SEASIDE HOOF, PONY TALE ISLAND:
The streets of the small town that was only a speck on the south east side of the island were extremely busy with activity, as pure usual. There were several ponies traveling around the town doing their daily routines. Yet, they were not nearly as many ponies as one would think. At one point there was a whole bunch of ponies who lived in the town of Seaside Hoof. But over the years the number of equine residents seemed to have been cut down to less than two thirds the original population.
Now there was maybe a hoof full of residents left in comparison to how many there were when the town was founded. Seaside Hoof was now mostly populated by the other species that helped build the town alongside the ponies. These were the minotaurs, who at one point in time had lived peacefully with the fellow hoofed equines. There were smiles, there was laughter, there was mutual respect, there was cooperation, there may even have been a feeling of kinship between the minotaurs and the ponies. All that was gone now, replaced by frowns, growls, distrust, both sides angry, and ever growing hate amongst the two species.
The ponies, however, were unable to do anything about it, for their numbers had dwindled so much under mysterious circumstances. Besides that, the minotaurs were much physically stronger than the ponies and were experts in crafting and handling all sorts of weapons. They were a born warrior race, which would give them a much bigger advantage in any sort of conflict against almost all enemies. All of these combined traits forced the pony race living on Pony Tale Island to knuckle under to the minotaurs' rule, which was not easy for them to deal with at all.
At first glance from afar nothing seemed to be out of the norm. The minotaurs and the ponies were all walking around taking care of their business as they had been since the town's creation. If one were to get closer, however, even before getting into the thick of it they'd notice the big differences. Again, most ponies in the crowd had frowns on their faces conveying the sadness, sorrow, despair, hopelessness, and even depression they felt. Occasionally one pony might try to steal a scowl at the minotaurs in the crowd, but they'd always make sure it went unnoticed.
The expressions on the minotaurs' faces, however, conveyed the very essence of their warrior heritage. Ordinarily that wouldn't be unusual, but that was the only look they ever had on their faces anymore and it seemed like that warrior pride was increased tenfold. The look also seemed to convey the disdain, contempt, hatred, and lack of remorse among other things they came to feel for the ponies around them. Also while the ponies were all scattered around randomly, the varying groups of minotaurs in the crowd were far more organized. They all stuck to what they were doing and kept their focus solely on that, barely even acknowledging the ponies.
Some would even say why should they since, again, the minotaurs pretty much took over the town. Every shop, every restaurant, every business in general was run by the minotaurs. If a pony was in charge, the minotaurs were sure to be running things from behind the scenes. The only exception to this was the smallest ocean port that was ran and owned by ponies. It was not ran by any in Seaside Hoof, though; it was actually owned by those in Willowbrook, the small village located within the Willowing Forest.
One other reason why the pony population in Seaside Hoof had dwindled was because several of them agreed to leave and start their own town. That had led to the founding of Willowbrook. Despite their need for independence, though, they still had no choice but to keep their dock in the minotaur ran town. There was nowhere else suited to try and start another and there was no telling if the minotaurs would even let them or not. It was a surprise they allowed the ponies to leave town to start Willowbrook in the first place.
But they did and no repercussions were taken at all. It was just as much of a surprise that they let the Willowbrook ponies keep their dock. The ponies all used that single dock to import and export food and other supplies they both bought and sold. But today it would have another task beyond the usual.
Behind the wooden walls that surrounded the dock and the tiny warehouse that stood upon it, two ponies stood amongst all the workers. Both wore hooded cloaks as had become the normal fashion statement amongst ponies in Seaside Hoof. One was the four foot tall pegasus, Firefly, and the other was the five foot four Earth pony, Thunder Jack. The tan furred stallion was preparing to head aboard one of the smaller exporting boats and the pink furred mare was seeing him off.
It was plain to see that Thunder Jack was very nervous about the voyage he would be undertaking. His body language was antsy, the look on his face was very anxious, and he even kept looking around in a paranoid fashion. Firefly saw all this and was doing her best to comfort her younger friend.
"Will you relax, Thunder Jack? You're more on edge than a foal caught feeding his dinner to the dog. You always get so paranoid every time we go out and do something like this and every time it turns out alright, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... so far. Hasn't always gone so well for other ponies, though and you never know when our luck could run out. So forgive me if I'm just the littlest bit concerned. Especially considering what's on the line here with my mission and what could happen if I blow it."
Firefly let out an exasperated sigh, but then a somewhat motherly smile came over her face as she put a hoof up to Thunder Jack's cheek.
