenrir seemed to be one of the three running about the field.

“Fortitude, Fury, and Fenrir. Fortitude her brother, Fury her sister.” Goliath spoke softly, kindly.

“Fenrir has siblings? I know both much and nothing about you Mythos.” Abvol was surprised.

“Not anymore. The story of their death is a tragic one. Would you like to hear it?” Goliath asked sincerely.

“I thought we were in a hurry, don’t we need to find Fenrir?” Abvol pondered Goliath’s curious behaviour.

“She is right there-” Goliath’s tail pointed to the pup that vaguely resembled Fenrir “-young again in her mind. As for the hurry, well… I do not wish to take her away from her brother and sister so soon.” Goliath was oddly calm, relaxed even.

“The mighty Goliath having a heart. What would the others think?” Abvol smiled.

“Did you want me tell you the story or not?” Goliath replied in is normal “grumpier” voice.

“Sure. Let her enjoy her family for a bit.” Abvol replied looking to the pups playing.

“The tale is not a long one. One day long ago. A village of pony-kind met a utterly massive wolf. Bigger than any creature they had ever seen. They panicked. They ran away. But they came back one day, this time with with warriors. The wolf meant them no harm, but he could not speak their language. So as the soldiers pierced him with spears and swords and archers sprayed him with arrows, he stood solid. Unflinching, he never so much as swayed from the pain. When they finally realized the wolf had no intention to harming them… The wolf had sealed his own fate. Still standing tall, he bled to his own demise soon after the onslaught had stopped. A second wolf saw her brother’s end, and went into a rage. With tooth and claw, she tore apart all of the soldiers, then ripped into all of the townsfolk. Then she destroyed every building in the village, brought down every tree in the area. More soldiers came, and she killed them. Then even more soldiers came, and she killed them too. Then the next soldiers came, and they killed her. Before they did, with her last words she spoke her brother’s and her own name. They added those names to their words.” Goliath's tone was somber.

“Where was Fenrir?”

“With us. She knew her brother and sister were gone before the rest of us, still wasn’t easy for any of us. We stayed with her to make sure she did not go fight to her death as well.” His despair was still hanging in his voice.

“Is all that true, Mythos?”

“Sadly.”

“Have all of you… all you Mythos I mean… been through something like that?” Abvol looked to Goliath with sad eyes.

“Life does those things to you, and when things live for as long as we do… One goes through a lot.”

“What about you?”

“I too have my scars, Zebra.”

There was a long silence for a while...

"Alright, Zebra. Whatever you see here stays between us. Understand?" Goliath began to stand up tall.

"Yes, Mythos. But why must I hold my tongue?" Abvol stood as well.

"Things may get... ugly."

I opened my eyes. The sheer depth of Feral's insanity finally became understandable in that single moment. From the way I had seen him act. His love of battle and blood. His uncouth behaviours and manners. They spoke the language of an intellect smart enough to hide ones dark and bloody secrets. And he was hiding some very dark things just under the surface.

However, none of that really mattered at that moment, as I was trapped in a cell, and I looked undoubtedly into Black Reef Prison. The sheer odor was repulsive, surging my body with the urge to vomit. The stench was a mix of blood, sweat, vomit, urine, feces, and rotting dead. Each was so pugnat that it was identifiable as a separate odor, yet they mixed into a reeking so powerful that it made a painful knot in my stomac.

All I could barely see outside the hall was a rusty hallway out beyond my extremely small rust “colored” cell, which was a little under twice my body size. The room barely gave me space to move. Only a single small, dim light lit up the outside of my cell. And it flickered, struggling to stay on. Yet still it was bright enough to see the space just outside the cell. Bright enough to see the bars. Bright enough to see the oozing something ever so slowly sliding across the floor. Whatever the something was, the most perplexing thing about it, was that it didn't freeze. Bright enough to see all of the darkness surrounding my cell.

You see the worst of all these things was the cold. The sheer cold. The insane. Unbearable. Brutal. Unrelenting. Cold.

Frost clung to every possible surface. The bars, the walls, the ceiling. The cold was ripping into my body like a rabid dog. Tearing into my miserable body.

I yelled, calling for any response. But only my own echo howled back at my call.

I wanted to scream in terror. I was trapped. I was beyond cold. I could barely move. I had that stench in my nose. Even if this was Feral's exaggerated memory and not accurate to what Black Reef really was, if this was how he saw it.... How the hell was he sane enough to speak? How long was he in this terrible place, and how did this place not break him? Or had it already broken him My mind was racing.

I couldn't concentrate long or hard enough for me to do anything with my magic.

Frost clutched my coat, slowly this place was trying to freeze me.

Drag out my suffering.

Struggling to pick myself up, I tried to find a way out.

