//-------------------------------------------------------// The New Under Empire -by The Infamous Malos- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The Rise Of A Future Legend //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note I'm back~!! Heya guys, it's me, your neigh-borhood author, Malos. I have been taking a well-needed break from writing and now I am back with new inspiration! I will be getting around to writing whenever I can. I hope you guys enjoy the new story! -Malos (aka toowoo) Skaven Stormvermin look like this: https://camo.derpicdn.net/b4f2756b18537f6aadfad4d807eedf18a57835c2?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-SAy1AHkVP-g%2FUqJpmgsrvjI%2FAAAAAAAAAQs%2FlboR_olbOf4%2Fs1600%2F8334760777_dfdb8a222f_k.jpeg The Rise Of A Future Legend The Skaven were doing well, that is in the eyes of a Skaven. Their enemies were faltering and they were content for now. But then it happened. A giant explosion shook the entire planet and the city of Skavenblight was stolen away with a flash of light. When the population of Skavenblight realized what had happened, they were utterly devastated and started looking for someone to blame. Eventually, the majority blamed the Horned Rat, suspecting that he had a hand in doing this treachery. Sadly, he was not there to suffer their wrath, nor was eleven of the other Lords Of Decay. The only one that was transported through with the city was Griznekt Mancarver, the sixth seat at the Council Of Thirteen. His leadership has been poor, almost non-existent as he lets the city fend for themselves mostly. The only support he gave to them was the occasional patrol of Stormvermin, which helped with the murder and poverty on the streets a little. Other than that, the lower parts of the city were in turmoil. A large sum of the population had pulled themselves out of the teachings of the Horned Rat and have banded together to try and build something new, a monarchy. But the Lord Of Decay refuses to let this happen and has them being hunted down. It is kinda hard when 90% of the populace hates the Lord Of Decay. Even the many ranks of Stormvermin were getting mutinous with the leadership and purposefully led the search parties astray. Out in the outside world, however, a storm was brewing on the horizon. Many nations began to plot against Equestria right under their noses, and the Equestrians are far from prepared to take on several nations at once after the chaos that happened recently with Tirek and a certain special creature that appeared out of the blue. While Celestia and Luna are working their hardest to undo this mess, but they are being fooled by their allies and they don't even know it. The Crystal Empire is booming with happiness and prosperity and the leaders are soon to have a child. Princess Twilight and her friends were ready to face anything that came to Equestria... anything except an all-out war. The question is, can they hold out long enough for someone to help them? Will the rats be able to save them before all hell breaks loose? Like any war, there will be fatalities, but as the quote goes, 'From the ashes we are born anew'. Now enters a new hope for the remnants of Skaven dom and the survival of Equestria, Skullithius Malos... I woke with a start and hurriedly picked myself off of the ground where I had been face down in a puddle of murky water. I quickly looked around myself to gain a feeling for my surroundings. I seemed to be in some sort of alleyway in a very dark looking city and by the looks of it, it was about midday. I don't remember much, but I definitely didn't fall asleep in an alleyway. I cautiously looked around me to see if there were any signs of life, luckily there was none to be seen, but that brings the question of how I even got here. I tried to stand up, only to fall right over when I felt my head spin. My head felt like it was splitting in twine, but I needed to get myself back in working order. I kept my calm on the outside, but on the inside, I was freaking the fuck out. What happened to my feet!? I screamed in my head. I quickly looked at my hand to see that I no longer possessed five fingers, rather they were now five long claws with bone white fur on the top of it. I started hyperventilating as I realized what had to have happened. The memories of my last moments on Earth came flooding back to me like a tidal wave. I had died fighting some old enemies that were invading my home, a very honorable way to die. Sadly, it seems that I will not be resting peacefully just yet, the gods require more of my service. That thought calmed me a bit and I examined more of my new body. My fur was albino and it was matted in some places, as well as some bruises. Obviously, I was bipedal by my size, but I couldn't tell how tall I was just yet. I crawled back over to the murky water