"I know it's scary to think about, TJ. It's been scary for all of us through the time we've spent putting up with this... bull." Thunder Jack couldn't stop himself from letting out a slightly amused chuckle. "But still, we as ponies, as living beings have a responsibility to this cause. It's a matter of life and death and we all have to live up to our responsibilities in this matter and play our part. No matter how intimidating it might be, we all got to do any task handed to us in this cause."
"I know, I know. Jeez, look at you sounding all responsible and everything. That's not usually you."
"Yeah, yeah, keep it down. I got a reputation to keep up looks for. Besides, you're usually the one on the other side of this conversation lecturing me. For the record, I still wish you wouldn't do that. I mean, I am still-"
"Older than me?" Thunder Jack asked as an amused smile crossed his face. "Are you admitting you're getting up there in age?"
"Don't start this crud with me," Firefly said. "You tease you're mom like this all the time, don't you dare start up with me. Don't let the fact that I'm smaller than you give ya any ideas. Remember I was once-"
"I know, I know. I just can't help but be a little snot sometimes. It's so much fun."
"What do you mean, 'sometimes'?"
A shocked smile crossed Thunder Jack's face and for a moment he thought about a playful tap to Firefly's foreleg, but ultimately decided against it.
"Okay, a lot of the time," Thunder Jack conceded.
"More like all the time," Firefly responded.
"Don't get too comfortable with the smack talk there, pinkie," Thunder Jack said.
"You little brat," Firefly spat back.
The two ponies embraced each other and laughed loudly, for they could not contain their amusement at their antics. For as long as they could remember, Thunder Jack and Firefly, along with their whole social circle have always taken potshots at each other. They knew it was all in good fun and they always appreciated the laughter that came with it, especially in these dark times they were facing. In fact, they were just thankful they could still fun around like this at all. It was probably the only thing keeping them from going insane in their current conflict.
The two ponies stood there hugging each other and smiling for a few seconds. It seemed to be all Thunder Jack needed to remember the gravity of what his people were going through and the importance of everything in their struggle. This included the journey was about to take, which was enough to make his smile slowly fade.
"I know how important this is Firefly."
The pink mare couldn't stop herself from frowning. She had been hoping the goofing around would loosen her friend up a little, but it seems he tightened right back up again.
"I know you do, TJ," Firefly said.
"Yes, I do," Thunder Jack reaffirmed. "That's why I don't want anything to go wrong and why I am so worried. I know I get like this for a lot of things I consider important, but this one really is important. Any part I play against the minotaurs will be the most important thing I ever do with my life. I don't even have to say probably because I know it will be. That's why I don't want anything to go wrong."
"Then it won't," Firefly said. "You've always been a pony that pays attention to every detail on a project you're working on. Granted, that's gotten on ponies' nerves, but it usually ends up paying off more than if it had been done any other way."
"I hate to be the pessimist here," Thunder Jack began, "but there have been times where, despite that detail you're talking about, I've still messed up... big time! I don't want that to happen here. What makes it worse is that there's so much that can go wrong."
"That's the way it is for almost everything," Firefly said. "You know that."
"But this time is different," Thunder Jack said. "This is so important and yet everything surrounding it is so tedious. What if I mess up here? What if something happens to the ship and I don't make it? What if we're caught by the minotaurs and they send out one of those things to sink the ship?
"Plus, suppose I do make it. What if I still fail? What if the princesses won't help? What if we're left to handle this on our own? What if while I'm there something happens to you guys? What if-"
"Oh, would you stop it already?" Firefly interrupted. She couldn't take Thunder Jack's paranoia any longer. "Now, you listen to me, Thunder Jack. It's true that there's a lot of baggage that goes with this mission of yours. But you can't forget that everypony involved here has extra baggage to carry, too. Everyone else is just as worried as you are in this, but yet they still do what they know they have to. Besides, you volunteered to do this in the first place."
"Oh, yeah, I know that," Thunder Jack said. "I still have every intention of doing what I can going into this mission. I was just airing out some concerns I have is all. I do that every time, you know that."
"Yeah, just like I always listen to you 'til I can't stand ya anymore," Firefly said. The smallest look of hurt crossed Thunder Jack's face as he looked away to which Firefly rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, but you've even admitted that you tend to worry than most other ponies. Look, Thunder Jack, I know you have your reservations. So do I, but we've got to look passed them for the greater good.
"Yeah, I'll admit you've made mistakes before, but everypony makes mistakes sometimes. Nopony's perfect... Not even me."
Thunder Jack's eyes widened in surprise.
"What did you just say?"
"I know, shocking. Don't focus on the wrong part of the cheese here. The point is, everypony makes mistake, but you're forgetting that for every mistake you made, you've had eighty successes."
Thunder Jack's lips spread out into a smile as he looked down to the mare he cared so much for.