I cleared my mind. Ignored the pain of the oncoming cold slowly digging into me. Forgot of the disgusting order stabbing my nose. Pushed past the sickening knot in my twisting stomach. I had to leave that fear rattled state of mind. My will is steel, not clay. With focus, I teleported outside my cell.

The sensation was odd, and the effort shot a spike into my mind. I may be in Feral's mind, but the headache was real. But I freed myself.

I questioned why no unicorn had done that before me, or how unicorns could be held in cells at all, but as I began to make my way out of that hallway, I saw the other prisoners. Their cell's dim light shone down on their faces, as if on display. I wanted to release them, but I was unsure of what that would do to Feral’s mind. At first, I had not realized that I was looking toward unicorns. Their horns had been bashed into pieces, only bloody scars or nubs remained. Pegasi had their wings clipped of every feather. The dead eyes didn't even bother to follow me. The one’s that did all looked at me with the dead eyes. No hope or life in their eyes. These were broken ponies. Mere shells of what they once were.

As I made my way through the halls the wretched smell of the place followed me. The place was like a labyrinth, the hall I was in twisted and turned wildly. The cold nipping at my hide the entire time. I had little idea where I was going, but I just wanted to get out of these wretched halls. I pondered if this was what my mind was like for the others. I had been there long enough to know my way around, but that was an open forest, this place was jail, ponies all locked up tight in this horrid unforgiving place.

Then I remembered. I remembered how I hid my memories as trees in the forest. How Greep held all of memories behind doors. Despite my waking to find myself in a cell, I hadn't actually opened a cell door.

Stopping, I turned toward a cell. A dead body lay within it. Frozen black flesh desperately clung to bone in the cold. This pony clearly had not eaten in a painfully long time before his death. Hesitantly, I put a hoof to the cell’s opening mecanism. Then with slow lurching screech, and the slightest pull, the door slowly began to claw itself open. In a flash my perception had changed.

I was galloping on short legs, my chest pounding, lungs burning. The fear was real in my heart. It took me a moment to realize that I had entered Ferals memory, and was experiencing it from his perspective, despite my assumption that I would do so by opening that cell.

The memory was short and fast, the sensation of him sprinting ended and the cell slammed shut. I was worried that I would see something terrible, but I confirmed my suspicion. I was in Feral’s mind, and these were memories that he had locked away in a labyrinth and thrown to the bottom of the sea. That did not bode well.

It was the first time that War Bond had her own head in long time. It made her feel uneasy, to be alone again. She sat calmly on the boat. Gazing out to the sea. Trying to calm down and relax. The salty air smelt fresh but stung her wounds.

I can't remember the last time I saw open water like this… It was back with...him when I was still a foal… At the very least this whole ordeal, journey, quest or whatever… at least I am away from all that drama. And I have friends again, I really miss that… friendship. It feels good to have ponies to talk to… to have anyone to talk to. and Goliath is this… giant… guardian I guess. No he’s more than that. He is like a mentor or something. Guiding me… training me. Like a big brother or father. Granted he can be a little awkward, which is strange considering he is an ancient dragon…

War Bond’s thoughts brought a smile to her face. She enjoyed the privacy of her own mind again.

“Goliath Mountainclaw picked you… a Dragonslayer? That sure sound like our Goliath.“ A voice War did not recognize announced

“Oy Lass.” Another spoke.

War turned and only saw the pirate’s leader. Captain Dusk Bones.

“My name is Leviathan. Pleased to me the soulbound partner of Goliath at last.”
“I be Capt’in Dusk Bones, a ple’sure to meet ya lass. Welcome to mah mighty vessels. If yee be needin’ anything, just fukin’ take it.”
“Yes, help yourself to whatever you like. My partner means well. He just sounds like… that. The result of spending years on the harsh sea I presume.”

“Thanks for the assist back at port. We didn’t expect… all of that.”

“More death than I would have liked. And I am dreadfully worried for Fenrir.”
“Dat Griffin took a beatin’ too. Poor girl taint never gunna fly again. I know I’d be less without the sea, don’t rightly know how much she’ll miss da sky, but it’ll be a lot.”

“What happened back there? I mean after I fell into the harbor?”

“No need to worry young lady. You passed out, not Goliath. He brought you to the surface. Then Goliath seared Fenrir’s injuries shut. Some slaves we rescued helped us get you all on our ship. Soon after he blacked out as well. Now we’re headed toward Celestia’s Capital City, to ask for a speedier ride to the Dragonlands. Which we cannot reach via boat.”
“Dat Wizard took his friends bodies and lef. Both the pegi and erfh we’re dead.”
“Oddly enough… he wished us well.”

War sat on that for a minute. The salty air still stung her wounds. From the small bandaged cuts, to the aching gash on her side.

“Sometimes… that’s all you can do.” War said sadly. Still looking to the sea. Waiting for her friends to return.

