Storm Twister stood before the massive cave entrance that lead down to the pits of Hubris, home of the Tartarus guards. The Night Guard bat pony suffered much to get here, but she was almost complete with her mission. The main entrance, located almost a full two weeks travel by wing and hoof, in the middle of nowhere.
She swallowed the spike of fear she had just for thinking about what she was going to do. Turning around to the forest line behind her almost a hundred meters back, the natural looking ground refusing to bare anything close to the entrance. Like if afraid from it.
'Come on Storm, Princess Luna gave you this mission to save not just Equestria, but the entire world from the Caribou and their savage king.' Storm thought to herself, she still couldn't believe Equestria had fallen to the 'savages' of the wild lands to the north of Equestria. How in the world did they even achieve such a thing. Storm had no answers, and frankly she didn’t care for them. She barely escaped Canterlot, stayed away from all major population centers, fought off strange new monsters, and got raped by a mere colt who got the drop on her.
But she winced at that last memory. She couldn’t blame the colt for it, it was the Caribou leader’s fault, Dainn.
But the memory of her journey. The big strive to meet with The Hubris of Man, buck started with one thing, all after just directed her to the right path. She closed her eyes, as it could be her last moments she thought back on how it begun two weeks ago.
Canterlot
"Hold the door!"
"We can't fight them?! They have us outnumbered four to one!?"
"Damn it, Dream, keep yourself together! What are you doing?! Keep your armor and weapon on you!"
"Fuck that! If I want to get through this without getting my ass whipped for days, I am going to start sucking dicks and drinking cum like there is no tomorrow!"
Storm held her sword ready, ignoring Dream Stars as she fell to whatever corruption was spreading across Equestria. Frankly, she didn't feel anything, only that she defend Princess Luna from their own male guards and caribou savages.
"Captain Storm." Luna’s voice called from her chamber, "Come. I have a task for you."
Storm looked to the other mares, seeing most of them stared hard at the only possible entrance into Luna's room. A few were shaking, some already fumbling for their straps to their armor to present themselves to their new 'masters'.
"Go, Storm." Sun Way, the last remaining female Day Guard Captain. "Those that have yet to fall to this insidious magic will hold the line."
"Right." Storm nodded and rushed to Luna’s bedroom. She walked in to see Luna finish writing a letter, a small amused smile on her face as she penned her name before sealing it up.
"Storm, stand before me." Luna ordered her, which she responded quickly and efficiently. "You know as well as I that there is very little chance of fending off this horde. Even if I were to help and slay our own ponies, innocent as they are, it would matter little. All I know is that something had happen. It has all the signs of Discord, and yet, even that has corruption from the norm. I believe there is a shift that we did not foreseen coming, and that shift has taken hold or enslaved him to this...Dainn character. The caribou always had strange magics, and this is one where I believe Discord fell victim to."
"How can you be sure, Princess?" Storm asked, confused as to why Discord wouldn't do such a thing.
"Because Slavery is a part of order. To control another being against their will. To have them perform tasks that will bring the slave master order and peace of mind. You must remember, order and chaos may sound like good and evil, but there is also the exception to the rule. Plus his fondness for Fluttershy is more than apparent, I doubt he would allow something happen to her on this scale of depravity. " Luna said as he handed the letter and a map to Storm. "Go to this location to find Caretakers of Tartarus to deliver this message, and await the destruction of the Caribou or possibly all of the world if they deemed it necessary, but I doubt that a possibility."
"What?! I'm going all the way here! Princess Luna, the entrance to Tartarus is located a day away from here." Storm exclaimed, at the same time something smashed repeatedly against the entrance to Luna's room, threatening to break the door.
"Hold steady, girls. We fight them off and give Princess Luna a chance to escape."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"That is true, however, I asked you to meet the Caretakers of Tartarus. Did I not?" Luna said teasingly, causing Storm to grow flustered. Luna's horn began to glow, strange magical writings slowly surrounding the bat pony. "They are an ancient race, long before the time of ponykind, or any race for that matter. They were masters of this world, until their own hubris lead to their downfall. Those that survived found themselves unable to die, a cursed immortal life, an old god's punishment for their deeds in the world before their destruction."
The trained guard, having so much in her mind, couldn't help but ask as it could be the last moments she was to live. "Who were they?"
