Elementals

Chapters

Chapter 1. The Release
Chapter 2. You are worthy.
Chapter 3. The Guardian appears
Chapter 4. Hatred unleashed
Chapter 5. Explanations
I'm sorry

Chapter 1. The Release

Magic is but a tool. It is neither good nor evil. Only the one who wields it can make that choice.

-Starswirl the Bearded

Tartarus, also famously known as hell. Inside this dungeon of brimstone and fire were the most dangerous and evil creatures, trapped behind bars made of metal that kept them inside. Outside, guarding the gates of Tartarus, was the large three headed dog known as Cerberus. Day and night he stood watch, never wandering from his post. Except for that one time he did, and was then scolded by the Princesses, and swore that he would never abandon his post. The effect of his action had caused the demon, Tirek, to escape and wreak havoc on all of Equestria and nearly destroyed it.

With his lesson learned, Cerberus now stands guard 24/7, never leaving.

A scent, a familiar one, caught Cerberuses nose. His left head sniffed the air and the other two followed suit. The scent seemed close, yet also far. The heads tried to pinpoint the scent's location but it seemed impossible. Until they did, the scent was no longer scattered and was right in front of them. Assuming that the scent belonged to an intruder, Cerberus whipped its heads to the scent's location and snarled. Its jaws opened wide as they closed in on the thing that emitted the scent.

Then they froze.

Jaws still open, inches away from their target, Cerberus had become frozen with fear. Before the three headed dog was a figure, one that resembled a pony. A black hood and cloak covered the figure's body and face. But despite the figure's hidden features, Cerberus recognized the one who stood before him.

The figure slowly lifted its head, "now Cerberus." It spoke in a calm and unfazed tone. "Is that any way to treat your Master."

Cerberus quickly backed away and fell on his haunches. "Calm down, I'm not here for you." The Figure spoke, making his way towards the gate.

The figure halted as Cerberus extended his arm in front of the figure, blocking its path. The figure slowly moved its head to Cerberuses, his unseen eyes boring into Cerberuses very soul.

"Move your arm." The Figure demanded, before adding, "please."

Cerberus shook his heads violently, unsure which punishment would've been worse. The one from the princesses or the one from the figure. Cerberuses arm trembled, fear gripping his heart as the figure contained to stare. Slowly, and involuntary, Cerberuses arm began to retract. He tried to command his arm to stop but it refused to stop moving until it returned to Cerberus.

Pleased, the figure walked past Cerberus and entered Tartarus. The stench of brimstone clung to the air like a think sticky substance. To the walls where cages stacked on top of more cages where limbs stuck out from and clawed at the bars. Their cries fell upon death ears as the figure walked past the cages and towards the lone one sitting the furthest away from the gate. The figure stood before the cage, a beam of light shining on the half in front of him.

"So this is the fate that has befallen the magic stealing demon, Tirek." The figure adressed.

Two glowing yellow dots shined from the darkness of the cage. Slowly, two red bony hands wrapped themselves around the bars, shackles wrapped on its wrists, the face of Tirek became visible as it came close to the bars. "Who are you?" He asked, curious about the figure's identity.

"A shame you do not remember me. I was, after all, the first pony you tried to steal magic from. But no matter, my name is the Master." The figure introduced himself.

The once cries of those imprisoned became hushed and silent upon the mention of the Figure's name. The limbs which had clawed past the bars, were now slowly pulling back into the cages they had been trapped in. Tirek's face changed to one of horror in an instant. "The Master?" He repeated, making sure he had heard the figure's name correctly.

"My name is indeed the Master." The Master declared proudly. "And I have come in sure of a very powerful artifact. One I have spent half a century trying to find." The Master explained. "Who would've thought that you've had it this whole time."

"What madness do you speak of?" Tirek demanded. "I have no artifact inside of me."

"Oh but you do." The Master took a step closer. "Long ago, the twin sister's had a powerful artifact which held the most powerful forms of magic. The sisters entrusted the artifact to the demon king, who sealed it inside of his first born child."

Tirek shook his head. "LIES!" He roared. "I have no artifact inside of me and my father never put one inside of me."

"Oh?" The Master asked. "Did you not find it strange how you didn't age where your family did. Did you not find it strange that you could use a magic the others of your kind could not? Did you not find it strange-"

"Enough!" Tirek shouted. "I won't hear anymore of this."

"Fine then, don't listen. Just do me a favor and don't move." The Master's tone became dark as he passed through the bars as though his body was a gas. The Master raised his hoof, and drove it into Tirek's chest. Tirek roared in pain as the Master's hoof wormed its way inside of Tirek's inside's. He tried to push the Master's hoof out but some kind of force kept his entire body restraint. The Master's hoof grabbed something solid, something that didn't belong inside of Tirek, that very something was exactly what the Master was looking for. It was small in size but its weight was enough proof to convince him. The Master grabbed the object and pulled his hoof out of Tirek's chest.

The force restraining him vanished, Tirek's hands scampered across his chest where the Master had driven his hoof to see there was no hole or visible marking. He looked up from his chest and to the Master as he phased through the bars. Tirek rushed to the bars, hoping to grab the Master before it had left. He banged against the bars and reached for the Master. Or rather, what he was holding.

In his hoof was a small black speck. The object became entrapped in a black aura of magic and grew in size. It continued to grow and grow until it grew to the size that it completely covered his hoof. In his hoof he now held a cube with gears and strange symbols on its sides, a line ran across the top half of the cube showing off the box's lid, and on the top was a circle with a star symbol drawn on it.

"Give that back!" Tirek demanded, desperately reaching for the cube.

The Master removed his gaze from the cube and looked to Tirek. "Well since you asked so nicely," the Master extended the cube over towards Tirek. When Tirek laid his hands on the cube he immediately recoiled in pain, looking at his hands which had been scarred as though they had touched a hot stove. "That was for lying." The Master growled pulling the cube back towards him, he produced a bronze colored key with strange symbols embedded on its arm.

"Please." Tirek pleaded. "Don't open that box. You don't know what evil that will unleash."

The Master looked back to Tirek. "It seems you truly don't know anything about this box after all. My mistake." The Master said, slowly bringing the key closer to the lid.

"What you hold in your hooves is Pandora's box." The key came to a halt. "A box which contains the most evil and destructive magic known to all. If you open that box, you will unleash that magic and it will tear the world apart."

"You've been gone for far to long Tirek." The Master spoke, not looking away from the box. "While you spent your days rotting away in this prison, I've seen firsthoof what this so called 'world of peace' the two sisters have created has become. A world of equality and friendship." The Master spat. "What a joke. Now matter how you look at it, Equality will never be possible. Not as long as magic exists in this world. I tried to find a way to destroy magic, but such a thing is impossible. To destroy magic would mean destroying life itself, so a new way was required. If I couldn't destroy magic, then I would give everyone magic. Then, and only then, will their be a chance for peace."

"You don't understand. Unlocking that box will only bring death and destruction, you can't hope to achieve peace by doing this." Tirek said.

"Your just like all the others, only able to see the black and white of this world. They may not understand it now, but what I am doing will change the world for the better." The Master said, plunging the key into the center of the star symbol, passing through as though it was made out of gas.

"And if those who receive the magic end up destroying all life that exists?" Tirek asked, as a bright white glow began to emit from the crack between the lid and the box.

"Then this world was not meant to hold life." The Master answered as he turned the key.

The lid flung opened.

And all hell broke loose.

A brilliant beam of light shot from the box, breaking through the ceiling and climbing into the sky. The force of the beam caused loose pieces of dirt and dust to repel against the beam in a ripple like motion. Despite its faint presence, multiple colorful objects could be seen climbing up the beam and escaping through the ceiling. Once all of the objects had left the box, it closed itself shut. For a moment there was silence, then that silence was broken by Tirek.

"What have you done?" He demanded.

"I have either saved this world from itself." The Master turned around, making his way towards the gate.

"Or I have destroyed it."

Author's Note

Here's chapter one, more chapters will come out but it depends on how good of a story this will be that will determine its speed.

Chapter 2. You are worthy.

I will bring my enemies to their knees
And destroy everything they hold dear
I will make them cry out in pain
I will make them know fear.

Far north, in the cold and barren wastelands, there is an airship. The cold and freezing winds forced against it with all their might, but they could not move the anchored airship. On its deck, multiple griffins dressed in warm and fur clothing that protected them from the harsh winds as they worked on the multiple parts of the ship that needed tending to. Below deck, away from the winds, a Griffin with grey feathers, blue eyes, and the feathers on the back of his head was styled to look flown back. He was walking down the hallway, passing by doors which led to the crews living chambers.

But the griffin had no interest in the crews living quarters. He was only interested in the one at the far end of the ship. A black, metal bolted, door which blended in with the wall texture on the entire ship. The griffin knocked three times, only to receive silence as response. The griffin knew that he was in there, his theory was confirmed when he opened the door and entered the room.

The room was different compared to the other quarters that belonged to the crew. It was more spacious, and seemed to belong to someone of high stature. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to the door, was a griffin with black feathers on his body, white feathers on his head and chest, and yellow eyes. He was staring at the floor, his head held by his claws. The elder griffin entered the room and closed the door behind him and locking it, ensuring that no one would disturb them.

"Hello Gideon." The Elder griffin spoke to the younger one. "I see your still moping around."

The younger griffin remained silent.

"The winds have died down a bit." The elder Griffin rubbed the back of his awkwardly, the conversation he was trying to start wasn't going to well.

"Three days." The younger griffin croaked.

The elder griffin became confused and startled by the younger Griffin's response. "What?" He asked.

"Three day." The younger griffin repeated, slightly turning his head. "Three days we've been banished to this god forsaken land."

The elder griffin sighed, his gaze meeting the floor.

