AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you have read Stone Warriors, Go, Go, Wildcats, or Chosen Legacy, then you have already encountered the Eltarian Rebels. In writing these fics, I discovered some incredibly interesting characters who have fascinating personal stories. Some of those stories will not fit into the main fics, however the stories demanded to be told. If you'd like to learn more about who the Rebels are as individual people, why they followed the paths they did, and how the Rebellion of Eltar grew into what it did to begin with, this is the place for you. Each chapter of this fic is going to be a one-shot. You can read some without reading others if you have any Rebels you're more interested in, or you can read the whole thing and see how everything comes together. If you didn't read any of my other fics in the Chosen universe but happen to find the idea of a group of anarchists from Zordon's home planet interesting, feel free to read these one-shots on their own. I'm not sure how many there will be, but I'll keep adding stories periodically until I feel like I've told all of the stories that need to be told. I look forward to any reviews and comments you have. If you've read the other fics and have a particular Rebel or Rebellion-related event you'd like to know more about, please contact me and let me know and I'll do my best to tell their story.

With that said, although these stories will be out of order in terms of when they happened in time, I think we should at least start at the beginning… Welcome to the Rebellion! Bizzeh mada alebastes! Enjoy.

ONE: BEGINNING (This one has a lot of people mentioned in it, but focuses most heavily on Laby, his parents, Garron, another founding member named Vitella, and Felina.)

They say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. That proved to be quite true when it came to the Rebellion of Eltar. It began with five individuals who saw long before anyone else that the Eltarian Government was ripe with corruption. After the Great Wizard Zell, father of the Great Sage Zordon, fell from power, everyone was content to believe that the issue had been resolved. Surely no other Eltarian would ever do such questionable and evil things... However, about ninety years after his destruction, the five founding members realized that the corruption had run much deeper than simply the Great Wizard himself.

Garron had still been young when the Great Wizard fell from power. Even ninety years after the fact, he was essentially a teenager by Eltarian standards. No one took him seriously when he ranted about the government killing his sister Marjeet shortly after the death of Zordon's mother Daphne. His sister had been his only living relative, and when he lost her, he was lost in grief. Over time, that grief turned to rage, and he vowed to put an end to the corrupt, heartless Counsel of Eltar. He was willing to accomplish this through any means, and he didn't care if that meant getting blood on his hands. Marjeet had been a soldier. He would become one, too.

Maizza and L'Derro were a married couple. Their son, Labyrinth, was known around town as a lighthearted prankster who enjoyed causing trouble to amuse himself but was relatively harmless. Maizza and L'Derro were kind people who tried to better their community. When three homeless teenagers were sentenced to life in prison for treason after they stole food and money from a Senator who was exceptionally wealthy, Maizza and L'Derro were horrified by the extreme punishment. They began to realize several people who'd been locked up or even executed for treason had seemingly not deserved it. They sought a path of peaceful resistance, hoping to accomplish change by standing up for what they believed in.

Vitella was a powerful sorceress and a gentle soul who swore there was always a peaceful resolution to every problem. She walked around with flowers in her hair and a smile on her face for everyone she met. She saw the way the government was failing its citizens and hoped speaking up would lead to change. She befriended Maizza and L'Derro and found she shared many of their views on things.

Destonyel was more of a warrior than a sorcerer, but he did have strong magic, like his twin sister Vitella. He loved his sister fiercely but felt her views, while admirable, were unrealistic. Des knew that, sometimes, violence was the only thing that got through to people. He followed his twin into the Rebellion, hoping to protect her and maybe help bring about a positive change.

For nearly a decade, the Rebellion met behind closed doors and discussed their goals and possible ways to accomplish them. Trusted members would come across other Eltarians who were fed up with the corruption and would bring them to the next meeting. Slowly, the small group of those who resisted Eltarian's government grew into an actual movement. By the time the one hundred year anniversary of the Great Wizard's demise rolled around, the Rebellion had grown to just over three hundred members. Most wanted to follow the peaceful path of resistance they had vowed to adhere to. A few very vocal members, however, wanted to fight fire with fire. They spoke of weapons and battle strategy, just in case it ever came down to it.

Finally, over a decade after they came together for the first time, the Rebellion took action. A young sorceress named Klara had been accused of High Treason on the word a Senator. He claimed she'd killed his wife, but there was a decent amount of evidence that suggested he'd done it himself and framed Klara, who was most likely his mistress. Because of his rank, no one dared question him, and Klara was put to death for the crime even as she begged for someone, anyone, to help her. She was barely nineteen years old, practically a child by Eltarian standards. The Rebels could be silent no more.