"They call themselves The Hubris of Man. Myself and Celestia found them by accident when we were mere fillies, running away from old unicorns who desired to kill us for being different, abominations as they labeled us." Luna gave a single snort at this, watching as her magic swirled around the mare. "We found the cave, retreated inside only to find ourselves trapped when they came for us. The unicorns were set to kill us, when they appeared from the very wall behind us. Melting through as if they were ghosts. Claiming the unicorns unworthy of the lives they had, and slaughtered them. Like a scythe cutting through wheat."
"They saved you?" Storm shook as she felt the magic slowly encompass her, feeling as if she was being smothered in a cool blanket.
"Indeed, they gave us food and shelter, escort us back to our home village, and killed the old council. It was that fear of our 'guards' that allowed us to take power of Equestria, allow us to bring balance. While we were still a young nation, they proposed a small service to us." Luna smiled as the magic surrounding the Night Guard finished it purpose, her eyes gradually slipping off the mare. "They said: 'Give us your murderers, rapists, slavers, and monsters. We will show them true terror and darkness'. And so we did."
"Princess?" Storm blinked somewhat scared as Luna jumped in surprise, her eyes full of stars before joy began to shine through.
"It works." Luna whispered, her smile only comparable to a child who found its cutie mark, before the sound of doors crashing open shouts echoed from the closed bedroom doors. "The spell will last for several days, three at most. You should gather whatever necessary for your trip before it wears off Captain. Hide behind the statue and do not draw attention to yourself. And whatever you do, do not attempt to save us."
Storm open her mouth to protest, but Luna picked up a single spear leaning against the desk and threw it at the door, just in time to see a caribou break through, nailing him and a male Royal Guard, but the flood just waved on. Storm choked out a gasp, seeing several mares getting raped as they were stripped of their armor. Captain Sun Way, was completely stripped of her armor and several caribou brutally raping her in a horrific orgy.
Storm watched as Sun Way’s eyes rolled slowly up her sockets from the forced pleasure, until all the caribous were thrown off and slammed into the wall by the means of elevation from a certain princess. Shattering their bones on impact and gaining the attention of the other males.
"Come! You will find it hard to subdue me!" Luna roared out and unleashed a torrents of spells and sword play, slaughtering all the males in the room and made her way out, killing all in her way.
Hubris Entrance
Storm open her eyes, looking back to the woods to ensure no one followed her. So far though, the caribou have been on her trail, ever since she saved that mare from her stallion boyfriend. She was so stupid, she should have left it alone, but she couldn't let it go.
She sighed before making her way into the cave, not noticing several figures appearing at the forest line.
Four days later, outskirts of Baltimare
Storm was resting in a particularly foliage dense tree, right in between two strong branches, hiding her figure from prying eyes as she rested during the day. She was almost caught when the spell ended rather abruptly when she was gathering more can foods, but she managed to sneak out before the old stallion could take notice, if he even could even catch a glimpse what was going on in his store as he forced a mare to service him.
"Please! Anypony! Help me!"
"You stupid cunt! Get back here!"
Storm eyes open as she look down to see a naked pegasus mare leaned against the tree, breathing deeply a she found herself out of breath, only to be to get slapped in the face by the earth pony stallion rushing up to her. Storm took note of her wings in a rather uncomfortable looking black plastic sheaths. She seen what happen to pegasi mares, and was glad she didn't have 'normal' wings. Didn't mean the bastards had another way to make sure bat ponies couldn't use their wings, tearing a hole through them and placing circle rings within to make sure they couldn't heal.
"Get on your knees."
"Please, Track, please don't do this!"
"On your knees, bitch." The stallion named Track shoved her against the tree, whipping out cock and shoving it against her face. "See this, this is the only thing that matters for now on. Your mouth, tits, pussy, and ass are only good for taking care of this perfect example of stallionhood. You are mine!"
The mare whimpered as she looked up to him before opening her mouth, allowing the stallion to shove his cock inside. She gagged it shoved down her throat, her eyes rolled up. Storm watched the stallion raped the mare, groaning slightly, as she sat by and did nothing. She knew what would happen to even try to help. To be hunted down at the discovery of a defying mare. But then Storm was paralyzed in her spot, the mare's eyes wide, focused on Storm, but then closed her eyes. Pretending she saw nothing.
Storm clenched her jaw.
"Oh yeah, fuck that is nice." Track happily pumped away, ignoring the painful wheezing coming from the mare whenever he allowed her to breath. But he pulled away, resting the throbbing member on her snout. "Tend to it."
