Chapters "When faced with extinction, there are no lines too far to be crossed." - General Kisliv
Outside of the castle a group of foals were being led their teacher, the young basking in the sun and enjoying the sights as the teacher watched them have fun. That is, with the exception of three particular fillies.
"That would be a cool cutie mark."
"GIRLS!" Cheerilee shouted, drawing the girls attention to the next statue. The three fillies mad their way to her as the students gathered around the statute.
Cheerilee hated the statue, but he was an important part of Equestrian history. "Now students, what do you notice about this statue?"
"It's scary."
Cheerilee nodded as the students gave their answers. The unsteady aura the statue permeates already affecting the students as they shuffled their hooves and put their hands in their pockets. "This statue represents all that is evil. This is the beast king. One thousand years ago the beast king corrupted Princess Luna and threw Equestria into a terrible war, but luckily, the humans, griffins and ponies united together to defeat the beast king and his servants."
"Oooooooooo"
Dispite all the times Cheerilee stood before this statue with her class, she still hated it. Moving the class along to the statue of Discord, only once glancing back at the roaring monster. A chill ran down her spine as she looked at it. Such a horrible statue. Why was it even in the gardens?
The gardens outside of the palace cleared as night fell upon Canterlot. The scenery givin a beautiful glow under the moonlight. Though one statue stood out from the rest. The statue of wrath seemed to weep in the soft glow of the night.
There was a single pony left in the garden, only one who dared approach the idol of evil. Placing her palm on the statue she whispered into its ear, teardrops rolling down the abdomen of the stone creature.
There was a long silence between the two. One, unable to speak. The other, unable to gather the words. And so the mare sat next to the man that was once her lover weeping to herself.
"Sister."
Luna could recognize that voice anywhere. The soft and caring tone giving her reassurance, though this time her sisters voice carried a harsher undertone. She knew what Tia was going to say. She even knew that it was true, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
Tia sat down by her, draping her wing over the crying sister. "You know it had to be done." The voice stated with conviction. Luna couldn't speak so she meakly nodded her head.
"He was a stubborn man." She whimpered, resting her head on Tia's shoulder. Tia then held her sister close and reassuringly nuzzled her sister.
"I know Luna, I know."
Chapter 1 - End of the Unification Wars
"Should we lose this day, not only will our kind cease to be, but we will forever be remembered as the ones who deserved it. We will win because we must, not only for our kinsmen, but for our honor." - General Itoum
"General Itoum, what is the status of the rebellion?"
The light-brown Hawkin narrowed his eyes in displeasure, the mention of the rebels ruffling his feathers. "My King, the rebel foxfolk have been found conducting rituals for the dark gods. We were able to eradicate them, but I request a detachment of kitsune or lamia to cleanse the area of foul corruption."
King glared at his servant. All four of his eyes scrutinizing his soul. King trusted Itoum to everything. An idol of nobility, honor and justice, a beastman undeserving of his vile ruler. Even then, the mention of the old gods made him question his servant, scouring his soul in search of taint. Pleased with the search he responded. "It shall be done, find General Kallae have her personal priestesses cleanse the area. The minotaurs of Illian are too important to lose to taint."
"Yes my King." Itoum replied raising from his bowed state and leaving the room.
After the oak doors shut behind his general King sighed heavily. There was so much work to do and oh so little time. He swore to his father to save all the beastmen he could at the end of times, but their stubborn refusal to unify only made the preparations that much harder. That's not even mentioning the beasts that desperately cling to the old gods.
The old gods had no intention of saving his kindred from the gods of man. The only way the beastmen could pave the path towards the future was through soul magic, and the gods of old laid claim to the souls of mortals. Unacceptable. Soul magic, volatile and cruel as it was, it is the only option.
King raised his hand, channeling his spirit to peer once more into the past. The magic slowly corroding his spirit, he looked to his father. The frail, blind mage smiled somberly at his son. "You'll fulfill your destiny and deny the man-gods, and I will always be here to guide you down that path."
Tears began to stream down his muzzle. "How am I supposed to do this father? There is only one moon unto the eclipse. The favored children encroach everfurther into our wilds and many beast still refuse me."
Pulling all of his strength King sought his fathers resonance. There was only so much of his soul left unskattered, only so much King could pull from his father. The souls of the living are easy to find and empower, but those that had already crossed the veil were so difficult. Especially so with a favored child such as his father.
"Hehehe search your soul my little lamb." Father cackled as the aberration flicked and faded. King burning his soul further forcing him to stay in his incorporal form, refusing his father an escape to the void.
"This is serious father, I'm running out of time." King retorted and was greeted with that same mischievous smile father always gave when he sought awnsers.
"And what kind of father would I be if I just gave you the awnser? Although, for a hint. I suppose, our conversation right now is part of the path to your success." Father replied cryptically.
King sighed as he released his grip of father. The strain on his soul lifted and his question went unanswered. Just like the wicked old mage, seemingly incapable of giving a straight awnser. King sank further into his throne. He couldn't waste time with this. The man-gods would awaken soon and the and foxfolk still refuse to submit.
King grabbed his iron helm, well, more of a mask. His horns prevented him from wearing any proper helmet. The helmet was largely unnecessary as his magic is what protects him, but appearance is important to the beastmen. Strength, or the illusion of strength has been what's gotten King this far.
Weakening his corporal form King headed for the shadow passages. If he had any hope of combating the gods the beastmen needed to be fully unified.
"UTIMAAAARRRRRR!! GET OUT HERE YOU COWARD!"
The cry of Strongheart shaking the very earth inspired the taurs behind him. Each and every one of the bullmen stomping and chanting in triumph, the cries bolstering their resolve, resolve bolstering their strength.
Strongheart smiled at the resolve of his taurs, each and everyone of them clad in hand made Minotaur steel. To think only mere decades ago his kin were little more than savage animals like the foe he faced this day.
Turning to the wooded fortress which permeated the foul aura of the dark gods he could see his misguided brethren slink out like the cowardly filth they were. Ten on them with Utimar leading the pack. The sickly thing, fur matted in piss and shit, crawling on all fours, bite marks and scars adorning what should have been a glistening coat. It disgusted Strongheart to think that this was how the beastmen would be fated to die were it not for his most glorious king.
"You're a fool if you think we'll abandon the gods which watch over our kind Strongheart." The filth ridden beast snarled. If it weren't for his disgust, Strongheart would pity the arrogant fool.
"Your gods lay claim on your soul and leave you weak." Strongheart chided, the depraved state of his kin revolting him. It was clear from the wild look in his eyes that Utimar would not yield easily, may not even yield at all. The gods of old prevented the beastmen from using their true magic, what belonged to them and them alone. Utimar falsely thought that the gods were what gave him strength when in truth the gods crippled them.
"If you are so strong without the gods then prove it!" Utimar growled before lunging at Strongheart, fangs barred. Utimar targeted his unhelmed head, fangs striking the fur of his neck as the beast's claws made a flurry of undisciplined attacks.
The other foxfolk cheered for their wretched leader as the savage beast made his unrelenting attacks. That is until they heard the laughter of the bull. His trunk of a hand encompassing the head of their leader. The bull lifting the fox over his head and slamming him into the ground all while his cohort cheered the bull on. And the foxkin looked in fear at the lage creature only to find his form was left unperverted.
"HAHAHAHA YOU THINK YOU COULD FACE ME TRASH? I AM SIR STRONGHEART THE BOLD! I AM THE CHAMPION OF THE BEAST KING AND FILTH LIKE YOU COULD NEVER HOPE TO TOUCH ME!"
The accompanying roars of his soldiers shook the very earth, the foxkin trembled in terror at the sight of the laughing minotaur. The bull seemingly grew, appearing as if he were a mountain. They didn't understand. Utimar said the resistance against the beast tyrant was going well, he said the gods would protect them and that they were fated to win. And here they were looking upon their fallen champion seeing a twitching mess of filth and failure. What hope did they have?
"Theatrical as always Sir Strongheart." Came the malignant voice of a horrible shadow creature. The darkness peeling of of the creature like a lizard's skin only revealed something more horrible to the foxkin... the beast king himself had appeared.
