The Marrow of the Spirit Book One: Ashes Against the Grain

Chapters

Chapter 1: While Earth Covers Earth
Chapter 2: Suddenly the Living are Dying
Chapter 3: Baalstorm, Sing Omega
Chapter 4: Calling for Vanished Faces
Chapter 5: The Bliss of the World Is Gone in an Instant
Chapter 6: Enigma of the Absolute
Chapter 7: Bloodbirds
Chapter 8: Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ

Chapter 1: While Earth Covers Earth

His fingers were the warmest part of his body, at the moment. He twitched them gently, rubbing the fur of the little filly he held in his arms. He nudged his cloak closer against the two of them, trying to fight off the harsh cold from their makeshift shelter. I knew we had to leave soon, but during a fucking blizzard? Goddess, what was I thinking? I could get Cherry and myself killed! He stared down at his little sister, a filly with bright red fur and a green mane; he remembered how they would play in the back fields of his house back in Arkon, along with his older brother Birch Black (or BB as he's called...or was called) and older sister, Summer Isle. Those were good days, then. Before the war, before the Massacre at Snowhoof, before all the shit that happened over the past couple of years. And especially before freezing to fucking death in the worst snowstorm Equestria has seen in centuries.

He missed the warmth of the sun in the fields outside of Snowhoof after a day of training with Dad, or the smell of the treats that arose in splendor over the rooftops. Hell, he even missed the bad things-the harsh summers, the harsher winters, the stares he would receive from outsiders to the village, even though he well known throughout the kingdom of Arkon (no one forgets the bipedal adopted son of Bright Steel, current Grand Master of the Wilder-Land Rangers). He missed them all, friends and assholes alike, who perished in the war, no, the SLAUGHTER that the Minotauri unleashed on his home. They were all gone, His Family, His friends, especially Gryden, the griffin, whose been his closest friend since he was a child, a proud future Ranger, and practically his brother...he was gone, too.

He drew his sword from its sheath and observed the reflection that stared back at him from the blade. He saw himself, Agalloch, apparently the only one of his species, and probably the only one left of his village and family besides Cherry. He observed his sharp features, from the black crop of raggedy hair that adorned his head, to the many scars that he received recently from battles with the Minotauri, to is flat face, small lips, and sharp nose. There many creatures that adorned this world, some beautiful like the Princess of the Sun herself, some like the ugly Hydras that stalk the Wild, and some just straight out strange, like Prince Discord and his bodily patchwork. Yet his face, his hairless, bipedal body was neither ugly, nor beautiful. Strange, maybe, but not totally strange. It was...unique. Some fur would have been nice, though. It would really help in his current situation, what with freezing to death and all that.

Standing up carefully, extending to his full height of 6'5, he shuffled the filly deeper under his cloak, sheathing his sword and continued walking on. Agalloch knew he was in a forest of ill reputation, and the less time he spent there, the better. If there was a path to follow, it was buried under layers of snow. The howling winds nipped at his bare ears and chapped lips, but his need to see the two them through this ordeal steeled his resolve, and he trudged forward into the hellish fray. He could barely make out the timberline ahead of him. Hopefully a town would be up ahead, so that he could get himself and Cherry out of this fucking storm and some where warm, dry, and hopefully, safe.

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Mayor Mare slunked her head onto the desk. The current snowstorm had stuck in her office, a place that she longed with all her might to leave and go home, brew up so warm tea, and read the latest edition the Big Apple magazine. She didn't know why, but she really got a kick out of those political cartoons.

She rose from her desk, and was soon trotting around the empty building of town hall. It occurred to her that she has been Mayor of her beloved town for years now, but has never seen this building this...empty before. All of her staff were requested to leave before the storm hit their area, by her orders no less, yet she remained behind to finish some last minute paper work, hoping to finish it before the Storm of the bucking Century hit. She was so, so wrong. Now, she was stuck here until the worst of it was over, which could take Goddess knows how long! The Things I do for tax breaks sighed Mayor Mare. After this, she was taking a long needed vacation somewhere, preferably somewhere extremely warm, where she wouldn't have to worry about getting frostbite from accidentally leaving the window open...BUCK!

No wonder it was so cold in here! Mayor Mare dashed to the second level of the building, following the sound of the whistling wind, to the one of the targets of her current misery. She followed the sound until she heard the pinnacle of it's unholy shrieks from the window coming from the break room.

"Stupid interns," Mayor Mare muttered to herself, "always messing something up, and now, are attempting to turn me into a pony Popsicle!"

She slammed the window shut in her irritation, allowing the room to slowly heat up. Glancing outside, she noticed that the gusting torrents of snow were beginning to slack.

Finally she thought maybe I could make it ho...what the ...Her musings were cut short when she noticed a figure shambling towards the town hall. Right off the bat, she noticed that this was no pony. She could clearly see that it walked upon two legs, but could not make out the species of creature, due to the long black and tattered cloak it adorned itself with. Her next thought was what would any creature be doing out in a storm like this? Only a mad stallion would be out during literal shit storm. She observed it as it came closer and closer to town hall, until it was literally at her doorstep. Loud and frantic thumps her heard against the door, downstairs. The faint echoes of screams could be heard coming from outside, but was badly muffled by the wind outside. Whatever it is, it was desperately trying to get in. Though she was afraid, Mayor Mare knew she couldn't leave what ever it was down stairs to die in the cold. Steeling her nerves, she took a deep breath and dashed down the stairs to he front entrance and slowly opened the door.

"Please...help...her..."

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Agalloch could feel not only the effects of hypothermia settling in, but the tell tale signs of frostbite. And if he were faring ill, than Cherry would also be in serious danger of freezing to death. The timberline was close, only a few hundred feet or so away, allowing a small amount of hope to build in his chest. Agalloch was a tough guy, but even he bent to the will of Mother Nature, and boy, was Mother Nature really taking her PMS out on him. He tried to crack a smile at his little musing, but the thought of his and Cherry's death was ever present in his mind, a harsh reminder to his current situation. And so he picked up the pace, praying to whichever Goddess would listen that the storm would abate, or at the most, calm for just awhile.

He breached the timberline, huffing and taking deep breaths. Taking a knee, he knelt to catch his breath, exhaustion and fatigue begging his body to stop, to take a break, to die, even, just to stop. He heard a small whimper from his cloak and shifted his head to look at Cherry. She was shivering nonstop, with frost beginning to form at the tip of her developing wings. Cherry is just filly, she won't last much longer Agalloch thought. Cherry was only a few years old, and though no longer a foal, was still developing, and considerably weaker than her elder sibling.

"A....Ag....Aggie...I...I'm so...c...ccc...cold....." Cherry shivered out.

"Don't.worry...Ch...Ch...Cherry...I...I'm…gonna....g..get us...somewhere..W...w.... warm" Agalloch stuttered out.

With that, he wrapped her up once more, got up, and trudged onward.

A slight break in the weather was graced upon the two, allowing Agalloch to survey his surroundings. Up ahead, sure as shit, was a town. He made out several houses and cottages, and what appeared to be a mansion in the clouds (though how it stayed afloat in this storm was beyond his comprehension), but what garnered his attention was the large building in what appeared to be the center of the town. Agalloch had questions, questions that needed answering. If that building was what he thought it was, it was his destination and by the Gods would he make it there. Feeling a sudden burst of adrenaline, Agalloch Dashed off as fast as the snow would let him in the direction of the village.

Reaching what he though was the center of the town, the last rush of the adrenaline in him slowly diminished, and Agalloch felt the very real feeling of total exhaustion fall over him like a blanket. His vision began to fade in and out, and he felt queasy and disorientated, but ,most of all, numb. He could barely feel his limbs anymore, which is never a good sign. With the last of his strength, Agalloch shambled towards the doors of the large building before him. Reaching the door, he attempted to open it and burst in, but found that it was locked. His consciousness was fading quickly, and his fear for Cherry's life was growing into a full-scale panic. He tore off his cloak, wrapping Cherry in a cocoon of rags, placed by the doorstep and frantically began pounding on the door, his desperation to save his last family member becoming his duty.

"PLEASE!! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!!!" he yelled, while the wind carried his voice to the heavens. He fell to his knees again, grabbing the bundle from floor and holding it close to his chest. He could make out Cherry's breathing, but could tell it was very labored. She would die soon. Agalloch felt the tears begin to form. Beside his sword and his cloak, she was all he had, the last reminder of home, of family, of any good remaining in the world. And he was going to lose her...

NO!!!

"NOOOOO!! NOT YOU TWO!!!!!!!"

The last spark in Agalloch's chest ignited, and a fire of resolve burned strong him in. He lost his friends, his family, his home, his fucking country, but he will not lose her!!!

He rose to feet, ready to break the door down and save his sister's life and damn the consequences, when the door creaked open, and was greeted by the sight of a tan mare with a gray mane. She looked at Agalloch with mixture of confusion, awe and fear. Down to his knees he went, meeting her eye to eye. His eyes began to water, as tears of gratitude began to fill them. He thanked the Gods, his ancestors, everything and anything, for this one small mercy. He opened his arms to the mare, revealing the filly shivering and freezing under them.

"Please.................help.....her.............."

Chapter 2: Suddenly the Living are Dying

Blood. Blood everywhere. The color Crimson filled his vision, and he was it's King. Bodies lay strewn across the landscape, as he looked towards the field before him. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions, for all he knew; Agalloch was never good with numbers. His own body and clothes were adorned with the color red and yet strangely, it didn't bother him. Agalloch stood in the middle of tundra of death, with enough corpses to populate a city. He heard rustling and shuffling behind him; what was left of the current battalion of soldiers, Arkon's finest, were busy carrying the wounded to the medical tent, and their honored death to a mass grave.

He looked before his feet and saw the Minotauri soldier before him, his sword jammed between his ribs. He took a life, today. He took many lives today. This was the biggest battle fought, so far, and he killed and killed and killed. He remembered the old vets at the Golden Claw Pub back at home talk about their first kill. It was supposed to feel horrible, sickening, and, most of all, painful, as if a part of you was dying with your target.

Agalloch felt nothing of the sort, and that was what scared him.

He wanted to feel pain, to feel sorrow, to feel something negative! But he didn't. He felt good, great, even, better than he had felt since this whole mess started, and that worried him dearly. According to rumor, he had killed more Minotauri than any other Ranger that day, even his father. His own fucking father. He wanted to feel sick at such a notion, but he didn't. He felt proud. Disgustingly proud.

The soldiers gave him nickname that day, to acknowledge his deeds, whether fare or foul. A name that they felt that he deserved. A name that he loathed, yet accepted.

"So, you're the King In Crimson, now, huh?" Agalloch heard a voice say, behind him. He turned around to see Gryden, his best friend, coming up behind him. Like himself, Gryden was covered in the gore of war, though not to the extent of Agalloch's current horrid appearance. Being a griffin, he was used to the carnage of the hunt, but the killing of fellow sentient beings? It felt wrong to Gryden. He was brash, brave, and overly confident. He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, and snagging of prey from the crags of the cliffs by Snowhoof. But this...this was murder. Even if they started it first. Even if they deserved every bit of pain, of grief, of misery that they so fucking deserved. What happened today was wrong in every sense.

"Yeah, I guess I am," replied Agalloch. Gryden sat next to him, observing the corpse at Agalloch's feet.

"How many does this one make?"

“.... You don't want to know, Gry" Agalloch replied.

The two were silent, both deep in thought. Thoughts of what happened, what was present, and what was going to happen filled their minds. How much longer would this conflict last? How many other countless creatures would die? A horn was heard in the distance; its sad and melodious melody carried its song over corpse and field. It was the Royal Melody. The King was here, coming from some other battle up further north towards the Licknia Fields. If he was here, this far south, then the battle must have been lost. A loss they couldn't afford.

The two friends stared at one another, as a wave of hopelessness washed over them. Why couldn't things have just stayed the same? Why would anyone want something like...like this to happen? Their musings were cut short from a rumble emanating from Gryden's stomach. Gryden looked up, and blushed. It started with snicker, than a giggle, than full-scale laughter from the two youths. And, just like that, the horrors of the world were abated, if not for briefest moments. Amid the carnage of the battlefield, there were two friends, laughing, together, and, for the moment, mirthful.

"Come on Ags, let's head back to camp and get some grub" Gryden said with a chuckle, heading towards the encampment.

"Right behind you, Gry," Agalloch replied. He pulled his sword from the Minotauri's body, and wiped it on a cloth from his pack. Sheathing the blade, he followed Gryden back to the camp, with one last glance towards the corpse behind him. His father was probably preparing the King's arrival if they heard the horn form here. Maybe he should ask the King about his feelings towards killing. The pleasure he felt was unnatural and unnerving. He needed to talk to someone who would understand. But first he would wash, eat and change.