The mare whimpered as she began to lick at the base of the stallion, slowly caressing the tip with her hands as she 'tended' to it.
Storm had enough.
"Yeah, that ends now," Storm said out loud, startling Track who looked up in time to see a hoof slamming into his face, knocking him down. Storm pulled out a knife, only for the mare to throw herself at her legs.
"Please don't kill him! He's sick, thats all!" The mare cried as she hugged her leg, which only cause Storm to roll her eyes.
"I know, this is for your collar." Storm reached down and sever the collar off her neck, then pulled off her wing sheaths, freeing the mare from the tortuous devices. "Go, hide where they can't find you. In few days, it will be all over."
"You...fucking...bitch." Storm turn to see the stallion struggling to get up. "How dare you strike against--ugh!"
Storm lowered her leg, frowning as her armored boots stain with blood. "Now I have to wash this off. Thanks a lot."
"Thank you." The mare whispered to her as she lean down and kiss the stallion's head before fleeing to the woods. Storm frowned as she looked down at the stallion, knowing she was going to regret doing this later on.
Hubris Gateway
Storm was in the right spot, that much she knew.
Bones, old unicorn skeletons laid all around. Not one single flesh eating animal came to feast on them, the lack of teeth marks on the bones themselves meant that they were left to rot, as if they were diseased.
She was so tired, fleeing from both ponies and caribou for the last week. All she wanted to do was rest, to simply sleep until she was dead to the world. But she couldn't, she had to keep up her guard, for threats come from all sides and from the most innocent looking things...
Or colts. Orphan colt.
Three days ago, Stalliongrad
Storm leaned against the warehouse wall, tired from running and fighting. She was slowly being overwhelmed by the amount of guards chasing after her, even her own guards were now looking for her. She shivered as she thought back to how she was almost captured yesterday in Trottingham by her close friend Emerald Gem.
Emerald had found her when she was resting in an old library, happy as the mare could be when Emerald saw her.
That should have been the first clue.
Emerald talked to her, filling the library with her voice as she told her what was going on, how she manage to escape, and survive. It was only when the sound of creaking wood that gave their presence away, almost drown out by Emerald's voice. This allowed her to pull out her sword, inadvertently blocking the stun stick that Emerald tried to jab into her side.
Sufficiently to say the at least, Emerald was free from the caribous' control after she lobbed off her head and killed the rest before they even knew what was happening.
But Storm continued to flee, not stopping until she was completely exhausted of everything she had. Until now. She had found an empty and abandon warehouse, secured it the best way she could, and found a spot to simply rest her head. She removed her armor, enjoying the sensation of the cool night against her coat and tired muscles enjoying the lack of weighted armor. Storm gave a tired yawn, her eyes slowly drooping closed as she laid in her undershorts and shirt.
"Wake up."
Storm eyes open wide, reaching for her sword, only to feel a blade pressed against her throat. She froze, looking up to see who caught her.
A colt, almost a stallion, holding a knife to her neck,
"Hm... yes, you look pretty good." The colt smiled, reaching down and squeezing her breasts. "Very nice. Now then. How about you take off those nasty piece of clothing, huh?"
"Little boy." Storm growled out, shaking in anger at being caught. "Do you know--!"
The colt backed hand her face, pressing the knife against her neck. "I don't fucking care, whore. You're mine now, and your name is fucking slut for all I care. Now, clothes off."
Storm growled as she pulled off her shirt, revealing a decent pair of C-cups, causing the colt to drool at them. She then toss off her shorts, revealing her puffy opening to him, licking his lips. He held the knife to her side as he fumbled for his pants. Normally this would be the appropriate time to disarm him, but his inexperience with a blade was forcing him to push the blade into her side more than necessary. If she tried anything, she be more likely to rip open her side than disarm. Finally pulling out his cock, he held the blade to her neck once more.
"On your knees, your master needs his balls drained." The colt grin at her, his lust filling his face. Storm groan as she got to her knees, somewhat impress with the cock staring back her. It was pretty big for a colt his age, and it was throbbing almost if it was in pain. He pushed the blade against her skull, his face full of anger at her simply kneeling on the floor. "Come on, start licking."
Storm closed her eyes gently taking the member in her hands and began to lick the flared tip, earning a moan from the colt. She slowly began to work around it, keeping her eyes trained on his own while she licked.