The youngest griffin was Gideon, prince of the Griffin Empire. Or ex-prince that is. Gideon had a certain hatred for ponies, ever since he had met Celestia, who was visiting on royal business, he had hated them. It was in his nature, as it was in every living thing. Everything hated being beneath someone. It wasn't Celestia herself, but that pompous, stuck up, arrogant nephew of hers that goes by the name Blue Blood. He insulted the Griffin culture and history, being racist and hateful towards everything that made Griffins who they were. Gideon had had enough, he lashed out against the prince and as a result felt the wrath of Celestia's power. He was banished by his father to the frozen north, where he would spend the rest of his days. But he didn't go alone, Gideon's soldiers were loyal to him and would lay down their lives for him, so they didn't think a second thought about being by his side.

The Elder griffin, was known as Lexus. Elder brother to the Griffin emperor, and uncle of Gideon. He too, stood by his side when he was banished to the frozen north.

Gideon would never forget that day, and every day he looked in the mirror and saw the permanent mark Celestia had left on him, he was reminded not of the shame he felt, but the fear. The towering gaze of the solar goddess struck fear in Gideon's heart, stabbing him with the painful truth. That he was powerless, and he hated that. Every night when he tried to sleep he would picture himself above Celestia, letting her experience the fear he had felt. Letting her know that she wasn't all powerful, that even she, a goddess, could be slain. But all that it was was a mere fantasy, one that would never come true.

Lexus took a seat next to his nephew, letting all of his wait shift so that he would fall on the bed. "I'm sorry Gideon, I wish there was something I could do but..." he hesitated. "But this is how things have to be, you know this."

Gideon faced Lexus, showing off his right eye which had a red and charred scar over the entire area of his eye with a small part of it blown back, indicating where the golden beam had struck. "It isn't fair, why must we submit to these weak creatures? Why do we cower in fear when we can unite and destroy them?"

"Because they know it is pointless." Lexus answered. "They know that for every pony we kill, ten of ours will suffer the same fate. Many have tried, all have failed."

"They fail because they let fear drive them." Gideon stood up. "They let themselves be afraid when we should be striking fear into them. My father may have succumbed to fear, but let me tell you this Uncle. I will never be afraid of them, and once my banishment is done. I will do everything I my power to make them know fear."

Lexus was about to speak but was drowned out by the sudden and loud commotion by the crew on deck. "What in the world?" He asked as he could hear a loud crash from the front of the ship.

Their was a high pitch sound that drew closer until the locked metal door was literally thrown off its hinges by a floating object that was glowing yellow. Before the two could understand what the object was, it closed the gap between itself and Gideon and sunk into his chest. It's glow became brighter, shining from the inside of Gideon's chest.

"Uncle." He spoke, his voice full of worry. "What's happening?"

Lexus said something, but it was drowned out by the loud mechanical voice that only Gideon could hear spoke.

YOU ARE WORTHY

The bright and brilliant glow enclosed Gideon's entire body, shining out of his eyes and mouth. His wings flared and shot through the ceiling, a yellow trail following behind him. Gideon soon became a glowing yellow spot as he soared higher and higher into the sky.

When Gideon could no longer see the ship, he stopped, his body glowed yellow even more brightly. The yellow glow continued to intensify, entrapping Gideon in its brilliant light until,

KA-BOOOOOM

The light exploded, a yellow ring of magic flew away from Gideon, fading as it grew in size. Slowly, Gideon regained consciousness. His first reaction was panic, upon seeing that he was somehow floating and how high up he was.

Calm yourself Gideon.

"Who's there?" Gideon demanded. "Show yourself!"

I can't do that Gideon, you see, I am the Element of fear and I have chosen you as my host.

Gideon froze. "Element of fear?" He repeated what the voice had said. "I don't understand, the only Elements are the Elements of Harmony."

That is incorrect. There are many Elements, and each one serves an equally purpose. To give magic to the one who wields us, I am no different.

"Magic?" Gideon asked, making sure he had heard correctly. "Your telling me that I...have magic?"

Think of something, anything, and it shall appear.

Gideon closed his eyes, thinking of the first think that came to mind.

Open your eyes.

Gideon did as instructed and opened his eyes and saw before him a creature that was completely yellow that had the resemblance of a snake, but it had insect legs along both sides of its body, and pinchers on its mouth. Gideon scrambled his body back, startled by the strange creature that hovered in front of him.

"What is that?!" He demanded.

That is your embodiment, the very persona of your newfound power..

Gideon became furious and shouted, "you told me to imagine something and it would appear. I imagined a spear, not...this." He gestured.

A spear hmmm? Look in your left claw.

Gideon did so and saw that it held a yellow spear that seemed to be made of the same thing the creature was made of.

"What are you?" He demanded.

I have already told you. I AM THE ELEMENT OF FEAR, I EXIST ONLY TO SERVE MY HOST. USE MY POWER AS YOU WISH.

The image of Celestia cowering before him in fear flashed before Gideon once again. He swallowed and asked, "and, just how strong is your magic?"

The power of fear knows no bounds. It is only limited to those who fear you, my power feeds off fear, so the more who fear you the more powerful you'll become.

"Not many fear me, so I can only assume I don't have much power." Gideon assumed, the spear he held faded away.

Correct. But there is a way for you to gain more power. Would you like me to tell you?

"Tell me everything." Gideon smiled with eagerness, "and don't skip any detail."

Panic arose from the airship as perplexed crew members tried to figure out what had happened while also tending to the ship's needs. There was shouting and roaring from everyone all around as those of higher command tried to regain order amongst the brewing chaos. One of the crew pointed and shout, directing everyone's attention to yellow bolt which was closing in. Those who stood where the bolt was going to crash quickly rushed away until they could be certain that they were a safe distance away. The bolt drew closer and closer and began to slowly descend. Soon the bolt's shining light dimmed and the crew could see what, or rather who, the bolt was.

"Your highness." One of the captains pronounced as he and the rest of the crew took a knee and bowed before Gideon.

Lexus made his way past the crowd and towards his nephew. "Gideon, what happened? Where did you go? What are you...wearing?"

Gideon looked at himself to see he was wearing a yellow armor that covered his entire body, from his claws to his neck. On his chest was a symbol which had been engraved. Gideon lifted up his right claw and observed, smiling while in the process. "Tell me," he spoke in a cool and orderly tone, "the Crystal Empire is south of us is it not?"

Perplexed by his nephew's question, Lexus answered, "yes...it is. Why?"

Gideon looked up at his crew, the soldiers who had sworn to die for him if need be. "Prepare for battle, were invading the Crystal Empire."

Overwhelming shock overtook the crew and Lexus. "What? Gideon you can't be serious-"

"Aaaahhh!"

The scream of one of the crew members had caught the attention of everywhere as they directed their gaze to who had screamed. Their eyes widened I horror upon the sight of the large persona of fear which hovered in front of the ship.

"Battle Station's!" One of the captain's ordered.

"Belay that order." Gideon commanded. "Their is nothing to fear, this beast is under my control." Gideon said as his persona drifted over to the side of the ship. "I have recently gained a new power, one that will give us an advantage in our invasion."

Gideon noticed the look of fear on his soldiers faces and knew that a leader was needed. "My loyal soldiers, how long have you served by my side?"

"Five years...your highness." One of the crew answered.

"And have I ever, given any of you a reason to question my judgment and orders?" Gideon asked.

"No." A couple of the crew answered, while the others remained silent.

"Have I ever led any of you astray?" Gideon asked.

"No." More of the crew answered, this time louder.

"So I ask of you, not as your prince or leader, but as your friend. Aren't you tired of being oppressed by the Ponies? Aren't you tired of waking up everyday and knowing that you are beneath someone? Don't you think it's time for a change? Don't you think it's time that the ponies learn there place?" Gideon's voice rose with confidence and spirit, he opened his claw and a yellow ball of magic appeared. "I wield the power of fear, and it is with this power that I will make them fear me. I will topple that iron throne they stand so proudly on and pull them down to ground and then, and only then, will they truly know fear. So I ask of you, my loyal soldiers, will you fight with me!"

"Yes!" The entire crew roared.

"Will you stand by my side throughout the entire battle?" Gideon asked, his voice becoming a shout.

"Yes!" The entire crew shouted once more.

"Then let loose the anchor and set course for the Crystal Empire." Gideon ordered. "Let us show them the true power of our might."

The Crystal Empire was said to be the most beautiful and peaceful place in the whole world, and those who said that weren't wrong. The Crystal Empire was a thing of pure beauty, shimmering in the sun's daily glow. Inside the palace, in the room belonging to the newly born Princess Flurry Heart, Shining Armor and his loving wife Princess Cadence were playing with their daughter. Flurry Heart giggled in delight as she was held by her father.

Cadence, who was leaning against the side of Flurry's crib, gave her husband a warm smile. "And you thought you were going to be a terrible father." She said smugly.

"Yeah yeah." Shining gave his wife an eye roll. "Laugh while you can, because Flurry's first words are gonna be 'dada' and I'll get to rub it in your face."

Flurry became entrapped in pink magic as she was brought over to her mother. "I wouldn't be to sure about that, 'mama' seems to roll off the tongue."

"Don't bet on it." Shining gave his wife a coy grin.

The doors to the room were burst open as a crystal royal guard charged in. First he bowed and apologize for barging in, then he spoke, "your highnesses, a Griffin airship just touched down two miles from the Empire's entrance. Over a hundred soldiers armed in what seems to be scrap and strange utensils, we think they might be planning an attack."

Cadence laid Flurry back in her crib before addressing the situation. "Send the guard to the entrance before those griffins hurt themselves. We'll be with you shortly."

Cadence, Shining, and the Royal guard exited. Shining stopped and turned to the guard standing at the doorway. "Keep an eye on Flurry till we get back."

"Yes sir." The orange fur Pegasus saluted.

Not once did Gideon's soldiers ever lose faith or trust in their Prince. But at this moment, the trust and bond formed between Gideon and his soldiers, was now very shaky. 117 soldiers were what Gideon had, and they were armed with the most pathetic looking weapons ever seen. Metal poles, wooden sticks, and some utensils. Compared to the arsenal that the Crystal Royal guard, the Griffin army was screwed.