The King of Arkon was coming, and the King of Crimson was his servant.

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A flicker of light caught his eye. And the warmth, oh Goddess, the warmth. He felt amazing! He felt...alone. The young Ranger lazily tightened his arms, expecting to feel the warm fur of Cherry in his grasp.

He felt nothing.

Agalloch jerked up right, his eyes bursting open. As far as he could tell, he was in a room that was faintly illuminated from a fire in the fireplace. He noticed tables and desks, covered in papers and other office supplies. He, himself, was on a what appeared to be couch that was to small for his large frame. He heard shuffling, muttered talking, coming from another room to the left of the couch. One voice sounded like Cherry's, relief flowing through Agalloch's mind. Cherry was awake and well enough to talk he thought. The other voice was unknown to him, most likely the mare that had answered the door for him. The mare that saved his and Cherry's life.

He threw off the blankets in order to walk to the other room, but a sudden burst of cold, especially to his nether regions, alerted him that he was, at the moment, very, very naked. His face flushed, immediately. A complete stranger, a mare no less, saw him...in the nude! While most creatures walked around in the nude all the time, Agalloch felt very uncomfortable with the notion of being unclothed and scanned the room for his clothes. Turning towards the fireplace, he could see that his long, black hooded cloak, along with his boots, pants and leather chest armor lay by the fire. Grasping them, he could feel that they were soaking wet. He quickly wrapped the blankets that were on the couch around him into a crude cloak to hide his shamefully bare body. His movements must have caught the attention of the other two, for he heard the one-sided conversation stop, and the sound of hoof steps coming towards him. The mare from before and Cherry stood in the doorway adjacent to the couch.

"AGALLOCH!!!" the red filly cried before jumping into the arms of her brother.

Agalloch barely had enough time to tie the ends of his make shift cloak to keep it from falling off before his sister slammed into his stomach. He fell back wards, landing on the couch once again, while Cherry clung to his chest, weeping tears of relief and joy.

"Ssshhh, Cherry, it's OK, now. We're OK and safe" Agalloch spoke gently, stroking the small red filly's back "Don't worry, I got you now, and won't let you go."

"B-b-but A-A-Agalloch... I-I was so s-sc-scared!" Cherry stuttered through her tears. Agalloch continued petting her, rocking her back and forth.

"Ahem, er, excuse me," The mare behind the two of them piped up.

Agalloch and Cherry lifted their heads towards the direction of their savior. She stared at the two siblings, with a small smile adorning he face. Agalloch released his sister and turned to face the mare before him. Dropping to her eye level, Agalloch impulsively pulled her into a hug. Mayor Mare was shocked, at first, but eased into the hug, and wrapped her forelegs around Agalloch's neck.

"Thank you," Agalloch said "Thank you so much for saving my little sister. If she would've died...I don't know what I would have done."

"There, there," Mayor Mare cooed, " it's quite alright. I couldn't leave you two out there, now could I? What kind of pony would that make me?"

"It is still appreciated."

"Well, maybe you could answer some questions of mine young...colt? I'm sorry; I don't know what to call you. What manner of creature are you?"

Agalloch rose back to his feet, and turned to stare at the fire. "I don't know what I am," replied Agalloch "as far as I know, I could be the first, the last, or the only one of my kind in this known world. But, as for my name, I am Agalloch Alcest Steel, Son of Bright Steel, and the rank of Principality of the order of Wilder-Land Rangers, at your service, ma'am." He turned around to face her, putting his fist across his chest, and gave a small bow as a sign of respect to his savior. Mayor Mare looked at Agalloch with a puzzled expression.

"Did you just bow at me?" she asked, quizzically.

"Yes, it is a custom we practice back at Arkon, as a way to show a sign of respect to our elders. Er, as in adults, ma'am. Not that you look old or anything, heh heh." he said awkwardly, blushing a little.

"Oh, um, thank you, dearie," replied Mayor Mare "but you mentioned you’re a Ranger, and came from a place called Arkon. I'm confused here, what are those exactly, Agalloch?”

Now it was Agalloch's turn to look puzzled.

"You've never heard of the kingdom of Arkon, one of the oldest kingdom's of the Far North?" Mayor Mare shook her head from side to side.

"Then you don't know what’s happened there, do you?"

"I'm afraid not, Agalloch."

Agalloch sighed. This was going to be a very long explanation. He turned to look at Cherry, who had nodded off to sleep on the couch behind him. Good he though she needs her rest. He stroked her mane, causing a small smile to form on her lips as she snuggled into the warmth of the couch.

"I heard you and my sister talking," Agalloch said "She didn't tell you anything, did she?"

"I'm afraid she didn't talk much," Mayo Mare stated "I asked her this morning if she wanted hot chocolate, and she very quietly said no, and she told me her name when I asked for it."

"Cherry's a very quiet kid, ma'am. Even back before everything went to hell, she didn't talk much. Oh, and she doesn't like hot chocolate. She likes coffee."

"What! You don't give a small filly coffee!" Mayor Mare exclaimed.

"Tell that to my dad. Said it'll put hair on her chest," smirked Agalloch, chuckling a bit at his dad’s old joke. Though the smile turned quite quickly to a frown, painful thoughts of his loss coming back to him.

"Well, as long as I'm here, that filly will touch nothing of the sort," huffed the Mayor, the thought of a child of her size and age consuming a drink that even she could barely tolerate irritating her. But her musings were cut short when she saw the pained expression cross Agalloch's face.

"Agalloch, are you all right," she asked. She was answered with silence.

A single tear fell from Agalloch's right eye, all the events of the past 3 years coursing through his mind.

"I think I better start from the beginning, huh?"

"What?"

"Who me and my sister are, where we come from. If I have to explain that, than I have to start from the beginning. Please, refrain from any questions until I am finished explaining, ma'am." Agalloch said in a monotone voice, causing the mood of the room quickly change.

"My name is Mareyln T. Mare, Agalloch, the Mayor of this town. There's no need to call me ma'am, all the time. But please, explain yourself, and I'll hold my questions until later."

Agalloch nodded his head, and turned back to the face the fire. The flames' flickered, causing the reflections in his eyes to dance across his irises. "You're in for a long story Miss Mayor," he said. Clearing his throat, Agalloch began his tale:

"Two thousand years ago, before the settling of the Kingdom you are in presently, before the Griffins built their vast empire and became the superpower it is today, even before the Bossk, or Diamond Dog in the Common Tongue, built there Kingdom of Stone, in the Far North, was The Wild. The Wild was the untamed land located between the wandering Pony tribes to the south, The Griffin Kingdoms to the west, the Gem Valley, where the Bossk dwell, to the east…and the Minotauri, or Minotaur, Kingdom to the North. The Wild was filled with creatures of the likes that have never seen before, beautiful and dangerous alike, where bandits and marauders sought refuge from the law, where the environment could kill you as well as mesmerize you. During those days, settlers from all four nations tried to settle those lands, for rumors of rich silver ore, a precious and rare metal, I’m sure you know, were spread throughout the lands. But most expeditions would end in a bloodbath, by the environments harsh seasons, dangerous creatures, or the sheer amount of lawlessness that was there. How the bandits ever survived, I will never know, but times in the Wild turned them crueler than the usual bandit, and murder was not uncommon.”

Mayor Mare gasped. Such notions of murder confused and scared her. Equestria has always been a land of peace, and violence was a topic that very rarely entered into the lives of everyday citizens, least of all…murder.

She waited for Agalloch to continue speaking.

“The violence became so bad, that a mixed group of settlers, from all four major kingdoms, and some from other areas of the continent, congregated together, and worked to form the first town in the middle of the Wild. The leader of the group was a grizzled ex-captain from the ranks of an elite unit of the Griffin army. His name was Feather Arc. The settlers named the town of less than 400 Sanfaran, which in old Griffin meant ‘The Rock’, for the area was riddled with quarries of stone.

This was the turning point of the area. It was here, where the future of this land was discovered. While digging around the local perimeters of the town, several settlers unearthed silver ore. With this discovery, Arc soon made it his priority to protect their find, and it’s people, and so, gathering the best fighters from the four major races of the settlers, he assembled and trained some of the best fighters to ever emerge, Wilder-Land Rangers. Through months and months of training, he, along with his three lieutenants, Red Steel, the pegasus, Xasthur, the Bossk, and Rabbaz, the Minotauri, harnessed the fighting traits of the four races: the brutality of the Minotauri, the tracking skill and endurance of the Bossk, the speed of the pegasi Ponies, and the agility of the Griffin, to mold these soldiers into a fighting force that had never been seen before.

There were six ranks one could achieve as Ranger. The starting rank was the rank of Dominion, meant for those who graduated training, or at least lived through it. From there, your rank increased through the valor and bravery you showed during in the lien of duty, and through the recommendation a superior ranking ranger. In order, the ranks were Dominion, Virtue, Principality, Knight Ranger, Throne, and after Arc stepped down as the leader of the Rangers, and ascended the throne of Arkon, the rank of Grand Master, in which there could only be one at a time until the current Grand Master died, or was cast down. As I said before, I have only reached the rank of Principality.

Once their training was complete, he sent them into the Wild, to guard construction teams who built trade roads, destroyed any sign of bandits, and ‘tame’ the vast wilderness before them. With their aid, and the formation of a standard fighting force, along with the richness of the silver mines, Sanfaran became a massive city, and other cities emerged from the tamed land. Seven years after Sanfaran’s founding, the entire area became a sovereign kingdom, lead by Feather Arc, guarded by his Rangers, and renamed Arkon, an Old Griffin word meaning 'Strong'. That should cover the jest of the history lesson, for now.”

Agalloch took a seat next to Cherry, who was still fast asleep. He patted the space next to him, allowing Mayor Mare to sit on his right. He took a deep breath before continuing:

“Now all that’s left to talk about is myself and Cherry. You already know my name, and that I don’t know what I am in regards to my species, but you don’t know my origins or how I came to be in Arkon. I don’t know if I was ever truly…born. I mean, I have to have been at some point, but all I know is what my father told me. Cherry’s father and mine was Bright Steel, a unicorn of large height, with a long, messy mane of silver and fur as black as midnight, who was the current Grand Master of the Rangers. He told me he was patrolling an area of woodland where a pack of timberwolves were said to have been sighted, the cruelest pack to enter the area in centuries, who killed not only for food, but for sport as well, with the intent to destroy them on sight. He tracked them to cave on the east side of the cliffs by Mt. Cloud, near a small village. He entered the cave, following the their tracks, but noticed changes inside when he went further into dark. The walls changed from stone, to something akin to metal, he told me, and strange 'tubes' adorning the floor.

He didn't know how long he walked into the cave, or whatever it was; he simply admired the surroundings around him. The cave, he told me, opened into a vast room, covered with seemingly metal...machines or something of the like, which were everywhere, and in the center of the room, the timberwolves lay. They arose and charged at him, but my father wasn't the Grand Master for nothing. He drew his sword, the sword that is leaning against the fireplace right here, and utterly destroyed them. One of the bodies’ slunked into one of the strange machines, which caused it make strange sounds and seemingly speak in a strange language, so he said. The machine opened with a hiss, he stared inside and he found-“

“You, he found you didn't he?” interrupted Mayor Mare. Agalloch turned his head to face the mare, who stared at him with undivided attention.

“Yeah,” he said “He found me in there. For the sake of time, I’ll say that he brought me back to his home village of Snowhoof, where he brought me into his family, and they raised me. The story is much more complex than that, but I’ll save that for another time.”

“I understand, Agalloch,” Mayor Mare said. Agalloch allowed a small smile to grace his face, as he nodded his head in appreciation. Mayor Mare returned with a smile of her own.

“Anyway, I grew up into his family. My mother, a pegasus named Spring Dew, with a white coat and a long, golden mane, was the kindest pony I have ever met. Even though I wasn't her son, yet alone her species, she…she loved me like I was her own child, and never have I been more blessed than to have her care for me. I had two older siblings, if you counted me as being a year old when I was pulled from the cave. My older brother was a pegasus like my mother, but had black fur like my father, and his fighting spirit. His name was Birch Black, and if anypony had the potential to take my father’s place, it was him. A few years back, he reached the rank of Knight Ranger! He was only 19 at the time! When I was inducted to the rangers when I was 9, he was idol, my hero, and was always there for me.

My older sister was a white unicorn mare named Summer Isle. She was an artist, and loved painting pictures of the seasons, especially summer. She also had the loveliest singing voice. When I was much, much younger, she’d sing to me every night to help me sleep when the winter winds howled past my bedroom window. It was a strange song, in an even stranger language. I never asked what the words meant, though. I sung it every now and then to Cherry when we were on the road, recently, to help her sleep. My sister and brother were good ponies, as were my mother and father, and I miss them all dearly.”