I contemplated opening more cells. That is how he found me after all. But he and I are two very different beings. This place filled me with an off-putting fear. And I worried about my friend, if this was his state of mind… how far is he from completely breaking? My worry grasping the better of me, I argued with myself to open another cell. Perhaps if I knew more of what was hidden down here, the better I could help Feral.

With a hoof, I pried open another cell.

This one was longer and hurt. The memory made my body ache with pain. Feral was low to the ground. Stalking a particularly muscular looking stallion. Moving without making a sound. The prison he was locked in felt and looked familiar to the one I was now in, but this particular place looked much more open and wide despite the darkness. His eyes moved toward a Zebra who was also sneaking near him. The Zebra looked ragged and beaten, a large burn scar where the Zebra glyph should be. The Zebra turned to him, and gave a nod.

Feral’s eyes returned to the stallion. He snuck closer and closer until he got in range to make a leap. He pounced down on the big stallion. His heart pounding in my chest. The cold gripping on his hide. The pain all over his body. The stallion roared with anger, Feral’s mouth filled with warm coppery taste. He was biting down as hard as he could on the stallion’s neck. Without fangs, it was much harder to rip into flesh.

The stallion went down, but managed to land a painful kick into Feral’s… tender nether region. The pain was sharp and dug through his body. The stallion coughed violently, the bite mark on his neck bleeding, but not lethal. The Zebra came and began slamming his hooves into the large stallion. The stallion retaliated with another powerful kick so mighty I heard bones break, that sent the Zebra sprawling to the ground clutching the side his body.

Feral moved quickly, slamming his hoof down onto the stallion’s face. The blow landed just above the eye. Before another attack could be made by the stallion, Feral attacked again, this time he stared down at the floored stallion. Feral’s hoof smashed into the stallions face, this time bones broke. Feral took only a second to stare at the now disfigured face of his target. More of Feral’s hooves came down on it. Again and again. Warm blood splattering on Feral. Again and again he kept smashing. With every strike the stallion’s body twitched, but I think we both knew he was dead. He smashed until there nothing but a grim bloody puddle where the stallions head should be. The Zebra finally stopped Feral.

“Stop...” the Zebra said in that odd way that only Zebra spoke “Eat before other’s come.”

Feral and the Zebra began to slowly rip into the the dead stallion’s carcass. Pulling as much meat as they could with teeth not made for such actions.

“FRESH MEAT.” Someone screamed from above. Feral and the Zebra looked to each other for not more than in instant before they got up and starting galloping as fast as they could.

They ran hard, stopping after they turned a corner. Perhaps they ran a bit too hard, a terrible nausea came over us. Feral began to make gagging sounds. The Zebra wrapped his leg around Feral’s neck tightly, strangling him.

“You need to keep it down. It could be the last time you eat anything for a long time.”

The memory ended when lack of air made Feral black out.

Back to my own senses. My mind immediately went to something that confused me about the memory. Feral was frightened. When he was smashing his hooves into the stallion’s face… he did not lust for the bloodshed, he was not angry, or confirming the kill… no. I know for a fact that he was just terrified…He was guided by fear, plain and simple.

War stepped into the room where her friends sat. Freya in particular gave a rather upset and angry presence.

“Hey.” War stated as she took a seat on the floor besides Stone Wall.

Stone met her with a happy smile.
“Greetings!” Behemoth stated.

“Don’t pout Freya. Hello War Bond.”
“Thank you for voting with me War.” War Felt good when she saw Freya's trademark smile.

“Hello there War Bond. I don’t like being a girl… It’s rather… I enjoy my male parts more if you understand.” Greep spoke from Life’s body.

“Yeah, don’t take offence, he doesn’t mean that as an insult or anything.” Ziz spoke nervously.
“Still rude.” Freya growled.

“It’s fine. We have been traveling together long enough for me to know how Greep is.” War laughed, giving Life Blood's body Greep was controlling a friendly jab to the shoulder.

“My apologies madam. Was I being rude again?” Greep asked.

“Kind of. I think Freya is just blowing off some steam. She a bit roughed up. We all are. So we’re a bit grumpy is all Greep.” War gave a soft smile and spoke loudly.

“Tension is high. We might lose Fenrir and Feral.” Behemoth groaned.

“I don’t think that will happen. Goliath is going to get them back.” Ziz replied.

War sat on that for a moment, then asked a question that had been on her tongue for a long while.

“Why do you all trust in Goliath so much?” War asked.

“He keeps us together. Always has. Even when he leaves for ages… He always comes back eventually. Ready to help us. Care for us. Sort us out. He’ll yell at us when he need to be yelled at. And hold us when we need to be held. Even when he losing something important himself… He is the greatest friend I have ever had.” Greep answered almost instantly.

“We’ll give you a recent example. He probably hasn’t told you about his brother and everything that happened with Celestia and Luna. He isn’t trying to keep it secret or anything… he just… doesn’t like to talk about it.” Ziz said solemnly.