Gideon could practically taste his armies fear, he couldn't blame them. He would be afraid to if he were in their shoes. But now was not the time to be afraid, now was the time to show the ponies just how powerful they were. Gideon took a step forward past the entrance and as a result the Crystal Heart, the very soul of the Crystal Empire, fired a beam of magic that sailed down towards the entrance. Gideon only had a split second to react as he extended his claw and braced himself. The beam collided with Gideon, the full force of it pushing him back. He dug his hindlegs firm into the ground, preventing the beam from pushing him back.

"Your Highness!" One of Gideon's soldiers shouted, taking a step forward.

"Don't come any closer!" Gideon ordered and his troops complied. "Why is this happening?" He demanded to the Element of fear.

The Crystal Heart is seeing you as a threat to the Empire, as such it is trying to destroy you. The only reason it hasn't yet is because my magic is protecting you.

"How do I stop it?" Gideon demanded.

You can't, you're not strong enough yet. It seems I have miscalculated, perhaps it would be wise if we were to retreat-

"NO!" Gideon shouted. "I will not run with my tail between legs! I said that I would make these Ponies know fear and they will!" Gideon said wth grit. "We were once a proud race, all feared our might and strength. But that all changed when the Ponies arrived. We were reduced to cowering greedy rats because of them. They have forgotten to fear us, so I will remind them." His entire body glowed brighter with every word he spoke. "I will remind them to fear us. They will fear the Griffin race, and they. Will. Fear. Me!"

In a single moment all of the bright yellow magic which radiated off of Gideon was transferred to his palm and from it a beam of yellow magic pierced through the Crystal Heart's. The beam spliced through magic and forced towards the Heart. The yellow beam touched the Crystal Heart in the center, cracks formed as the magic sunk in.

And then it exploded.

KA-BOOOOOM

The Crystal Heart shattered into pieces, a shockwave of yellow magic was sent from where the Crystal Heart once stood and cut through the four arched bases which supported the Crystal Palace and shook the entire empire itself. Then there came an earsplitting groan from the Palace, a sound that resembled that of a tipping tree. That's when realization hit everyone.

The Crystal Palace was falling.

Chunks of Crystal fell as the building began to tip forward. Everyone screamed in horror as the towering building drew closer to the ground. But before it could it came to a sudden stop. It took everyone a second until they saw what was happening. Princess Cadence was flying in front of the Palace and used her magic to slowly lift it back into place. Once the Crystal Palace was being held in place, Shining armor and the rest of the guard who were unicorns used their magic to wield the broken pieces back together.

But despite their act of heroism it couldn't settle the horrified look on everypony's face at the sight of the shattered Crystal Heart. Gideon took a whiff of the air and exhaled with the look of satisfaction on his face.

Fear. The entire Empire reeked with the emotion, and it was their fear that gave Gideon strength. Even now he felt his power growing, he looked to his soldiers and with his magic transformed their pathetic armor and weapons into ones that suited them. Pieces of scrap used for makeshift armor became steel suits of enchantment armor. In each claw every soldier held a steel tipped spear accompanied by a tall shield. Gideon looked at his army and was proud to call them his soldiers. They all had smiles on their faces, showing their eagerness and determination. All they were waiting for, was orders from their prince.

Gideon created a yellow aura sword in his claw and pointed at the Empire. "Take the Empire!" Gideon ordered.

The army roared as they charged the entrance, ponies that stood in their way ran in terror. When Shining Armor and the unicorns were finished wielding the bases shut, Cadence released her magical grip on the Palace. Her first instinct was to rush inside and make sure Flurry was okay. But before she could, a yellow aura chain wrapped itself around her hindleg and forced her down. She smashed against the Crystal floor with such force that it had made a mark.

"Cadence!" Shining Armor shouted, rushing towards his wife.

Cadence, still dazed, was unable to shield herself from Gideon's next attack. Gideon landed on top of Cadence and a black metal ring appeared in his claw with a yellow flash. He slid the ring onto Cadence's horn, where small spikes dug into it. Disrupting the flow of magic.

"Get away from her!" Shining Armor charge, his horn aimed towards Gideon like a lance.

Gideon didn't even bother shifting his gaze towards Shining Armor as he swiped his claw towards him, yellow aura shackles appeared on all of his hooves, chains attached to each shackle restricting his movements. He tripped and slid until stopping right in front of Gideon, who put another black ring on Shining Armor.

"Well this is a beautiful sight." Gideon smiled, watching as his troops raided the homes in the Crystal Empire. "Never did I think I would be able to witness such a thing."

"You monster."

Gideon glanced down at Shining Armor, who was glaring at him. "How could you do this? These ponies are innocent, they've done nothing wrong!"

Gideon gave Shining a look of perplexity before shaking his head and slightly chuckling. "You don't know, you will never know nor will you understand. But that's alright, you're not the ones I want to kill." Gideon said before giving it some thought. "Although, maybe if I killed her niece. Maybe that'll send the right message." Gideon smiled sinisterly at Cadence.

"Prince Gideon!"

Gideon looked away from the royal couple and towards one of his soldiers who was running out from the Crystal Palace. The soldier stood before Gideon and bowed.

"My loyal warrior, you're in the midst of battle. Kneeling before me is only gonna get your head chopped off." Gideon joked, receiving a laugh from the soldier.

The soldier then cut off his laughter like a switch and his tone became serious. "I bring good news and...unfortunately, bad news as well." The soldier said. "The good news is we've secured the Empire. They're Royal guard we're pathetic and helpless against us. Seems as though the only form of defense they had was the Crystal Heart."

Gideon raised a brow, cautiously he asked, "and the bad news?"

The soldier's expression became that of embarrassment. "Its princess Flurry Heart, we can't find her anywhere. She's disappeared."

Both Shining Armor and Cadence released a sigh of relief. Gideon took notice and grabbed Cadence by the next and lifted her to eye level. "Where is your daughter?" He demanded.

Cadence spat in his face.

Gideon watched as the slob of salvia trailed down his cheek. His grip on Cadence's neck tightened, closing her airway. But even as Gideon choked her, Cadence didn't show any sign of fear. Instead she closed her eyes, happy knowing that her daughter would be safe.

Gideon.

"What?" Gideon growled. "I'm busy."

This Flurry Heart you speak of, is she an Alicorn?

Gideon's grip on Cadence loosened. "She is." Gideon answered.

As I thought, there's an orange Pegasus carrying an Alicorn child away from Crystal Empire.

Gideon dropped Cadence, she fell to the ground limp. "Where?" He demanded.

Approximately three thousand feet in distance and five hundred feet in elevation. If you use my power you'll be there in seconds.

Gideon looked to the soldier and ordered him and others to watch Cadence and Shining Armor. The soldiers did as they were told and Gideon blasted off, a trail of yellow magic following behind him. He soared at speeds he had never reached before, in fact, he soared so fast that he appeared in front of the Pegasus in seconds.

The Pegasus was startled by Gideon's sudden appearance and stumbled to a halt, still keeping himself in the air. In his hooves he held a small newborn filly wrapped in a pink cloth. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the filly was Flurry Heart. Gideon extended his arm, opening his claw. "Give me the Alicorn Pegasus." Gideon asked politely. "Now."

The Pegasus shielded Flurry from Gideon and responded, "now way in Tartarus."

Gideon lowered his arm. "Suit yourself." He said as the Pegasus' wings became enveloped in yellow magic and were bent back. Breaking the bone.

The Pegasus roared in pain, and then he fell. He tried to ignore the pain and flap his wing to at least try and slow his descent but it was to no avail as he plummeted out of the sky. The ground came into view and the Pegasus knew that there was no point in trying to fly. He moved his body so that his back faced towards the ground, and he completely shielded Flurry with his body.

His body sunk into the snow until it had hit the ground.

Hard.

The first thing he did was check to make sure Flurry Heart was okay. He was relieved to see that she was, then the relief was replaced with pain from his broken wings and bruised back. He muffled his screams of pain as he slowly rose from where he had fallen.

"I must commend you on your..." Gideon paused as he landed in front of the Pegasus, thinking of the word to describe his action. "Bravery I guess is what you call it?"

The Pegasus took a step back, and his hindleg slipped. He spun his head around to see he was on the edge of a cliff, and at its bottom were sharp jagged spikes.

"But I'm afraid that your noblism ends here." Gideon extended his arm and opened claw once more. "Abandon the child and I shall let you live." The Pegasus looked back and forth between Flurry and Gideon's opened claw. "It isn't a hard choice Pegasus. Abandon the child, and you will live, stay and protect the child, and I will pry her from your cold dead hooves." Gideon threatened.

The Pegasus looked back down into the cavern filled with jagged spikes. In the corner closet to the edge there was a safe spot void of any spikes. The Pegasus knew that he had to protect Flurry no matter what, even if it meant his life would be spent in process. The Pegasus looked back to Gideon and without breaking eye contact, jumped off the edge.

Gideon's once face of triumph twisted into one of shock as the Pegasus once again plummeted down. Only this time, it was to his death. But he didn't care, he would die happy knowing that Princess Flurry Heart would be safe. As long as that happened, Flash Sentry didn't care if he had lost his life.

As he came closer and closer to the spot that was void of spikes, he saw a gold and blue light shine before him and three words were spoken.

YOU ARE WORTHY

Author's Note

Now before you hit that dislike button please read this. 1) I'm a terrible writer, always have been, and I'm sorry for that. 2) I rushed through this chapter, it's something I hope not to do with the next one. 3) if you do hit the dislike button tell me why and what I can do to improve my story.

Thanks for reading.

Chapter 3. The Guardian appears

Magic is the divider. It separates and creates inequality between all. A world with magic, is a world that will never truly know peace.