Not a bad taste...
"Fuck, that is fucking hot. Your cutie mark must be wrong, because you got a talent for this." The colt moaned as he held her head, his blade still trained on her skull. "Lick the rest now."
Storm gently picked up the cock, licking the underside as she made her way down, focusing on the ring for a moment longer before moving. Her eyes still focused on his own, waiting for a good moment to strike.
Maybe... I should force him to cum, get him tired... yeah. Safer for everypony.
The colt whimpered as she reached his base, gently massaging it with her tongue as she allowed the cock rest on her face. Storm gently closed her eyes, allowing herself to focus on pleasuring the young stallion. She placed her hands on his hips to steady herself as she focused on the base of his cock.
"Damn...start sucking on my sack, give the twins a bit of love." The colt moaned, gently removing the knife and placing it on a nearby table. Storm only gave a small nod, enjoying the feeling of the throbbing member brushing her face.
Oh...this one is nicer than the rest. I... should go easy on him.
She sucked one of the pairs, gently biting down on it and pulling, causing the stallion to stomp his hoof. She released it with a single pop and then started on the other. She repeated this practice for a few minutes while the colt ran his hands through her mane. She open her eyes to see the colt look down at her, biting his lips from the pleasure he was feeling.
"Okay, girl. Time for the main course, you hungry?"
Yes...
Storm nodded her head, feeling the colt pull her head away from the tasty stallion sacks. The colt smiled as he held her head in one hand and held his stone hard cock in the other. "Good, cause I'm going to feed you a tasty treat, okay?"
Storm nodded her head, opening her mouth and sticking out her tongue for the impressive prick to slide into.
I'm... really hungry... feed me...
The young colt steadily pushed forwards, a quiet hum escaping Storm's lips as the dick entered her mouth. She looked up at him, her eyes half closed as the taste began to overwhelm her. The colt moaned loudly as he pushed deeper into her waiting maw, until he finally reached his ring before pulling away.
"Fuck me..." he whispered as he petted her, watching as Storm's wing expanded to full mast, her hands gently kneading her breast and running her fingers over her bottom lips. "You like that don't you? This nice, tasty cock in your mouth?"
Yes...tasty...more...
"Fuck. I want fuck your mouth forever!"
I... wouldn't mind. Having this juicy cock in for a while.
Storm continue to suck, closing her eyes to continue the pleasurable deed. She bobbed her head as she tried to cement the taste of the stallion into her mind.
So... so good...I want it...give me more... I want more!
"Shit...I'm going to cum!" Storm's eyes open widen as the colt held her head, his cock's tip wrapped tightly with her lips. "Don't swallow, I want to see your mouth full of my spunk."
Storm's eyes began to glaze over as the colt rubbed his cock with vigor, her hands reaching up and taking over as she pumped away, eager for her treat. She looked up to see him pull his head back, moaning loudly as the first batch of cum coated her mouth.
Don't drink... play with it... savor the taste...
Storm's eyes fluttered shut, the hot seeds coating her mouth with its salty flavor. She hummed as he rubbed her ears, enjoying the sensation as the fingers danced across her skull. With a final spurt, he pulled away, with Storm looking up at him with her mouth open and her tongue playing with his cum.
"Fuck.. thats hot. " The colt watched as Storm blew bubbles with his cum before swallowing, licking her teeth as she open her mouth to show it was all gone. She smiled up at him a she saw his dick was still rigid and ready for another round. She leaned in close, wrapping her lips around his flare head once more, looking up to him with her eyes begging for more.
"Fuck sharing with the guys, I keeping you for myself." The colt’s hand took a hold of her mane as he held her in place. "I guess if I came onto nicely, you were willing to do anything huh? Shit, I got me a red collar. You belong to me now, got that?"
"Yes..."
"Yes what?"
"Yes Master..."
"Good girl...you look like you're still hungry... let your Master feed you."
Several hours later
Storm moaned loudly as her Master continued rape her body, pleasing himself on the table with her forgotten gear strewn around. She was exhausted beyond all measures, her stomach full of his cum, and for the life of her, was unsure why she fought against her male masters before.
She enjoyed being his bitch. She loved being his personal cum dumpster. But most of all, she was addicted to eating his cum.
"I am gonna..." Her Master panted as his face rested between her breasts. Her body belong to him now, thats all that mattered. Who cares why she was traveling, in fact, why was she traveling? Maybe she better tell her Master, maybe she gets more of his cum to eat as a treat!