“There was a time, was not the first, where we shifted apart… things were said that couldn't be taken back. Feeling were hurt. Everyone was at each other’s throat.” Behemoth said sadly.

“He was away… gone.” Greep sounded upset.

“Our friendship was falling apart. All of us. You see, Goliath had agreed to protect The Queen’s children. He and the old Queen had been… let’s say they were very close, after all, she was a Mythos like us. The few centuries old, and still relatively newborn Celestia and Luna gained a mighty guardian. Dragon attacks were high. Back then, Goliath and his siblings had a bigger name for themselves. At least among us Mythos. Nobody fucked with the Mountainclaws. Everyone was scared of them. With his new duty, he wasn't around much. And tension among us got… bad. It had already been on the rise, but without Goliath to sort us out... well we said things we shouldn't have. That’s when Goliath’s sister, Toxicity attacked a village that was a bit too close to the capitol and he was entrusted to protect the lands… You see, Goliath’s two sibling… they believed the same thing Atlas spews. That dragons are the ultimate species. She attacked and… Goliath fought her. Despite Goliath’s warnings, her venom not affecting her brother, and a number of other pressing factors against her… She attacked. Goliath, wanting to protect the ponyfolk who were still beginning to inherit the earth, fought and killed his own sister. He did not blame the Queen, as he knew that something like this was the reason he was hired.”- Ziz was silent for a moment. He was on the verge of tears -“We hardly even talked about it with him. Granted, Goliath wasn't one for conversations like that... We all just went on about our own problems. He murdered his sister, and still he got us all together and straightened out. He sorted out all our problems and got us to forgive each other. His sister never even came up that often... But it wasn't just then… Goliath has always done that kind of stuff for us. He was the one who brought us together in the first place. He started this friendship that has lasted literally forever. And whenever the end seems near he keeps us together. No matter how much shit he goes through. Yeah, sometimes we go our separate ways for a while, but he has never let us fall apart. Just a while back, we all went on our own business, still on good enough terms but..."- Ziz had to stop, he wiped Freya's tear filled eyes. A mix of both their tears. The room was dead silent. -"Then not even one hundred years ago Ravage told him that he was going to attack the capitol. Not wanting to kill another sibling, he took the royal children and left. Ravage savagely attacked the capitol and was slain. Despite his loyalty to the Queen. He took the hiring of mercenaries to kill his brother as a betrayal. While all of this happened we were all “too busy” to help him with his… problems... Goliath had already murdered his sister, and was betrayed by a female he loved… and all we ever did was bitch to him about each other. It was no wonder to us when we lost contact with him and stopped talking to each other… even then. Right now. He brought us all back together again! He always does that. Even back when we were all young. Even now. I will always be his friend… because he would always be mine. No matter what.” Ziz stopped… passion deep in his voice.

“That is only one reason we follow him. But outside friendship and love, do you need more?” Greep announced.

“I hate… that Goliath takes so much on himself to carry. Yet he cares so much for us despite our faults.” Behemoth boomed.

“He may not look like he does, but Goliath has a big heart. And I think that’s why he picked you War. He knows you would do things a lot like he would. He knows you care.” Ziz smiled.

War felt herself blush but felt no shame in it.

“Shit dude.” Freya gawked. “You guys suck as friends!” she laughed.

“We could have been better. There was a lot of drama. But that is all history now. Now is our chance to make up for letting him carry us so much...” Ziz smiled sadly on Freya’s face, as a silence took the room. “Its not like we are never there for him or anything like that! It’s just that scenario provides a good example on why we all… respect him so much. We are old, and have been there and not been there, but the past is the past, now. Right now. I am going to fight by his side.” Ziz beamed!

“Let him rest his back!” Behemoth joked.

“We have happy stories too, mind you.” Greep laughed.

"Wait so... So Goliath took a job as guardian of Celestia and Luna?" War asked.

"Indeed."

"Why? If he knew he might have to fight his siblings?" War pondered.

"Like I said. He and the old Queen were... Close. Like... really really really close." Ziz gave forth a cough.

The thought came down on War's mind.
"OH! Ummm I see." War suddenly felt very awkward.

"It wasn't like they were... Well you see. What was between them had ended a long long time ago. Before all that had happened. But they still cared deeply for each other." Ziz coughed some more.

"Celestia and Luna both mean much to Goliath. Though he doesn't like admitting it." Greep remarked.

"That is all the past. Let's focus on the future. Let's focus on the now." Stone added, looking to Feral's unmoving body. "That is what matters."

“You shall speak not of what you saw here today. Understood?” Goliath growled.

“This stays between us alone.” Fenrir glared.

“Mad’am, Sir. I am not foolish enough to cross you.” Abvol said quickly after a cough.

The trio stood in a large open grassy field. The tall grass reached to Abvol’s chest The sky was in a perpetual state of dusk, the sun just barely below the mountains of the horizon. A pleasantly cool breeze seemed to go on endlessly. The calming scent of mist was in the air. This place had become sarene.