and looked at my reflection. It was then when I knew exactly what I was. I was a Skaven. My teeth were long and sharp with my front teeth being the longest. What confused me was that I had blue eyes instead of a Skaven's normal red bloodshot. I guess I was a special Skaven then, well, special in the definition of a human. A sound to my left drew my attention away from my reflection. A Stormvermin was coming down the alley that I was in. His red eyes scanned the walls and alleyway until his eyes found me. The expression of shock was evident on his face as he examined me. He snapped himself out of his stupor and quickly beckoned me over. "Get over here quickly!" He whispered harshly. I tried to get up on my feet but I stumbled over, luckily he caught me before I hit the ground and started helping me over to a house that had a crest above the door. When we arrived, he pulled out a large key and unlocked the door, letting us into the house. Once we were inside, he quickly shut the door and closed the blinds. He turned around and looked me straight in my eyes. "Who are you?" He said in a stern tone. He sounded like he was in his late forty's, but I don't know about a Skaven. "I am Skullithius Malos," I said simply. “What is yours?” His smoldering look lightened when he heard me cooperate. "That is quite an odd name, which suits you." He said as he sat down. "My name is Carcus. Come, sit." He said to me oddly civilized for a Skaven. "Very well," I said as I sat down in a seat opposite him. There were several moments of silence between the two of us as we gave each other a cold glare. I decided to speak up. “Why are you helping me? From what I know, you should be smearing my intestines across the road.” I asked. “Because you are the only hope for Skaven dom.” He said plainly. “The old Skaven ways are being torn down, the teachings of the Horned Rat are lifting, we can see clearly now, or at least most of us...” He said cryptically. “There were some that were too engrossed in the teachings, such as the plague lords and priests. They were dispatched during the beginning of the rebellion. It was a shame to lose those assets, but they chose their path.” He said sadly. “But that still does not answer my question, why are you helping me?” I asked him angrily. I was starting to get the feeling he wanted me to be a pawn. I am no pawn in anybody’s game, I am the king. “You, you are special. You are destined for greatness, I can tell that much. I can see you're unbreakable will and your righteous authority. And most of all, I can tell that you are not even Skaven.” This shocked me greatly. How did he know? How could he have seen what I had not? “How?!” I yelled while attempting to stand and failing, resulting in me crashing down to the floor again. He gave a hoarse laugh. “The obvious one is that you don't know proper Skaven posture!” He exclaimed in between his laughing fit. “Then there's the fact that you have no scars and you have white fur. But most of all, you have blue eyes.” He said mystically. There was no point in hiding it now, this Skaven was too smart to fool now. “Fine then, you caught me, a guy stuck in a Skaven body,” I said defeatedly. “Indeed I have, but you are exactly who we need.” He said triumphantly. I shot him a confused look. “You see, when we inevitably overthrow the warlord, we will want a king. In all honesty, if we were to instate a Skaven king, we would be right back where we started, but we can’t possibly trust any other race with the throne. That is where you come in. You are the best of both worlds, you are Skaven, but you have the righteousness of someone else's instincts.” He rationalized. “You are the key to our success. Please, I beg you, end this tyranny.” He pled. I studied him for several moments to see if he was trying to take me for a fool before finally giving in. “How many of you are there?” I asked getting down to business. “Almost the entire city plus the Stormvermin Corp. We have complete control over the guards and defenses, should I give the word, we could storm the keep.” He said in an equally serious tone. Holy shit, if we have the entire Stormvermin Corp, we could take on anybody and win. “Very nice, but if I'm to challenge the warlord, I will need equipment,” I told him. “Right this way, my lord.” He said graciously. There was no trace of sarcasm or venom in his voice, rather true loyalty and honesty. As I tried to stand up tall, I began to wobble. “Maybe I should teach you the proper way to stand like a Skaven." He said with a bemused glint in his eye. An hour later… I stood tall while still hunched over. I stood taller than Carcus by three feet even with me hunched over! “Good, now that you know how to walk like a Skaven, you need a weapon. What is your weapon of choice?” He asked me. “A halberd,” I said simply. He went down into