“Are they…are they dead?” Mayor Mare asked, with hesitation in her voice. The strange creature looked towards the ground, the fire’s light fading from his face.

“Yeah, they’re dead,” he stated, coldly.

“Four years ago, tensions between Arkon and The Minotauri Kingdom grew to its peak. You see, Ponies, Dragons, and Bossk covet gems, Griffins covet gold, and the Minotauri, especially their high council and thanes, covet silver above all things. Whatever drew them to silver, drew them to our kingdom's silver mines. We shipped as much as we could allow to their lands, but their need for the precious metal could never be satisfied. We instilled an embargo on silver to their country, in protest to their violent threats. They didn't take it well."

"They invaded. We never saw it coming, and there was no warning. I remember my best friends father bursting into the room, screaming at the top of his lungs ‘ WE'VE BEEN INVADED, WE'VE BEEN INVADED!’ Apparently, the Minotauri army annexed ten miles of territory, and all the villages and towns within the area were destroyed. All diplomatic ties were cut off. We couldn't get any messages to them. The Minotauri wanted our land and our silver, and were not above killing everything and anything to get it. So we fought back. The Rangers lead the fight, and at first we were able to push them back. With Rangers leading the way, victory felt assured. Or so we thought. The Minotauri used these new…weapons of some sort.

What they did was unfathomable.

You would just hear a bang, and see a slash of light, and than, you’d die. In the blink of an eye, we began losing fight after fight. These new weapons destroyed everything and every creature. And the killing wasn't strictly to the armies, oh no, the Minotauri proceeded to genocide every town, every refugee camp, any place that would hold life. Hell, they even killed then animals. these weapons made them not only stronger, but crueler as well. They didn't even spare Arkon Minotauri, calling them 'Blood Traitors. Their evil truly knew no bounds.

Me, my family, what was left of the Rangers and the army, as well as thousands of others refugees, were pushed back to the Sanfaran, the last walled city in the kingdom. The whole fucking kingdom. For three days, three horrible days, we where under siege. The amount of death I saw was just…unfathomable. The third night, the Minotauri breached the gate, with a new weapon. All we saw was the gate one moment, and a firey explosion next. It was utter chaos. Thousands of soldiers poured into the city. Death. Blood. Oh Goddess…”

Agalloch slumped forward, as he began to weep again. Mayor Mare would’ve comforted him, would’ve patted his back, tell him everything was all right. But she was stunned. Disturbed. Mortified. She stared at this creature, who held his face in his hands and sobbed and cried into his palms. Her brain could not comprehend the amount of…evil that had transpired in this world. Finally, she snapped out of her stupor, and wrapped her forelegs around Agalloch, shushing him, trying to alleviate his sorrow. He slowly began to calm down, took deep breaths, and relax. He turned to the mare next to him, and spoke again:

“My father and brother died trying to retake the gate; my mother and older sister were killed, along with several hunded other refugees, who were trying to escape through what remained of the last functioning hospital; The last of the Rangers, the last of my order…the last of my friends…were destroyed, along with the king, the last of the line Arc, and Goddess knows how many others. The only one not accounted for was the Prince, who was away at the time of the siege, probably trying to gain support from the Griffin Empire. I haven't heard word of him since.

I saw Cherry among the crowd. How she got there, I will never know. Me and Gryden and several other Rangers were ordered to hold off this last small section of city, to allow the nobles to escape. I, at the time, felt like I had nothing left to live for, and was ready face an honorable death. But when I saw Cherry, I sheathed my sword and ran to her. I can still hear my comrades shout at me, frantically crying out to me to stay and help them hold there area. To not abandon them. I saw Gryden’s eyes fill with tears when i fled the field. I could see the hurt in his face when I abandoned him. Him. One of the few who had been with me through everything that had happened. My brother in everything but flesh. My friend...

But I ignored them. I ignored him. I grabbed Cherry and fled, hiding among the nobles, servants, who ever could possibly escape the slaughter, and abandoned my city, my kingdom, and my order. The last I heard, Arkon flies a different flag, and is now a province of the newly formed Minotauri Empire. I fled south, to a kingdom known for its peace, prosperity and harmony. I fled here. And that’s all I can tell you.”

A silence encompassed the room. Each person had different thought s flowing through his and her head. While Mayor tried to make sense of all she heard, Agalloch felt the sleep beginning to come over him.

“Ma’am, I’m really tired. Maybe we could talk more tomorrow?” inquired Agalloch, who eyes felt heavier and heavier with each passing second.

“Yes,” Mayor Mare responded “we’ll talk more tomorrow. Hopefully the storm will abate soon, and we could show you around are town, as well as introduce you to the locals.” She tried to force a smile, but she felt sick, as all manner of foul things pulsed through her mind. She got up, and began to walk to her office upstairs. She had a lot to think about tonight.

“Goodnight,” she said before ascending the stairs.

“Goodnight, ma’am,” Agalloch responded “and thank you again, for everything.”

With that, he lay back onto the couch, wrapped his arms around Cherry, and settled into a sleep, with dreams of blood and battle emanating through his subconscious.

It would be a long night.

Chapter 3: Baalstorm, Sing Omega

"HURRY! IN THE NAME OF THE GODS, HURRY!"

Several Rangers dashed through the thickets of Farthing Wood, where, on the forests edge, laid the town of Snowhoof. A colossal plume of smoke could be seen rising from the area, and the sounds of screams and roars could be heard. The world around Agalloch was a blur, his mind only processing one objective: to save his home.

He saw the Rangers around him talking, shouting; he saw his brother and father at the head of the group, with looks of utter distress upon their faces. Agalloch was so used to seeing them with calm, collected faces, even when in the thick of battle. The fact that the two hardened soldiers looked like they would lose it was unnerving. But who would blame them? Their family was still in Snowhoof, and it was the current sight of a battle.

And if the cries of war and savagery could be heard this far out, than the Minotauri must be in massive numbers.

"HURRY! WE CAN STILL MAKE IT!" shouted Bright Steel. All manner of horrible thoughts crossed his mind; of what was happening to his home village, of what was happening to his family! Hell, the Ranger headquarters was in Snowhoof, with very valuable information for the war effort there! If the Rangers that were couldn't hold the headquarters, and if the Minotauri get a hold of their intelligence, oh Goddess...

The Rangers ran as hard and as fast as they could. They could make out the clearing ahead. Soon, they would be able to cross into the village, join the fight, and save as many and as much as they could. They broke the treeline, and beheld the sight before

Fire. Smoke. Screaming. Death.

Refugees were fleeing from the firey town, while score upon score of Minotauri soldiers ravaged the area. The feelings that Agalloch felt were too numerous to fully in take, but the dominant feeling that turned his eyes red and his blood to boil was rage. Rage and revenge. He drew his sword from his sheath, shouting the the war cry of the Rangers:

"BAALSTORM! BAALSTORM!"

And charged forward, with his father, brother, and comrades behind him, with the intent to claim village and their people.

They ran until they breached the towns perimeter and clashed blades, spears, ax, and halberd against the closest target they could find. Except Agalloch. The drive that was in him seemed to fade away in instant when he saw the corpse of a dead foal at his feet. He stared with an emotionless face. He knew this foal. He was once of Cherry's friends, and had barely reached the age of four earlier this year. And here he lay, at the foot of his feet, with most of his lower body missing, and look of utter horror and pain frozen on his face. Agalloch stared, his mind gone blank. Who would willingly murder a child. A child for fuck's sake. This was too much for him to take.

He vomited. He was mortified, he was appalled...he was angry. His mind began to recede to a state of unimaginable wrath. True anger coursed through his consciousness, as the fury from before returned to him. This was a crime against decency, against his people, against Nature itself. With his sword tight in his hand, he leapt into the fray, knowing all to well that the town was loss. While his father and brother evacuated his family and what survivors were left to the nearest fortification, Agalloch, and what Rangers were left, proceeded to take life after life, his current lust for blood fueling his insanity for violence.

A debt was made by the Minotauri that day. A debt that would be repaid in blood.

And the King In Crimson would have his payment.

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A loud crack from the fire is was startled Agalloch from his sleep, instinctively reaching for his sword, which he realized was at the other end of the room. He grunted, and slowly began to sit up and stretch. Once again noticing his present state of nudity, Agalloch quickly checked the room for any sign of Cherry or Mayor Mare, and proceeded to swiftly grab his clothes from by the fire place, now nice and dry, and put them on. He belted on his sword's sheath, grabbed his sword, and proceeded to look into his reflection on the blade.

The thoughts of last nights dream, no, memory, still lingered in his mind. Images of dead children, roaring beasts, and blood, so much blood, flashed before his eyes. He sheathed the blade, no longer wanting to look at the monster that stared back at him. He thought that Minotauri did horrible things in the war, but, oh boy, Agalloch had done is fair share of horrors, and thoroughly enjoyed it at the time. It made him sick now.

Shaking his head to clear the grizzly thoughts, he turned to see if Cherry was still asleep by him. She wasn't. Unnerved by the lack of her presence, Agalloch finished belting on some straps from his chest piece of armor, and than proceeded to look around for Cherry. Hearing sounds coming from another room, Agalloch followed the racket to what seemed to be a small kitchen of some sort. There, sitting at a small table, was Cherry, happily stuffing her face with an assortment of food before her. She looked up to see her brother in the doorway, and beamed a happy smile at him. Agalloch, in turn, allowed a small smile to cross his face. Seeing his sister happy made him happy

"Mornin', Cherry," Agalloch yawned, pulling up a chair and sitting across from her. She looked up from her gorging, and waved.

"That's it? We nearly survive freezing to death yesterday, and all you can do is wave?"

She rose from her seat, hopped on the table, avoiding the food, and kissed him on the cheek. Than, proceeded to sit back down and continue her meal. Agalloch rubbed his cheek and laughed a little, instantly obliterating what little ill that lingered in his mind. He was alive, Cherry was alive, and they were both safe and sound. No war, no blood, just breakfast. Grabbing a plate for himself, he shoveled food off the trays and into his gullet.

For awhile, the two sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying the food that was before them. There were eggs, fruits, pancakes, and several kinds of pastries. They were eating like kings, and it felt great. The two were used to living off rations and scraps from whatever Agalloch could find in the wilderness on their flight from Arkon. Wait a moment thought Agalloch Cherry can't cook, where did this food come fro...oh right, our hostess. Speaking of which, where is she?

"Where's Mayor Mare?" Asked Agalloch. Cherry pointed at a note that was pinned to the fridge.

"Thanks for the help," muttered Agalloch, which was acknowledged by Cherry with another wave. With a roll of his eyes, Agalloch proceeded to rip the note from fridge and read it.

Agalloch

Since the storm has calmed significantly, I left to bring some food for you and your sister. Don't worry, it's on me. Another thing, while I'm out, I am also setting up a town meeting, to introduce you to the populace. I hope you that you are not insulted by the notion. I don't intend to show you off due to to your nature or anything of the sort. It's more of a local custom. Speaking of that, there is no doubt that you will run into a pink mare with a pink, poofy, curly mane. She may be a little...eccentric. But please, she means well.

Anyway, I will be back to the town hall (where we currently are, by the way) shortly, so please, try to look somewhat presentable. And, if I may say without stepping out of bounds, I would suggest leaving the sword behind. We ponies are wary around such things, for violence truly isn't in our nature. But, I leave the decision up to you.

See you soon,

Mayor Mare

P.S. I refuse to buy coffee for your little sister. And if I ever catch you buying coffee for her, I'll make it my personal mission to buck your flank straight to the moon.

Dropping the letter, he slumped back down into his chair, Cherry eyeing is sudden change in mood. Agalloch sighed a deep and hearty sigh. Crowds have never been his strong suit, due the amount of staring eyes that would probe him with curious disgust. Being the only one of your kind has it's major drawbacks. It took years for his own village to become accustomed to his presence, for Goddess sake. And now, he would be showcased by many more new eyes, who have never seen anything like him before, and who are also unaccustomed to violence. He mustn't really talk much of what had transpired, the bare basics at best. He needed to build a new life for him and his sister, and he couldn't risk isolating himself and Cherry from the rest of the town.

"You know what we have to do, don't you?"

Cherry nodded her head. Agalloch sighed once more

"This is gonna suck," Agalloch muttered, heading towards the nearest bathroom. He would need to take a shower once he found one, but for now, he might as well wash his face and relieve himself. After all, he had a crowd to entertain, and a first impression to make. Oh Goddess, i hope this goes well...

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"So, thar's a new addition to our little town," Applejack said, while her and her five other friends sat in Sugracube Corner, enjoying the warmth and the smells of the bakery. "And by what the Mayor said, he may be a bit strange lookin', if ah heard right."