-The First Book

Flash thought that today would be like any other normal day. Just standing guard in front of a door and letting the day pass on. Of course today was anything but normal. It started with the sudden appearance of the small griffin army which had gathered at the entrance to the empire. Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor went to go check it out while leaving Flash in charge of watching Flurry.

It wasn't until the Crystal Heart shot a beam of magic at the Griffin wearing a strange yellow suit that things instantly appeared off. That's when the unthinkable happened. The Griffin, the one wearing the yellow suit, was pushing the beam back. With magic of his own.

His magic eventually reached the Crystal Heart and it shattered at though it were made of glass. Then came the gut wrenching crack in the Palace's structure. The very building itself groaned as it slowly began to tilt. Flash acted on instinct and quickly grabbed Flurry to ensure her safety. Thankfully, Princess Cadence, along with most of the unicorn royal guards, were able to set the building back in place. Flash ran onto the balcony and to his horror saw the destruction of the city.

Multiple columns of smoke drafted into the air from the fires which had broken out. Ponies running and screaming in terror as they were chased by Griffins who now wielded deadly weapons. When Flash caught sight of Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, his heart sunk.

The Griffin wearing the yellow suit stood over the two broken royalty, towering like a powerful God. Flash wanted to do nothing more than to swoop down and help them. But a single look at Flurry Heart reminded him that her life was still in danger.

"That room right there. That's the only one we haven't check yet, so she's gotta be in there."

A voice, one that most likely belonged to a griffin. Flash could tell because of its accent. He looked to Flurry Heart once more, and made up his mind.

With his wings spread Flash took off to the sky, putting as much distance between him and the Empire. But he didn't get far enough it seemed.

The Griffin dressed in the yellow and black suit appeared in front of him and demanded Flurry. Flash refused, saying he would rather die. The Griffin said he would happy to oblige. The Griffin drove Flash to the edge of a cliff with jagged spikes at its bottom. His wings were broken, the Griffin had him cornered, there was no way out.

The Griffin offered to spare Flash if he gave Flurry Heart to him. Instead of taking his offer, Flash jumped off and aimed for the part of the ground which didn't have any spikes. He would die from the fall but Flurry would live, and as long as that would happen he didn't care if he lost his life.

It was then that a brilliant light, one of gold and blue, shot down from the sky and sunk into his chest. The light shined through his entire body, intensifying with each passing second, and three words were spoken by a voice inside his mind.

YOU ARE WORTHY

Time itself had come to a slow current, stretching seconds into hours. The entire area around Flash became grey and void of color except for him. He began to panic, thinking that he had died.

Calm yourself Sentry.

The voice inside his head spoke. It sounded robotic, or rather, emotionless, like it had once belonged to a living creature.

Flash tried to speak but no sound could be heard.

You can only speak through your mind in here Sentry.

Flash thought it strange but did so anyways, he thought and it was heard.

Where am I? What are you? What's going on? How did I get here? Is Princess Flurry Heart alright? Did I leave the oven on this morning?"

Millions of thoughts trampling over others filled the area with sound until Flash made them cease.

Clear your mind. Focus on one thought and speak it.

Flash did as instructed, instead of spilling out all of his thoughts at once only one came out.

"Is Princess Flurry Heart safe?" Was what the thought asked, and the voice responded.

The child is still in your forelegs, safe and sound.

Flash let out a sigh of relief before releasing his next thought. "What are you?" It asked.

I am an Element of Atlas, the Guardian, and I have chosen you, Flash Sentry, as my host.

"Why me?" The new thought asked.

You value others lives over your own. You would sacrifice your own life if it meant someone else's would live. This is what makes you worthy of being the Guardian, what makes you worthy of my power.

A new thought presented itself, and asked "Where am I?"

Technically we are in your subconscious, processing each thought faster than a millisecond.

"You said I have power. What kind of power?"

The power of magic. This power is used to shield and protect others from harm and danger.
Under normal circumstances I would teach you, but now is not the time. For now I'm going to have to give you a quick, short detail of your power by uploading it to your memory.

"So its kinda like a shortcut."

In a word, yes. Only this is gonna hurt.

Gideon stood before the cliff baffled, his mind incapable of processing what had just happened. He offered the Pegasus his life in return for the Alicorn child. Gideon never planned on killing the child, nor did he plan on killing anyone in the Crystal Empire. All he wanted was to rise up from beneath the ponies boot and show them that the Griffons do not bow before anyone. He wanted them to know what it meant to fear them,

Not this.

*KA-BOOOOOM!!*

A pillar of gold magic with multiple blue rings rising up on it shot into the air, its brilliant light practically blinding Gideon. The pillar's reach grew higher and higher as it soared, piercing through the sky and beyond.

"When those in need of protection
Know that I will answer the call
With my brilliant shield of light
I will protect you all!"

A voice from the pillar spoke, its words loud and booming with strength as the pillars light became even brighter.

Far from the Crystal Empire, in the east, there is a majestic forest named Redwood Forest. In the very heart of the forest, isolated from the other redwood trees, there is an oak tree which towers at 1,000 feet in height and its roots extended to every edge of the forest. The tree was known by many as the Great Tree, a symbol of nature's true might. Redwood Forest was home to a race known as the Deer, creatures who had minor resemblance to ponies but were entirely different. Unlike the ponies, the Deer culture is revolved around nature. The Deer worship nature like a god, and they respect all of nature's gifts. Their homes are inside the trees, their food is grown wildly and not tampered by farming, and they treat each other as equal.

The Deer have no king or queen of any sort. Their is a group of leaders known as the High Council who govern and suggest ideas that would better suit the community, but there is only equality among the Deer, no one is better than the other. Even the High Council is comprised of normal Deer, but the true power lies within the population itself.

The Deer are incapable of using magic of any kind, in fact, the Deer have their own views on magic. Ever Deer worships nature as a god, as such, every Deer reads and learns from the "First Book". A book with the history and knowledge of nature. In the very first page it reads,

From Nothing came the Stars, from the Stars came the worlds, from the worlds came nature, and from nature came life. Nature was the first to wield magic, and from her power she created trees as our homes, crops as our food, and water as our very being. Nature asked nothing more than for all creatures to treat and respect each other as equal and friends. But the Ponies committed a sin, a sin that they and their descendants and those to follow from their descendants will carry with them forever more.

The "Original Sin" as it was later called, was when the Ponies stole magic and learned to use it themselves. Magic, caused separation among the ponies, dividing the once pure race into three new races. One of flight, one of strength, and one of magic. Other races soon followed, some gaining the power of flight, others the power of strength, but only some of the Ponies were the ones who could wield magic among the other races. Appalled, the Deer wanted to fight against the Ponies, to show them that they had done wrong and that their was still time to be forgiven.

But nature denied the Deer the idea of war. She told the Deer that the Ponies, while they did steal from her, were still capable of good. She told the Deer that magic is not the true evil, but rather those who wield it differ between good and evil. The "Original Sin" does not refer to the Ponies stealing magic, but that they have caused evil with it.

The Deer will never possess magic, as the risk for becoming evil is to high. Magic is a divider, it causes war, distrust, inequality, and hatred. Magic should only be wielded by nature, as she is the true good in this world. We will not fight the Ponies as they must learn their wrongs themselves, but that does not mean they are incapable of forgiveness. We will treat all the races as our equal, as that is the way nature created us to be.

These very words were being read right now by a stag with light brown fur, orange eyes, and short antlers. He sat on a stool with a hard cover book titled "The First Book". Sitting in front of him on a round carpet was a group of fawns ranging from boys to girls. They were in a library, surrounded by shelves of books which had been carved from the inside of the tree.

The stag closed the book and addressed the group, "any questions?" He asked.

A fawn raised his hoof and after getting permission from the stag spoke, "why did the Ponies steal magic?"

That question seemed to be on everyone in the group's mind. The stag wasn't surprised, he asked the same question the first time he read from the First Book as well. "The reason the Ponies stole magic was because they desired power. They led their greed consume them and as a result they became seperated and distant from one another."

Another hoof was raised and the stag called on whoever was raising the hoof, "how come magic is evil?"

"You're asking the wrong question." The stag pointed out. "The question isn't 'why is magic evil', but rather the question is 'why does magic create evil', and the answer is because magic leads to separation. When we were first created all of the races were equal in appearance, knowledge, and strength. It was magic which had destroyed equality and caused the races to change."

Another hoof was raised and called on, "if that's true, how come the Ponies aren't our enemies?"

"The Ponies were never our enemy, even after they stole magic we still see them as our equal. As we always will. One day the Ponies will rid themselves of their magic and when that happens we will all be equal." The Stag answered. "Any more questions?"

Silence.

"Great, then your homework will be to read pages 2-10, I expect you all to have them memorized by tomorrow. Now go outside and play." The Stag smiled as the group packed up and left.

The Stag did so as well, leaving and heading off towards his home. Receiving warm greetings from neighbors and local residents. Midway towards his house the Stag decided he would go for a stroll through the woods. The Stag walked deep into the forest, some of the roots belonging to the Great Tree visible above ground before trailing back down.

The Stag came across the edge of a cliff, where he walked to the end and gazed at the magnificent beauty of the forest beneath him. He admired the work of nature for a long period before something caught his eye. Something very tall.

A pillar of white light, a large distance away but still visible from the Stag's location, shot into the air. The Stag watched as multiple objects, each a different color, escaped the pillar and soared across the sky. Then the pillar faded away into nothingness, but before it did two objects could be seen. One bright white, the other pitch black. The two objects soared in the opposite direction of the other, the white object soared in a straight line until it curved and changed its direction.

By the time the Stag understood where the white object was heading it was to late. The white object sunk into the Stag's chest, causing his body to glow. Bright beams of white light shined from his eyes and open mouth as three words echoed in his mind.

YOU ARE WORTHY

The pillar of golden light with blue rings around it slowly faded, Gideon's sight slowly returning. To his surprise what he saw next shocked him.