his basement and came back with a full set of Stormvermin armor and a Stormvermin halberd. “This will be enough, I think.” He said. I began to put on the armor, which was rather small and grabbed the halberd. It was a little on the heavy side, but that only meant the swings would be more devastating. I gave a couple good swings to get used to the momentum before looking back at Carcus. He was holding out a long, torn cape with the Skaven faction symbol on it. Evidently, it has seen many battles and carries a great honor among Skaven. “I want you to wear this, my king. This is my family heirloom, the cape of Caraconus The Meatgrinder. I want you to wear it in your battle with the warlord.” He said with a smirk. I slowly took it from his hands and attached it to one of the plates on my back. The cape fell perfectly below my knees, but not to the floor. I could feel that it was also imbued with chain mail, which protected my back from any arrows or sword strikes. Now was the time to strike, now was the time to put an end to these people's sufferings, now was the time to lead a revolution… TO BE CONTINUED... //-------------------------------------------------------// The Birth //-------------------------------------------------------// The Birth It was happening now. I walked behind Carcus as legions upon legions of rats followed behind me. There were untold numbers of Skaven in this city, perhaps three million at most, but most were untrained, undisciplined. For the most part, they could make it as clan rats, but nothing more. The Stormvermin Corp is waiting for the signal to start the coup, so we only needed to kick things off. Carcus stopped the herd in front of the giant bridge leading to the upper part of the city. Like everything else in this city, it was decrepit and had an ominous glowing light coming from the gatehouse. Two Stormvermin exited the gatehouse and looked over the bastion at us. They scanned the herd first, then their eyes found me. Both of their eyes widened at my appearance, and with a harsh look from Carcus, they understood who I must be and bowed. I felt honored by their acknowledgment and would hope that others would see me as their leader as well. The two Stormvermin rose to their feet again and ran inside the gatehouse. Several moments later, the bridge began to lower slowly. The wood creaked and groaned as it was slowly lowered back down to the road. As soon as it made contact with the stone, Carcus surged forward, me following close behind with the horde at my back. After a few minutes of running, we finally made it to the main gate to the keep and chamber of the Council Of Thirteen. Carcus informed me that all the Clans within the city were extinguished with the coming rebellion as they were forced to pick a side. Of course, Clan Mors picked the rebellion, as did almost all the lesser clans, but the greater clans such as Clan Skryre, Clan Moulder, Clan Pestilens, and what remains of Clan Eshin clung to the old ways. As for the Grey Sears, they have remained neutral in this conflict as it would be futile to pick a side. That meant that all of their assets were now out of the question when I begin my rule, like rat ogres and death wheels. Carcus also told me that Queek Headtaker had openly disputed the Warlord at the beginning of the rebellion, but was thrown into a prison cell until he would be broken. That is soon to change though, for I will have him immediately released and enstated as one of my generals. I silently told the horde to divert into two groups that would kill the rest of the clans while the Stormvermin Corp killed the main bulk of the army. They did as they were told as the millions of rats divided into subgroups and entered the keep. The fight had begun. Carcus began to fiddle with something from his belt before something began to glow. "Stand back!" He barked and threw it high into the air. After a few moments of hang time, it gave a great green flash and plummeted to the ground, resulting in it shattering into a million pieces. I could hear the distant roars and battle cries of the Stormvermin Corp as they no doubt have begun to fight from the barracks to the keep. I heard Carcus take in a deep, unsteady breath. I could tell that he is scared of the warlord, so I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He looked back at me with an uncertain smirk but stood aside for me to go in first. I stepped closer to the door and opened it. There he was, sitting at the main seat of the table where the Horned Rat would be. He looked battle-worn with a scar over his right eye and an equally torn cape as mine. He stood up from his chair and acknowledged me. "You wish-wish take down Griznekt Mancarver!" He yelled in normal Skaven speak. "Yes, I am here to cast out the evil that has plagued this species since their creation," I