"Yes, and from what Miss Mare has said, he's from far to the north. Even past the Griffin Empire!" Exclaimed Twilight excitedly, "I can only imagine what country or kingdom he comes from! Oh, I have so many questions For him and-"

"Settle down, egghead," piped in Rainbow Dash "so what if he's some foreigner? A pony is a pony, no matter where they come from." She placed her forelegs behind her head, and leaned back into her side of the booth, thoughts of flying when the air isn't so frigid coming to mind.

"That's the thing," replied Twilight, leaning forward against the table " He isn't a pony, Rainbow Dash."

"What?" This caught Rainbow's attention.

"Yep, he isn't a pony, that's for sure. Or so Mayor Mare has told me."

"Than what is he, a diamond dog?"

"Nope"

"Minotaur?

"Wrong again, RD."

"A zebra?"

"Again, no."

"For buck's sake, Twi, just tell me what he is!"

"Rainbow, there is no need for such uncouth language," Rarity attested "And what does it matter what his species is?"

"What do you mean, why is it important!? We don't want some sorta monster running around here, don't we?!"

"Rainbow! Why would ya say sumthin' like that?! You haven't even met the feller!," exclaimed Applejack "Shucks, he could be the nicest feller, if'n who give him a chance to explain things! Mayor Mare says he and his sister had it rough, you know."

Rainbow pouted. She hated being proven wrong, but hated the thought of anything being remotely dangerous to her friends or town even more.

"I still don't trust anything non-pony," Rainbow stubbornly said "He'll have to earn my trust."

"You're something else, RD," Said Applejack, with a shake of head.

"Yeah, Dashie. There's no need to be a meanie about it," Pinkie butted in "He could be the funnest, most awesomest, non-pony ever! And boy, do i have a party planned for him! There'll be cake, and games, and punch, and music, and Gummy, and me, and Everypony, and GASP!! I HAVE TO SET IT UP ASAP! EVERYPONY, OUT, OUT OUT!!" Pinkie proceeded to throw everypony out of the nice warm building, into the cold outside, even the other paying patrons and the cakes as well. The five friends stared at the building that they had just been evicted from, with looks of astonishment on their faces. Fluttershy broke the awkward silence

"Um, is it me, or, um, does Pinkie Pie act a little...to crazy sometimes?"

With shrugs all around, the friends walked off to the town square. There was a meeting that needed attending, and a new pair of souls to welcome to their cheery, little town.

=================================================================================================

Elsewhere...........

He had a spring in his step, that's for sure. For once, he didn't mind this bulky, stupid armor he had to wear or this huge jagged helmet over his head. He had a great night last night. She was some of the most fun he had in weeks. The way she screamed, the way she bled, Jesus Christ, the way she writhed in fucking agony. It was amazing!

No. Orgasmic. Fucking orgasmic.

For being a Minotaur, she was pretty small and scrawny. But he didn't mind. He's small compared to these creatures he works for, well, that work for him, in a manner of speaking. Ever since killing the Minotaur High General and becoming the new one (he loved their "keep what you kill" rule), he's never been better. They even gave him a name in their language as a sign of affection to their new military leader. Skyorg. It meant "The Small One" in their weird fucking Minotaur language. He had the one who first used that name killed. Quite horribly, if he remembered correctly. Poor bugger, the name has grown on him since.

The small ones always had a lesser tolerance for pain, and, oh boy, did he bring the pain. Especially when he used the new saw tooth knife he just bought, and when he began cutting her... well, that's not really important right now, though his love for violence and cruelty was usually his top priority. What was important today was that the High Council was meeting, concerning the proposal of an invasion of the Griffin Empire, and he was late. What did it matter? Of course he was going to vote yes. He loved death. He loved war. He loved to maim, to fight, to torture, to kill. And poetry. He LOVED poetry. Speaking of poetry, he cleared his throat, and began to sing as he walked:

"Nero with his axes

And piles of skies gurgling

Behind him

Diocletian smiles

And the garlands of meat fall tall

Who made the windmills?

And who made the whirlpools?

Who made the crows?

And who made the stones?

Who formed the foam

From Aleph the Father?

Behind the flowers

The mother of the cows

Dreaming of trees

In the colouring fields

My face dissolves in folds

And I disappear"

Oh, how he loved that song.

But, he stopped in his tracks as he became aware that every Minotaur in the hallway that he was currently in, was staring at him.

"What the FUCK are you all looking at?"

Within seconds, the hallway cleared, leaving only Skyorg and his horribly twisted thoughts. He smirked at their display

"Now that's what I call respect. Or fear. Either's good."

He began to walk again, whistling while he proceeded to the room where thousands of lives would be in his hands, and that he would not hesitate to waste. For what purpose? The Council, the Emperor, they all had plans. New world order this, untold riches that. They were stupid fucking plans to Skyorg, with no meaning. His plans were more important. More fun. And required digging. Lots of digging. And killing, as well. Never to much of that. He didn't get to have much fun in Arkon. Though he came up with most of the battle plans, and had the weapons engineers construct the new weapons (how could no country here have black powder, for fucks sake? Get with the times, folks), he had things to work out, maps to survey...very fun plans to make. But WHEN war is waged against the Griffins, he'll have a damn good time.

Speaking of good times, he had a dinner party to go to after the meeting, and would have to look presentable. Hopefully he'll find another toy to bring back to his place, tonight. But this time, he'll go slower. Savor it, a bit more. For him, the night will be young, and the screams that he'll hopefully cause tonight would really make this evening even more spectacular. Dinner parties suck.

But when you're the only human on the fucking planet, you get invited to a lot of dinner parties.

And Johnathan Gale, or Skyorg to the masses, and High General of the Minotauri Empire, has a lot of dinner parties to go to.

Chapter 4: Calling for Vanished Faces

Agalloch was hardened warrior, responsible for the deaths of hundreds of his enemies, braved the Wild and it's many horrors, and traveled all the way from Sanfaran, crossed the whole of Arkon, which was currently being attacked and it's people massacred, and made it as far south as Equestria, all within the matter of two months, with a small filly, no less. Yet out of all the horrifying things he's seen and done, nothing seemed to strike more terror into him than the thought of...public speaking. He never thought he would have to go through something like that. The most he had done was give a short speech to some soldiers under his command, soldiers who had known him for a long time and trusted him with their lives, and even that was terrifying. But here he stood, behind a stage, in the middle of a town full of peace loving and harmonious ponies who have never seen anything like the likes of him before, and had to address him. He felt like a swarm of butterflies was in his stomach, and continued to pace back and forth.

The only with him behind the stage was Cherry, who looked nonchalant. It was easier for her, she didn't have to do any of the talking. Yet still, he understood why the Mayor wanted him to do this, and why he should do it as well. Agalloch was hoping to build a new life here, to start from scratch. He had no money, no friends, and no job, but he had determination. He looked down to the blade he had strapped to his waist. He Knew the Mayor advised against bringing this instrument of death to the meeting, but he couldn't leave it behind, not with all that has gone on. This sword was one of the last reminders of home he had, of his family, of his order. He hoped that some Rangers had made it out of the war. Actually, it was very plausible that some had. The Prince was most likely alive and in the Griffin Empire, and his personal guard was always lead by a Ranger of the rank of Throne. Thrones where nothing to mess with it. The Rangers were the best of the best. Thrones were better. And if they made it out, than who better train the next batch of Rangers, and in turn, prepare for glorious revenge against the Minotauri?

Not Agalloch. He had a new life to lead, and a young one to raise and provide for. He would barely be seeing his twentieth year in a couple of months, barely being considered an adult by Arkonian law. He was to young to lead, to teach and was tired of fighting. For Cherry, he would put down the sword, and work like an honest man.

Agalloch's thoughts were cut off when he heard Mayor Mare, who was currently telling the town it's weekly announcements, begin to introduce him and Cherry.

"And that is the news for today. But if you will all stay a moment, I would like to introduce somepon...er, someone new to our beloved town. Now, he is not a pony, but he is a friend, as is his sister, who is pony. Please hold all questions until he has finished speaking his piece. Now please, give a warm welcome to Agalloch, and his sister, Cherry."

There was no applause, just uncomfortable science. Well, thought Agalloch, this is it.

He looked to Cherry, who looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile. Well thought Agalloch this is it. And, with a sigh, ascended the back stairs and onto the stage, with Cherry close behind.

Agalloch was at his full height, towering over the audience. There was audible gasp from the crowd, and some ponies at the front of the stage began to back up. Agalloch looked to Mayor Mare for reassurance, who smiled nervously, and with her hoof, motioned for Agalloch to speak. He saw the crowd nervously murmur among their selves, and more than a few that looked like they were about to leave any minute. He knew it was now or never, so just as a pair of ponies were about to leave, he steeled his nerves and called out to them:

"Please, don't go."

The sheer amount of sadness in his voice caused the crowd to silence, and the ponies that were in the process of leaving to stop and look back. They all stared at the strange creature, dressed in black tattered clothing and carrying a big sword, waiting for him to continue. Even a certain rainbow maned pegasus, who looked ready to pounce at the strange, armed creature, sat back down, with avid curiosity. It looked menacing to Rainbow, and without a doubt, must be dangerous, but it's tone of voice is what caught her attention. For being a creature so tall, it's voice was soft and calm, but it's tone was riddled with sadness, and sounded very worn out, almost defeated. She settled next to her friends, who looked among each other, faces brimming with concern and curiosity, and with them, gave her attention to the creature.

"Please, I know how I look, how I'm dressed...what I am...but please, just let me talk."

He received no objection from the crowd, so taking it as a sign, he continued.

"My name is Agalloch Alcest Ja' Kruil Steel, and the filly beside me is my little sister, Cherry Pop. We are from a kingdom from the Far North, a kingdom that no longer exist. I know I'm not a pony, I don't even know what species I am, but i was adopted when I was an infant by a loving pony family. There was my father, Bright Steel, my mother Spring Dew, My big sister Summer Isle, and my big brother Birch Black. They are all dead."

The crowd gasped again, with rapt attention upon the two in the center of stage. Agalloch felt horrible once again, thinking of his loving, yet indisputably dead, family. The tears were coming back. He could feel their tingle as the descended from his eyes and moved down his cheeks, only to drip from his face and mingle with frost at his feet. He found it harder to not avoid the subject of his home's current state, but he felt that what must be said should be said. He wouldn't mention what had happened throughout the kingdom though. He didn't want to scare his audience to bad. He just wanted to speak his mind and tell the truth, but he found it harder to continue his tale.

"My home village was razed to the ground, and most of it's people killed. There is no life for me or Cherry, there. So we traveled for two months, through the worst of what winter could offer, living off what ever I could forage, to escape the...event...that has happened to not only out village, but our whole kingdom. I know I may look like a freak to you, but...Cherry doesn't deserve this. She deserves a family, friends, and a home, not...tragedy. And...it's so hard...I...I am barely considered an adult, where I'm from, and here I am, miles and miles from home, with a child in my care, no job, no home, but with determination....and love, I could try and give her the best life I possibly can. I don't ask that you trust me, but please...please, at least don't shun us. We've been through enough. Thank you, for hearing me out."

With that Agalloch gave a small bow, and looked over the crowd. There was hardly a dry eye in the audience, all staring at the weeping creature, who bent down to his knees and took his little sister in his arms, and rocking her back and forth. For once, Agalloch didn't mind the stares, the looks, any of it. His sister needed to be comforted, and he would comfort her. Of he was hurting this much, then imagine how bad Cherry was feeling. She was just a child, after all, and no child should ever have to go through the horrors that they endured.

Towards the back of the crowd, not even Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria and Ponyville's toughest pony, could stop tears from flowing from her eyes. The creature could be lying about everything he had just said, could be playing all them for fools, and than devour them for breakfast tomorrow morning for all she knew, but that didn't feel right, not anymore. She didn't know why, but she felt shamed for even thinking it. And with that, she knew what she had to do. With barely a second thought, she floated above her friends, who looked at her with questioning faces, and glided to the stage, landing next to the two siblings. The two looked up from their embrace and at Dash, awaiting her next move. Dash and Agalloch locked eyes with each other, one with eyes willed to the brim with loss, and the other will eyes filled to the brim with compassion. Dash's next move surprised not only each other, but Mayor Mare, her friends, and the rest of the crowd. Dash extended her forelegs as wide as she could, and pulled the two into a comforting hug, one in which Agalloch and Cherry happily returned. And, through all the misery and sadness, the two felt something that they haven't felt in awhile. Hope. And it felt good. Peaceful.

The crowd began to cheer. They actually began to cheer. Agalloch couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. He released Dash and picked up Cherry. He wasn't expecting this kind of reaction, but there they were, stomping their hooves and shouting out many greetings. He turned looked down to the pegasus at his side.