"Only for glory my king. In spirit is strength, so my shows' show my might." Strongheart flexed, laughing in the face of the king, the aura of dread not affecting him at all.
One of the foxkin began to slowly crawl to his fallen hero while the king and his champion distracted themselves in idle conversation. If he could only get Utimar to the shrine, then the gods would truely bless him in their time of need. Grabbing his hero he ran to the fort, he knew his pack would understand and give themselves for the cause.
As he ran the rest of the fox assaulted the heathens to cover his escape. He never looked back, he already knew their fates.
"Should we chase those two down? The littler one is carrying Utimar." Strongheart asked wiping the blood and gore off of his fists, clearly confused as why he was allowed to leave. The confusion likely caused by the nature of our enemies, easy to kill in the open, difficult to root out of their holes.
"Those beasts won't submit as long as they belive their gods will save them. We will give them hope, only to rip it from their sick and wretched hearts." King lectured. After all, war wasn't just about killing, it was about perception. Of all the beastmen tribes that fell before King, never did they stay loyal unless they had absolute certainty in the rule of King or, at the very least, faith in his strength.
The two watched as the whelp scampered off to his hobble. King always liked to think that he felt bad for them, that they didn't deserve it. If he said those things aloud, his tounge would light aflame as the lie left his mouth. The truth is, he enjoyed crushing these vermin beneath his hooves.
To willingly choose damnation at the hands of the man-gods. To live in filth and depravity. King did enjoy destroying them. Like clay he would mold them. Carve out the imperfections, turn the savage creatures into something respectable.
King smiled as the malicious aura of the gods spread there influenced through the enemy fortress. The ritual was complete, it was time for his performance.
King trotted as elegantly as he could as Strongheart followed. The taurs behind him cheered as the two leaders entered the battlefield, the foxfolk gathering outside of the wooded fortress in what could be assumed to be the hundreds, if it weren't for the illusion. King could only assume they were numbered at one hundred at the most, with a few dozen "sneaking" into the forest to flank.
King and Strongheart headed straight for the lines of fox with Utimar nowhere in sight. King strode forward so the foxfolk would see him in all of his hatred, in all of his strength.
"AAAAUUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH"
Tuning at the cry King saw a blacked paw sprouting from Strongheart's chest. The look of shock and terror drawn on his friends face like a haunted man's canvases. The moans of pains he squeaked silenced by the other claws of the assassin.
As Strongheart fell his slayer emerged. A giant fox with blackened fur and vile green eyes, claws sharp enough to slice solid rock, boney protrusions emerging from its flesh and venom dripping from the creatures jagged teeth.
"You see King? This is the strength of the gods. Your foolish champion lies dead by my claws and you're next!" Utimar cackled wildly with a voice as distorted as his body was corrupted. All while the demon cackled to himself King could only thank the vile filth for putting up such a fantastic show. The foxfolk saw his "strength" they believed their gods would save them, overflowing with hope. This show would only serve to destroy them completely.
King lunged out at the demon, willing a Nami into his hand, slicing through Utimar's right arm, severing it completely. Utimar let out a vile ear piercing shreak. Grasping desperately to his arm before honing his hatred upon King. The demon roared and charged wildly at his prey. King mearly watched as the beast charged before sidestepping it and with two swift motions he cut offo its remaining arm and one of its legs.
As the monstrosity fell he felt the fear and desperation from his kin. King smiled. It was time for the final act.
He channeled his magic to give the demons soul a incorporal form. Black sludge began to rise from the still living corpse. The sludge grew and meshed into a true monstrosity. Towering over King Utimar became an idol of the old gods, a representation of all their strength, a becon of hope for the rebel savages.
The only thing wrong with his strength, was his soul. For the 'strength' the gods gave him, it had cost him his soul. King revealed his incorporal form to the degenerate filth and they trembled. It was clear for all to see which of the two was superior. Kings spirit dwarfing Utimar's, kings sheer presence burning the demon at the spot. Rasing his hand he forced his soul upon Utimar's, shattering what little remained and burning the shards.
As Utimar's incorporal form was eviscerated from existence he could feel the weak and cowardly souls of the foxfolk submit. They belonged to King in their entirety now.
Returning to his corporal form King walked over to Strongheart's still fresh corpse, the soul lingering still. He forced his will unto the corpse, forcing it to seal its wounds. Not long after his old friend began to stir.
"Hehe and you call me the theatrical one?" Strongheart chuckled weakly as he reached his arm out for support. King lifted him up laughing.
"You of all beastmen know the importance of a good show." King chuckled as Strongheart glanced over his body, stopping at his abdomen. King looked down and saw the blackening sploch of flesh. Annoyingly he must have used to much magic on that insect. He'd have to take it easy for a few hours.
"So how many strongholds are left? I need these rebels dealt with yesterday." King asked absent-mindedly plotting his next steps in besting the man gods.
"Oh, uh, about that," Strongheart began, "There are at least a dozen left, and we don't know where the last one is located."
"Gods damned it."
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Chapter 2 - Does it really have to end like this?
"Look not upon the beastmen with hatred, but with pity. They were meant to be born pure and as our brethren. Do not face them with hatred, but with hope that they born anew into the gods loving arms." - Priestess Nina
Itoum looked throughout the room, beastmen of all shapes and sizes waited before King. The group amassed before him were mostly the generals, captains and lieutenants of the army though there were a few members of King's council and a few beastmen he didn't even recognize.
King himself had a most dour expression, no doubt due to today's eclipse. They only had eight days. Everyone in the room knew King had brought them here to discuss the end times. What bothered him wad that he and the other generals had finished their job, they had subjugated the other beaatmen and destroyed their false idols. What could be so important that King had to gather all of them?
Their leader stood slowly as the room fell to complete silence, the clopping of King's hooves on the ground echoing throughout the throne. Every beastman bowed before him as he grew closer.
"Ladies and gentlemen please rise," King began, stopping before them, "As we all know, the man-gods will awaken in exactly eight days..." he stopped. Itoum eyed him cautiously. This wasn't like King, even when he was unsure, he would always put up a brave face.
"I had planned for a grandiose speech today, but now that I stand before you all.... it just doesn't seem appropriate." King paused for an uncomfortable length of time, the beastmen in the room growing anxious at the delay. Itoum ruffled his feathers in anticipation as King drew breath once more. "I gathered all of you here today to discuss your part in saving our kin. Since the man-gods have begun stiring I could sense their strength and now know that there is nothing I can do to stop them."
It was then the room erupted into chaos. Beastmen screaming and shouting, demanding to know what the plan is and what they were supposed to do know. Taking a deep breath Itoum screeched as loudy as he could and the hall went silent. Itoum nodded to King as he smiled weakly.
"I've known I couldn't defeat them for some time now, and so I've spent the past years peering into the veil to find our find our awnser. Beyond the veil their are many worlds not of our own. And on many of these world the gods lay no claim, many gods which do not know of us and many which bare no gods at all. We will pull our magic and force our way into one of these worlds. A new world where we are free from the persecution of the man-gods!"
The room was filled with cautious excitement, the beastmen unsure of what to make with this news. Itoum though, he knew something was wrong. He was no master of the magics, but he knew that a spell powerfull enough to do that would come at a great cost. He had seen ambitious young lamia be turned inside out attempting to perform spells above their level.
"This will not be an easy thing to accomplish. Most, if not all, of you know the cost of magic. Our salvation comes at a hefty price, one not even I alone can pay. So I have gathered those beastmen who posses the biggest and brightest souls to aid me in this ritual." King monologed as he walked back to his throne, looking throughout the room and taking a deep breath.
"I will not lie to you. Should you participate in this ritual, there is a strong possibility that you will not survive, and if you do, you will not live the same as you are. So I ask that you go home tonight, say what you need to your loved ones and steel yourself for what's to come." With that King had left the room. Itoum swiftly followed leaving the rest of the confused and unsure beastmen behind him.
Breaching the doors to the throne room he didn't see King nearby. Itoum made his way to the nearest balcony. Their was always one place King went when he was upset. Flying out to Minmi forest Itoum would find out his awnsers.