It was the Pegasus, only now he wore a golden armor that covered his entire body with blue spots on the joints. The Pegasus' once broken wings were now repaired and completely engulfed in a blue magical aura. In his foreleg was Flurry Heart, somehow sleeping.

Gideon opened his mouth to speak but before he could utter a single phrase, the Pegasus closed the distance between him and Gideon, and in his hoof a ball of blue magic appeared. The ball collided with Gideon and created a massive shockwave which sent Gideon flying backwards. He bounced off the ground three times before rolling to a stop.

He stood up, not hurt but definitely frazzled by what had just happened. Gideon looked to his right, where the Pegasus now stood and spoke,

"Your like me, aren't you?" Gideon asked. "You received an element which has given you powerful magic. But your element isn't like mine, it's different isn't it?"

The Pegasus remained silent.

"Tell me Pegasus, do you know what a 'Duell der Schwerter' is?" Gideon asked, using his magic he created a sword with a steel blade.

The Pegasus continued to remain silent, despite his hidden face, Gideon knew that the Pegasus was glaring at him.

"I'll take your silence as a no." Gideon assumed. "Allow me to explain. 'Duell der Schwerter' in your language means 'duel of swords'. In Griffon culture, we were the first to discover iron and because of that discovery we were the first to create and engineer swords. Over time we created a tradition known as 'Duell der Schwerter', a duel between two sword wielders."

Gideon used his magic once more and created a steel blade sword which he tossed towards the Pegasus. The sword flipped a couple of times in the air before its blade sunk into the ground. The Pegasus looked between the blade and Gideon.

"I'm offering you a deal, Pegasus." Gideon offered. "Defeat me in this duel and I shall take myself and my troops away from the Empire. But if I defeat you in this duel, then you must surrender Flurry Heart to me and will not give aid to the Ponies. Do we have a deal?"

The Pegasus looked to the sleeping baby Alicorn and a golden aura bubble surrounded her. The bubble lifted into the air and stayed in midair as the Pegasus approached the sword and took it into his hoof.

"I accept your duel." The Pegasus said, skillfully wielding the blade.

"Excellent, we start the duel by declaring our name while paying our respect to our opponent. Like this." Gideon showed his example by taking a bow and introducing himself. "My name is Gideon, Prince of the Griffon Empire. May you prove to be a worthy challenger." Gideon stood up and frowned when he saw that the Pegasus was not bowing. "This is the part where you declare your name while paying your respects."

"Respect?" The Pegasus spoke as though he had been offended. "You attack my home, imprison my Princess and Prince, broke my wings, put Princess Flurry Heart in life-threatening danger, and you expect me to just respect you and pretend none of that happened?"

"I can assure you, I never once had any intention whatsoever to harm Flurry Heart, or anyone in the Crystal Empire." Gideon said.

"For a Griffin, you're a terrible liar" The Pegasus stated.

Gideon's left eye twitched as he suppressed his urge to attack the Pegasus in a bloody rage. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that, and ask you nicely to do as is required for the duel."

The Pegasus didn't want to, it felt like he was addressing Gideon as his friend and they were just playing a common game. But the Pegasus lowered his head and upper body as though he was bowing before quickly rising and addressing his name.

"My name is Flash Sentry. I am apart of the Royal guard." The Pegasus said.

"Flash Sentry huh? Well then I wish you luck against me." Gideon said, pointing his sword's tip towards Flash. "Oh yes one more thing, Magic is strictly forbidden. If I see any sign of you using magic of any kind I will have won the duel automatically. The same principle goes for me." Gideon said, his yellow suit disappearing.

Flash did as he was requested and his gold and blue armor faded away. Gideon smiled in appreciation as he readied himself for battle, Flash did the same.

"Are you ready?" Gideon asked.

"Whenever you are?" Flash answered.

"The let us begin." Gideon declared as both he and Flash charged towards the other.

On the floor of the Crystal Empire, Lexus sipped from his cup of tea calmly and casually. Acting as though everything that had transpired was nothing to worry about. In front of Lexus was every citizen of the Crystal Empire, tied up and restrained by the Griffin's surrounding them. Both Cadence and Shining Armor glared at Lexus as he continued to drink from his tea.

"Are you sure you don't want any tea?" He asked the two, offering two cups of tea.

Both Cadence and Shining Armor looked down at the cups before responding. "It'll be a cold day in Tartarus before we accept anything from you." Cadence spat.

"You probably poisoned the tea for all we know." Shining added.

"Poison! In tea?!" Lexus said, appalled by the thought. "What kind of soulless monster would do such a thing?!" He demanded, pulling the two cups back to him.

"What about that time when Princess Aurora poured laxative into your tea Lexus?" One of the Griffin guard's asked.

Lexus frowned upon recollection of the memory. "Like I said, 'soulless monster'." Lexus said, taking another sip.

A chuckle arose from the Griffons, leaving the Crystal Ponies confused.

"I hope you understand that we meant no harm by this little...assault my nephew took on this place." Lexus said. "I, personally, stayed out of this battle while it went on. But I made sure that Gideon, and his soldier's, did not kill anyone. Even if it was Celestia's nephew."

"Its Princess Celestia to you!" A Crystal Pony among the group spoke up, receiving a slight jab from a spear and a demanded hush from the one who wielded it.

Lexus took another sip of his tea, "she won't be Princess for long."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cadence asked, sounding worried.

"Did you not see what has just transpired here?" Lexus asked, gesturing to everything around him. "My Nephew brought down the Crystal Empire in only an hour. Imagine what he could do if he invaded Canterlot?" Lexus asked rhetorically before continuing, "and it's not just my nephew you need to worry about. I can feel large spikes of magic all over the place, magic that compares to my nephew's power, and that magic is spreading all across the world. Surely now you know the truth."

"What truth?" Shining Armor demanded.

"The truth that your reign is ending." Lexus answered with a smile. "That those who you have kept under your boot are going to rise up and fight you. Just as we have done today." Lexus said, taking a sip from his tea while not breaking eye contact.

"Lexus, Prince Gideon has returned." A Griffin said. "Along with the Alicorn child and a Pegasus."

Lexus stood up and turned around, where he saw his nephew Gideon and the Pegasus Flash Sentry carrying Flurry Heart land in front of him. Gideon had a scowl on his face, one that looked to be a mixture of anger and disappointment. Flash shot Gideon a look before he walked forwards and spoke to his soldiers.

"Release the Crystal Ponies and return to the ship." He ordered. "We're leaving."

Looks of shock and surprise appeared on the faces of the Griffin and Ponies faces. Except for Lexus who, after taking another sip of tea, calmly said, "'bout time, I swear I can feel my eye sockets burning with every second I look at this place."

A Griffin soldier stepped forward and asked for an explanation, "your Highness...you're joking right?"

To show his seriousness, Gideon approached Cadence and removed the ring inhibitor from her horn, and did the same for Shining Armor. Once their bonds had been undone, and Gideon's back was turned to them, Shining charged up his horn to deal a blast of magic at Gideon. Before he could, Flash grabbed his horn and slowly shook his head, as if he was advising against his attack.

Once the Griffins understood what they were supposed to do they freed all of the Crystal Ponies and marched towards their airship in silence. After everyone had boarded, the propellers spurred to life and the anchors which kept the ship grounded were undone. With nothing keeping the ship bound, it took flight.

From the deck, Gideon locked eyes with Flash's as the airship flew further and further from the Empire. Once the Empire could no longer be seen Gideon turned around, wanting nothing more than to head to his bed and sleep. But as he turned around, he met the disapproving gaze's of his soldiers, and the usual calm look of his uncle.

"Sorry about this Gideon, but the crew and I have to know why you ordered them to retreat." Lexus explained. "Otherwise you're gonna have an unhappy crew amongst you."

Gideon ignored their request and approached the metal door which led below deck. "I don't want to talk about it." He said under his breath.

He opened the door only for it to be instantly shut by one of his soldiers. "Sorry your Highness. But we want an explanation right now." The soldier demanded, keeping his aggravation suppressed.

Gideon looked to his soldiers and sighed, knowing full well that they weren't gonna let him leave without an explanation for his actions. "Very well, you better take a seat cause this'll be a long...and embarrassing story." Gideon said taking a seat on the deck. His soldiers did the same while his uncle remained standing.

"It all started when I chased after Flurry Heart. I ran into the Pegasus guarding her, I got him to the edge of a cliff where I offered to spare him if he gave Flurry Heart to me. Instead he jumped off and in doing so, somehow got magic like me. One thing let to another and I challenged him to a 'Duell der Schwerter', with an added rule that neither of us could use magic."

Gideon continued with the story. "When we clashed sword against sword, i took the offensive, putting all of my strength into each blow. But Sentry-the Pegasus had a very strong defense, one that I could not break. He would try to catch me off guard and then strike. Each time he did so, I dodged of he missed. There were times when he had struck me, such as a slight graze or a small pierce. After some time had passed Sentry made a deep cut on my left claw. I had raised my sword ready to strike but I stopped when I had noticed that he had dropped his sword." Gideon explained. "Purposely." He added.

"At first I was confused, then I thought he was forfeiting the duel. But when he said that he had declared himself the winner of the duel I thought he was pulling some kind of trick. It wasn't until he told me to look at the cut he had made on my left claw that I discovered the truth." Gideon held up his left claw for everyone to see. "To my surprise, there was no cut on my claw yet I knew that Sentry had made one. I then understood why I had lost the duel."

"Your magic had healed your wounds." Lexus stated.

Gideon nodded. "Per our agreement, if any of us uses magic it would count as an automatic disqualification for he who uses it. And since I had used magic I lost and had to honor the deal I had made with Sentry. Which was to free the Crystal Empire and leave."

"Why did you challenge the Pegasus to a 'Duell der Schwerter' anyways?" A soldier asked.

"We were equal in magical power, I could feel it. Fighting on those terms would only end in a stalemate. So I thought a 'Duell der Schwerter' was the best course of action." Gideon explained.