said calmly. "Then you will die-die like rest!" He yelled before grabbing his sword and ax and lunging at me. I shooed all the other rats aside, including Carcus, and prepared for his strike with my halberd pointed forward. https://img.youtube.com/vi/9IcafaZeAY8/mqdefault.jpg He struck swiftly with both weapons, but I blocked it with the middle of my halberd. I retaliated with a spin strike across his front line. He jumped back to avoid it and began to take several steps back to rethink his strategy. I took this opportunity to run at him at full speed, jump off a pillar, and deliver a powerful jab to his arm. He was lucky enough to block it with his ax while he brought down his sword on my shoulder. I managed to pull away before the gash was too deep, but it didn't stop me from giving a howl of pain. Griznekt gave a hoarse laugh and mocked me. "You wish-wish to be king, can't even protect himself! HAHAHAHA!!" He cried through his laughter. I slowly rose to my feet again with the help of my halberd, but the strain put on my shoulder made the wound seep a little. I gave a low hiss at the sting of it. "This isn't about me, this is about the good of the people who live under my care! If I am to die, I will die knowing that I had given this nation a better chance at survival!" I yelled back. He gave a growl at my resilience. "What nation left?! Skaven all dead-dead!" He shouted at me. My eyes sharpened ten-fold and I stood as tall as I could, which towered over him by at least four feet. "My Skaven." I said before swiftly using my foot to swipe his feet from under him. He came crashing down to the floor as I brought the blade of my halberd down in a sweeping motion. He gave a squeak of terror before scurrying away from the blade. Now he and I were on opposite ends of the room now. One terrified, one ready to die for his people. As I stared him down, two doors burst open and several plague priests ran into the room but were soon cut down by a group of Stormvermin with Queek Headtaker. They stared in awe of the fight before them, ready to see who the victor would be. I returned my eyes to the battle just in time to see Griznekt jump into the air with a cry of terrified rage. I began to spin while twirling my halberd elegantly while taking a few steps forward as he got closer and closer to me with his weapons ready to cleave into me. Just as he was right on top of me, I pulled out of my spin with the combined momentum of my spin, twirl, and movement and thrust my halberd through his lower jaw and straight through his brain. There he hung, at the end of my halberd, dead. There was utter silence in the room as I felt a powerful surge of energy course through the air. A bolt of purple lightning shot from the sky and obliterated the pillar of commandments outside. It was completely obliterated by the powerful blast of arcane energy and I could see a green mist rise from the ruin. The bolt proceeded to strike the council table and turn it into one solitary throne with a set of powerful looking armor upon it. It was definitely not made of warpstone, rather something more potent and powerful. Carcus was the first one to move and ran up to the throne, grabbing the headpiece of the mystical armor. After Carcus examined it, he beckoned me over. I slowly walked up to the elevated platform and began to walk up the steps. This was it, wasn't it? My coronation. I felt like a nervous wreck right now, but I will persevere for the sake of Skaven dom. As I reached the top, I found out that the white and gold was a set of new armor that seemed to be a perfect size for me. It was all almost the exact same thing as a Stormvermins armor, except the color was white with gold trimmings instead of red with black trimmings and the helmet. The helmet was white, like the rest of the armor, but it had an oval-shaped piece of gold at the front of the helmet (Kinda like a Meowth coin from Pokemon). I tore my eyes away from the armor to look at Carcus. He had a proud look in his eye with his signature smirk. "Whatever gods are up there must favor you greatly to bestow such a magnificent gift. Pure enchanted mithril." He said mystified. I shrugged, "It comes with being a part of a family blessed by the gods with weapon mastery and wisdom." I said innocently. "In any case, the ceremony starts now, please take off your armor." He asked politely. I did as I was asked and took all of my armor off, exposing my albino white fur to the elements. Queek came from behind me and went over to the armor, picking up a piece, and standing next to Carcus. "Will you bear the weight of an entire country on your shoulders?" He solemnly asked. "Yes," I solemnly said. Queek came over and attached the chest plate to me. "Will you lead our armies forth in the face of danger?" He solemnly asked. "Yes," I solemnly said. Queek came