After a half hour flight Itoum spotted the forest and began to descend. Reaching the edge if the forest Itoum could feel its unease. The burial grounds of the thirteen treasonous arch-magi. King would definitely be at the cemetery.
Following the trail it didn't take him long to find his target. Standing before a gravestone was King.
"That didn't take you long Itoum." King panned in a sinister voice.
"There's no way we can conduct such a ritual. It's not possible is it?" Itoum asked.
"You'll hate me if I tell you."
"I'll hate you if you don't."
The two stood in silence as King tried to gather his words. Itoum wanted to comfort his friend but he must stand firm. King was definitely doing something wrong. He knew that whatever it was he was doing was wrong. Itoum waited patiently for King to respond. He had always been the moral compass of the group, whatever King did wrong, he'll ammend the mistake.
"Two-thousand human souls will be used to fuel the spell. We are to simply guide its strength."
The sounds of the forest went silent, the birds stopped their mournfully songs and the wind itself seemed to die. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Such an act would betray the very reason they fought. It was one thing to kill a human, but this? Doing this would make them no better than the humans. This would obliterate two-thousand human souls. Bile built in Itoum's throat as he contemplated it, stomach churning in disgust.
"Itoum, I didn't want to do this, but there's no other way. We must save our people, you understand don't you?" Desperation began to show in Kings tone as he pleaded to his friend. King knew what he was doing, he chose to do it anyways. Itoum wanted to strike him. All that nonsense about being better than the humans. That once they won the humans would be shown the error of their was and spared mercy. It was all a lie.
Itoum felt the rage in his mind building as a putrid heat washed over him. He wanted to claw the cowards muzzle off, he wanted to hug his friend and cry, he didn't even know what he wanted. The revelation shook him to his very core. Desperate and unsure he took to the skies, not eager to make a rash decision in such a turbulent state.
"Itoum wait please!"
Itoum ignored the desperate cries of the man he once called friend as he flew towards the outskirts. No being able to hold onto his feelings he let loose a desperate cry of sorrow. There was nothing he could do. One way or another, thousands of innocents were going to die. The humans who would have their souls destroyed by King, or the beastmen who would have their souls destroyed by the man-gods. He wept at the cruelty of the world.
Yogimur sat on the hardwood bench outside his cabin enjoying a cigar. He was nearing his two-hundreth year, even amongst the beastmen Yogimur old as sin and was more beast than man. Resembling a bear that walked on two legs. He did so enjoy the natural world more than the cities of man or the hybrid woodland cites of the beast king. Nevertheless, he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the commodities both sides brought. The humans had such beautiful art, and the beasts made such delicious food.
Dragging from the cigar he noticed that the woodland birds stopped their beautiful songs as the distant cry of a hawk grew closer. Yogimur ignored this, the hawk would go away soon and the birds would continue their melody.
Finishing the cigar Yogi noticed the hawk grew louder as if it was coming straight to him. Looking to the sky he heard the cry louder than ever as he was brought to the ground by a tremendous force. Tackled before he could even see what had hit the old bear. Growling he shoved his attacker away and rose to his feet only to see a slobbering Itoum.
He remembered that little scamp from before even the unification wars. Always so proud, eager, and willing to do right dispite the nature of their kind. Yogi couldn't help but smile at the cub. Picking the young birdfolk up in his bulky arms he chuckled. "Something must be quite wrong for you to visit me. You young kids. Never visiting your old folks less yah need somethin."
He set the crying boy onto his bench and went to his cabin, shortly emerging with his honeyblock treats. Itoum always did love these things when he was a cub.
Plopping himself onto the bench next to Itoum he wrapped the cub in one of his arms as he waited for him to calm down. Didn't take all that long after he spotted and subsequently snached the honeyblock. Wiping the tears from the cub's eyes he asked, "What's gotten you so upset. You're a hero aren't you little Itoum? Heros don't cry."
The cub sniffed as he drew his words. "It's just awful Yogi. It's King. He's going to do something awful and I just don't know what to do about it."
Nodding Yogimur already knew what had happened. King and Itoum had been friends since before his fathers so called prophecy. Being raised by that dark mage, King was always a cold cub and Itoum had always acted as his moral compass. King must have done something behind Itoums back, what with the end times coming. Still, he knew his cub needed to rant, and so Yogi sat their for the better part of an hour listening to the cub, an occasional break taken for honey treats.
Looking to Itoum he knew their was no good way to put this. Sometimes bad must be done to achieve good. King was the only one strong enough to defeat the old gods and he was the only one strong enough to beat the man-gods. If King believed sacrifice was necessary than it probably was, but he couldn't just tell his cub that.
Itoum always tried to be the noble knight that he was read to about. The cub even went out of his way to save a human cub that had gotten stuck in a tree dispite nearly getting blasted by gifted magic for his troubles.
Sighing he ponded on his dilevery. He couldn't be harsh to his little cub, but he knew that something must be done to stop the beastmen's extinction. "Did you belive King when he said it was the only way?" He asked somberly only to have sharp talons dig into his hide. Itoum's silence told the old bear all he needed to know.
His cub didn't come for awnsers, he already knew. His cub came because he was afraid of the awnser, because he needed comfort. So Yogimur sat their with his cub buried into his coat as the birds began singing their beautiful tune once more.
King paced throughout the room anxiously. He knew that failure meant the extinction of his race, he knew the evils he was allowed to comment, but at the moment neither of those things crushed him as much as the loss of his only friend. Even if he had saved their kind what awaits them in the next world? There be other hostile races towards his kind? Will he just be thrown into another war of extinction? Even if that isn't the case, What is there for him on the other side? His family is all dead, his only friend left in disgust towards his actions, his people only respected him due to his strength.
No, he pushed the thought through his head. He needed to be strong if the spell is to work. It was his duty to protect and guide the beastmen. Even if he lost everything he mustn't yield.
Marching to the throne room he prepared himself, steeling his mind and strengthening his soul. Pushing open the large oak doors he saw all of his generals before him. All save one. No. He couldn't think of that. Not now.
The humans had already been executed, it's too late to turn back. It has been too late for some time now. The souls of the dead knew what was coming, they wailed and moaned. The damned cursing King with all of their hatred, latching their souls onto his. Focusing his magic he dampened their moans, forcing them into submission.
Focusing back onto his generals he told them what to do. They needed to focus on hope. Hope for a new world, free of man. A world where the young can live without fear of damnation. A world where they can be free. This hope should help guide them to a more preferable world.
As the generals got into position around King as he focused the souls into power for the spell. He was ready to begin when the doors burst open. King turned to see the intruder and his heart sank. It was Itoum. The featherfolk silently walked to the circle and began pouring his soul into the spell much to King's surprise, the convicted shaking the rest of the beastmen. The surety of the room began bolstering in the raw power of Itoums soul and King understood. His friend may not forgive him, but together they would save their kind.
The spell began. The power ripping the room apart, beastmen began screaming as their souls were consumed and their bodies turned to ash. King wept at the plight of his kind and put his soul before the spell, bering it's brunt. As the spell consumed him he felt the world shake violently. He may not have done great in life, maybe not even good. But in saving his kind he felt he could give himself a pass, even if the world itself scorned him.
Itoum woke after a time, he couldn't tell how long it had been since the spell had been performed. Looking around he saw far fewer beastmen than their was before, the room covered in a fine soot. Of the beastmen that were still alive he could only recognize three, only one of them was stiring. He stood shakily as his senses regained and that's when he saw it. King.
"King?" Itoum asked, his voice weak. He walked to his old friend before his leg collapsed. The spell had taken more out of him then he thought. He crawled to his friend only to see a partially rotting corpse. Putting his hand on King he pleaded. Even if what King did was wrong, he didn't want his last interaction to be one of anger. Crying over the body he pleaded for his friends life.
"Uuuuuunnngggg," One of the voices moaned, "Are you going to keep crying or are you going to help me?"
Kisliv. The vile Arachne. If Itoum was Kings better half then Kisliv would be his worst. The spider rose much more stabliy then Itpum had, seemingly unaffected by the spells drain.
"Did the spell work?"