"Thank you" He smiled at her. She smiled back at him.

"It was no problem, dude."

Agalloch extended his hand in greetings, while Dash put her forehoof and shook it.

"I'm Agalloch, miss....?"

"Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria. Nice to meet you Agalloch, and you too Cherry."

Cherry waved at Dash, with a small smile on her lips. She hadn't seen her brother this happy in a very long time, and in turn, that made her happy as well.

Mayor Mare walked up next to Agalloch, and addressed the crowd once more.

"Please welcome Agalloch and Cherry to Ponyville," she said enthusiastically.

The cheering grew tenfold, before slowly dying down when Mayor Mare rose her hoof and began to shush the crowd.

"I'm sure you all have questions that you would like to ask our new friend here, but before all that, I must speak to him in my office first, to sign the proper papers of citizenship so on and so forth. As of now, this meeting is adjourned."

Before Agalloch turned to follow Mayor Mare off the stage, he looked towards the crowd, before they all departed, and addressed them one last time.

"Thank you, all, for being so understanding...and so kind. This is why i brought us to Equestria. Some kingdoms are legendary for their hoards of gold, their tales of valor, or unfathomable cruelty, but Equestria is known throughout the world as a kingdom of the up most kindness, and what better place is that?"

With that said, he turned to follow the Mayor, leaving behind the stage, with a rainbow maned pegasus sitting there, watching him leave. She didn't know why she had done what she did. It just felt...right. Agalloch turned his head and smiled at her, mouthing a thank you. Rainbow returned the smile, and walked back to her group of friends.

"Well, that was mighty unexpected, 'specially comin' from you, RD," Applejack stated, with a smug smile "Ah thought he had to earn yur trust."

Expecting Dash to grumble about it, they were surprised to see her in deep thought.

"Yeah, well, I felt bad for the guy. I knew he wasn't lyin', the truth was in his eyes, and by going on what he said, nopony deserves what happened to those two. I mean really, a whole family...murdered...and a whole kingdom gone. I have a few questions for him."

"As do I," Twilight mused "I noticed that he never said what kingdom he's from, and what exactly attacked his people. I will have to research it later, but if he goes to the party tonight, than I would really like to ask him about, and why is he came to a meeting armed, fro that matter."

"But, um, I don't think you all should all barrage him with questions...if that's ok with you, I mean," Fluttershy said, quietly "He does have a right to privacy, and would, um, tell ponies about when he's ready."

"I know, Shy," Dash replied "but we just want to know. But maybe you're right, maybe we should just give him some space for awhile." Her friends all looked at her, astonished at what they heard.

"What?" asked Dash, annoyed.

"Who are you, and what have you done to the real Rainbow Dash?" asked Rarity, jokingly.

Dash grumbled. "Shut it, Rarity." And with that, the friends trotted back to Sugarcube Corner, where a party would be held for the towns newest residents, and hopefully, a new set of friends with it.

Chapter 5: The Bliss of the World Is Gone in an Instant

Gilda watched the Griffin before her pace back and forth, a look of nervousness on his face. By this time, she was accustomed to the way he acted, and she refused to believe this depressed griffin was once a very cocky and humorous creature, as he said he once was. But, with all he's been through, what most of the creatures where he came from have been through, she could be wrong.

Standing out side the large iron doors that lead to The Moot, the chamber where the griffin Chancellors, The Emperor, and the Prince of Arkon resided, seemed to make this griffin more nervous than usual, which also unsettled Gilda, as well.

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She remembered she she found him bloody, bruised and alone, with a broken wing and leg.

This was in the very outskirts of Griffin territory, right on the edge of the Wild, a place none ventured unless they took the Arkonian roads or flew. Why she was even this far west, she didn't know. Ever since she made an ass out of herself in a certain town, in front of a certain friend, she had returned to her home country, feeling sadness, regret, and shame, an unusual set of feelings for her. She usually acted like an ass all the time and never once thought twice about it. But this time, being sent away by one of her closest friends really struck home for her, and she felt terrible for what happened

Safely in the Griffin Empire, she wandered it's lands, never staying in one place for to long, and finding work wherever she could. She contemplated her life, and behavior; she knew she had to change. And so she did, or tried to at least. Wandering the Empire, she had to learn to live off the kindness of others, and to learn be humble, less offensive. It was difficult at first, breaking old habits usually are, but after some time, she began to learn humility, she learned kindness, and for once in a very long time, felt happy and content.

This was a couple of years back, when mighty Arkon, the neighboring kingdom, was still around. These days, things have changed, and not entirely for the better.

When she first met this griffin, the war in Arkon was recently lost. Word of things going absolutely wrong there when the Minotauri attacked really cultivated when the Prince, Mazbeth II, arrived with an entourage of soldiers at the Griffin capital city, Monolith, and began begging for help from the Griffin Emperor Tenhi. Following the coming of the Prince, he was followed by many refugees, mainly griffins, who sought shelter behind the borders of their kin.

Gilda, at the time, was in a settlement close to the borders of Arkon, where she was working as a relief worker, helping the sick and wounded who crossed the border. She couldn't believe the shape that most of them were in: some were mangled, missing limbs, while others were very close to death.

And it was not limited to just adults, as many children were maimed as well, crying out in agony. Gilda couldn't really grasp what had happened to these creatures. She knew the lands west of the border were tough lands, and that Minotaurs were not exactly the kindest of creatures, but from what she saw and what she heard from survivors...let's just say, it was hard for her to sleep at night.

She remembered being sent by the local healer to retrieve herbs in the woods by the settlement, for they were running low on Mzelchevks root, a traditional herb used for bringing down fever. She remembered scanning a large glade, surrounded by white flowers. It looked beautiful, calm, and tranquil, which was a relief as compared to the horrors back at the settlement. All Gilda wanted to do was relax for a bit and enjoy the scenery; she felt like she deserved a break from the stress of the encampment, and to enjoy the tranquil sight before her, without the sounds of creatures crying in agony.

Yet, she knew better. Lives depended on her to get those herbs, and she knew where her priorities laid. Shaking her head clear of those selfish thoughts, she began to ascend higher into sky, yet, not without one look back towards the beautiful sight below her.

It was at that that moment that Gilda noticed a dark patch towards the end of the field.

Her logic dictated that she needed to leave to find the herbs, but curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she flew towards the dark shape in the field. Within a hundred feet she realized that it wasn't a dark patch of grass, but was a creature. The color red was intermingled with what appeared to be a dark cloak that it was wearing. Landing next to it and taking tentative steps, she noticed that the creature was, in fact, a griffin...and terribly hurt one at that.

At once, Gilda quickly closed the gap between her and the griffin, who seemed to have passed out from his wounds, and began to inspect his wounds. She began to shake him slightly, to see if he was still conscious. He groaned a bit, and opened an eye to look at the hen (griffin female) before him.

"........help..." He weakly said before passing into unconsciousness again.

From there, Gilda painstakingly carried the injured griffin back to the camp, where his wounds were dressed and his broken bones were set into splits. Over the next few days, Gilda was assigned to attend this griffin, who for the most part remained in a deep, yet fitful sleep, and was plagued with fever and, judging by his unsettled rest, nightmares. Of what, Goddess could only imagine.

She knew what he was by the sword that she found with him and the cloak that clothed him.This wasn't just any refugee that she had found in the forest; this was a Ranger, one of the single most skilled warriors on this part of the continent, able to kill a creature within the blink of an eye, trained to withstand excruciating punishment, the very same ban of warriors that tamed the Wild and all it's hardships. And yet before her lay a living legend, broken and weak; a shadow of what the tales of the common folk portrayed them as.

If this was truly a fabled warrior, than what could have caused this amount of damage? She knew they were not immortal by any means, but whoever could fuck up a Ranger this bad was not something Gilda would want to meet any time soon.

It was a frigid morning when Gilda was doing her rounds. Winter was coming in, and it had not been kind to the inhabitants of the settlement. Snow had begun to fall in the wee hours of the morning, and Gilda was about to get caught up in it. A winter storm had been forcasted, the worse that this area had seen in awhile. Sadly for the Equestrians down south, in two months time, the storm would hit them harder than Gilda's current Rook, making it the worse snowstorm Equestria will have seen in centuries. Yet, Equestrians were of no concern of Gilda's right now. She had several other refugees to visit and apply medicine to before checking on the unconscious Ranger, and wanted to get them done as quickly as possible.

For some reason, she rally wanted to talk to the broken griffin.

She had so many questions to ask him, if he were up to answering him, that is, about life in Arkon, about his experiences in the war, and about the Rangers themselves. Before moving to the Equestrian town of Cloudsdale when she was just a chick, she and her parents lived in small Rook (a term used to describe a small Griffin settlement) by the great Wodenes Forest in the Griffin Empire heartland. There, she would hear tales of the Rangers deeds throughout the lands of Arkon and the Empire (Arkon and the Griffin Empire have always been allies, and Arkon would often send Rangers to aid in any troubles that the normal guard couldn't handle), tales about Feather Arc and his lieutenants taming the Untamable Lands, of the secretive ceremonies and, most of all, their haunting songs and dirges, which were as romanticized as their skill in battle.

Rangers sang all the time; some were part of rituals, such as of mourning the loss of a comrade or at burials, others were for mundane amusement and to lift the spirits. Hell, every group of new pre-Rangers must sing a ceremonial song before they started training, "The Song of Dispossession", one on their day of graduation, "The Oath of Arc", and one before their first battle, "The Marrow of the Spirit.

For some reason, Gilda was always fascinated by the songs that Rangers sung. Some were light hearted and mirthful, while some made her feel sadder than she had ever felt.

Making her way towards the griffins tent, she became aware of voice emanating from its confines. She heard a sad melody echo forth, and, the closer she came, she heard words of a language she was not familiar with. Entering the tent, she saw that griffin was sitting up straight, his back to her, and was singing a song of grieving, it's melody mesmerizing Gilda, as she listened with open ears:

"Worldes blis ne last no throwe

It wend and wit away anon

The langer that ich hit i knowe

The lasse ich finde pris theron

For al it is i-meind mid care

Mid Sorewen and mid evel fare

And atte laste povre and bare

It lat yos, whan it ginth agon

Al the blis this here and thare

Bilucth at ende weep and mon...

Why seestu thoght and herte

O' Worldes blis that nout ne laste?

Why tholstu that thee so ofte smerte

For thinge that is unstedefast?

Thu likest hony of the thorn, ywis

That seest thy love o' worldes blis

For ful of bitterness it is

Ful sore thu might been ofgast

That here despendes eighte amist

Tharthurgh ben into helle i-cast..."

Soon, the griffin began to audibly sob, as his shoulders slouched under the weight of his sorrow. Gilda could only speculate what the Ranger had been through to sing in such a way, and felt her self also beginning to tear up, while she listened to the griffin continue:

"Shal no good been unforyolde

Ne no quedhed ne wruth unbout;

Wanne thu list, yos, under molde

The shalt habben as tu hast wrought

Nithink wel forthi, ich thee reede

And clanse thee of ech misdeede

That he theehelp at tine neede

That so deere hath thee about

And to hevene blisse leede...

That ever last and faileth nought...."

There was silence as the griffin remained with his back to Gilda. She knew he was aware of her presence, yet did not want to disturb the hawke (male griffin) if he felt in a bad mood. The silence was broken not long after.

"Where am I?" asked the Ranger, still refusing to turn around, but with a sound of nervous hesitation in his voice. Gilda kept her distance, not wanting to provoke an undoubtedly hardened killer, and in a calm voice replied:

"Easy dude, you're alright. Your in a infirmary at a Rook just pass the Empire's borders."

The griffin finally turned around to see who it was that he was talking to.

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" he asked.

"Name's Gilda. Mr....?"

"Gryden, ma'am. My name is Gryden, the rank of Virtue, of the Wilder-Land Rangers, at your service."

Another lapse of silence begot the room, as Gilda pondered whether to ask the next question she wanted to ask. She had just heard a Ranger song first hand, and the feelings she felt from it washed over like a flood of emotions. The song truly lived up to legend, and was almost hypnotic to hear, as most Ranger songs were. Why? Maybe it is some old magic that dwelt in these warriors of lore, maybe Rangers were just good singers. One could truly never know. Especially now. Ever since she was a chick she had wanted to hear one. It was like a childhood dream of hers, though one that she suppressed when she was older. But hearing the song brought forth a feeling of nostalgia, that left a longing in her hurt.

"um, if you don't mind me asking, what was that song about?"

The griffin allowed a brief moment of silence before responding.