back over and attached gauntlets to my wrists. "Will you guide those who need guidance?" He solemnly asked. "Yes," I solemnly said. Queek came back over again and attached a tasset to my waist. "Will you make your own decisions and not from anybody else?" He solemnly asked. "Yes," I solemnly said. Queek came back over and donned the helmet upon my head. As I was about to rise, Carcus put a hand on my shoulder, keeping me from rising. "One last thing." He said quietly. I felt somewhat embarrassed but I carried on without a second thought. "Will all in your shadow prosper and redeem themselves?" He solemnly asked. I could tell that he was more serious about this question more than anything. "Yes," I solemnly said. Queek went behind me and attached a new cape graced with a new symbol. It was a giant rat skull with a Skaven symbol under it that looked like spikes, but I could see that those were no spikes, those were spears. Even though I couldn't read Skaven, I knew that it meant 'Our enemies will fall from our undying vigilance'. I smiled up at Carcus, who smiled back in turn and looked to Queek's giddy face. He gave a jerk of his head to tell me to turn around. "Hail-hail to the king!!" I heard Queek's deep hoarse voice exclaim happily from behind me. Every Stormvermin, clan rat, rat, and Grey Seer kneeled. "Hail-hail to King Malos!!!" They all shouted in unison. I felt an overwhelming sense of pride overcome me as I saw them all. They all accepted me as their rightful leader and will do my best to uphold that honor. "What are your orders, my liege?" I heard Carcus ask from behind me. "Release all the slaves! There will be no discrimination or slavery in my kingdom!" I commanded and all the clan rats scurried off to the slave pits. "Stormvermin, sure up the defenses, make sure nobody gets in!" I commanded again and the Stormvermin did an about face and marched to the outer battlements. "And you," I said with a venom underlying my tone. "Who was in charge of the Grey Seers?" I demanded. A gorgeous grey Skaven female jolted forward from the crowd as an elderly Skaven was about to speak. She was very voluptuous, not to mention she was almost ass nude. Her snout was shorter, more mouse-like than the others, giving her a quite beautiful face. She also had waist length hair and covered one of her eyes. I noticed that she also possessed some ample C-cup breasts. I was confused as to why she was like this, and not like the other females, but I could tell that what she lacked in size, she made up in height. She could easily be as tall as me, maybe a bit shorter. But that's when I noticed several things. She must have been shunned and abused by the other males because she had visible bruises on her cheek and all over her body down to her abdomen. "I would be the one that is in charge, but my fellow Grey Seers reject my rightful place." She said quickly before one of the Grey Seers clamped a hand around her muzzle and two other Grey Seers pulled her behind a wall of them. "We are ashamed that you had to see that, my liege. She will be dealt with most harshly." The elderly Skaven from before said. "If she has something to say, I will hear it! And I will be inquiring as to her history personally!" I snarled at him. His eyes went to the floor as he started muttering furiously to his comrades. "If you do not comply, I will rip her from your cold dead hands!" I barked, getting into a combat stance, as did Carcus and Queek and several hundred other Stormvermin. That is when several things happened. One was that the Elder sent a blast of green energy at me. The second was that I had side-stepped the green blast by mere inches with speed I didn't know I had. The third and last thing that happened was that they were massacred by the Stormvermin, leaving only the female sobbing on the floor, bound and scared. I jumped down from the throne and ran to the female. She tried to move away, but I grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to her feet, and started comforting her as I undid the binds on her snout and appendages. The Stormvermin that were not hauling bodies away were ready to jump in if the female did something nasty. When I undid the bindings on her arms, I expected her to push me away or even hurt me, but she did the last thing I expected. She was either too afraid to do anything else or she just needed comfort, but she hugged me. She continued to sob into my chest plate as I wrapped my cape around her. "You have nothing to fear anymore. You are now in my care, and I will help you through this." I spoke softly into her ear. "Shshshsh. It's okay to cry, it's okay." I comforted. She started to calm down after a while and when she looked into my eyes, I noticed that hers were a shade of pink. This surprised me because most Skaven have red bloodshot eyes rather than actual