Itoum didn't know how to awnser. The little knowledge he had of the intricacies of magic was dwarfed by the loss of his oldest friend. The only thing he knew was that magic needs a strong spirit to cast. He didn't know if the spell had succeeded or not.
"So you don't know? Then go find out." The cold words of Kisliv spat. Itoum couldn't belive it, their king lie dead and Kisliv commands him to go out on a scouting mission. He wanted to curse the damnable spider before he started once more. "I will take King to the Kitsune priestes Milana. She will know what to do with him. In the meantime we must confirm if the spell had worked and if we are in any immediate danger."
Itoum hated it. It had always irked him when the spider was right. Kisliv walked up to him and handed him something from his pouch. A glass vial with a concoction of some sort.
"Take this. It will get you to the border and back. Be quick, be safe. As annoying as you are, we can't afford to lose you right now." Kisliv said in a kinder tone than Itoum thought was possible of the spider.
Nodding he drank the vial and took out the window. Itoum flew as fast and as hard as his wings could take him. In just a short hour he made it to the border. Kisliv's brew helped immensely but Itoum could feel his body eating away at itself. He needed conformation and to get back as soon as possible.
There was a human village just a few miles north, a remote village free of the temple, ignorant of the beastmen right outside their doorstep. If he could just make it their he would know.
As much as he desired it, fate had a different plan and his body began to fail him. He landed as gracefully as he could and took rest under a nearby tree as sleep overcame him. As his eyes shut he saw something strange. A beastman of equine figure, though it appeared to be some kind of reverse centaur. As strange as she was.... she did have beautiful feathers.
Author's Note
I won't be apologizing for that joke
Chapter 3 - Meeting new folk
"The beastmen are wretched things. To turn away from the light of the gods and indulge in such vile debauchery... Sometimes I ask myself if they are even worth saving. Only by the endless mercy of the gods do we give their souls a second chance." - Paladin Haden Vice
Stiring from his sleep Itoum heard a soft voice muttering something. Sounded doctorly to him, bunch of medical mumbo jumbo. Another voice responded, this one much more harsh. Opening his eyes he saw two of those strange beastmen. They had no flesh to be seen on their bodies, only fur and the two of them had spiraling horns jutting from their foreheads. Confused he tried to get up only to be stopped by an intense pain in his abdomen.
"I wouldn't advise any movement just yet Mr.Griffin, you're quite injured and it will take a few days for you to recover." the white one in a white nurse's dress said. Turning his head in confusion he tried make sense of what she just said. Griffin? Injury? He couldn't remember what had happened. And just what the hell was a griffin?
"You're suffering from acute magical poison, a condition that only affects unicorns... usually." She added in an annoyed tone casting him a scrutinizing gaze. The other one, a dark pink woman seemed to share the sentiment. She had a more muscular build and her clothes were bulkier, as if they were hiding some form of protection. She must have been a local enforcer or something. "You've likely suffered temporary memory loss but I need you to tell me everything you know."
Trying to recall what had happened, a deep unease filled him as the pain of his exhaustion began to cry. It was clear to him what happened now. "We were facing a war of extinction. Our king pulled together all of our magic to transport our nation to a new world. I went to confirm our situation, and it seems King's plan worked." He explained. The pink guard seemed to dislike something about what he said. Thinking about his role it dawned on him. He had been asleep.
"How long was I out?"
The gaze of the two beastmen lessened with his question. "You've only been asleep for two days, you'll be feeling very tired for the next week or so as a result of your condition." The nurse said in a softer tone as the horn atop her head glowed with a soft blue and a cup of water approached him enveloped in the same aura. He took it in his hand and drank from it greedily.
"You mentioned a nation. Will they be looking for you?" The pink woman asked with an air of caution. She was worried about retaliation. Itoum groaned internally as he recalled what happened. It's only a matter of time before Kisliv come looking. That will cause a diplomatic schism. Hopefully his second in command comes first. The rambunctious young feather did hate roosting in the capital nest.
"I suppose that depends on who's coming. Kisliv is a bit of a bastard, but I should be able to smooth things out with him. If it's anybody else then there shouldn't be a problem." His explanation seeming to calm her, if only ever so slightly.
"So you came here why again?" The gaurdswoman asked once more. She was still cautious of him dispite his weakend state. It was his duty as a first contact to a new beastman race to try and give a good first impression.
"I've come seeking only conformation of our surroundings, and I can promise the king's kindness so long as you don't take arms against us."
It was a large thing to promise, King had died and Itoum didn't know who would be next in line, to say he could secure their future together may have been a lie. He wasn't even sure the Empire would survive without King. The bulk of their time being spent preparing for a war against the heavens, they didn't have much time to flesh out the intricacies of government. Itoum knew he would likely have to take control by force lest Kisliv do the same.
"Well if you've come with harmony in mind then I suppose I can let you off a little easy. Private Gentle Wind will watch over you for the day as I prepare my report." The gaurd said as she stretched and left the room. As she left he heard a third voice outside the room before a new beastman had walked in.
This one was wearing armor made of gold with rather extensive grooving into it. It's blacksmith seeming to treat it more like a work of art than a protective piece. And the woman who wore it was even more stunning. She had a coat of light pink with a beautiful muscular wings, the feathers the definition of alluring. Her hair done as if it belonged to a model, he was stuned at the new entry to the room and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Excuse me Mr.Griffin, we still have much to discuss." The nurse demanded, clearly not amused by his actions.
Prying his eyes from the beauty that stood before him he looked back to the nurse, who had narrowed her eyes once more. "I apologize, I've never seen a beast that shared even a ounce of the beauty she had." He replied with a wink in the woman's direction. Much to his shock she looked at him with furrowed brows as if he had insulted her. Did she not like compliments?
"If you think Ms. Wind is attractive then I suggest you refrain from calling her a beast sir." She stated while looking to her notebook, "Now, can you remember your name?"
Itoum was shocked. Beastmen were referred to as beasts without complaint, many even took it as a sign of strength. Was it considered to be offensive here. Looking from the beauty back to the nurse he knew he had to clear this up before it was too late, but he couldn't just ignore the nurse that healed him.
"My name is Itoum, The first general of the beast king and the comander of the Golden Feather company." He said with a respectful half-bow his pain preventing him from moving much further. Then turning to the woman he bowed once more. "My deepest apologies my lady, I was unaware that the term beast would cause you offense I would like the chance to ammend my mistake if you would allow it."
Ms. Wind seemed to lessen her anger at the statement though her wrath was quickly replaced with confusion. "I'll accept your apology, though I must know why you find that term to be something acceptable to say to a lady." Even her voice was angelic Itoum thought as she said so.
"My lady, I was unaware that any beastman clans found the term offensive. While we are all of the same creed, I neglected that our cultures are not shared. As for my apology." He began as he plucked one of his own feathers. Placing it in his palm he focused of his feelings. Thinking of how he never wanted such an angelic woman to face harm, he breathed magic into the feather. Dispite the pain it caused he knew she would love it. "Take may feather and intertwine it into your own, and it's magic will protect you from whatever foul thing whishes you harm."
Taking his gift in her hands he saw that it seemed to please Ms. Wind and he was rewarded with a kind smile and glistening soft blue eyes, his heart fluttered as he looked at her, all the pain of the last few years melted away.
"HOW DID YOU DO THAT!" The nurse screamed at him her eyes glued to the feather she snached it from Ms. Wind's hands and ran from the room screaming for someone named Arcane studies. He tried to stop the nurse but she was gone before he could rise. He felt a soft hand ease him back down onto the bed.
"You'll have to forgive her. Nurse Quick Fix gets like that sometimes." She laughed and the anger he felt faded. " I don't belive that I properly introduced myself. I'm private Gentle Wind and it's a pleasure to meet you."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Wind, I'm glad to have met someone as beautiful as you." His words made her blush heavily, he hoped this new world was peaceful. If he could finally settle down with a caring wife. If he could have that he would never ask for anything else.
"Do you really think I'm that pretty?" She asked softly seeming unsure of herself. Had no other male complemented her? Such an unjust world.