“Now we need to Feral. Fenrir, can you sense him?” Goliath asked without turning to his friend.

“Yes, but I worry that… we shall deal with it if it comes us. For now follow me. His mind is not a safe place to be traveling alone.” Fenrir replied, moving to take the lead.

“That reminds me. We brought Life Blood with us. We should hurry.” Goliath groaned.

“Life Blood? We need to make haste. She may be in great danger if she is in his mind.” Fenrir stated in a far more serious tone.

“What is wrong? Do you know why his mind would be dangerous?” Abvol asked as the two Mythos began to tread quickly.

“I fear that… that Feral has been… been broken. He has felt… off since I awoke in this place.” Fenrir replied solidly.

My third door was… confusing. I can only assume what was happening. I was… Feral was clinging to a bloody corpse. Still warmish, not frozen entirely just yet. In utter darkness, he cried… Whimpering in shadows “I’m sorry.” Over and over again for what felt like hours. That’s when things began to brighten, and I saw the other bodies.

At least a full twelve in total.

I heard him gasp “Freedom.”

I regained my senses.

Between laying among corpses, that dreadful odor that refused to go away, seeing bloody murder from my friend’s eyes, the neverending darkness, the feeling of making no progression in this maze of shadows, the biting cold, being surrounded by starving dead-eyed ponies, and the flickering lights that seemed to grow brighter and brighter with every flicker. I hit my limit. I vomited onto the floor. A lot. My composure broken, I vomited again and again. Until I had nothing left, then I decided on sitting in the light for a while. The light was warm, and I was fighting the urge to cry. I really just wanted to get out of this hellish place.

Then I remembered my new friends. War and Goliath battling fearlessly on that dock. Freya and Ziz fighting miles above the earth and losing their wing. Behemoth and Stone fighting beside Greep as we fought those monstrosities. Feral and Fenrir taking a spear for Greep and I. I wanted to be like all of them them. Be strong. I didn’t want to have to be saved for a third time. I wanted to be better. I knew I had to fight!

I bit down on my leg, hard enough to start tasting blood. I swished the coppery flavor in my mouth, then spat. Standing, I was ready to take on anything. I began pushing through the halls. I trotted along for what felt like hours in the icy air. I wouldn’t let it stop me though. Not this time. This time, I was going to save my friend.

Tall pillars of rusted frosted iron lined the long walkway of the dark massive room. Dim artificial lights tried and failed to fill the room with light, they barely managed to illuminate the walls. The air reeked of too many things. The floor was stained with... something that can only be described as effluvial. As a trio of species made their way down the hall that Fenrir claimed Feral was at the end of.

“What is this place? What hate brought young Feral to this?” Abvol asked, his voice poorly hiding his fear.

“The prison he was once unjustly forced into.” Fenrir spoke softly.

“What the hell did they think he was guilty of?” Goliath inquired.

“Not exactly sure, a large number of things.”

“That answer seems… obvious.” Abvol commented. “Is it just me, or is the stench if the dead growing stronger and stronger as we go through this hall.”

“Indeed. I noticed that as well.”

“That does not bode well…”

The group pushed onward. Growing more and more concerned with the increasing stench of rotting flesh… They walked until they met two large doors wrapped in chains. Before a word could be spoken, Goliath let out a breath of fire. In just under a minute the chains, and the doors began to melt away. As the doors disappeared, the wretched odor of death exploded. The stench was so pugnant and thick, that it felt tangible in the air.

The doors simply faded from existence.

As the group stepped through, they saw a ghastly sight.

The room was a wide open atrium, the ceiling was nowhere in sight, none of the lights on the walls reached that high. In the center of the atrium, a massive pile of dead. Standing just over three times Goliath’s current size, if he were standing on his hind legs instead of all fours. At the peak of this mountain of dead bodies, laying on his side, motionless, incoherently mumbling gibberish, Feral lay.

After a moment of sheer silence, Fenrir moved to speak. But was interrupted when dead rotting body fell from the shadows above. The sound of raw meat splattered just a few feet away from the she-wolf. She took a step back and looked to her companions.

“Be silent, we must tread lightly.” she whispered. She took a moment to compose herself, compose her thoughts. Feral was in much worse condition than she had feared.

“Feral! It’s-” Before she could finish Feral screamed louder than she had ever heard him shout before.

“STAYAWAY.” he roared. Directly after he let out a howl of agonizing pain.

Something pushed hard from underneath his skin. As if some type of snake or worm was crawling just under skin.

“NOTSAFEMONSTERRRAAAAAHHHH” his scream of pure unadulterated agony echoed in the atrium, his pain filled howl stung deep in his friends souls. More “ worms ” pushed up against his skin, dragging more roars of agony from Feral.