The gathering only consisted of about half of the Rebellion, to keep it from being viewed as hostile. Roughly one hundred and fifty men, women, and children gathered in the center of town to express their outrage at the execution. They stood together, peacefully calling for justice for Klara.

Labyrinth hadn't wanted to be there. It wasn't that he didn't support the cause... He did. Klara had been a nice girl, and he believed she was innocent. Laby simply didn't have the attention span to stand around protesting something that had already happened. He didn't believe the protest would really accomplish much, and he got bored easily. Laby wanted to make people laugh and bring joy to Eltar. He never wanted to be part of a revolution. His parents had dragged him there, insisting it would be good for him.

"I'm bored," he whined for the thousandth time. "No one's even paying attention to us. Can't we just send a bunch of bewitched, strongly-worded letters to the Counsel that will yell at them until they change the way they do things?"

"Laby, my darling, you need to see the bigger picture," his mother said. "If we remain silent, nothing will ever change... But if we speak up, maybe others will as well. When we unite our voices, we can never be silenced." She wrapped him in her arms.

"Sorry, Mother," he said. "I just grow so restless when we stand in one place for too long." He stayed in her embrace for a moment, comforted. Ever since he'd lost his best friend Serafine and her brother Ash, Laby had struggled with Depression. It got worse after her baby sister Daphne had been killed. He'd tried to hold on to keep an eye on the girl, but she had met just as horrible an end as Serafine had. He'd lost all sense of purpose then, and only his parents had been able to pull him out of that state. Maybe that was why Laby couldn't get overly involved in their cause... The part of him that might have fought back as hard as they did was still a bit broken.

"I know, my little love. You'll see... We will make a difference."

"Of course we will," his father added. "Together."

Laby noticed Des and his wife and kids nearby. "Where's Vitella?" He asked. "This gathering is more her thing than Destonyel's."

"Vitella's been feeling ill," his father replied. "Des came out to represent her because of how badly she wanted to be here."

"She is with child," his mother said with a grin. "I am certain of it... She simply has not told anyone. Her husband is here, too." She motioned toward Mafenez, a man who was always cheerful no matter what was going on around him. Laby wondered if he and Vitella drank some sort of elixir that kept them happy all the time. He laughed to himself, watching Mafenez play with Destonyel's toddler daughter. He'll make a great father, he thought.

Suddenly, Laby felt something strange in the air. A horrible sound rang out around him. He didn't register what it meant at first… Not even when he saw Mafenez's shirt become stained with an unexpected red substance. The stain began to spread and Mafenez dropped to the ground. Beside him, Des fell, too. There was a circle in the center of his head and his eyes stared blankly at Laby. It was all happening too fast for anyone to process at first.

Screams suddenly filled the crowd. More people fell around him, and Laby finally registered what was happening… They were being fired upon with powerful guns. "Get down!" His father shouted to those closest to him. Laby automatically tried to shield his mother with his body.

"The children…" His mother whispered in horror.

The gunshots continued. Laby lifted his head just enough to see that the people firing upon them were wearing the same uniform the guards at the Counsel Building wore. They work for the government, he realized in horror. Their own government had ordered this attack!

His father suddenly shook violently as a bullet hit him. "Father!" Laby screamed.

He wanted to run to his father, but his father looked into his eyes and said, "No… Laby, stay with your mother… Protect her."

Laby watched in horror as his father's eyes closed over. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He knew he was dead. He tried to shield his mother's eyes as she wept beneath him.

"The Mayor has ordered that there be no witnesses," one of the guards said firmly.

"Of course," another replied. The firing continued. Laby was hit multiple times, but he didn't move. He had to protect his mother.

As another round was emptied, Laby was hit two more times. He was shot straight through the heart. He cried out in pain, then realized that his mother had stopped moving. He moved just enough to examine her and saw that the bullet had pierced her heart as well. In an instant, she was gone.

Laby let out a cry of anguish as he held his mother's body in his arms. This couldn't be happening… It had to be a nightmare.

He snapped out of it when he heard the sound of quiet sobbing. He spotted Destonyel's daughter crying in a corner that he assumed someone had moved her into to try to protect her. He forced himself to release his mother and crawled to her, praying the guards didn't see him move. He was losing blood and could barely think straight. He'd taken at least one bullet to the side of his head, and the shot to his chest would have killed anyone else. He knew he couldn't access his powers to help anyone escape, but maybe he could at least comfort the little girl and keep her quiet so the guards didn't realize she was still alive.

He reached her just as a guard noticed her. The guard cursed. "You missed one," he said.

"He's been shot at least a dozen times. How is he still alive?" Another guard replied.

"He'll bleed out. I meant the other one."

"But… Sir… She can't be more than three," the second guard said in horror.

"The order is no witnesses. What part of that do you not comprehend? Put a bullet in her and be done with it."