"I've never met a female with feathers as pristine as yours, you're eyes are-
"ITOUM HOW DID YOU DO THIS!?" Quick Fix screamed as herself and a new man entered the room. A brown coated beastman without a horn or wings. The nurse got right up into his face with a wild look in her eyes. She scrutinized him deeply as she bagan to speak. "How did you preform such a powerful spell without a horn? You don't have a focal point to access magic so how did you do it?"
Itoum sighed. He was powerful yes, but he never cared much for magic, instead honing his martial prowess. "I'm not really the best beast to ask when it comes to magic. I only understand the very basics." His explanation seemed to calm the mad nurse but it didn't stop her. The new man did however. He placed his hand on her shoulder and took the feather from her hand and gave it to Gentle Wind. The new man gave Itoum a reassuring look.
"Hello Mr. Itoum, I'm Doctor Helping Hooves and I would like to formally apologize for my colleagues behavior, your affliction has had us wracking our brains for the past few days, you're quite the unique case." He said extending his hand. Itoum took his hand and gave a firm handshake.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions and we will bring you something to eat after. I hope fruits and vegetables are acceptable, we don't have much in the ways of meat industries." Doctor Hooves said with a strained smile. Did they dislike carnivores?
"I do love a good apple or two." He said in a jovial tone clearly to the ease of the good doctor.
"Now on a scale of one to ten, with ten being excruciating and one being unnoticeable, how would you rate your current pain?"
"Two." He lied. He was in pain, exasperated by his gift earlier, but the sooner he returned to the capital the better. The doctor looked at him questioningly but moved on none the less.
"Ok. Well, Nurse Quick Fix said you were fighting a war before you came here. Do you have any previous injuries we should know about?"
"Nothing physical." His response was simple and made sense but the response seemed to utterly shock the doctor, though he made quick to hide his surprise.
"Nothing... physical you say? Is there magical damage we should know of?" The doctor asked unable to hide his concern, the two women in the room looked as if the had seen a ghost.
"It's nothing I won't recover from doctor." He reassued. In truth the attack had nearly killed him. He entered honorable melee with a human paladin some months back when the human broke the sanctity of the duel and used magic in an attempt to destroy his soul.
The doctor looked placid, his hands shaking. Were they truly unaware of the ways of human warfare? If they had never faced combatants which attacked the soul then that was a good omen. A world finally free of the tyrannical rule of the man-gods.
"Well, Mr. Itoum, that's very enlightening, thank you for awnsering my questions," he said standing up and walking to the door. "I'm going to fetch you something to eat, if you need anything just holler."
"Wait doctor, when will I be able to leave?" Itoum inquired. Doctor Hooves seemed to pause at that and thought it over.
"Well let's get you something to eat first, then you can speak with Captain Golden Morning about that."
Even with the reassurance of the doctor he couldn't help but feel unsettled. He hoped it wasn't Kisliv that came from him, but at the same time he was probably causing trouble down in the capital.
"So, you were in a war?" Wind asked from his side drawing him from his ponderance. She was a soldier or something of the like givin her armor, so it shouldn't have surprised him.
"Yeah, but it was quite.... gruesome, even as far as wars go." He explained. He really didn't want to scare the woman with tales of the war.
"I'm a pegasus, I can handle it!" She exclaimed pumping her fists in front of her. Both a beauty and a warrior. A woman after his own heart.
"How about I tell you how I first met the beast king. It started when an undead dragon attacked my hometown." The instant he said that her face lit up with interest. He smiled as he regaled the rest of the story.
In the middle of his story he was brought a meal and he thanked the doctor. Continuing his tale he smiled as Gentle Wind got completely absorbed by the story asking about how the dragon attacked and what brought it to life and all of that. He enjoyed talking to her. It made him want to stay here but he knew his duty was elsewhere.
As the captain walked in he knew that he had to leave. Mentioning it made lady Wind frown much to his displeasure.
"Are you sure you must go sir Itoum?" She asked gently grasping his hand. She smiled and it brought doubt into his mind. He was finally somewhere where he could find peace. He knew if he did that then all beastmen would suffer under Kisliv's cruel control. Kisliv did care about the beastmen, in his own strange demented way, but he list sight of what was truly important. Sighing he nodded.
"I pains me to leave you Lady Wind, but my countrymen need me."
"Gentle Wind, are you ready to draft a report?"
Gentle Wind nodded in conformation and the captain gave Itoum the good to go.
Leaving the hospital he looked at the happy town and smiled. He had hope for these new lands and new beastmen. Looking at Lady Wind fly off to the north he began to stretch his own wings and brace for the hell he was to face on the fly back. His body still ached from the magical backlash and he really didn't want to fly just yet, but it must be done and so it will be done.
Taking to the air he looked back on the happy little town. Smiling he flew back to the capital.. that is until he saw movement in the forest. Something was moving down there and it was making its way straight towards the town. Peering into the tree tops he looked for what it could be. Seeing a flash of silver through the leaves he felt panic. Flying to a clearing he waited. In just a few minutes he saw what he was looking for.
Paladin Haiden Vice, the man that stole his soul.
"Some beastmen ask me how I can run into enemy lines without a shred of fear. To those beastmen I would say that the only thing to be afraid of is fear. Fear makes you weak, it makes you doubt yourself. So as long as I feel no fear in my heart I know that victory is assured." - General Strongheart
Hent Kur paced around the palace nervously. It had almost been three full days since General Itoum's return on what should have been a simple scouting mission and the rest of his roost was getting antsy. He wanted to go out and look for his general more than anything but he was ordered to stay his place by General Kisliv.
Kisliv normally wouldn't have any authority over him but a state of emergency was called which granted the bastard bug a temporary status boost. He almost had to wonder if Kisliv would have had his general done away with. Kisliv would normally act in the best interest of the nation and the two were never in any open conflict, but at the same time such tactics were the spider's bread and butter.
Looking to the other shifting beastmen he mentally argued with himself. Go and look for his general? Or to obey orders during this time of crisis? On one wing, General Itoum could be hurt. He was the nation's hero and the best flyer in the army, the nation needed him. But on the other wing, Kisliv's words do hold some merit. He could see it from out the windows, the various tribes of beastmen all shared one thing in common. They were all scared and the absence of their king during the state of emergency only made it worse.
Pacing between the barracks he stressed over what action to take. He wanted nothing more that to take off with the Golden Wing and save his General but the nation is in crisis and watching an elite squadron move out would cause undo panic. He could tell that the roost was thinking the same thing as him. If he didn't make a decision now, they would.
Nerves building up in his stomach, the tingling in his body shook him. It was then he made his decision. "Peek, Timmio you two will come with me to find the general, the rest of you stay here and do your best to ease tension within the capital." With his words he could see that he made a 'decent' decision. The majority of the squadron accepted this and the ones who didn't seemed like they were antsy to find the general as well. To calm their nerves he continued, "I know that some of you want to follow in search of our leader, but the deployment of too many of us will draw the eyes of both the public and General Kisliv. I'm sure you understand why this rescue mission must be done covertly."
His small comforting words seemed to put the restless ones at ease. That is to say, other than the greenhorn with a knack for trouble. "Covert operations are Kislivs motus operandi though. If you go missing he'll be the first to notice. I say we bring the full force and bring Lord Itoum back as soon as possible."
Kur would never admit it to the kids face, but he did have a point. He wouldn't be surprised if one of Kisliv's agents was outside the door right now. Rather than causing a fuss he needed to compromise with the kid, time was of the essence and he couldn't burn it explaining why the kid was wrong. "Very well, any who wish to tag along may, but we are leaving right now ."
And so an additional four rose leaving ten in the room and seven ready to fly out including himself. He felt bad about this. Hent Kur could only pray that Itoum was still ok.
It wasn't long before the group of seven saw something of interest. A pillar of thick heavy smoke danced in a clearing not that far off, a few minutes flight at most. Kur didn't think that Itoum would have ever started a fire like that, but anything of interest was good enough by this point. The chaos of it all strained his mind, he wasn't sure if his decisions were correct. He wondered if he should retire after this, his indecisiveness in a time of crisis only made clear to him that he was unfit for a position of power.
Flying closer to the pillar he could see what looked live a village in the epicenter, trying to hone in his hawk like vision he could see dead beastmen all over. He couldn't tell what kind from this distance but the signs spoke doom for his leader. Itoum would have never abandoned these beastmen, and if the aggressors had won then that means he must be dead.