“What the hell is happening to him!?” Fenrir growled.

“I have no idea… but he needs help...” Goliath slowly edged out.

“His innermost demons wish to break free. If he does not conquer them, then they will surely conquer him!” Abvol shouted.

Feral let out another cry of anguish. He let out a series of rapid breaths. After one very deep breath, he spoke slowly.

“Get... away... I don’t want to kill you… run…” His voice rolled out slowly, but the tone he had with his words was dead serious.

“Why would you harm us dear? We are your friends, we are trying to help you.” Fenrir replied kindly.

Feral began to twitch.
Another body fell from nowhere.

“...I did this...” he uttered just above a whisper, just barely audible. “I killed all of them.”

Yet another body splatted onto the others.

His friend’s eyes never left him.

“I’m a monster.” He whimpered.

Ferir cringed.

“I am a monster.” He spat.

Goliath braced himself.

“I am a MONSTER!” He roared.

Abvol took a step back.

More tendrils pushed under his skin. He body began to bloat, surge and twist. He let out a long anguished cry. Raw bloody flesh burst from under his skin. Along his spine all his skin ruptured, splitting as if ripped open by brute force. Long tendrils reached out from the gaping wound, ripping and pulling more and more of his skin away to free the monster just beneath the surface. Each rend in his body was accompanied by brutal cry of torment. A hulking mass of knotted muscle and bleeding meat made itself more and more visible.

As if a sick twist on a cocoon, Feral’s monstrous and grotesque new body emerged from his own meat. A new horned head, filled with a seeming endless supply of jagged sharp fangs. Long segmented insect-like legs. He was made entirely of raw, dripping meat. A new deep roar filled the air. Flashes of murder began to fill his friends heads. In the prison, hooves wrapped around throats. Icy shivs stabbed into necks and backs. Head were slammed into walls. Throats were ripped out.

“He sees himself as an abomination… and that is what he has become…” Abvol’s eyes were full of fear. “If he does not overcome this, we are all dead!”

Fenrir howled. “Feral! Stop this! Please we-” Feral roared a bloodthirsty roar, as one of his new tentacles whipped Fenrir hard enough to send he slamming to the ground. Goliath reacted a moment later, letting out his own roar as he lept for feral. Unfortunately, Goliath forgot his size, and a massive insectic leg stepped down on him, pinning the dragon to the floor. In a rage, Feral began to slam into the massive mountain of bodies with everything he had, quite literally. Each available leg stomped into the pile, his tentacles lashed at the rotten dead meat, his torso and horns slammed into the pile.

More flashes of grizzly murder played in the groups heads.

An ocean of gore began to wash out of the pile, be it blood or black bile, it streamed down slowly. The atrium began to fill quickly. The entire prison began to rumble and shake. Unable to withstand the force of his wild flailing. More bodies fell from nowhere. He ravaged the corpses and let out roar after bark after howl.

“What’s wrong with him!” Freya cried, still stuck in her bed.
“Shitshitshit!”

Feral shook violently. Seizing uncontrollably, blood dripped from his mouth, and began to seep into his bandages.

“I can’t tell, something must be going wrong. Damnit! We need to hold him down!” Stone shouted. “Get Help.”

“Oy, Git us Salt Wife in here!” Dusk roared his order out the door “Tell ‘er she needs to dress ‘is wound again! Gawkers! Don’ jus sit there wit yer mouths open, HOLD HIM DOWN NOW!” The pirate screamed. Stone, War, and Greep held Feral’s flailing body down in place.
“Don’t panic, I will pass. Just hold on.”

I knew something must have gone horribly wrong the instant the entire place began to shake violently. My stride sped up from a light jog to a full gallop. The cells rumbled, and the lights began to burst. I ran as fast and as hard as I could. In my haste, I stuck to the left side of the hall hoping that I would be lucky enough not to reach a dead end. If low light was hard to navigate, I could only imagine how terrible traversing this place with no light would be. That is when the murders began to play in my head.

Presumably these were Feral’s memories. They jumped around seemingly randomly. He killed ponies with Fenrir’s claws, sharp shivs made of icicles. In one haunting case, he slammed a fellow inmate into a jagged icy wall, when he pulled the inmate back, intestine and other viscera stuck to the ice. But he wasn’t done. A small blade carved from ice slid back and forth through the inmate’s neck cutting it wide open.

I kept running. The horrible images flashed by in an instant, but they all stuck in my head vividly. I felt myself cringe. I fought the urge to vomit. I hoped to drown out the images by focusing on galloping. Yet it was not nearly enough. I nearly came to a full stop several times, but with the ebbing darkness behind me, I dare not stop entirely.

I soon began to hear blood-chilling bellows and bawling. Like the pain filled shriek of a dying beast, it echoed through the halls. I feared whatever monster mad such terrible noise. The terrible cold was no longer my greatest grievance with this place, no. That horrid, terrible moan would stick with me forever more. With the bellowing, it took me a small while to realize the reeking stench of death had grown.