Storm's body began to shake as her Master slammed into her body. Her forgotten armor shaking beside her head as the table creaked with his maleness attempting to go deeper into her snatch. Storm moan as she enjoyed the feeling of her Master's dick reaching deep inside her, her hand hitting her armor, dislodging a single letter from within it. The sound of the letter hitting beside her head gained her attention and her eyes locked onto it.
'Give us your murderers, rapists, slavers, and monsters. We will show them true terror and darkness'
Storm heard Luna's voice echo within her mind, something snapping within her very being. Storm eyed the colt pounding away at her body like a dog in humping his favorite toy. Disgust filled her as the last few hours rapidly filled her mind.
She had failed to keep herself free from the control.
She had almost failed in her mission.
She was so weak willed.
The colt tighten his grip on her ass, easily lifting her up onto him and held her, causing her to involuntary moan as his cock dug deeper into her. He groaned, keeping a powerful union tightly against her body, feeling his cock spasm before releasing, causing her cum from the heated seeds spilling into her womb.
The two shook from their orgasms, before finally being released from the pleasure. The colt gently setting her down table and nibble on her shoulder, breathing deeply her scent.
"Shit... I can’t be mean to you. All this bullshit about putting you in your place. Hell, you did this voluntarily, I think I'll treat you better than the others. Let you sleep in my bed once I get my house up and running." The colt murmured, gently kissing her neck, causing her to raise an eyebrow at his change of nature.
Too bad she didn't care nor was under the disgusting influence anymore.
"Master..." she said sweetly, gently cupping his face with her hands.
"Yeah?"
"Fuck you." Storm growled as she slammed her forehead into his snout. The colt reeled back, pulling away from the blow. She gave a single flap of her wings before leaping up and brought her hoof to his face, sending him into the wall and knocking him out.
She roared as she stormed over raising her hoof to crush his skull into paste, but remembered that he too was under the influence of the disgusting spell that Dainn casted. It also appears that the spell can only do so much as the young colt had almost turned one eighty in his personality. Granted, it may have been his exhaustion talking, but it was something to note.
She quickly turned around and grabbed her gear, ignoring the stink of sex coming off of her and the feeling of being full. She was ready to storm out, but paused, looking back at the young colt laying on the ground. Storm bit her lips before walking back and leaning him against the wall, covering him with one of the spare blankets she had. She gave him a long look, memorizing his face before leaning down and gently kissing his cranium.
"Its not a safe week for me... so you better expect me coming around after all this is over and I start getting a baby bump."
Hubris Gate
"Finally found you, you stupid cunt!"
Storm's sword was out in a blind blur, blocking the stun stick, kicking the caribou away as she held herself in a defensive pose. There was twelve of them, three unicorns, three pegasi, three earth ponies, and three caribou. All of them looking at her with less than savory intent on her person.
She looked to the wall, expecting the Tartarus guards to come running out, but the wall remain whole and unchanged. Come on! Princess Luna wouldn't send me on a wild goose chase! Please!
"Stupid bitch, killing our team in Trottingham will surely get your ass in the purple collar for sure." The lead caribou grin as he got closer to her. "We going to take our time fucking you, begging for more cocks once we are done."
The rest of the group gave a small laugh, licking their lips as they eyed her up. Storm looked to the wall, still nothing happen. Please... please... I don't want to live like this.
"Alright, boys, first one to disarm her gets to fuck her all night!" The caribou roared, the group roaring with him.
This caused Storm to panic, bringing her sword up, to defend or gut herself, she wasn't sure which. She yelled out, praying and hoping beyond hope that they were listening. "THE WORLD FOLLOWS IN YOUR OLD FOOTSTEPS!"
A single caribou leaped up, bringing his shock stick to bear on the bat pony, his eyes full of lust.
Until a chain slammed into his stomach, piercing through him. Storm's eyes widen in shock, along with everyone else in the cave. The chain swirled inside before becoming taut and yanking the caribou through the wall, his screams cutting off the moment he passed.
There was a moment of silence, not even the lust crazed males were distracted away from what just occurred. But then a single hand phased through the violent wall, it open its palm, and in the middle of said palm was an eye, a simple eye that looked at all living forms in the cavern.