Stopping in the air and signaling his lessers to do the same he knew he had to prepare a speech, even if he didn't have the courage he needed it was of upmost important. Strength comes from the soul, the soul is strengthened by conviction, conviction is born of bravery, bravery is born of valourous words.
"Men, you know as well as I what that pillar means. Ahead of us lies a village of beastmen, a village of corpses. We all know that Lord Itoum would never allow such a thing and so if that pillar exists that means he must be among them."
He could see the fire die within each of their eyes with the knowledge that their general was likely dead. He knew it would hurt to bring that truth into words, but he isn't courageous enough to charge a priest with such conviction as his leader. His soul could not hold even a sliver of Lord Itoum's righteous valor. He knew this to be true in his squad as well. Without the inspiration their lord brought, none of them could face such a challenge.
He knew he couldn't inspire them, for he was not righteous, but what he could do was kindle their rage and give them purpose.
"THOSE BASTARDS KILLED ITOUM AND BURNT THE INNOCENT. WE SHAN'T LET THIS STAND. FOR OUR LORD AND OUT KINDRED WE WILL WIPE THESE BRIGANDS FROM THE EARTH. THEY WILL KNOW OUR FURY!!!"
The dread of the six we're quickly melted and soon placed with furry. The cries for war from the hawkfolk were earshattering, the cries filled with pain, sorrow and righteous furry. Anger at those that would slay the innocent. Sorrow for their loss. Hent Kur never was powerful with the spirit magics but he could see the beautiful flame lit in each and every one of their hearts. With the end of the war cry they flew into the village with speeds he thought he would never reach.
As soon as the first humans were seen was as soon as they were slain. The priests were the first to go. Kur refused to allow the humans use of their foul magic. His brothers did the same, even if they were too late to save the souls of the villagers from the human corruption they made damned sure that the priests couldn't destroy another soul.
After the priests were the knights. Their armor meant nothing in the face of the beastmen's rage, the strength of their souls bent the world to their whim. The magic in the world felt the rage of their souls and so gave them strength. Ripping through metal and flesh alike Kur slaughtered any human he saw. He cried hideously, both of rage and sorrow as he tore through the tin men.
After all visable foes lay dead Kur sat atop the corpses of both the villagers and the humans as he wept. He couldn't bare to think of what had happened to Itoum. Death at the hands of a human priest was not just death. It was death beyond death. Their magic destroyed the souls of all beasts. Any beast who fell would be denied a path to the next life. It filled him with grief. If only he had started his search sooner. He would not only would have saved his lord, but these innocent villagers too.
Hearing cries of his fellow Hawks he stowed away the foul feelings and jumped from the congregation of the dead readying himself for a fight. Fear pinned his heart as he heard the shimmering sound of magic as he saw the greenhorn burn before his eyes, Kur watch as the soul was snuffed and he couldn't do a thing about it. Looking at the sole human survivor he felt the hatred in his heart burn brighter than a thousand suns. He looked the human in the eyes only to see the bastard of a paladin. Haiden Vice.
Kur had never seen the paladin nor was he present during his and his master's infamous duel, but their was no beast that did not know of his cowardice. To use magic in a duel of honor, he knew this human would do whatever it took to win no matter how cruel. He could feel the malice and danger eminateing from the human. Kur knew that one of them would die this day. Two of his men were lost in the battle and the greenhorn died foolishly facing the cowardly paladin on his own. Even then the four to one battle gave him no comfort.
As the paladin glared at Kur with all the hatred in the world he stomped his foot onto the corpse of his battle brother and dug his sword into the deceased solider's head. "You damned vile beastmen. Those were good men you killed, they had wives, children and you bastards stole that from them." The cold furry of the paladin sent chills down Kurs spine while his arrogant and hypocritical speech kindled his hated further.
"These villagers were cleansed of the corruption in their souls. They will be watched by the gods as they give breath to new life... but you.... you...." his slow and purposefull words gave no illusion to how the human felt. The human drew his sword from the head of Kurs brother as if to make a statement. "I'll leave your soul to rot and fester, you monsters will face eternal damnation."
The unadulterated indignation of the human sent shockwaves throughout the dead town as he lunged at the four with unholy speed. Moving beyond the speed of sight the human sliced through two of his subordinates in an instant and was moving to the third. Timmio. Desperate to save his borthers life he focused his soul and begged the world to save him. The very fabric of reality heard his plee and felt his desire, sending a wave of force. The force nearly stopped his momentum entirely, sending the human flying into one of the houses, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust in its wake.
Under no illusion that the paladin was dead he ordered Timmio to take to the sky's and return with warning to the capital. General Kisliv needed to know that Itoum was dead and that the humans were still here. Kur wanted to think he had a chance but the pain in his side sung a different story. He had used soul magic much too recklessly and it had already taken its toll. As he watched Haiden rise from the rubble of the village house he could only wonder how differently this would have been if he had adopted magic sooner and took the time to learn.
He knew that this was no time for what Ifs as the human bellowed a harrowing warcry. Readying himself he made a silent promise. As the deaths of everyone here laid solely on his shoulders he swore that this vile human would pay for what it has done. Kur knew he was going to die, but he swore that he would not allow it to happen until he had righted his wrongs and atoned for his cowardice and indecision.
Haiden charged once more, seemingly slower than before as he made an overhead slash. Kur was to slow to dodge the lightning quick blow so he was left to bring his own sword up to defect it. The parry was made haphazardly and much to slowly which offered up his talons for his opponent. Oddly Kur could feel the loss of his talons but at the same time it was almost unnoticeable.
As soon as Haiden committed to his blow Kur had already positioned his blade for the paladins neck. Between the helm and the pauldrons, that's all it would take, one clean strike. Pushing his sword with the entire weight of his body he moved to end the fight. Haiden noticed his compromised position and moved away wile making a horizontal strike towards Kur's abdomen.
As Kur felt his sword sheer the metal and peirce the flesh of the shoulder whilst he felt his own skin split in turn. The strength of his soul hardened his flesh, but the paladins magic heavily nulled that point.
Falling to the ground Kur saw the paladin stand over him with a look of disgust. "You vile beast. You were meant to be born as our brothers. You were meant to be a man."
Hent Kur sank further into the soil as the heavy sabatons of the human kicked him to the ground. His injuries to much to bear and his body unable to move. The sneer of the self-righteous human taunted him. It was as if Haiden knew that he was unable to fulfill his promise to the dead.
"Look at you. Vile filth, an animal scrounging for its very survival. We would have taken you and cleansed your soul. We would have givin you the opportunity to be born anew, as a human. As you ought to have been." Haiden's cruel gaze softened slightly, as if he bought his own bullshit. As if he truely thought that destroying a soul was the same as healing it. It made Kur sick.
"But what do you do instead? You resist, you indulge I the beastly behaviors which destroyed your soul in the first place."
The glare of the paladin returned as he didn't hide his furry.
"I do not hate you, but I spare you no pity either. May the gods have mercy on your soul, for I shan't."
As he rose his sword to the sky Kur saw the gleam of the sun on the baleful steel. Closing his eyes he accepted his fate. Not only would he die, but his soul would be lost. He sent his last goodbyes in the hopes that his mother would hear it in the afterlife, for he would be unable to tell her himself.
Kur waited for his gruesome death to come. Seconds passed, and the seconds began to fell like minutes. He felt something wet hit him and he opened his eyes. From the mouth of the human jutted a bloodied spearhead as the beating of wings was seen behind his head. Suddenly the spear jerked to the right and brought the still standing corpse with it.
Kur looked up to see none other than Timmio flying above him. He wanted to be angry for his disobedience. He wanted to be mad that Timmio endangered the entire capital by risking the loss of valuable information, but he couldn't. Kur knew what would have happened if the paladin had killed him, he shed a tear thinking about it. And his tears did not stop as he looked upon his fallen brethren who were not sparred such a horrible fate.
Rising to his feet he looked to the heavens and cried. His voice hoarse with the pain he cried. He hated this war with the humans. He hated that their survival depended on their deaths. He hated the magic which burnt the world and all the vile beliefs it brought. He just wanted a world where beastmen could be safe.