colors. But hers... they were beautiful. She blushed when she noticed we were staring and stepped away from me. "Thank you, they probably would have punished me or even killed me if you hadn't intervened." She said in a soft angelic voice. Queek and Carcus stepped forward from my left and right "How did you-you escape breeding pits?" Queek asked from my left. "They told me that I was lucky because the Seerlord himself handpicked me from my litter, saying that I had potential." She said with disdain. "Why are you the only one who changed?" Carcus asked from my right. She gave a snort, "I didn't follow Skaven customs and traditions since I was a pup, and every time I failed my task or broke a rule, they would punish me." She said as she shivered from the memories. "What is your name?" I asked her. She blushed a little before answering. "My name is Gwen Longtail," 'Gwen' said while giving a sort of curtsy. "Now for the most important question, how are you like this?" I asked suspiciously. "From what I know, all females should be fat, large, and ugly as shit." I bluntly stated. "Well, I already told you that the Seerlord handpicked me, but I didn't tell you that he was contradicted by the Grey Seers. They were saying that I wouldn't be anything else than a breeder." She gave a laugh of disgust after that sentence. "So he used his magic on me. He spliced my genes and rearranged my body to become what it is now, but after a while, I could tell that he started oogling me. Fucking pervert actually would've done something if he didn't die from the rebels catching him. But that didn't stop the other Grey Seers from beating me senseless from being different, for being me." She finished. Well, that explains that. Wow. "Well Gwen Longtail, it seems that you have had a very eventful day. Guards, escort her to a spare room, she has earned it." I said. The two Stormvermin that stood next to me nodded and went over to Gwen. "Thank you so much, King Malos. I will always be loyal to you." She said before disappearing through the doorway with the two guards, leaving me alone with my two new friends. To say I was enchanted by her was an understatement, I was falling head over heels for her. But I needed to address several issues now. "So, what does the military look like now?" I asked Queek. He looked up at me with a grimace. "The Skaven forces have looked better-better in past." He said quietly. "We lost many Clans in the war-war, not much left of technology." He said sadly. Clan Skryre must have taken all their technology with them to the grave. I gave a low hum. "But what of our numbers?" I asked Carcus. "Our numbers are strong, but we are lacking any leadership roles in the army, such as generals." He informed. This was troubling news, for I didn't know many people other than Carcus and Queek who could be eligible. "Your Highness, Queek requests to be-be general again." Queek humbly asked. "Of course, with your military background and expertise, you would make a fine general in the army," I said with a smile. "And what about you Carcus? Are you up for the job?" I asked him with a smirk on my face. "Your damn right I am!" He exclaimed happily. I clapped my hands together. "Perfect! I believe two trusted generals is all I need out in the field at the moment." I began, "Speaking of the field, what is this planet if it isn't the Old World?" I asked, confused as to what dimension they were now stuck in. "Ah, now that is quite the predicament, isn't it?" Carcus said sadly. "I was placed in an expeditionary force to explore the surface world a year ago, and what I saw was incredible." He took a moment to collect his thoughts before speaking again. "There were horses, but they were walking and talking like the man-things from the Old World. When I stuck my nose in farther, I found a couple words pop up in conversations, Equestria, Equis, Princess Celestia, and summer sun celebration." He finally said. I almost passed out when I heard those words. How of all places are they in Equestria!!?? I quickly recollected my thoughts and looked back at my new general. "What did the place you were at look like and how far from here was it?" I asked seriously. "It had very colorful buildings with a tree in the center and it was over the mountains. The surrounding area is nothing but mountains and plains, but we luckily have underground tunnels leading to anywhere on the planet." He informed me. I scratched my would-be fur beard and went deep in thought. In theory, they could make contact with the Equestrians and make some sort of pact. Though from what I know, they are xenophobic and would likely not take kindly to our abrupt appearance. I was pulled out of my thoughts by a scream of pain that echoed from one of the many tunnels leading to the outside. "What the hell was that?!" Carcus swore. "I don't