"Twelve have been judge..." a choir of voices sprang up around them, the voices sounding as if came from corpses, raspy and cold. "It only takes one to deliver a message."
Before anyone could react, the death march began.
One caribou readied his spear, only for a dozen arrows with rope chains attached at their pole ends pierce through. All coming from seemingly everywhere at once, and once introduced they pulled the caribou apart and sucked the remains within the walls.
Two pegasi guards attempted to fly out the cavern, rewarded by having a pair of scythes to swing out from the ceiling, impaling the duo on the sickle blade and dragged them into the ceiling. Their gurgling screams drowning out.
The last pegasi guard attempted to swoop down at Storm and use her as a shield, but dozens of spears shot out from the ground from underneath Storm, but missing her completely and laying out in an angle where the guard could only see the sharp edges. The guard was already in mid dive, too fast to stop, and impaled himself onto the bloody weapons, before it too was pulled into the walls, vanishing from sight. If Storm was scared before, now she was about to faint.
All three on guard unicorns threw up a shield around them, attempting to ward off any attack, but a large slab of stone had a different opinion of the result of such attempt, falling onto their shield, shattering it and crushing the three underneath it. The stone piece melted into the ground, taking its grisly prize with it.
The last three ponies, all earth types, were lucky enough to reach the outside of the cave, but that’s where luck stopped being a factor as more chains shot out from various points of the cave, grappling around their legs and dragging them into the walls, their screams cutting off once they passed the edge of no return.
The last caribou stood frozen, his sword clanging as it fell from his grasp, a steady stream of urine growing on the ground around him.
"All it takes is one to deliver a message..." The voices repeated, the air grew colder and Storm felt like she was going to die from the darkness surrounding her. But she also remained stiff when something walked out of the wall, a figure that all things alive of the world were familiar with.
Death. The Reaper.
The caribou shook as the famous bony figure with its characteristic scythe walked closer to him, raising a single finger and pointing directly at him.
"You will carry the message, tell your 'King' that his species have lost the right to live. That every babe will be killed without mercy. Every male caribou of this world will be dragged and tortured for eternity in the pits of Tartarus. Your females will be spared and left to die without means to have children with no males to continue your race. In six months, only Dainn will be the last remaining male caribou. No magic he has gain, the Crystal Heart nor the Chaos of Discord will spare him of his fate. We will not allow another species to follow our path and lead this world into darkness once more. Go, and await your punishment for the time of true monsters has come upon you."
The caribou ran, fast like the wind and leaving a yellow trail as he went. Storm was shaking, she was expecting Luna to have sent her to salvation, but what she was doing was releasing another hell, to kill the first one.
It shook her to the core.
The thing turned to her, paralyzing her thoughts, and breathe, it raised its skeletal hand and gestured deeper the cave. "Move, inside." Storm was too scared off to respond with words, so she nodded and obeyed, walking backwards into the cave with her tail between her legs. not wanting to have her eyes off the figure, but she neither wanted to delve deeper without an eye in the darkness. So she had to compromise by walking sideways.
She swallowed as she reached the end wall, looking at it with confusion and placing a single hand upon it, expecting to be pulled, she only touched stone. She opened her mouth to question the Reaper, only for a bony hand to fall on her shoulder and gently push. Storm squeaked as the wall simply vanished from her hand, causing her to fall through.
She fell with her eyes close, not wanting to meet whatever maniacal chambers the guardians kept to be their chambers. But after a long uncomfortable silence, she couldn’t handle the lack of activity. So she open her slitted eyes, expecting the worse to be seen, various monsters to be eating corpses or torturing of various souls. Instead, she saw what appeared to be a hairless ape standing before her with a basket full of food and a bottle water.
"W-w-what?!"
"Welcome to our home." The Reaper said behind her, she turned to see a similar almost-hairless straight-standing primate right behind her. But instead of his robes and scythe, he now wore a sturdy looking uniform with blocky patterns spread across it.
"Wh... who are you?!" Storm gawked at him, then at the one in front of her, before her eyes perceived beyond the one with the gift basket, eyes drifting to the massive city held underneath the mountain. Her sight locked into the structures going all the way up to the top, where the ceiling like from a cave became its roof, but bright lights dispersed the darkness. She looked back down, only to realize that also went downwards given the railing she was standing by. "Where are we!?
“You’re in Hubris,” stated the non-reaper, “and given your surprise you knew nothing of this?”