As he mourned for the lost he heard the cry of his last remaining brother. Looking to Timmio he saw one of the village beastmen plunging a sword into his chest. Her blue fur and silver armour was beautiful, contrasted by the ugly hate on her face. He turned to the sound of shouting on his left only to see another hateful beauty adorned in gold. He watched her as a great ball of flame grew before her. Watching the flame make its was towards him he could only hope this magic did not sear his soul. His duty was done, he could finally say goodbye to his mother.
Chapter 5 - Friend or Foe
"Why did it have to end this way?" - Celestia
Celestia felt her stomach churn as bile built in her throat. Unable to look away she watched as the griffin-like creature writhed in agony. She thought that she had put enough strength into her flames to kill the thing outright. She was no stranger to killing, she needed to protect her ponies from the endless monsters in the world after all. This was different though. The things she was used to fighting were mindless beasts whereas this one clearly had some form of intelligence.
She watched as the creature cried in pain for what felt like days as the sick feeling festered in her. It wasn't until Luna walked up and finished the thing before she truely regained her senses. "Sister we know that such things are unsightly but thou must must gain a stomach for such things. These creatures slew our ponies with no remorse, we must react in the same manner."
The cold words of her sister shook her. Celestia knew it was true, there was so much instability within the lands after Discord's defeat. The situation wouldn't fix itself. She and her sister would need to systematically pacify the continent and such sights would likely only ever grow more common.
"Of course sister dearest. We only felt uncomfortable do to the creatures intelligence, tis no meer beast. Yes, that is the reason we were unsettled." Dispite her confident voice she still felt sick at the thought. How could an intelligent creature do this to innocent ponies? She looked to Luna only to see the youngest stabbing any of the invaders which still drew breath.
Sighing she stood and went into the village proper to confirm the situation. I'd their were still survivor she needed to administer first aid to them and prepare them for travel to the nearest village.
Keeping her wits about her and with a spell prereadied she began to walk into the village. Celestia was disgusted by the sights. It was blatantly apparent that these creatures were thorough in their attack. Each pony she checked was struck in a vital area or had so many cut and stab wounds that a survival would be impossible. It was also clear that the bare, fleashier creatures came into the village after the fact. They were further away from the corpses and looked as if they were rushing into the town square. It filled her with a small comfort knowing that these creatures had intended to save her little ponies, however that comfort was lost as she saw what lied in the center of town.
A pile of corpses laid burning in the town center nopony was sparred of this atrocity, she could see the charred remains of a elderly stallion, looking as if it had tried to crawl away from the fire. Her mind forced the memory of the creature and implanted itself onto her ponies. She couldn't see anything other than their pain or hear anything other than that awful, agonizing scream. Kneeling to the ground she hurled.
After some moments of intense nausea she felt a palm on her back. Luna tried to comfort her sister but had no idea of what to say. Such cruelty was unimaginable to the two. As terrible as Discord was he would never resort to such cruel mindless violence.
The two sisters couldn't move, sat in the village center they cried until they could cry no longer. In the mist of their mourning a thundering of loud clopping could be heard. A loud cry could be heard as one of the furless creatures jumped of of a four legged pony-like thing. It unsettled Celestia to see something so similar yet so alien. Worse was the fact that the furless creatures were riding atop them.
"Preist Axle!" One of the smallest of the creatures cried in distress as it ran towards one of the corpses. The small one wore white robes with elegant golden trim, it's main was longer than the others though it only reached to its shoulders. As the robed one ran closer to them the other armored ones panicked, jumping off of the equines and rushing to the robed one. With the ten armor creatures approaching them Luna drew her blade and levied it at them as Celestia rose tried to appear disarming. If these creatures had tried to save her ponies then maybe she could handle this diplomatically.
"Wait, we don't want to fight. Our village was just attacked by a group of griffin-like beings. We have no quarrel with your kind." She pleaded as she looks towards the armoueed gaurds, their aggressive posture was placed in question one of their swords even lowering in response.
"Priestess Nina?" One of the armored ones asked. The one who had knelt over rose its head as it wiped tears from it's face. Standing the creature 'Preistess Nina' walked towards the two sisters sniffling.
"Greatings beastmen, it's a pleasure to meet some of the more civilized amongst your kind." The voice was soft, feminine and sounded caring dispite the insult. Luna verbally groweld at Nina refusing to lower her blade.
Jumping to action Celestia spoke in hopes of stopping a fight before it started, "Well, you see, were are known as ponies not beastmen. We aren't allied with the monsters which killed your friends." The demure female smiled at the words and took Celestia's hand. With one plam under hers and another tracing it's finger on her arm Celestia felt warmth pass through her body as the young female smiled softly.
"I apologize for my assumptions miss. Let me start over I'm Priestess Nina and we are humans." The priestess looked to Celestia with an endearing smile. Celestia knew that they had a new friend they could rely on.
Chapter 6 - Rebirth and a pinch of doubt
"You expect me to show mercy?"
Pain shot through Itoum as quickly as lighting tore through the skies. He hadn't been a stranger to pain but this was different, like his very soul was being molded. Opening his eyes he could see why. Two sets of black and matted white fur.
"King?" the response was dry and pained. Rubbing his eyes he saw that he was under no illusion, King was there standing before him. He couldn't belive it, he screeched at his old friend, "I thought you died! I thought I had died"
King stood there staring at Itoum, his black eyes hiding whatever the beast was thinking. King lifted his head and spoke "We did."
The silence between to two could be felt throughout the forest. Not a single bird sang nor did a single squirrel chitter. Two powerful forces beyond the comprehension of the forest critters were in deadlock. Two forces clashing with each other with a cacophony of emotions bearing down onto eachother.
"You mean to tell me that not only can the preistess can revive anybeast she want but so can you!" Itoum cried indignantly, "All the fine beasts we lost in the war, all of the generals! We could have done so much with this ability and only now you choose to reveal it!?"
King stood unshaken. "You think bringing someone beyond the veil is easy? Much less something that comes without cost?" King strode up to Itoum, towering over the hawk. With King so close a few things became apparent to him. The first being that the rot he saw on the corpse had not gone away but was simply hidden by the fur, the second being that most of King's musculature was gone, the once intimidating arms and legs which could crush boulders were now nought but twigs. Looking at King now Itoum would be hard pressed to see the respected mage beat even one of his newest recruits.
Even with the state he's in Itoum figured that couldn't be all, magic did tend to be rather volatile. "So what all has bringing me back cost you then? And what of the preistess?"
"The preistessess are in rather poor condition, they'll be unable to preform their duties in the church for a few days. Seeing as I revived you alone and so soon after my own resurrection, I'll be unable to use my magic for some time, possibly a few months."
Itoum looked to the stars in the sky. The humans were still here and his king unable to use his powerful magic. Even if they had escaped the wrath of the man gods, the fight was still far from over.
"Lord, there was a small town of beastmen which call themselves ponies nearby. A human pest* of knights was on their way to it and I was unable to stop them. We should see if there are any surviors." Itoum knew they were unlikely to find any, but anymore beasts they could rally to their cause would be a great boon. They were on a new world, if they could exterminate the humans here and now his kind would be safe to flourish forever.
After receiving a nod from King Itoum began to walk to the town. He could feel what King had meant when he said resurrection took quite the toll. His legs felt like they were melting off as he walked and the two of them had to take several breaks on the relatively short walk to the town. Luckily the sun was down else he feared he would have truely melted into a puddle.
Exiting the treelines he saw just a he expected. Ruined building damaged by flames and signs of battle. As he and King walked into the town proper he saw something odd. It looked as if there had been a corpse pile. Such atrocities had not been uncommon after the extermination of a beastman city but what was odd was that it had been removed. He could see the outlines of the bodies in the dust, the charred remains of flesh, but the bodies were gone.
"Itoum" his king called, "I was under the impression that you came alone, what are your men doing here?"
Looking over to where King had spoken he saw them. There were the corpses of his men, the newest member was there as well. It brought a great sadness into his heart. His men must have come looking for him only to find him dead. Kneeling besides the hawkkin he closes the dead beasts eyes so that he may rest.