"It's an old Ranger song that was sung in the Uncommon Tongue, the language that the Common Tongue is based off, by Feather Arc and his Lieutenants when they mourned the loss of one of their own, Xasthur, during a battle against a Boar Warlord. The Four first true Rangers were the best of friends, brothers to the end, and when Xasthur fell, they took it extremely hard, and created a song to exult their grief. The song is sung during times of great sadness and pain amongst the Rangers, usually during the wake of a great catastrophe."

Gilda saw heartache grow in the Ranger's eyes as he continued.

"I sing a song of woe for my friends and kingdom. As you probably heard as of now,Arkon doesn't really exist anymore."

Gryden attempted to stretch out a bit, but yelped as a sudden course of pain shot through his body. Immediately, ignoring her common sense, Gilda rushed to his side, and helped him to lay back down. He coughed a few times, feeling light in the head, as his fever began to return. Gilda felt his rising temperature, and began to rub his forehead with a damp cloth. He needed medicine and rest, which meant no more questions today.

"I need to go get some medicine from the head healer. I'll be back with some food as well. Just wait here, okay?"

Gilda began to leave when he heard his voice call out to her.

"Please, when you come back, will you stay a while longer?" he asked weakly "I don't want to be alone right now."

Gilda looked upon his pitiful form with compassion. She had no duties this afternoon, so she saw no wrong with spending some time with the Ranger.

"Sure I will," She replied.

"Good. It's not very often I'm in the company of hot young hen as yourself," he replied with a weak smirk.

And for the first time in a good long while, Gilda blushed, and chuckled sincerely. For the longest time, there wasn't much to laugh or smile about, especially with her constant moving and roaming. Sometimes, there was never enough time to enjoy a laugh and a smile.

"Easy there lover boy. I'll be back soon."

And with that, she departed the tent to retrieve the necessary items for a wounded veteran, who was in need of not only food, water and medicine, but, most of all, a friend.

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Gilda smiled at the memory. Though not the greatest of first meetings, over the weeks that followed, the two became fast friends and, when Gryden became well enough to walk, traveling companions. Word soon reached Gryden's ears that the Prince was in the Empire's capital, he at once wished to set out to meet his Majesty, The Prince was guarded by Rangers, probably the last of their order, and he wished to join their ranks as soon a possible. When he mentioned his intentions to Gilda, she was upset. She liked having him around, and was one of her first few friends in awhile; the thought of him leaving made her feel upset.

So, mustering up her courage, she asked if she could accompany him. Of course he said yes.

Secretly, Gryden was glad she asked. She was pleasant enough company, and always kept his spirits up. And during the nights when he couldn't sleep, she would stay by his side and hold his claw while he wept for all those lost souls in Arkon. But most of all, she filled the void that was left by another dear friend. A friend who he missed, yet loathed all at once. His best friend....abandoned him....his home.....everyone and everything. Yet, Gryden understood why he did so. He had to save his last loved one. A child, no less. But instead of begging him to come along with him, he just looked into his eyes, and then left. He never felt so alone. Gilda was, at the moment, his only friend, and he would not lose her.

So, after two months since the fall of Sanfaran, the pair made their way to Monolith, to reunite Gryden with his liege lord and companions, and hopefully to get answers on several important questions. Why were the Minotauri inexplicably crueler than usual? Who is this new High General that came up with these horrific strategies? But most of all, why didn't the Empire help them, their ally's?

And here, the two stood, before the doors to the Moot. Behind those doors, a furious debate was going on between the political parties of the Empire and the Prince. And just beyond those doors stood the last Rangers on the face of the Earth. Gryden was forbade to go in until a break was held. The waiting was getting on his nerves, and made him far more nervous than he should be. Gilda put a claw on his shoulder to relax him.

"Easy Gry, they can't be in there forever. They'll come out soon."

"Yeah, I know. I just...wanna get in there already, you know? I want to see if I know anyone in there. I wanna know why this happened? I want....justice for all those who were slaughtered."

"I know, Gry, I know. But we have to be patient. I'm sure that the-"

Gilda was cut off by the sound of the large doors opening. A griffin guard walked out, and faced the now stiff visitors that were before him. He turned to the ranger and spoke.

"Ranger Gryden, your presence is requested inside. Your companion must wait outside, for the meantime."

Gryden turned to Gilda, seeing the disappointment in her face as she faced him.

"I'm sorry, Gilda. I guess you gotta wait here."

"Don't worry," she replied "Just tell me everything when you get back."

Gryden smiled warmly at her, and placed his claw on her shoulder for reassurance. And, with a twist of his tail and a flap of his cloak, followed the guard into the Moot Chamber.

*Hey, you should read the authors note. there's some important things about the chapter. thanks for readin'*

Chapter 6: Enigma of the Absolute

The cool, night air brushed against his exposed face, while he sat on a bench facing one of the strangest buildings he ever seen in his life. Sugarcube Corner, they called; a place filled with sweets and all manners of goodies. The building, itself, looked edible. Yet, to Agalloch, not very tasty looking. He never really cared for sweets, and that's all that seemed to be in the party that was inside the building across from him. A party....He still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that the town threw him and Cherry a welcoming party.

He thought that he would be shunned by his appearance (most Equestrian ponies were not very trusting to creatures outside their species, especially ones that were seen rarely by them) at the most, or mildly avoided at the least, and for the most part, some of the ponies at the party avoided him to an extent. But, a majority of them openly greeted him and his sister in friendly conversation, asking him about his life before the "tragedy" (or so he called it) that befell the two siblings, even about where he came from, what his home village was like.

For once, things felt normal, like he was at home celebrating one of Snowhoof's festivals, where there would be food, drink, laughter and mirth. Goddess, he missed Arkon, his old life, his friends. He sighed at the negative thoughts that infiltrated his brain. He shouldn't be sad now. There's a party going on in full swing, in his honor, no less, and he felt that he should enjoy himself, if not for tonight, at least.

He had already made the acquaintance of several ponies already, one of them being a slightly over bearing unicorn by the name of Twilight Sparkle. She had asked a question after question after question, and it not only annoyed Agalloch, but began to upset him, as well. Luckily, though, she sensed his discomfort, and put her one on one questionnaire on a hiatus, proceeding, instead, to introduce her to her friends. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie (the mayor was right about her) and lastly, the pegasus that had hugged him and Cherry, Rainbow Dash. He had noticed her staring at him at various times throughout the party, and at first it really unnerved him. He hated being staring at, almost as much as he hated the Minotauri. But after awhile, he had grown used to it when he noticed she wasn't staring at him in disgust or maliciously, but with intrigue and curiosity. He caught her eye once, and attempted to smile before she quickly turned her head, blushing faintly. He had a feeling that he would be seeing more of her later tonight.

But in all, those six were so different from each other, he couldn't really understand how they could all be the best of friends. Then again, Gryden and him had strikingly different personalities, Gryden being brash and brave, while Agalloch being more clam, and significantly more humble that his counterpart. The two friends balanced each other finely, and when they tackled a problem or opponent together, very few stood a chance. Gryden, I wonder if he's still alive right now......

"Nice night, huh?"

Agalloch stirred from his thoughts, and turned to the voice that had in interrupted him. On his right stood a large, dark green earth pony, with a choppy brown mane and tail. He curiously looked over Agalloch, awaiting a reply from him.

"Yeah, I guess it is." Agalloch leaned back into the bench, sighing loudly while turning his gaze to the night sky.

"Is this seat taken?" asked the pony, motioning towards the spot next to Agalloch.

"Nah," he replied "be my guest if you want to sit down."

"Thanks, lad," the brown pony said "I wouldn't expect any less manners from an Arkonian Ranger."

What? Agalloch sat straight up and whirled around to face the pony next to him.

"H-How did you know what I am?! Who are you?!" he exclaimed. Suspicions began to flow through his mind on who this pony was. Was it a Minotauri assassin sent here to finish off the last of the order? An agent sent from the Prince to deal punishment for abandoning Arkon? He could be a number of things that could harm him or Cherry, who was safe and sound inside enjoying the fun the party. Or was she safe? Agalloch had already began to unsheathe his sword when the pony spoke again.

"Easy, lad," the pony said, soothingly "I ain't your enemy. There's no need for that blade o' yours." He motioned to the long sword that was now fully drawn, and it's wielder now standing up right.

"If you' re not my enemy, than who are you," Agalloch retorted.

The stallion hopped off the bench, slowly and carefully, before bowing his head slightly and saying:

"The name's Hawthorne, Hawthorne Gates, at your service. It's a great honor to make the acquaintance of one of Steele's children, though I haven't introduced myself to your little sister yet."

Agalloch began to lower his sword slightly at the sound of the familiar name.

"Steele....You...you know my father?" he asked with slight hesitation. The stallion nodded his head in agreement.

"Yes, lad, I knew Bright Steele a long while ago, before you came along. And I know who you are, Agalloch Alcest Ja'Kruil Steele, Wilder-Land Ranger of Arkon. Please, let me tell you how sorry I am for your loss. Bright Steele was a good stallion, and it hurts to know that he fell in such a barbaric way."

"You know how he died? How?! How do you know that?! How do you know him?!"

"Keep it down, boy!" Hawthorne hissed "lest prying ears hear us. Come, let's take a quick stroll and I'll tell you what you want to know. I might have an offer that would possibly intrigue you." The stallion stared at the Ranger, awaiting his response.

"And why can't we talk here?" Agalloch asked.

"The nature of our discussion is rather....sensitive...if you get my meaning. And I'm sure, you wouldn't want others knowing what you are, judging by how you are constantly avoiding subjects about your previous occupation and homeland. All though many in this town don't know, there's many a pony in Equestria that is familiar with ol' Arkon, lad. Me being one of them. But no more talking here. Come, walk with me, and I'll explain some rather.... interesting things." With that, Hawthorne turned and walked into the dark.

Agalloch's common sense told him that this was to shady, that something must be wrong, but something else inside told him that he could trust his stallion. So, sheathing his sword, he turned on his heel and followed the stallion as they made their way into the dark streets of Ponyville, while a silent figure followed close behind in the shadows.

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"Jeez, Dash, stare any longer, your eyes will fall out."

"Huh, what?" Dash gave her head a quick shake while her friends giggled at her expense.

She stared daggers at them before reaching out to the cold mug of cider before her and downing it with a gulp.

"Oh, can it you guys. I wasn't staring at 'em."

"Ah believe that you were, sugracube." And she was.

The whole party so far, she had watched them, watched him. And she couldn't help it either. Something about his foreign, dangerous looking appearance, yet meek and humble manner when confronted by others at the party intrigued her. She knew by the look of him that he was no simple villager; the sword and clothing he wore was a dead giveaway. Maybe he was soldier, or a mercenary. Maybe even an assassin, for with the black cloak, he surely looked the part. She wanted to know more about him, to see what he looked like without the cloak, but, for some reason, she felt nervous about talking to him. She still didn't know why she had hugged him earlier today, why she felt so nervous around this creature, and that pissed her off. She's Rainbow Bucking Dash, fastest pegasus in Equestria, whose afraid of nothing and nopony, so why should be afraid to ask him a few things.

She knew he was hiding something. Throughout the party, he would avoid answering questions pertaining to what his job was, what kingdom he hailed from (he would simple reply that he's from the Far North), and most importantly, what tragedy befell his homeland. His actions so far seemed sketchy, yet, he felt....safe....to be around. This Agalloch was a mystery wrapped an enigma, which Dash would uncover. Though, she had to admit, he had very lovely eyes.....

"Uh, Dash, your, um, staring again."

"Whose a what now?" She replied, turning back to her friends, who gave her curious looks.

"Why don't you just go over thar an' talk to that feller, RD?" Applejack asked, "Ya seem to be starin' at 'em nonstop, anyhow."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, but I wasn't staring at him!" Dash shouted a little to highly, causing several ponies in the area to cast glances at their table before resuming their business. Dash chuckled nervously, while her friends shook their heads.

"Yes, you were staring, Rainbow Dash," Twilight chimed in, "I know he seems, um, interesting, but you won't find out much if you just sit here and watch him. Goo over there and talk to him."

"I doubt he would want to talk," Dash grumbled in reply, "you saw how uncomfortable he seemed when you tried to ask him things. And what if he's dangerous, and annoying him with questions just makes him go berserk or somethin'? THAT, I don't want to be responsible for."

"Well, that surely didn't stop you from hugging him earlier, darling," Rarity said with a sly smile.

Dash blushed in response, a scowl adorning her face.

"It was a moment of weakness, okay? I just felt sorry for him, is all. And here you guys go making a big deal about nothin"

"Don't look now, but he's staring right at you, Dashie!" Pinkie exclaimed, why pointing a hoof towards the figure in the far corner.

"REALLY?!" She exclaimed, once again, a little too loudly.