In fact, the roaring grew louder. The odor grew stronger. Stopping. My chest began to beat loudly in my ears. Fear in throat. I looked back. Darkness reached out for me, wall mounted lights unable to take this places shaking. My only place to run seemed to be leading me straight to a beast of nightmares…

No! I could not stop! Perhaps if I tamed the vile demon in Feral’s mind, then I could free him of his own curse? Perhaps I was close to awakening my dear friend! It was the closest thing that could give me the hope to continue. The argument did not need much, it beat being terrified in the darkness. I galloped hard and continued my mad dash.

I soon found myself behind large doors, and I entered a large open atrium. As the doors opened, a pool of near black crimson burst over my hooves. The disgusting bile filled me with revulsion. I continued forward anyway. The horrid abomination stood before me. On long spider-like legs it stood tall. Twisting tentacles writhed and moved in the air. Dripping, the creature was made of nothing but raw skinless flesh.

It let out a howl as it turned to me. Hunks of chunky gore filled the room, be that severed heads or limbs, or an internal vital organ. Whatever happened in here must have been an utter slaughter. My friends lay on the ground defeated. I instantly feared they would be next. Fenrir lay on her side, eyes wide with horror, blood soaking her fur. Goliath lay on his back, barely breathing. Abvol was not far from me, but closer to the beast. I could not tell if he was battered and bruised, or just was too close when the massacre occurred. The abomination began to move toward me.

“That is Feral please! Find a way to help him!” Abvol shouted, before it’s leg batted him away.

My body froze. That thing he called Feral was closing in and would be on me in seconds. I could already reach me if it tried, but it wanted to get close to me. My whole body clenched up. All sound faded away. That thing got closer and closer. My chest was heavy. It took a second for that to settle in my head. But my mind was steel. I refused to let him down.

It got closer. Feral got closer.

“Feral!” I screamed. “THIS IS NOT YOU!” As I spoke it froze mid step. Only a few feet away from me, I could see into his eyes. I had thought it would be the smell, then I believed it would be the sheer cold. Then I thought it would be the bellowing roars that would never leave my mind. I was wrong. It was his eyes. I shall never forget his eyes. They were full of terror. More terror than I felt. More than I would ever feel. He did look at me, those eyes looked through me. He was too terrified to see things clearly. He was more dreadfully terrified anything else in the room.

“This is not you.” I said again. Feral made no attempt to reply. He simply fell down on his long spider legs.

More flashes of grizzly murder stabbed into my head.

“Yesh et esh.” He let out, not from his horrid from, but within my head.

I closed my eyes, picturing the images of my dear friend as he truly was. A loyal companion. A selfless ally. A true friend.

Another bloody murder crossed my mind, then I found myself in a memory. As if i had just opened a cell. Feral was just outside a building, opening a wooden door. The instant he did a murky brown earth pony’s eyes open wide. They were in some kind of inn. Tables and chairs were scattered about, a bar was not far away, and a fire burned warm in a hearth.

“Hey What do you-... Silver Sash! N-No way! They sent you to-” the stallion stumbled over his words.

“Black Reef.” Feral's voice came coldly.

“Now umm… wow you look so different… what happened? How did you escape!?”

“I murdered my first real friend. A zebra, they wanted his body back, so then I hid with his corpse back to the surface for about two whole days.” Feral replied with no hesitation.

“Umm… I se-”

“NO YOU DON’T SEE! When I got to the surface, they were hunting me. So I killed all of the guards after me too.” Feral exploded. Moving closer to the stallion.

“Listen, I get it! You’re pissed. I understand-”

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I HAVE BECOME.” Feral boomed.

“Listen! We didn’t know they would send you there!” the stallion began to back away.

“What? Did you think I’d just get executed!” Feral slammed his hoof into a table, flipping it to the ground. His hoof stung, but he ignored the pain. Moving closer and closer to the stallion.

“No! They said they would send you to jail, bb-b-but we thought we would bail you out in a few days! Honest! We had no idea it was Black Reef!” The stallion pleaded.

“BLACK REEF TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER!”

“You had to do some bad things in jail, I get it!”

“No, you don’t. Do not make me say it again. I did horrible things. I was like a wild beast.” Feral brought down his voice, but was still audibly pissed.

“We have all done bad things! Just relax, I feel your pain!”

“Have you ever eaten anyone? What about disemboweling someone? Seeing their guts spill to the floor… and then fucking eating them, just because it is the only food you will get. Just because the blood will make you warm for a few seconds, before freezing to you just like everything else?”

The stallion was motionless, eyes wide.

Feral grabbed the stallion and moved toward the hearth.
“Silver, what are you doing? We’re friends!? Remember?”

“You feel my pain right?”

“Of Course!”