“I--wha-- no! I thought this was the pit of the guardians of Tartarus! The pit where all the twisted were sent before entering Tartarus itself! I only recently learned about the-- what’s going on!” Storm was heaving, nauseous, head spinning, and confusion driving her to sit.
“Good then, that’s how it’s supposed to be.” Said the primate carrying the basket, taking a hold of one of the fruits inside, and bending down to put it next to Storm. “You should eat something, you must’ve gone a long way.”
“True to that.” Said the non-reaper, walking towards the one with the basket and taking one of the fruits. He stood in front of her, as if expecting something, especially with his free hand giving her a “give it here” signal. She was about to ask, but then she remembered why she was there. Hands quickly searching in between places only females can hide things she sprouted out a letter. The letter from Luna.
And then turning back into the entrance, still with the fruit, the man waltzed with nothing else but a raised brow; looking into the letter in his other hand, letting it hang open to read it while walking. Storm didn’t let him out of her sight, she wanted answers, and since her mission was done, she could give herself a break and alleviate her head. But then she had to stop staring at him when he launched the fruit into the air for it to be eaten in the way up by one of the three heads of an immense dog that she did had not noticed when she walked in.
“Is... that, Cerberus?” Storm asked with the heat coming from her head only doubling her pain.
“Hey, one question at a time.” Said the Cerberus feeder, a smile on his face, trying his best to not explode in laughter as he tried and failed to read the letter in his hands, muttering ‘goodness jack, Luna, you crazy’ before he turned to Storm. “Well, my name is Roger, and you’re in Hubris, the last stronghold of humanity. Classified as the guardian’s of Tartarus by the temporarily alive visitors. And the, heh, princess.”
“Humanity? I thought you were hubrises?”
“We’re humans actually. Creatures of old, creatures of history, creatures whose evil can only be surpassed by our power.” Storm was beginning to feel uneasy by how his tone shifted. “And thirst for war.”
“But-- what...” Storm really wanted to ask what was happening, who were they, but she was just so tired. “At least answer me what you’re going to do?”
The human, rubbing one of the three heads of the immense dog, smirked. Glancing at her direction, passing her eyes, then looking at something above her.
Or behind her.
Storm turned her head, catching sight of something else near the human basket keeper. Another human, and another, and another. And many, many more.
Storm’s eyes widened when she started to note that the once expansive space was now filled with humans, their stoic eyes watching nothing, like herself when she was at guard duty. But these had something extra, something that made her wary of even looking at them directly. She couldn’t tell if it was their eyes, or their frighteningly cold expressions.
“Hah, that one’s easy.” Storm rotated back to the human that saved her, his smirk staying strong with his narrowed eyes, it was strange, but Storm couldn't think of any other emotion coming out of the human, except. Happiness.
“We’re going to war.”
To the human’s words. The ground begun to shake. Storm feared it to be an earthquake but then the humans, once standing behind her, marched forward passing close to her and reaching into the exit wall. Making Storm fear for those who would come across their path. As like with the human-turned-reaper, the other humans turned...
Into many things.
There was the human becoming The Reaper, but then there was another human that morphed into a giant cobra, size able to swallow twelve ponies whole. Then another passing into another wall whose body exploded in size, five fingers fusing into three, and for some reason it glance back to reveal its now formed one eye and twisted smile as it made it way out of the cavern. Then the other humans followed, entering their own walls, which also became transparent as they passed through. From outside it must’ve been a sight to behold, the mountain’s walls molding out and letting free monsters of legends; beasts of lore. Guardians of Tartarus. She knew some of the transformations and others she hadn’t even imagined to be possible. But there was something in common with each and everyone of those creatures.
They were made to bring death.
“So miss Storm,” Storm’s eyes were forcefully pulled away from the wall by a voice; seeing the last human pass through and become another beast. She turned to the words to find that one human with the basket, still waiting for her to take herself a fruit. “Please eat the one next to you, and don’t worry, we’ll clean the land by our own means, let’s hope many innocents survive. Which is unlikely, but there’s no better thing than to hope~”
Indeed, there was nothing else she could do, but hope there was a land to return to.
Thousands of howls, screeches, and wails claimed the world with their sounds. All else to hear were the cries of horror at their sights and yelps of pain from the quick deaths, only overcomed by the slow ones.
It was wasn't a war as the Grim Reaper wanted to portrait it.
It was to be a massacre.