Dash quickly turned her head, and met the amber of eyes of Agalloch for the briefest of moments, before turning away and blushing again. Agalloch cocked his head to the side, before arising from his seat. Once again, her friends giggled at her expense.

"How many times am I going to have to tell you girls to shut up today!?"

"As many times as you keep starin' at that Agalloch feller, RD" snickered Applejack.

Dash pouted, before resuming her vigil over the strange creature.

She noticed Agalloch address his little sister, sharing quiet words, before shuffling outside. A few minutes later, she noticed the local woodspony, Hawthorne, or whatever his name was, follow him right out the door as well. Very suspicious. She turned to friends once more.

"Hey guys, I'm, uh, gonna go outside and get some air."

"Don't take too long, darling, it's dreadfully cold out there."

Dash nodded in reply, while her friends engaged in a discussion of their own. One thing she also noticed that night was that that Hawthorne fella also was keeping an eye on the pair of siblings. Something was up, and she was going to find out. So, she quickly trotted out the door, catching the two just in time to see them leave towards Ponyville park. Once again, very suspicious indeed.

Dash, staying in the shadows, followed the two, in hopes of getting answers of her own. Safe feeling or not, she had to know if this creature could be trusted, or if there was a bipedal danger in her town.

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The snow crunched under his boots as Agalloch kept pace with Hawthorne. Their journey was silent, as the two wandered through the dark. From what he could see around him, Agalloch was sure he was in a park, judging by the amount of trees, benches, and the frost covered jungle gym that lay in the moonlight.

Another thing he could tell was that he was being followed. He caught glimpses from the corner of his eyes now and then of a what he knew was a mare. And not just any mare, but the rainbow haired one from earlier. He had to give it to her, for she was rather stealthy at times, and Agalloch was trained to detect even the most stealthiest of beasts or foes, but, even he had lost her a few times so far. But, he knew she was there, which at least made him feel comfortable that his senses and skill were still present.

Once again, his commonsense was telling him to lose or her something, to protect his secrets from eavesdroppers, but something about her made her feel.....trustworthy. He couldn't explain it, which annoyed him greatly, but like his trust in Hawthorne, he allowed some small benefit out the doubt. Maybe letting her follow them would put her curious mind at ease, and show that the folk here had nothing to fear by his presence. He would let her follow them. For now, at least.

"This here seem's like a good spot," Hawthorne finally spoke up. Agalloch turned his attention away from their sneaky companion to the stallion at his left.

"Yeah, I think I'm about ready to here this explanation of yours, Mr. Gates."

"Hawthorne'll do, lad. And before I begin, I gotta tell you, this won't be a short story, but I'll tell it as quick as I can before we freeze to death out here."

Agalloch agreed with nod of his head.

"Please, Hawthorne, start from the beginning."

And, taking a deep breath, Hawthorne began his tale.

"You see lad, about 20 years back, when I was a much younger stallion, my family and I once called the kingdom of Arkon our home. I was born there, and, at the time, presumed that I would die there, with sons and daughters to take on my name and the family legacy. We lived in the northern town of Dawn, if you ever heard of it."

"Yeah, I've been there several times before. It was a beautiful town."

"Aye, that it was. The trees there grew large and tall, and the way the morning sun rose over the snow capped mountains and pines, well, it was no wonder the town was named such. Our family our woodcutters by trade, and for five generations it had been so. Well, until my brother became a blacksmith by trade, of course."

"Wait, your last name is Gates.....you're brother is Iron Gates, isn't he?! He was the Rangers weapon smith!" Agalloch exclaimed with wonder.

Hawthorne chuckled deeply, while nodding his head.

"Yes lad, I'm related to the very same. I was there the day he forged that sword that you wear. In his opinion, it was the finest that he had ever made, and gave it two a stallion of equal worth to it."

"My father........."

"The very same. I met your father through my brother, for I supplied most of the wood he used to craft swords with wooden hilts, or the shafts of spears or axes, or any manner of weapon that involved the finally cut timber, and your father wished to meet the providers of the source. He couldn't have come to expect out wares on a better day, too, for on that day, that stallion saved my life."

That had got Agalloch's attention.

"My father saved your life?"

Hawthorne nodded once more.

"Yes, indeed he did, lad. You see, the day that he came, I was nervous as nervous could be, and wasn't paying to much mind to my surroundings. I was stressed out, checking all the wares, making sure all the workers were busy doing what had to be done, that I didn't hear the cries of 'timber!' or the sound of the tree falling until it was too late, and one of the biggest pines in the grove toppled over and crashed onto my back legs."

Agalloch visibly cringed at that, and couldn't help but turn to look at the hind legs of the stallion.

"Don't worry none about that, lad,"Hawthorne said,"those wounds healed a long time ago. But, as I was saying, this mighty tree came down, and pinned most of my hind legs down to the ground. The three workers that were in the area rushed to my side to inspect my injuries, and immediately ran off to seek help, while I lay pressed against the forest floor. And that's when I saw it. It had to be the most evil looking wolf I had ever laid eyes upon, with fur mangy and black as midnight, and with eyes that seemed to hold all the horrors of hell. At that moment, I knew that my life was over. This foul creature, that looked as if it crawled forth from the mouth of Gaul's Underworld, would surely kill me any minute. I saw it lunge, and awaited for the anguish of death to take hold of me, yet, I didn't feel anything. Instead, I heard a yelp and a howl that would rattle the bones of the bravest creature, and heard a loud thud as if bag of flour had hit the ground. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw as that sword, help by magic and stained with blood, before shifting my gaze to the corpse of the dead wolf. And who was holding that sword, but the Grand Master, himself, his cloak swaying in the cold afternoon breeze, standing before me. He sheathed his sword, told me that everything would be alright, that he was here to help. And I trusted him completely. The next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital, with my family all around me, huggin' and cryin', even that oaf of a brother was there, too, but standin' in the doorway was ol' Bright Steele. And never have I seen a more gentle, yet commanding smile on any creature's face before or sense."

By this time, Agalloch was sitting on the cold snow, enthralled by the stallion's story. He had heard many tales about his father's heroics and deeds, but to hear them from the mouth of someone he had saved was absolutely awe inspiring. He felt pride well up in his heart for being his son, and a tear escaped his eye, with a smile on his face.

"After that day, I promised your father a debt a gratitude for the preservation of my life. He would always tell me that I owed him nothing, that it was his duty to help and serve, but no matter what he said, I promised that if ever he or his kin needed me or my help, that I would show them the same kindness that he had shown me, which he humbly accepted. Well, the years went by, and the Minotaurs came nearer and nearer, pushing ever closer to the northern borders, which made me and family very nervous. When they finally attacked, and had destroyed the city just north of us-"

"Yeah, I remember when they destroyed Palingar. It was a magnificent city, full of-uh, um, oh, sorry, uh, continue, please"

"As I was sayin', after they destroyed Palingar, we knew that nothin' but trouble would follow. So, we packed up our things, and traveled to the Griffin Empire, and took the Great Southern Road to Equestria. None to soon either, for three days after we left, those bastards attacked Dawn, and razed it to the ground before building a fort there, named Rwake. We lived in Baltimare for about year, before moving here to Ponyville, and we've been here for the past three years, making a living and trying to rebuild what we lost. Don't get me wrong, this town is a wonderful town, full of the kindest folk, but Dawn will always be our true home, and nothing could ever replace the memories he had, or the lives that were lost. Steele, the King, the Rangers, even my brother didn't make it out. But, that's all past now, and the only way we should look is forward, not behind."

"I'm sorry, Hawthorne."

"Don't be sorry about whats happened, lad."

"Not that. I'm sorry for pulling my sword out on you earlier. You're a good stallion as well, and you have no idea how grateful I was to hear what you told me."

Agalloch extended his hand to the pony before him.

"Let me formally introduce myself, as a friend. Agalloch Alcest Ja' Kruil Steele, Principality Rank of the Wilder-Land Ranger's, at your service."

Hawthorne shook his hand with a smile, before speaking again.

"Now, about the offer I had in mind...."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you mentioned that."

"Hahahah, great attention span you have, eh lad? Ahem, anyway, I still hold to my promise that I made to your father, which compels me to ask, do you have a place stay here, bits to spend, ETC?"

Agalloch was about to speak before his mind went completely blank. He was so hellbent on getting Cherry to safety, that he didn't once think about shelter for the two of them. He could always scavenge from the wilderness and build an adequate shelter in the woods, but the point of coming here was to give Cherry a NORMAL life, not making them seem stranger than they already were.

"No, Hawthorne, I don't have anywhere to live, or money to buy things with."

"And have you talked with anypony about employment?"

".................no."

Hawthorne chuckled his deep chuckle before continuing.

"Well, to honor an old promise, me and the missus have a place towards the edge of Ponyville by the Everfree forest where we are starting another logging business. Since two of the kids have moved out, we have two extra rooms ready, effin' you and your sister want a roof over your heads. And, as for a job, you can help me with the wood cutting, and I'll pay you a fair wage. How does that sound?"

Agalloch was speechless. This had to have been one of the kindest things any creature had ever done for him. He was touched by this this stallions generosity, and willingness to settle an old debt. How could he refuse such a gift.

"If you will have me and my sister, Hawthorne, than we would be honored to stay with you."

"That's what I like to here, lad. Now come, let's get back to the party so we could gather your sister and my family and introduce each other. Before you ask, I have already run this offer by the missus, and she is fine with it as much as I am. Now let's go!"

With that, Hawthorne led the way back to the warmth of the party, a large smile upon his face. Agalloch, though, held back for moment. He turned to the shadows to his right and spoke.

"I know that you're there."

He was greeted with a small, yet audible gasp. Shaking his head slightly, he spoke again in a calm and soothing tone

"Please, keep what you heard a secret, and I'll tell you more another time, Miss Dash."

Adjusting his hood, he followed Hawthorne back to the warm festivities of the party, his spirits higher than they have been in ages, while a rainbow maned pegasus stood in the dark, watching him leave, processing what she had heard, before making her own way to the sounds of the party from Sugarcube Corner.

Chapter 7: Bloodbirds

"The god of man is a failure.

Our fortress is burning

against the grain of the shattered sky.

Charred birds escape from the ruins

and return as cascading blood.

Dying bloodbirds pooling,

feeding the flood.

The god of man is a failure.

And all of our shadows are ashes against the grain....."

"What is "the god of man", my lord?"

"Something you would't understand, Fen, and something I'd rather not explain, either."

He grinned a crooked grin, while his guest pouted with humph.

"Alright, keep your secrets, than."

"You know you fucking love me."

He was answered with a small giggle.

Johnathan Gale laid back into the blankets of the bed, while his lover snuggled deeper into his side, running her paw against his chest, the morning sun passed through the window of his private quarters, covering it in a golden light. She was a Bossk, and one of the fairest of her kind, or so word was. She had a long, pointed muzzle, with golden brown fur, and long golden locks that cascaded from her head, with a voice that could soothe the most savage of hearts, yet demand attention in a heartbeat. She was a kind, yet stern soul, whose being seemed to resonate with an unearthly nirvana, a perfect balance between kind hearted and strong willed. Well, Gale thought so at least, and was usually right in his assumptions of others.

This was no ordinary Bossk, though. She was Fen Ja'Tul, the High General's second in command, and Vice General of the Empire of the Horn's Grand Army. She was a warrior through and through, daughter to one of the wealthiest of the Noble Hounds of the Bossk Kingdom, where she held the title of Baroness in the Gem Vale, and commanded respect and reverence throughout her birth lands.

Yet, here she lay in the bed of what many would call a monster, and she wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Going against what he would normally do, Gale pulled the Bossk closer to him, and began stroking her lovely fur, while she closed her eyes and cooed with delight. Gale was by no current means a soft man; his passionate love for all things violent have thus far proved this point. But deep down inside of him, he knew that he there was more to him than blood lust (there had to be, right?), and that deep down in his subconscious, he knew that he wasn't always, in his own words, bat shit insane.

He had frequent flash backs to old memories, which always showed happier times in his life; Which was a strange thought, indeed.

The procedure was suppose to wipe memories completely clean, save for the few he would have awhile before and after the procedure was done. Maybe it was a side effect of all the shit they pumped into him for the experiment, maybe his subconscious was trying to fight off the madness that had took control of his mind. It didn't matter. He knew they were memories, his memories, and every so often they came to haunt him.

Back before this all happened, before he was put in the tube, before the Rampage and Rampancy, he had friends and family, that he presumably cared for deeply.

The memories would always be far and few between, but he would always see places that he thought he could recognize and recall, and feelings of affection that he had hardly felt, without causing pain or the presence of Fen with him. He remembers feeling content and.......strangely happy.