"There are signs of battle but no human corpses. What the hell happened here?"
The question wasn't something Itoum could awnser. It was obvious that a battle had taken place but what perplexed him was the lack of corpses. Only the beastmen were left behind. "I don't know why."
"Then let us find out."
The response was simple but profound. The only way they would find out was if there had been a survivor, or if King spoke to the dead once more.
"But King! Your condition!" He shouted in protest.
"We are weak without many of our generals and in a vulnerable without information. You know I won't stop until we are safe." Looking towards the outskirts of town King began to walk away as Itoum got up to follow, stumbling slightly due to the burning in his legs.
It was in the outskirts that the two saw to corpses that were badly burnt. Inspecting the body Itoum noticed that the burns were not of a human priests magic but something else. The human magic would peel away at a beastman, these burns were more similar of a natural fire, but something was still unusual about it, something he couldn't tell. He was so fixated on the unusual state of the bodies he didn't notice King's call the first time.
"Itoum!" after gathering his attention King then pointed to a group of unusual ponies that had surrounded him. "Are these the ponies you were talking about?"
There was something unusual about these ponies but the resemblance was still there. The most notable was a pony that was seven foot tall, eye level with King towering over the rest. Not only was she about a foot taller but she had a horn atop her head, big powerful wings and the much more defined muscles he saw on the third group. The rest of the ponies were strange in the fact that their wings resembled that of a bat, their eyes were slit and their ears were much fluffier looking.
"I am Princess Luna, ruler of the night and protector of these lands. You have quite the never to show up here. Surrender now and you will be taken to be purified by the human preist Nina." The tall one bellowed.
The words spoken were heard but not understood. How could the ponies be working with the humans after what had happened? Were they not aware of what he had done to save them?
"This is outrageous! I had laid down my life to stall the human assault on your town!" He cried, furry enveloping him.
"Bold words coming from the ones who laid sedge to our town and committed such atrocities to our ponies." Luna accused leveling her sword at the two.
Itoum was about to confront the bitch princess before King interjected. "And how do you know it was we who attacked your people? Were there surviors who told the tail, or did you merely stumble apon these ruins and were fed false words by the human aggressors?"
The princess narrowed her eyes at King's words and lowered her sword if only so slightly. "Not only did we receive reports from out scouts detailing your beastmen from Private Gentle Wind, but the position of the corpses suggested that your kin were the aggressors."
"If you say so, yet as King to the beastmen I have ordered no attack on this town so your claimes are suspect. Rather than argue about what may have happened instead let us ask he who was here." King proclaimed much to the confusion of the princess. After he spoke King moved to the burnt corpse of one of the hawkkin. Focusing his magic a wisp manifested before them all and began to take place.
Before him Itoum saw his second in command Kur. The wisp saw his comander and cried out, "Lord, I thought the humans had killed you!" Itoum she'd a tear knowing he couldn't tell Kur the truth. Looking over to King he saw blood begining to drip from his nose and a strained look in his eyes. Glancing at the princess he saw the look of shock yet a sense of complete attentiveness.
"Kur, I'm sorry but there isn't much time, please tell us what happened at this village." It was then the wisp saw who he was looking at and cried with pain in his voice, "Her! She's the one who killed me, after we avenged this village!"
"Avenged? Were you not the ones who brought seige to this village?" She snapped back.
"No, the villagers were long dead by the time we arrived. We were to late to save their lives or their souls so we did the next best thing and brought death to the ones who snuffed their light." Kur's apparition said angrily, though whether the anger was directed at Luna or the humans he couldn't tell, though it was likely a mix of both.
"But the preistess Nina said human magic only cleanses corruption, how do I know that this is not just a trick?" Luna said her sword now at her hip rather than levied at them.
"You've seen me speak with souls," King panted, clearly exhausted from the excessive use of magic in his injured state. "Let us see the souls of the beastmen who were slain by humans and not your own kin." And with that King made his way to the corpses in the center of town, the bat like ponies clearing the way for him.
As King stood over the body he poured his magic into it and yet nothing happened. Itoum knew it would do nothing as there was no soul to be found. He thought this would prove King's case but Luna gave him a scrutinizing glare.
"I can see you lumping magic into the corpse but how is it I know you are truely trying to speak to the soul?" Her tone clearly indicated mistrust and King looked worse for the ware. How he would prove their case was beyond him.
"Then take my hand Princess, I can show you what a soul looks like."
Luna looked at the beast scrupulously. She couldn't trust him, but if what he says is true then her sister and ponies would be in great danger. She hated the situation she was in but it was her duty as the protector of her kind. She looked at this 'King' and nodded, taking his hand. At the very instant she set her hand on his she felt power wash over her as her eyes burnt and she felt her magical core react in such a pleasant way. She felt her magic bolster to new heights, it was euphoric.
"Luna, look at me and tell me what you see." came the raspy voice of the king. She looked to him and saw he was no longer the frail looking goat she had seen but moments before, but instead an imposing figure that inspired a slight fear in her.
"What am I looking at?" she asked.
"No longer are you seeing what is physical but instead you are seeing my spirit. My soul. Look around and see for yourself what the humans had done." He said glancing at the corpse she had slain she followed his eyes and saw the dimming soul she had just spoken to as it was slowly being siphoned into a breach within the sky, the breach into the veil was the most beautiful thing she had ever peered into. It was inspiring.
Though she gazed into it for only seconds it felt like an eternity of bliss. A cough from the goat brought her attention as he drew her attention to the beastman he had just tried to speak with. She looked at his body and saw nothing. There was no soul being led to the veil like the other body, nor was there a new soul like what Nina had led her to belive was the case.
Luna looked into the eyes of the goatman with so much on her mind. Did this mean that he was right? That her dearest sister was in danger? Did she murder an innocent beastman due to a misunderstanding? She didn't know what to say and the king seemed to realize.
He let go of her hand and he returned to the frail state she saw before. "I can see that you'd mind is not yet made," he began in a soft and understanding tone, "return home and ask the human once more what had happened here and compare it to what you've seen for yourself. After that you should have your awnser."
And with that the king began to walk off with his follower in tow. She didn't know what to say. In one day she had seen more horrors than she had ever experienced throughout her lifetime. The chaos of Discord nor the destruction of Tirek could compare to the situation she was in now. She had so many questions, and she will have her awnsers soon at the capital. Turning address her hunters she spoke. "We must make haste to the castel. There are many question which we must have awnsers for.
Interlude - Storm Wing's last message
Gentle Wind was ecstatic. She finally had a chance to visit the castle of the two sisters and for such a fortuitous reason as well. See, she was on gaurd duty as a strange creature came flying into Happymeadows. Her captain sent her and Storm Wing to check it out when the creature suddenly landed for some reason. Gentle approached the creature as Storm held back. As she got to him she saw that he was passed out.
The creature was clearly male. That was for sure, but other than that it was so strange. It had looked almost like a griffin, but it's feathers and beak were more similar to a hawk. The wings were much bigger than a ponys or griffins, and strangest of all was its chest and legs. The chest was completely bare and the legs were covered in some strange cloth unlike anything the ponies wore.
After some discussion with Storm the two mares carried him back to Happymeadows so he could see the doctor. Under the doctor's care it wasn't long before the creature woke up and introduced himself. Apparently it was a creature called a beastman and went by the name of Itoum. The stallion was so polite and even complemented her feathers. Gentle blushed at the memory.
Certain that the princesses would want to know of the arrival of a new species her captain sent her to deliver the news to the castle.
Gentle Wind was stopped by the castle gaurd for a moment and was quickly let in after telling them the news. She was standing before the princesses ready to deliver the wonderful news. The two were looking down on her with gentle smiles when all of the sudden their was a ruckus heard outside. The outside part didn't last long as Storm Wing burst into the throne room covered in blood, burns all over her injured form.
"We were attacked."
It was all she could say before the mare collapsed to the floor. Gentle ran to here friend only to see that she wasnt breathing. Tears streamed down her muzzle. She didn't understand. Itoum was so kind. He had flirted with her. He was injured and they took him in. She didn't understand at all.