The crew discussed amongst themselves before looking back to Gideon.

"After some discussion we've decided to forgive you for your actions. Even though they cost us the Crystal Empire." A soldier spoke. "Go get some rest your Highness."

Gideon nodded as he exited below deck. After he had left the crew got to work on maintaining the ship, tending to the balloon's pressure and the ropes keeping it attached to the ship. While the crew did their job Lexus observed in silence. He ceased his observation when a grey hawk with a metal cylinder strapped to its back.

The hawk was a messenger bird, bred to travel to a certain location or to a certain someone. Lexus upended the cylinder on the hawk's back and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. After unrolling it, he read it and reread it. A smile of satisfaction on his face. He rolled up the piece of paper and addressed the entire crew.

"Griffins, good news." He said holding up the letter for everyone to see. "We've just been requested by the Emperor to return home. Gideon's banishment is over!"

The entire crew burst into cheers and cries of laughter upon hearing the news. Everyone on the ship was happy, everyone that is, except for Lexus. Because when he looked at the letter his smile turned into a frown. Not because the letter said that Gideon and the crew were to return home, that part was true, it was that the letter wasn't sent from the Emperor, Gideon's father, but if had been sent from Gideon's sister.

Aurora.

Chapter 4. Hatred unleashed

Author's Note

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER.

In this chapter I introduce the first aspect of the gore and tragedy tags. The tragedy part seems pretty light to me but I think I might've gone just a tad bit overboard with the gore. Just a heads up before you read.

Chapter 4. Hatred unleashed

I have sat in silence for to long
No longer shall I be caged
I will destroy all who stand in my way
With my furious undying Rage!

Night fell over Redwood Forest, and it was abuzz with commotion. Small, yet visible, specs of orange light could be seen, the light coming from candle lit lanterns. Almost all of the Deer were searching the woods for someone who had disappeared. A stag who went by the name Forester, who was well known inside the Deer community. For him to not be seen the rest of day had made everyone in the Community very worried, especially his students. A search party was gathered, which then split up as to cover more ground in the woods. Two of the stag's students, one a young male calf with two nubs for his growing antlers, green eyes, and white spots on the sides of his brown fur, and the other, a young female calf with purple eyes, and dark brown fur. The two were searching the woods alone, the male calf holding a stick in his mouth with a lit lantern on the other end.

Normally it would be stupid to let two young calf's wander the forest alone, but Redwood Forest was void of any predator-like creature, making it perfectly safe. But to ensure that the two wouldn't get lost or hurt, a tracking dog was brought with them, seeking out the stag's scent. Only a select number from the group had been given a tracking dog, and each dog had been given something to use to track the stag. The tracking dogs were highly acute to scent and could pick up the slightest hint of one and sometimes mix that scent up with the one it was supposed to be tracking.

However, this was not the case for the tracking dog leading the two calf's. Each tracking dog was almost a direct descendant of a wolf. Sharing traits such as pointy ears, dark colored fur, and larger size. This dog was no different, having the appearance of a wolf but had yellow eyes and a dark greyish fur. The tracking dog raised its head from the ground, taking in heavy whiffs of the air.

"What is it boy?" The female calf asked. "Did you find Forester?"

The dog said nothing, instead it darted away, running at fast speeds. Both the calfs followed suit, running after the dog. They continued to follow the dog until he ran into a bush, the two calf's ran after the dog and into the bush. They rummaged their way through the bush before coming out the other side. The male calf lifted up the lantern to see the dog sitting on its haunches with his tail wagging. Next to him was the stag the two were looking for, lying unconscious.

"Forester!" The two Calf's shouted, rushing to the stag's side.

"Is he okay?" The female calf asked.

The male calf sat the lantern down before responding, "he's still breathing, so that's good." The calf sighed in relief before addressing the stag's apparel. "What the heck is he wearing?"

The female calf hadn't noticed it but the male calf was right, the Stag/Forester was wearing a white suit that covered his entire body except for his neck and head, and around his neck was a white scarf. "Not sure, it's pretty weird looking right?"

"It can be as weird as you think it is." The male calf said, hoisting Forester up and draping his left foreleg over the calf's shoulder. The female calf did the same, but supported the right side. "But let's get him back before sunrise." The calf said, taking a few steps forward.

"Fawn." The female calf addressed the male's name. "Is that tree moving?"

The male calf, now known as Fawn, looked at his friend perplexed by the question. The female calf pointed to the tree in front of them, Fawn squinted his eyes and saw that it wasn't the tree that was moving but rather the bark seemed to be twisting and shifting in a certain line. That's when Fawn realized it wasn't the tree which was moving.

The true thing moving along the trees bark revealed itself. It was a snake, which had once turned its scales a perfect shade of brown to match the trees bark were now pitch black with purple symbols all over its back, it was five feet in length, and had poison green colored eyes with a black curved line for a pupil. The snake was able to shift its body and lunged off the trunk, flying towards the three deer. It's mouth became unhinged, opening wider than what should've been natural possible, two fangs dropped from the roof of its mouth.

Fawn's eyes widened when he realized that the snake was aiming for Forester. Without a second thought, he removed Forester's foreleg from his shoulder and stood in front of Forester. The snake collided with Fawn as its fangs sunk into the space that connected the neck and shoulder.

"Fawn!" The female calf shrieked.

The snake retracted its fangs and dropped down from Fawn's shoulder. The blood veins near where the snake had bit bulged as they changed from light blue to dark purple. Fawn's body shook and he collapsed, breathing heavily. The snake slithered away towards a bush, but before it could make its escape the dog pounced on it, halting it's movement by stomping the dog's paw on it's tail. The snake's upper body lifted, its venomous eyes glaring at the dog as it unleashed a spine trembling hiss. The dog's response to the snake's hiss was pinning it's head between the ground and the dog's paw, the dog added a lot of pressure to the paw and the snake's head was crushed causing black ooze to shoot out from all sides of its head. The snake's body twitched a couple of times before it lay still. Once it did, its body disintegrated into black ash.

"Fawn! Fawn!" The female calf shouted his name multiple times, but Fawn remained silent.

His eyes became glossy and fogged, his pupils now pale as more of his veins bulged and turned from blue to purple. The dog whimpered at the sight of Fawn, licking his face in hopes that it might achieve some type of response but it was to no avail. The dog then did what he had been trained to do when had found his target. He howled.

*Ah-Whoooooooooh*

The dog's howl was heard from the entire forest and other howls were cried out in response, as if telling the dog to stay put.

Far west from Redwood Forest, very far west actually, there is the land which goes by the name "Montemus". A land completely comprised of Mountains, which contained precious ores and minerals, Mines, which harvested the precious ores and minerals inside the mountains, and Factories, which processed and/or smelted the precious ores and minerals.

Inside one of the mines, a tunnel which drilled all the way into the mountain, led to the mining operation inside. An assortment of buildings had been set up inside the main base of the mountain, each with their own speciality and purpose. From the base of operations another tunnel which led down deeper into the mountain had been carved to reach the ore deep within.

At the end of the tunnel, on each of its sides, there were creatures whose lower body was that of a goats legs and upper body of a bull with horns on their heads. These creatures were known as Minotaur's, and they were the miners in this mountain. The ore they were mining out was a charcoal black substance known as "Black Steel" or as it is less known, in its current form "Black Iron". The Minotaurs heaved their pickaxe's high above their head and brought it down onto the side of the black ore. Each Minotaur wore a mask covering their mouth and nostrils, as was required due to a poisonous gas in the air. Behind the Minotaur's who were hard at work was a railway that was used for transporting carts full of "Black Ore".

One such Minotaur who had black fur for his lower half, red skin for his entire upper body, grey pupils, and average size horns which pointed slightly up and out. This Minotaur's name was Drax, and the only reason he was stuck in the mines was so he could help pay the bills for his mother's farm. It was a harsh and tough job, but it payed enough.

The Minotaur next to Drax had black fur on his lower half, blue skin on his upper half, brown pupils, and horns pointed directly forward. His name was Coal, and he was also Drax's best friend. Coal lower his mask for a second and said, "Warden is coming, look busy." He said in a hushed tone before covering his mouth and face back up.

The Minotaur's who were chatting, whistling, or singing while they work became silent when a unicorn Stallion came into view. The unicorn had light black fur, deep purple pupils, and a matching purple mane and tail. He wore a grey officer suit and white pants along with black boots which echoed with each step he took. The unicorn was known as Warden's Watch, or Warden as he preferred to be addressed. Warden was the harshest and most strict guard in the entire mine. He walked slowly and casually along the railway, acting as though he owned the place.

Warden stopped and without so much as a turn of his head he spoke firmly and orderly.

"Cease." He ordered in an audible tone.

Every pickaxe froze in midair, the Minotaur's arms which held them locked up. None daring to move or step out of line.

"Stand at attention." Warden ordered.

Every Minotaur laid the tools down and faced away from the tunnel's walls, towards the other side of the tunnel. Warden strolled forward, each stride showing dominance and authority.

"It has come to my attention." Warden spoke. "That we have a thief among us." Warden's tone seemed to flare on saying the word "thief". "Now there were times in the past when the records showed that a piece or two had gone missing and we thought nothing of it. However, we have recently learned that we have not lost just one or two pieces of Black Iron, but FIFTY FOUR BUCKING PIECES!" Warden roared, his magic flared creating cracks in the walls, but no one moved from their place. They knew that any punishment given by Warden was far worse than being crushed to death.

Warden took a deep breath, cooling his temper before continuing. "Now then. These missing pieces have only been logged from sector E." Warden paused, glaring at the Minotaur's. "This sector." He said, continuing down the railway. "My sector." Warden pointed out. "Now I know none of you would dare steal from me." Warden stopped in front of Drax and eyed him. "Which is why I've come to the conclusion that something is stealing from us during the night. Therefore, one of you will stand watch and catch this thief before he causes anymore problems." Warden spoke directly towards Drax.