One thing he couldn't recall was the Rampage. The only reason why he even knew of that name, that event, was due to the memories of him reading about it when he joined the special program that had caused to him to be in his current state. He knew what happened to mankind, what happened to all those people he cared about. A lot of death, that's for sure. He even knew what flows through his veins, addling his mind. Rampancy. Fucking Christ.

"Gale, you're doing it again."

He snapped to attention and looked down to his lover.

"Doing what?"

"You're spacing out again, love," she shuffled closer, laying her head down upon his chest.

"I wasn't spacing out, I was a at peace, until SOMEONE, I'm not pointing fingers or anything, decided to interrupt my reverie."

He was once again answered with a small giggle, while he returned to stroking her, smiling himself.

It wasn't often that he smiled when he was not causing pain or misery on others, but Fen seemed to always know how to bring that one small shard of humanity he had left into fruition. She was one of the first that pulled him from his living death in the tube, and had stayed by his side when he was brought into the society he now resides in. Gale was usually cold and cruel, but Fen always seemed to melt the ice around his heart, and somehow seemed to keep the Rampancy at bay. She knew little of his.....secret pleasures....and he had gone to great lengths to conceal his love of carnage and pain from her, from bribing to murdering, and so far, she hadn't even heard a whisper. None defy the High Generals word, especially Skyorg's. He cared for only two things above all else, blood and Fen, and he would not lose her. Once again, fucking Rampancy.

"We have to get up soon, babe," He said, shattering their blissful silence.

Fen groaned audibly.

"Can't we just stay in bed just a little longer? Pleeeeeeeeeeaaassssseee?"

Gale chuckled a bit at her immature antics. For a creature who had held such a high position in the Empire, and commanded the respect of thousands, sometimes, she could very much act like a child, or a pup, in her case. It was cute, really, and one of the many things Gale loved about her.

He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"I wish we could, and I'm in no hurry to run off to hear the fucking Council prattle, but today's a big day, and we have to be there early, Fen."

Gale received a muffled grumble in reply. He laughed softly, another thing that was out of his character, and began to rise from the mountains of covers on the bed, while Fen rolled to the other side bed, burying her muzzle into one of the pillows.

"Pfft, lazy."

"I'm not lazy! I'm just tired from last night's.....activities.."

"I wore you out that much?"

"Oh, shut up."

Gale laughed again, as he began to place his armor on, piece by jagged piece.

The Emperor had it personally made for him when he was first found, and had the smiths that made it killed directly after. Only a select few have seen Gale without his armor on: The Council (who were sworn to secrecy under pain of death by Gale himself), The Emperor, and Fen. He had gone through great lengths to keep Gale's specie a secret. Gale couldn't complain much, though. The armor DID look pretty fucking sweet.

He sighed loudly when he had reached for the helmet, though. He hated wearing it all the time. Not for self conscious reasons, but more so for the fact that, though menacing as it made him look, it was quite stuffy, and since he wasn't allowed to take it off, it made itchy noses more than unbearable. He began to lift the helmet to his head.

"Wait."

He stopped at the command of the heavenly voice, and turned to look at Fen, who had risen from the bed, a blanket wrapped around her body, teasing her form as she shuffled closer him.

"Don't put it on just yet. Just one more......." She closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his, Gale nearly melting under the emotion that he was feeling. The need for blood seemed almost completely extinguished within him, and was instead replaced with the need for her, to feel her against his skin, to hold her and never let go. He wrapped his arms around her, and led her back to the bed.

Gale placed her on her back, their noses touching slightly, while he hovered over the goddess that lay beneath him. Her eyes, deep pools of green, stared into his dark brown irises, glowing with love, and lust. He moved his mouth to her ear, whispering silently.

"Better make it 10 more minutes."

Chapter 8: Those Who Lick the Wounds of Christ

"And that's all I really have to tell as of now."

Gryden sat in the far end of the Moot chamber with several other figures around him, all leaning towards the young Ranger, taking his story in.

It had to be one of the biggest rooms he had ever seen, with ornate statues of old rulers and other important historical figures lined up all around the walls, with beautiful carvings, mosaics and paintings of Griffon history adorning every inch of the room.

The arches and pillars mingled with the natural rock that jutted from the ceiling and walls. Veins of minerals and ore could be seen in the stone, all converging where the throne resided in the center of the chamber. The Moot chamber lay at the heart of Monolith, and Monolith in the Heart of the tallest mountain of the Empire of the Wind. He had seen many places in his travels for the Rangers, but he was never given the chance to look upon the Capital of the Griffon Empire, let alone the famed Moot chamber.

It was incredible.

"Sounds like you had it rough. We all have." He felt a claw on his shoulder as he looked up to the voice that replied to him.

Before stood a Minotaur, bearing the cloak and armor of an Arkonian Ranger, a small, sad smile upon his face.

"At least be grateful that some of the order made it out alive. The dead litter that land; we could easily be among those poor bastards"

"I know, Rex," Gryden replied with a sigh "It's still a lot to take in though. I mean, all those creatures, all those bodies.....friends and family just.....gone." An image of a strange bipedal creature came to mind. He turned to another figure on his right, a sad look upon his face.

"I miss him, Birch."

Birch Black, son of Bright Steel, and Knight Ranger of Arkon, turned towards the voice that called his face, his own, dead of expression, besides the apparent misery that dulled his once vibrant eyes.

"I...I miss him, too Gryden. I miss them. Cherry, mom...dad." Birch mused, distantly.

He didn't remember much from when he was pulled from the rubble of the gate after the siege of Sanfaran, and what he did recall was....unpleasant to say the least.

For the last two months, he had lingered in a state of shock, talking with detachment, thoughts always leading to the atrocities that he had seen, that he had done. Ever since he was pulled from the wreckage by his sister Summer Isle, his apparent last remaining family member, he seemed a shell of his former self. Where once stood a proud Knight Ranger now was a broken stallion, stuck in a mind frame of past failures, and lost friends and family.

Summer Isle rubbed his back, cooing softly .

How she survived the slaughter of the city was known only to her; even Birch didn't know, and by the pained face that his sister adorned when thinking about it, didn't want o know. She had fared better psychologically than her brother, and for the last two months had to be the strong one of the two as they fled to Griffin Empire. She was worn out by the time they reached Monolith, to the point of being physically ill, but thanks to well timed scouting party of surviving Rangers, she and her brother were rescued from Death's door, and were ushered into the safety of Monolith.

For weeks now, she and her brother were given rooms in the palace at the request of the Prince of Arkon, in order to fully recuperate from the tortuous ordeal they had gone through.

And, though she had been steadily recovering, her brother seemed to only be getting worse.

"It's alright, Birch," She said, nuzzling him softly,"If we made it out, then there may be hope that Cherry and Aggie made it out, too."

Birch said nothing, keeping his gaze fixated on the floor, his blank stare boring holes into the ground.

Rex sighed, before facing Gryden again.

"As you can see, young one, we all haven't fared so great sense this mess started," he said, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to alleviate his already pounding headache, "I've lost family and friends of my own, and have endured suffering that shouldn't have been inflicted on any creature. But, at the end of the day, I'm glad that I still live, if only that it means that as long as I breath, as long as WE breath, we still have a fighting chance at fixing this.....this tragedy."

He looked around at the faces that stared at him, before slumping forward.

"I just wish more of us made it out."

Besides Gryden, Rex and Birch, only 4 known Rangers made it out alive.

Metaphysics: a unicorn, rank of Dominion, and one of the former apprentices to Iron Gates, the Rangers' weapons master. He was stationed at the Ranger's Headquarters when the Minotauri attacked. And he alone, out of all the apprentices and the Master himself, survived the slaughter by crawling through the cities sewers, littered with corpses and other foul things. It was a moment he has never and will never forget. He has since developed a severe case of paranoia, as well suffering from frequent black outs.

Shadow: A griffin, rank of Dominion. He was stationed in the Village of Gale, one of the many Eastern border villages. It was, sadly, one of the first to be attacked, as well. He personally witnessed the murder of his wife and chick, as well as the burning of the village and it's inhabitants. At the Battle of Licknia Fields, he was captured and tortured for information. In response to his blatant disregard for their questions, they tore his wings off and cut out his tongue before leaving him for dead in small cramped cell with Rex. He was found by other Arkonian Rangers and, along with Rex, left for Monolith following the fall of Sanfaran. Since then, he has learned to move as fast on the ground as we was in the air, but has since become a mute recluse, who displays severe psychopathic tendencies. He often uses torture when killing as of late.

Inanna Tal' Zonei: A Bossk, rank of Throne. She is one of the Prince of Arkon's Personal guard, along with Rex, who went with the Prince to Monolith by the time the war had been failing in Arkon's favor. Having fought in several major battles, she was not there to witness the fall of Sanfaran, which claimed her her lover, another Bossk in the Army of Arkon. Arguably one of the best fighters, she now falls into periods of depression, musing over all that has been lost, and how she was not there to save the Stone City and the lover she cared for.

And last, but not least:

Jemenez Crickett: A griffin, rank of Knight Ranger, previous name unknown. Due to his previous state of mental instability following a botched mission before the Arkon/Minotauri War, involving the death of two foals, he was committed to an Asylum that dealt with mentally unstable Rangers, due to random spurts of violence and schizophrenic symptoms (he talks to the two dead foals frequently). By the time the war hit Arkon, and the city of Vril, which held the institution, was sacked, he escaped it ruins, all previous records of him destroyed in those flames, with an eye for murder and mayhem, and a new name in tow, ready to kill any Minotauri who crossed his path. Having escaped the Fall of Sanfaran, he was found by Rex (his insanity deteriorating further) and brought to Monolith. Since then, he is watched closely by his comrades, due his random spouts of violence and his Manic/Depressive attitude.

Rex, himself, is a Minotauri Blood Traitor, one who did not serve the "Emperor" in the Empire of the Horn. Being of the rank of Throne, he was chosen, along with several others, to serve as guards to the Prince of Arkon. But, when war broke out, he was placed on the field to fight along side the King at the Licknia Fields. When the dust cleared from the overwhelming defeat, he was pulled from a pile of bodies and brought to the Minotauri Camp for interrogation. Being a Blood Traitor meant that his torture would be more severe. Besides carving insults in the Minos Language into his skin, his left arm was hacked off with a dull axe, as was per the Ritual of Verdiløs Avskum, and his right eye pulled from the socket.

They were consumed in front of him, as was tradition.

It was only through a raid by other Arkonian Rangers that were sent to acquire a high profile prisoner that he was found and brought with them, (not before saving Shadow from certain death, whom he shared a cell block with).

Once his wounds were dressed and was given enough time to recuperate, he requested that he somehow be sent back to the field, but, after much protest, was ordered to return to the Prince's side, and continue to guard him, while he trekked to the Empire of the Wind, to beg for help from the Emperor and it's people.

And slowly, the news Rex heard of his home became worse and worse. With less than a handful of Rangers, a lost Kingdom, and more and more delayed action, his hopes began to slowly recede, and the burning fire of passion for revenge he harbored slowly seemed to shrink to coals of hopelessness.

"And nothing has still been done regarding Emperor Tenhi and the Prince?" Gryden asked, cocking his head questioningly.

Rex shook his head sadly.

"Tenhi is for war with the Minotauri; that is assured, for one thing. But the Moot Council has yet to decide on any course of action to take as of yet. Tenhi may be Emperor, but the full vote of the Council is needed before any plan of war is to be taken."

"Sadly," Ianna added," That hesitation has cost many lives as of now. Those old fools don't seem to understand that the Minotauri will continue to spread West. Maybe even south."

"To Equestria?" Summer Isle questioned, Birch also raising an eye.

Ianna simply sighed.

"It's a possibility. With those new weapons, they could go anywhere they chose."

A brooding silence engulfed their corner of the room.

"You really think that shit?"

All eyes turned to Jemenez.

The insane griffin ruffled the cloak around him, an unnerving smile adorning his beak. Though calm looking now, his eyes betrayed the madness that engulfed his being.

"No way in a million fuckin years would anybody attack the fuckin Equestrians."

"What makes you say that?" Birch asked, his distant look becoming more focused and sharp.

Jemenez merely crackled his maddening laugh.

"Do you really need to ask? Besides the fact that they'd have to get through this Empire to begin, how about that Equestrians have two princesses that move the fucking sun and moon? I wouldn't fuck with that kind of shiznit. Attacking that place and killing its leaders would leave the world in disarray. Who knows what the fuck will happen!? And that aside, even with their new weapons, Equestria has enough magic to burn the world twice over in a holy fucking ember of light."

His smile faded for the briefest of moments, images of two dead foals filling his mind.

"They'd never attack that kingdom."

"So what are you saying?" Gryden asked, all the others giving questioning glances of their own.

The smile returned.

"Maybe we've been asking for help from the wrong place, guys."