The second guard stood his ground. He moved protectively in front of Laby and the little girl. "No," he said firmly.

"No? You would defy a direct order from a superior officer?" The first guard demanded.

"If this is the order, then… Yes."

The first guard nodded. "I see. Then you are no better than these dangerous criminals." With that, the first guard fired three shots into the second. He fell to the ground at Laby's feet, dead.

Laby stared at the monster with the gun defiantly. "I won't let you hurt her," he said firmly, keeping the little girl behind him.

"Very well. Another few bullets should put an end to you," the guard replied. He emptied an entire round into Laby as the toddler screamed. Laby tried to keep her eyes covered as he blocked her from the bullets with his body. Finally, the man pressed the gun against the back of Laby's head. He fired again, and everything went black.

When Laby regained consciousness, everything was extremely quiet. He slowly sat up, terrified of what he might see. The first thing he spotted was the little girl he'd tried to protect. She was dead, along with everyone else around them.

This isn't real, Laby told himself. It's a bad dream… It can't be real. He struggled to move, but it hurt. He realized what had woken him back up… Smoke. The bodies of everyone the government had just slaughtered were burning and Laby finally realized this wasn't just a nightmare. He stood on weak legs, his body and heart both in agony. They were dead. He knew that… He also knew he couldn't save their bodies, because the fire was moving too quickly. His parents were already burning.

Knowing he had to escape, Laby tried something he didn't have the power for… He created a labyrinth. It was barely large enough for him to slip inside of, and it sealed shut as soon as he did. He willed the labyrinth to slip into the shadows just until the fire was out, knowing he couldn't use it to move anywhere even if he wanted to.

He knew the attack had taken mere minutes… One moment, he'd been standing with his family and friends, and the next, everyone was dead… It couldn't have lasted for more than five minutes, and during that time, Laby should have been killed several times over. Unfortunately for him, he was immortal. Serafine had often experimented on him as she learned new spells when they were children. When they'd been fifteen, Sera had cast several protection spells in quick succession and had somehow accidentally turned Laby immortal. They had figured it out when he got impaled a few months later and didn't die. At the time, it hadn't bothered Laby. Now, however, he was heartbroken. Everyone he loved was gone, and he would never see any of them again because he couldn't be reunited with them in death.

Laby was still growing weaker from his injuries. His magic shattered and he fell out of the sky as his labyrinth broke. He landed on what was now the final resting place of a hundred and fifty innocent people. The fire was out but the air smelled of death and burnt flesh. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he began to mentally recite all of the fallen people's names to himself. He vowed in that moment to never forget any of their names and to make sure that no one else did either.

Curled up on the remains of the charred corpses, Laby struggled to regain his strength. He was healing, but far too slowly. Suddenly, he heard a voice. "Laby?" Someone asked in surprise.

He looked up, too weak to speak, and saw Felina looking back at him. "My God… Laby…" She whispered. "Over here! There's a survivor!" She shouted as she began trying to heal him. "I need more healers! He's terribly injured!"

Garron and Lumie were the first to reach him. "Lumie, do what you can to assist Felina," Garron said to the young healer. She immediately began trying to help Laby.

"There are too many bullets in him…" Felina said in horror. "We must get them out before we heal him." She began casting an extraction spell while Lumie kept him stable. "This shall hurt, Laby. I'm sorry."

Laby didn't feel anything. He nodded at her, too numb to care about something as trivial as physical pain. He could tell she was trying to be gentle as she used her magic to remove the bullets and then joined Lumie's efforts to help heal him.

"What happened here, Labyrinth?" Garron asked gently.

"They… They shot us…" Laby whispered. "All of us…"

"Who did this, my boy?"

"The Guards… From the Counsel…" He couldn't process his own words even as he said them.

"The Guards?" Felina asked in horror. "Our own Government ordered this attack?"

"The children… They even shot them… I… I tried to save the youngest… But they shot me again… And again… And…" Laby rambled.

"Shhh, Laby," Felina said soothingly. "It is over now."

"The screams… Everyone was screaming…"

"The boy is in shock," Garron said with a sigh.

"Laby, listen to me," Felina said. "You must not allow this to break you… That is what they want… To silence you. Do you understand me?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes..."

"We must not allow the sacrifice our friends made here to go to waste. We must fight back, Laby. You are the sole survivor of this slaughter… Only you can speak for the fallen."

He nodded again. He forced himself to breathe and tried to focus. He looked at the wasteland left behind by the slaughter and the fire and he said, "I won't break. I will speak for them… Because they can no longer speak for themselves."

"Mozkortz dominee fiatt," Garron said softly. "Emitex linage vont."

You are home, my friends, Laby repeated to himself. You are loved.