Feral threw his “friend” into the hearth, then slammed the hearth’s iron mesh shutter closed. As the stallion let out a pained deathcry, Feral grabbed the hearth’s fire iron in his teeth. half-way through passing through the metal mesh, his “friend” was still aflame. The fire iron came down hard on the stallion’s knees before a hard kick sent him back into the hearth. Cry’s of agony never stopped filling the air. The entire time, Feral just watched, unflinching, unblinking.

Eventually, an eerie silence took over. Feral’s eye turned to a creamy white mare who was standing in the doorway..

“Vanilla.” Feral stated calmly. “You are the last one.”

“Silver Sash… what do you mean?” Fear in her voice.

“Silver Sash is dead. I’m just a wild monster left behind. You are the last one who betrayed Silver Slash. The ones who killed him. I killed everyone else. Only you remain.”

“I’m next…” she whimpered.

“Yes. You are going to die.” Feral laughed. Right in the young mare’s face.

“Why? We are friends! Please Silver!” the mare pleaded, falling to her knees. Tears in her eyes.

“I am not Silver Sash. I am a feral beast, coming for revenge.”

He slammed the fire iron on her head. Then tossed it away. Grabbing her bleeding head, it bit down hard on her ear, then ripped it off.

She let out a scream. He laughed.

“Weak! You would have died your first day in Black Reef!”

“Please! Silv-f-f-Feral! PLEASE!” a puddle of her fear began to spill from between her legs. Feral just laughed. He laughed and laughed as the mare begged him for her life.

“You make me sick! HAHAHAA! You vile piece of shit! You fucked me! You fucked me and you have the gall to beg me not to fuck you! FUCK YOU!” He moved to kill before he stopped.

“You know what? No.”

The mare just froze.

“You get to live. You will remember me. You will remember my pain. You will remember my agony. Everyday until you die, you will never get to forget. You live knowing you and your friends are dead. That because of your betrayal, all your friends are dead by my hooves. You will remember how you tainted me. Turned my heart black. Filled me with a hateful darkness. You will remember killing Silver Sash.” He grabbed her head in his hooves, moving his head close to hers.

She just blinked.

He bit down hard on her eye and pulled back in an instant. The eye’s juices filled his mouth. She let out a scream, and he took her other eye with a second bite, her screaming all the while... He spat her own eyes onto her face and laughed.

“You will live in darkness forever more! And you will wake every day in the dark! You will end each day in the dark. AND YOU WILL NEVER FORGET ME! FERAL SILVER!”

It all came back to me in a rush. I gazed into Feral’s sad, scared eyes again. I took a single deep breath.

“Feral…” I looked to the monster before me. “You are not a monster. You were betrayed by the only people who you thought cared for you… Then you killed your friend so you can leave that awful hellish place…-” I felt tears well up in my eyes ”- you say you are a monster, a wild feral beast… but… That is not the truth. You… you are my friend. You care about me and I care about you! We all do! You once told me that I can’t let the past hold me back! That I had to let things go, move on! You may have been that… you may have been something worse once, but now, now you are better! Now you save lives! Now you fight to save everyone! You are no monster! Do not let the past hold you back!”

A new memory filled my head… but this time. It was not Ferals.

I was among wolves, but I dwarfed all of them around me. I was Fenrir. She moved about the forest, leading her pack. She heard crying. Following it she saw him. Feral lay on the dark forest floor. Crying.

“Poor lost soul… all alone. Not a soul to care for you…”

Her wolves seemed to surround Feral.

“Leave him.” She barked. ”This lone wolf is in need of us… a pure soul… needing guidance. He may not look it. But I can feel it, he has the heart of a wolf.”

When I felt my senses return, I saw Fenrir move up behind Feral.

“I saw goodness in you that day. That is why I chose to save you. I… know you have seen and done a lot. Things you will never have the luxury of forgetting. But… my pup… you are are good. Deep down you know right from wrong. You use your anger and use it to fight evil, you use it to help your friends. No monster feels guilt for it’s actions. No monster sacrifices itself to ensure the safety of a friend.”

Feral’s eyes began to stream tears down.

“Stop knocking yourself down kid. You can’t make up for your actions if all you do is bitch and whine. Stop wallowing in self pity, calling yourself a monster for no damn good reason, and start getting shit done! You can’t undo what’s been done, but you sure as hell can make up for it!” Goliath roared, back on his feet.

That’s when the sun came out. In an instant. We were all standing in pure blue shallow water. The sun high in the beautiful sky, a beach not far away. Never had I felt a more warm feeling all over my body. Warm water, warm sun…

Feral, looking much more like himself fell to his knees in tears.

Back in reality I was inches away from his face, apparently Greep had been holding him down. I stared into his eyes, which still streamed tears. Stone and War Bond were besides me, and we all took a few steps back.

He took a shaky breath. “... Thank you ...”