care, I want whatever it is found! Queek, get a group of guards up there, we'll be ahead." I commanded Queek. He gave me a worried and slightly bored look before running off to rally some guards. "Can you track the source?" I asked Carcus, who in turn gave a nod and ran out the front doors. He continued to run through the streets until they came upon a sort of underground entrance. He brought me inside it and we began running through tunnels. The air inside here was stuffy and low quality, so it was very hard to breathe. We finally came to a point in the tunnel where it branched into numerous directions. "Where now?" I asked him. He just waited silently before another scream echoed from one of the tunnels to my left. Carcus seemed to hesitate. "Whats wrong?" I asked him. "This leads to the dark forest." He said darkly. "I lost many rats in that forest, it is truly a dangerous place." He said somberly. "I am needed, so I shall go," I told him firmly. "But I will need your help, my friend." He smiled up at me and ran down the tunnel to the left. After several moments, we made it to the end of the tunnel where we saw what was causing the distress. A pregnant grey pegasus mare was on the floor with a crying gray unicorn foal next to her. "I don't know what t-t-to do m-momma." The foal sobbed. "It's okay, your baby sister is just coming early." The grey mare told her foal. She then gave another scream of pain. She was having contractions. "Ma'am?" I called out. The foal jumped in front of her mother's prone form, despite her pleas for her to run. "You won't hurt my momma, monsters!" The little foal yelled before trying to use her magic. She barely lifted my toe. "Miss, we are just here to help, please calm down, it isn't healthy for the baby," I said calmly while taking a few steps forward. Carcus followed my lead and stood next to me. I slowly dropped my halberd and came over to the mare in labor. She was in no position to argue with her child being so close to being born. I went up to her and prepared for a long and drawn out process... An Hour later... "Push!" I, Carcus, Queek, and Gwen yelled in unison. Queek had arrived over forty minutes ago accompanied by Gwen, much to my surprise, and about a hundred Stormvermin followed. Gwen had quickly shooed away all the Stormvermin from the scene and went about getting ready for the baby. Now Carcus and Queek's hands were being turned to dust as they were gripping the mare's, their howls of pain almost rivaling the mare's. She gave one last push and there was a babies cry. The baby was born. Once Carcus's hand was released, he undid his short cape and wrapped it around the baby, using a corner to clean the blood off. She had grey fur, like her mom, but she also had tiny wings on her sides. It was the single most cutest thing I have ever seen. Queek handed me a knife and Gwen procured a string to which I effectively cut the umbilical cord without killing the baby. I handed the baby over to the mother. "It is a girl," I whispered. "Do you have a name for her?" I asked as the mother took the child from my grasp. "Diddly, Diddly Hooves." She said as she cried tears of happiness as the other foal came over to look. "I have to ask, who are you?" I asked as polite as possible. "I am Ditzy Hooves, this is my daughter, Dinky Hooves, and my newborn daughter, Diddly Hooves." She said quietly as the baby was sleeping in her arms. "Well then, I am Skullithious Malos, King of The New Under Empire..." TO BE CONTINUED... Author's Note OOOOO a trailer! I hope this leaves you guys hanging! Chapter 3: The Massacre My hand left the newly planted gravestone as I began walking past all the burnt houses and dilapidated buildings. Many Stormvermin looked at me with a fire burning in their eyes. The rain was now coming down harder than before, the raindrops hitting my armor like small pellets and worked to hide the wet fur under my eyes. Carcus was containing silent fury while Queek looked like he could flip a house. Gwen was laying on the stone road crying over the bodies. I went to the center of the army and Carcus came up to me. "What are you going to do about this!?" He said through gritted teeth. I, however, kept a look of righteousness on my features. "I do not believe in revenge," I began saying to the entire army. "It is my philosophy that revenge only gets you another body bag, nothing more, nothing less," I announced to the waiting crowd of angry Stormvermin. "But they have set alight a fire and we are here to fan the flames of war!! We will combat this menace and come out triumphant! This... this was no raid, this was a massacre!! They killed one of us, and they will pay!!" I yelled while I raised my halberd high. The Stormvermin began to bash their halberds against the ground. "War! War! War! War! War! War! War! War! War!" They chanted...