Drax lowered his mask and asked, "do you want me-"

"I did not give you permission to speak, E-62!" Warden barked.

The tunnel became dead silent, until Warden continued.

"E-62. I am ordering you to catch this thief and present him to me tomorrow morning. Do you understand?" Warden asked.

"Crystal clear Warden." Drax answered.

With breaking eye contact with Drax Warden ordered, "the rest of you leave for dinner, I need to have a word with E-62."

The Minotaur's picked up their tools and headed towards the mine's exit. Before Coal left he whispered to Drax, "I'll save you a pot of chili." He said, patting Drax on the shoulder and leaving. Once Warden and Drax were alone Warden spoke,

"Take off that mask." He ordered and Drax did as he was told. "E-62, you work to help pay your mother's debt for her land correct?"

"Yes." Drax answered quickly.

"And it seems that your mother is beginning to slip in finances correct?" Warden asked.

"...Yes." Drax hesitated before answering.

"So that would mean you would have to earn more money, and a way someone like you could be doing that is by...oh I don't know...stealing?" Warden suggested.

Drax's eyes widened in shock. "Warden...your not accusing me of being the thief, are you?"

"I may accuse whomever I please." Warden huffed. "And let me be clear when I say, if you do not present me with a thief by tomorrow...well, let's just say your mother won't have to worry about her finances any more." Warden threatened as Drax balled his fists.

"Dismissed." Warden ordered.

The mines were maintained and governed by Ponies, unicorns more specifically. They were in charge of preventing riots and chaos from starting inside the mine. Every unicorn was strict to the Minotaur's, all but one. A unicorn mare with milk chocolate brown fur, emerald eyes, and dark brown mane which had been tied into a bun. The unicorn's name was Rough House, and she was the only unicorn who acted like a Minotaur. Rough House worked in the cafeteria, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the hungry workers. When Drax had entered the cafeteria all of the Minotaur's who he had worked with in the mine were seated at tables, conversing with one another while eating chili from clay bowls.

"Well look who finally decided to show up." Rough House smirked, leaning against her foreleg on the table and the other resting on her hip, she spoke in a country accent.

Drax smiled as he walked up to the stand Rough House was behind and picked himself up a bowl of chili. He walked over to where his friend Coal was sitting and sat next to him.

"'Bout time you showed up." He said, slapping Drax on the back. "Some of us were starting to get worried." He joked, causing everyone at the table to chuckle.

"Aw, didn't know ya cared." Drax joked, scooping up a chunk of chili and eating it. As he did so he pulled out a book and sat it on the table.

"What have we here?" The Minotaur across from Drax asked, grabbing the book before Drax could stop him. "Could it be our friend Drax is a bookworm?"

"Very funny guys, now give it back." Drax said in a slight demanding tone.

"What the hell you gonna do with a book anyways?" The Minotaur asked, opening up the book.

"Uh, read it. What else am I gonna do with a book?" Drax asked.

The Minotaur grinned. "Oh, I can think of a few ideas." He said, standing up and rearing back the arm which held the book. "Hey Twix!" He yelled getting the attention of a Minotaur sitting at a different table.

"Keep away!" The Minotaur declared, throwing the book across the room.

The book sailed across the room until it was caught by the Minotaur it had been thrown to. "Come on Drax, this is what you want right?" The Minotaur taunted, swinging the book back and forth.

Drax chuckled lightly as he finished the last of his chili and stood up. "If that's how it's going to be, then bring it!" Drax roared, aiming his horns towards the Minotaur holding his book, striking his hoof against the floor before charging straight towards the Minotaur.

Warden watched in silence at the cafeteria as all of the Minotaurs inside broke out into a fight. What was once a civilized dinner turned into a cesspool of fights and acts of barbarism. He could understand the Minotaur's, they were barbaric by nature, many had tried to civilize them and all had failed. Warden could accept the fact that Minotaur's could never truly become civilized, but he refused to accept was the unicorn mare who was wrestling a Minotaur, and winning. He couldn't believe a unicorn, let alone a mare, would lower herself to such brutish nature. It just wasn't right.

Warden turned his back to the cafeteria, no reason left to watch. As he left he spoke a word that he believed best suited the kind of creatures he had to deal with.

"Savages."

Drax stormed out of the cafeteria, the book in his hand, and sat on the steps. He opened up the book, hoping that he would get to read it in peace. The door behind him opened.

"Drax. What are ya doin?" Rough House sighed, shaking her head.

"Reading." Drax answered bluntly, not looking up from his book.

"No." Rough House took a seat next to him. "You're tryin' ta read. Both are very different things."

"I can read." Drax huffed.

"Drax, its nothin' ta be ashamed of. None of the other guys can read and-"

Drax pointed to the page which had information about a Crystal and said,

"The crystal known as 'Creeping Crystal' is the most dangerous and harmful crystal ever seen. It spreads fast and releases a poisonous gas that, while not instantly fatal can be if exposed to someone for a certain period of time. But while this gem is the most dangerous, it is also the most expensive gem there is. It has a large price because it is very durable and is ranked 10 on the Mohs scale."

Drax read word for word about the gem known as "Creeping Crystal". When he looked up from the book and at Rough House her expression was priceless. Her mouth hung unhinged and her eyes were wide in shock.

"If it means anything I have no idea what a 'Mohs scale' is." Drax lightly grinned.

"Where the hay did ya learn ta read?" Rough House demanded, still shocked.

"That's between me, and the book." Drax gave Rough House a toothy grin.

"Well then maybe the book would be happy to give me some answers."

Both Drax and Rough House shot up and stood at attention when they heard Warden speak. Warden used his magic and took the book from Drax and brought it towards him. He examined the title and the page Drax had been reading, when he saw the page his face flashed a shade of pale for a split second. "Where did you get this?" He demanded from Drax, who didn't say a word. "You will speak when spoken to Beast. Now tell me where you got this. Now!"

Drax flinched upon Warden's shout, he opened his mouth to speak.

"I took it."

Warden and Drax whipped their head's towards Rough House, who had spoken.

"You, took it?" Warden asked. "From where exactly?"

"From your office." Rough House answered, standing firmly and unwavering. "I thought I should try and let these guys read somethin'. Ya know, educate them a little."

Warden starred at Rough House baffled before composing himself. "When you're done with your work report to my office at once." He glared at Rough House before storming off.

Once Warden was gone, Drax grabbed Rough House by the shoulders and shook her while yelling, "are you crazy?! Why would you do something like that?! Warden's going to kill you!"

Rough House pushed Drax's arms away from her. "Don't y'all worry about me, I know how ta handle myself. Warden isn't the only one who can use magic after all."

Drax constantly thought about Rough House, not a minute passed that he felt worried about her. The worry was able to keep Drax awake, which is what he needed. All of the Minotaurs had called it a night and slept in the building that was their living quarters. All except for Drax, who was tasked to watch for the so called "thief". Drax waited in the storage building, hidden behind an empty cart. The building housed piles of ore collected from various sectors ranging from sector A and sector G.

Drax waited for what seemed like hours. Eventually his body gave out and he dozed off.

*Thunk*

A sudden sound awoke Drax from his sleep. Slowly, and carefully, he peaked his head over the cart. He looked to the center of the floor and saw that some of the wood floorboards had been lifted up. There was a quite muttering coming from pile E. Drax couldn't see what, but he knew that it was the one who was stealing from pile E.

Drax stood up and approached pile E. He stood in front of the pile and watched as whoever, or whatever, was grabbing a bunch of ores and cradled them in his arm.

"So, you're the thief." Drax spoke, catching the creature's attention.

"The Thief? Where?" The creature asked, dropping some of the ores.

Drax grabbed the creature, by what he could only assume was it's neck, and brought it closer so that he could see him. The creature was a Diamond Dog, with grey skin, sharp unclipped claws, orange eyes, and wore a dusty black leather jacket.

"You're the one stealing the ores aren't you?" Drax jabbed a finger in the Diamond Dog's chest.

"Steal? No, Fleeze is no thief." The Diamond Dog, now know as Fleeze said.

"You were taking what does not belong to you." Drax stated. "Last time I checked that's the very definition of a thief."

"Don't be ridiculous, Fleeze is no thief. After all," Fleeze paused, his eyes glowed orange as he spoke.
"Everything in the world belongs to me
Because giving away is such a chore.
What's mine is mine
AND NOT YOURS!"

A bright flash of orange light blinded Drax, causing his hands to automatically cover his eyes and dropping Fleeze in the process. Fleeze gathered up the ores he had dropped and bolted out of the building.

"Get back here!" Drax roared, his sight returned as he chased after Fleeze.

Fleeze ran down a tunnel, running carefully as to make sure he didn't drop a single ore. Drax closed in on him, running at a slightly faster speed. Just as Drax was about to catch Fleeze, he turned a corner. This continued for a long time until Fleeze came upon a dead end. He skidded to a halt before running into it. Drax rounded the corner and saw that Fleeze was trapped.

"No where to run. Give up no and I won't hurt you...much." Drax smiled villainous, crack his knuckles.

"Fleeze wants many things in life. A warm house, a loving family with nine pups, wealth beyond measure. But pain, is not one of them." Fleeze said, tunneling into the ground.

Drax ran up to the hole Fleeze had made in hopes to catch him before he was no longer reachable. But it was to avail as Fleeze tunneled to deep.

"Haha!" Fleeze voice could be heard on the other side of the wall. "Mine, mine! All mine! Hehehehehe!" Fleeze cackled.

Drax realized that if he could hear Fleeze, then it meant he was on the other side of the wall, which meant that their was a room on the other side of the wall instead of it being completely solid. Drax cocked his arm and drove it into the wall. It hurt like hell but it created cracks in its structure. Drax threw punch after punch, creating more cracks in the wall until it gave out and broke.

Drax entered a large open area that was completely made of a clear crystalline substance. It covered the floor, walls, ceiling, and in the very middle was Fleeze, hovered around the ores. Drax stormed into the room, ready to give Fleeze a massive beat down. But without Fleeze even lifting a finger, Drax stumbled and fell as he started violently coughing.