"Bizzeh mada alebastes," Felina added softly.

"Hail to Those who Resist," Laby repeated aloud.

"Come, Labyrinth," Garron said soothingly. "We must tell Vitella what has occurred."

"Garron, you cannot," Felina said. "She is… She is in a delicate state."

"She is with child. I have seen this," Garron replied. "She must know, Felina. Her brother, his family, and her husband perished today, as did some of her dearest friends. We shall be as gentle as possible."

Laby numbly followed Garron and Felina to the pregnant leader. They found her lying in bed surrounded by flowers, as she usually was. One of Vitella's greatest powers was growing plants and flowers wherever she went.

"Vitella… We must speak with you," Garron said.

Vitella took one look at Laby and knew something was seriously wrong. "What has happened?" She asked nervously. She stood and pulled Laby into a tight embrace. "I have not seen you look so sad in a century, my dear Laby."

"The protest was ambushed," Garron said.

"Ambushed? I do not understand…"

"They… They fired upon the crowd, Vitella… The Counsel Guards were ordered to attack us," Laby explained.

Vitella's face was filled with horror as she gently released Laby from her embrace. "Attack? It was a peaceful protest! What happened? Where are the others?"

Laby couldn't look at her. "They're gone, Vitella… Every single person who was at the protest was killed, except for Labyrinth… His immortality saved him," Garron explained.

Vitella's face turned unreadable. "I see…" She said softly. She was shaking. Suddenly, her knees gave out and she fell to the floor.

"Vitella!" Felina said in alarm. She glared at Garron. "I told you she could not handle this news," she snapped at him.

"I did what must be done," he said simply. "This was unavoidable."

"The child is in distress… She is not far enough along to consider delivery… We need more help, urgently!"

Garron nodded. "Of course." He left the room, presumably to get help.

"Felina… What can be done?" Laby asked.

"I'm not sure if we can save the child… It is unlikely. However, we can still save Vitella. Come assist me," Felina said. Laby moved to her side and began following her orders.

In the end, Vitella lost the child. Laby stayed by her side, trying to console her as she grieved for everyone she loved. He understood how she felt. Even when Felina and Garron left, Laby remained through the night. He didn't sleep. He wasn't sure he would ever sleep again.

In the morning, Vitella stood up, physically healed. She pulled out a sword that Laby knew had belonged to her twin. In one swift motion, Vitella chopped off her long brown hair. Laby stared at her in surprise, taking in her new haircut and the hard look in her eyes. Vitella no longer looked like the innocent maiden who wore flowers in her hair. Now, she looked like a warrior.

"Come, Labyrinth," she said. "I shall call a meeting."

As the surviving Rebellion members gathered in one of their secret meeting places a short time later, Vitella walked to the front of the room. Everyone watched her in surprise, unsure what to expect. She stood before them and said, "I know you are all grieving as deeply as I am this day… I stand before you with a message…" She took a deep breath. "Peaceful resistance does not work. The only way to make our voices heard is to scream from the rooftops and fire upon those who would oppose us!"

Laby stared at her in shock. "I have felt this way for quite some time," Garron said. "I wish it had not taken such a horrific slaughter to prove that force was necessary."

"We must unite against those who do not value the lives of the people of Eltar," Vitella said. "We cannot allow any more innocent blood to be shed!"

This was met with cheers. Some people still seemed uncertain, however, no one dared oppose her. Laby was moved by her words as she continued to speak.

"We must defend ourselves. We cannot stand by and allow the corruption to continue. While senseless violence shall not be our path, we must fight fire with fire. The time has come to fight back. Yesterday, the Governing Body of Eltar believed they silenced us with their slaughter. We must prove to them that we shall not be silenced! As long as there is blood in our veins and breath in our lungs, we shall resist! We are the Rebellion of Eltar! Bizzeh mada alebastes! Hail to Those who Resist!"

"Bizzeh mada alebastes!" The Rebels echoed.

"Vide piel virit," Garron said. "I am loyal!"

"Vide piel virit," the Rebels repeated.

"Together, we shall honor our fallen Soldiers of the Rebellion and remember their names! We shall defeat our corrupt government and any others which stand in our way. Bizzeh mada alebastes!" Vitella said again.

"Bizzeh mada alebastes," the Rebels repeated once more. Laby had never invoked these phrases before, but now… He felt as if he had to. For his family, and for everyone else who the heartless, corrupt bastards in charge of Eltar had slaughtered.

For the innocent, Laby thought. For the fallen. He looked at those around him before saying firmly, "Bizzeh mada alebastes!"

Vitella stood before the unified members of the Rebellion and nodded. "Hail, the Rebellion of Eltar!" She declared. "Let the true revolution begin!"