"What *cough* *cough*...what did you *cough* *cough* did you do?" Drax asked, coughing even harder.

"Fleeze has done nothing. You're coughing because of the gas from the crystals. Fleeze is immune to the gas but you aren't." Fleeze giggled like an idiot as Drax's vision started to blur. "Fleeze thinks it is funny that you are affected by the gas while the thief is not. But do not fret, Fleeze will not kill you. Fleeze needs you to take care of the thief, so take a nice, long, nap."

And then Drax collapsed.

Drax's eyes shot open as he bolted upright. He frantically searched for Flees but he was no longer anywhere to be seen. Nor was Drax in the crystal room anymore. Drax had been moved to a separate tunnel, away from where had been.

"No." Drax moaned, holding his head in his hands. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Drax droned on, tears practically streaming down his cheeks.

He knew what was going to happen, he didn't know exactly what but he knew that Warden was going to hurt his mom. Drax loved his mom with all his heart and could not bear to see anything happen to her. That's when an idea popped into his head, what if he could take his mother's punishment? It was a risk but it was one Drax was willing to take. With his head hung low and his eyes glued to the floor, Drax made his way out of the tunnel.

He must've been in the tunnel for the longest time because when he entered the main area it seemed...brighter, somehow. Drax held his arm in front of his eyes, shielding them from the bright light until they had adjusted. When they did the first thing Drax saw was every Minotaur gathered around the cafeteria. At first Drax was confused, he didn't understand what was happening. He looked around and noticed that spot lights had been set up from most of the Unicorns down onto the cafeteria.

As Drax approached the group, he caught sight of his friend Coal and tapped him on the shoulder. Coal turned around and when he saw Drax his eyes widened.

"Coal what's-" Drax was cut off as Coal embraced him a tight hug.

"Thank goodness your alright. You had us worried sick when you didn't show up this morning." Coal said, it looked like he had been...crying. Coal then noticed that Drax was alone. "The thief?"

Drax slowly shook his head, unable to look Coal in the eyes.

"As if this day couldn't get any worse." Coal mumbled. "Don't worry Drax, we'll think of something. We won't let Warden hurt your mom."

Drax looked Coal in the eyes and asked, "what do you mean by worse?"

It was Coal's turn now to avoid Drax's gaze.

"Coal...where's Rough House?" Drax asked, his voice shaking.

Coal looked like he was going to cry.

Drax looked to the cafeteria and his eyes went wide in disbelief. He didn't want to accept it, he refused to accept it. Drax shoved past Coal, who didn't try to stop him. Drax moved in a straight line, pushing any Minotaur in his way out of it. He came to the edge of the group which had circled around the cafeteria and he saw why everyone had gathered.

The cafeteria, or at least half of it, was now buried underneath multiple stones and rocks. Unicorn's use their magic to carefully pick out rock piece after piece, ensuring that it would not collapse or possibly cause more rocks to fall. To the side of the pile of rubble, lying on a white blanket and being tended to by unicorns, was Rough House. Drax rushed up to the mare and fell to his knees when he got a closer look.

Rough House, his friend and someone he cared about equally as much as his own mother, was dead. He wanted there to be even just a sliver of hope but there wasn't any sign of hope in this moment. Rough House's eyes were glassy and fogged like a corpse's. He once beating heart was now silent and her rising chest stood dead still. Drax couldn't bring himself to words, he couldn't even think properly.

"I'm sorry." The unicorn mare looking Rough House over apologized. "I wish there was something we could do."

"How..." Drax choked. "How did she...how did she...how did she die?"

"That's the strange thing actually." The mare said. "Statistics showed multiple signs of blunt force trauma. But what she had originally died from, was her neck being closed off. Almost like she had been choked by something." The unicorn stood up. "I'll leave you alone."

Drax starred at Rough House and a powerful emotion swept over him. Anger. Anger towards himself, anger towards his brethren for not being there to help her, and anger towards everyone and everything.

"What are you all still doing here?" Warden demanded. "Get back to your posts right now before I have you all suspended."

Drax lifted his head up to where Warden had been standing, a nasty and horrible thought then occurred to him. One that made him seethe with anger. He stood up, took on final glance at Rough House, and stomped over towards Warden.

Warden noticed Drax moving towards him and addressed him. "E-62, what do you think you're doing?" He asked.

Drax didn't respond, he kept moving forward.

"I asked you a question E-62, and you will answer me when-" Warden it himself short as Drax's fist came to be nearly inches away from his face. Had it not been for his magic restraining Drax, he would've felt the full force of his blow.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, froze and became dead quiet. Warden narrowed his eyes towards Drax and in his calm and collected manner spoke, "E-62, I want you to explain your actions this instant before I do something drastic."

"You killed her." Drax growled, struggling to resist Warden's magic.

Warden raised an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that?"

"You killed her." Drax repeated, starting to lose control of his anger. "She was only trying to protect me and you killed her."

"What in Celestia's name are you talking about?" Warden demanded.

"Oh, Fleeze thinks you know exactly what he's talking about."

Warden motioned his head, Drax moved his eyes because he was currently immobilized, over to where they saw the Diamond Dog Fleeze sitting comfortably on a rock with his legs crossed and leaning on his left arm. He wore an orange suit with a black one underneath that had a symbol on his chest. His eyes seemed a darker shade of orange than before and he had metal locker nearly twice his size next to him. Warden's eyes widened when he saw the locker and his face went pale.

"You again!" Drax roared. "Go away, I don't want to see you."

"Drax does not need to see Fleeze." Fleeze said. "Drax only needs to hear what Fleeze has to say. Fleeze knows what happened when the mare and thief had their argument. Wouldn't you like to hear what Fleeze has to say?"

"You know what happened last night?" Drax asked and Fleeze nodded. "Then tell me everything."

"Gladly." Fleeze grinned, excited to tell his tale. "It all started after you passed out. Fleeze needed you alive so Fleeze dragged you to a part of the cave where there was no deadly level of gas. After that, Fleeze decided to return to his crystal's before the thief took more of them. But Fleeze did not find the thief stealing Fleeze's crystal's, instead Fleeze saw the thief arguing with a mare. The two yelled and screamed like dogs fighting over a slab of meat. The thief thought that the mare had discovered the thief's plan and thought that the mare was trying to tell the workers in secret. Because of the thief's assumption, he killed the mare by choking her to death."

There was numerous murmuring among the crowd before Warden yelled.

"What kind of lies are you talking about?!" Warden demanded. "I never killed Rough House. I suspended her for stealing from my office. Nothing more."

"Is that so?" Fleeze asked, as he grabbed the handle on the locker. "Then how do you explain," Fleeze paused as he opened the locker. "This?"

Shards and pieces of Creeping Crystal poured out of the locker, collecting into a pool. An invisible gas escaped from the locker, one that made all of the manticore's start coughing.

"This is a gem known as 'Creeping Crystal'." Fleeze explained, as the very ground beneath the gems started to turn from rock to Creeping Crystal. "The surface of anything it touches is instantly turned into Creeping Crystal. It also releases a gas which is poisonous to anyone not protected by magic. The thief has been coming down to Fleeze's home and stealing these crystals from Fleeze while you all sleep, and collecting them for his own personal use."

"That's not true!" Warden shouted in defense. "I admit that I have been collecting the Creeping Crystal in secret, but that's only because it poses a threat to everyone in this mine. I collected a majority of the crystal's and kept them in that locker which prevents them from spreading."

"A lie. A good one Fleeze must admit, but a lie is still a lie." Fleeze looked to Drax. "What say you Drax?"

"What?" Drax asked.

"Who do you wish to believe?" Fleeze asked. "Think long and hard about this. Who was it who treated you beneath him? Who was it that threatened those you care about? Who was it that killed your friend?"

Drax eyes began to glow crimson red as he looked towards Warden. "You." He growled.

Warden took a step back, noticing that Drax was somehow beginning to slowly break free from his magical grip.

"That's right, and how does that make you feel Drax? Pretty angry right?" Fleeze asked before thinking about it. "No, anger's to soft of a word to describe it. Fleeze thinks that the correct word would have to be, Rage."

Crimson red smoke began to fume from Drax's mouth, his chest heaved up in down as his breathing rapidly increased to match the loud pumping of his heart.

"That's it Drax, unleash your power. Show them that your hatred is far superior to anything that the can do." Fleeze smiled wickedly.

"What is this?! What have you done?!" Warden demanded from Fleeze.

"Fleeze has done nothing, it is you who has built this hatred inside of him and now it will be you who will suffer for it."

Warden faced towards Drax and ordered, "E-62, stand down at once!"

More crimson red smoke fumed from Drax's mouth.

"Did you hear me E-62? I said-HRK!" Warden choked as Drax's hand instantly wrapped itself around Warden's neck and he was hoisted up to Drax's eye level.

"MY NAME!"

Drax's voice became deeper and darker as Warden squirmed, trying to free himself from Drax's grip. Drax took his other and grabbed Warden's head.

"IS!"

Warden screamed bloody murder as Drax began to pull on his head.

"DRAX!!!!"

Warden's head was ripped clean off by Drax's full might. His body twitched as spurts of blood shot from the hole where his neck once stood. Drax dropped both the body and head of the warden. He reserved his head back and unleashed a bloodcurdling roar that shook the very mountain itself.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

And everything became crimson red.

Chapter 5. Explanations

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

I'm sorry

I truly am, but I just can't go on. As much as I love this story I just can't keep writing. I've simply lost interest, and thus I've decided to cancel the story. This is the first story I've ever cancelled and it brings a tear to my eyes. But do not despair, as while this story will no longer be written by me, it will be written by my friend Parodox. His writing is as good as mine so everything should be good there. Again I'm really sorry for this but it is necessary. Thank you for reading.

And goodbye.

Author's Note

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