"Thanks, Firefly," Thunder Jack said.
"You're welcome, TJ," Firefly replied.
"Don't you worry, I'll do this right," Thunder Jack said. "I will reach the mainland and get the princesses to help us. I won't fail. I won't let you and everypony else down."
"We know you won't," Firefly said. "That's why nopony objected to you being the one going to ask the princesses for help. Well... your mom kind of did, but that was only because she was worried about ya is all. Once she realized you were a big colt now, though, she backed off and gave you her support."
"Yeah... I still wish I didn't have to leave you all behind. I hate going off and leaving you all, not knowing if you're okay or not or something happened to you all... You sure you're all gonna be okay, Firefly?"
"Oh, come on, Thunder Jack. We're all big ponies, we can take care of ourselves. Besides, I'm still here. Nuff said."
"Eh... I guess so."
Firefly glared for just a moment as she said, "You doubting me, boy?!"
"No, no! I'm just... It's Muse. She's the one I'm the most worried about."
"Eh, she's a big girl. She ain't no filly anymore."
"I know, but she's still my sister."
"You can't keep worrying about her like that. You gotta realize her safety is eventually gonna be her responsibility and not yours."
"It'll never stop being my responsibility... but I will have to start trusting her more out of my sight. I actually trust you all even more than I trust myself."
"Well, thanks for that, but you still gotta have a little bit of faith in yourself, too, TJ."
"Let's see how well I do on this mission of mine and then I'll look into believing in myself more. Speaking of which, I'd better hop on the boat before they decide to leave without me."
"Remember to go straight to Canterlot. That is, unless you see something along the way that makes you think you should stop there first."
"Right," Thunder Jack agreed. "I still kind of think maybe you should be the pony going to Equestria or at least you should be coming with me. I mean, you used to live there and you know the area better than me."
"Uh, uh, uh," Firefly interrupted. "Let's not start that again. I already told you, I left my life in Equestria behind and I don't want to revisit it in anyway, shape, or form. Besides, you already volunteered, so the task is yours and we can't both go. Willowbrook could probably survive without one of us there, but it sure can't survive without us both."
"I guess so," Thunder Jack relented.
"Cheer up, kid," Firefly said. "You'll do just fine."
"Thanks, Firefly."
The two ponies hugged each other tightly for a moment before a call came out.
"All who's coming aboard should be aboard!"
The pegasus mare and the Earth pony stallion looked to see all the crew members rushing to gather the last of the supply for the voyages onto the small boat. The two ponies then looked to each other, the emotion being plain to see in both their eyes. Despite the tough act Firefly put on, she was going to be thinking about Thunder Jack the entire time he was gone. Though he was not her son, she still very much worried for him like one. She just didn't want to admit it.
Thunder Jack, on the other hoof, had already made it clear how he felt about the whole thing.
"Well... here it goes," Thunder Jack said.
"You be careful out there and take care of yourself, now," Firefly said, unable to stop the emotional shake in her voice.
"I will," Thunder Jack said, also with a small shake. "And I won't let you guys down... I promise."
With that, Thunder Jack turned away from Firefly and trotted as fast as he could to get on the boat before it could leave port. He looked back only once to see Firefly wipe away a few tears before putting a smile on and waving. The Earth pony responded in kind before hopping aboard the boat. As the vessel finally began to sail out to sea, Thunder Jack looked out at Firefly the entire time.
Firefly looked back while smiling as best as she could and trying to force back tears. She watched the small wooden trawler sail away until it was out of sight. At the same time, Thunder Jack looked back at the port until it faded from view. Firefly turned away before letting out one quick sob and then looking up at the sky.
"Great alicorns of the past," Firefly prayed, "I beg you to please watch over my big Thunder Jack. He's been like a son to me since I've known him and I don't want anything to happen to him. Please watch over our cause and all ponies involved. Let us know that what we're doing is right and help us prevail."
After her prayer had ended, Firefly began flapping her wings and took to the sky. She would be heading back to Willowbrook now, but she refused to go back through the minotaur ran streets of Seaside Hoof.
ELSEWHERE ON PONY TALE ISLAND:
In the past, Tartarus has had many a description. Most would agree that the large majority of its structure was made up of deep dark tunnels. These caverns would be filled with many twists and turns and come in all shapes and sizes. They'd also be filled with the howling cries of pain and sorrow from those who inhabit them, which served to complement the inhospitable, unfriendly look of the caverns. They say that just one hoof step into the interior of Tartarus and you would already began to feel the desperation, the hopelessness, and the agony of its occupants.
Most agreed to that, but what the masses couldn't agree on is what the temperature in Tartarus was. Some theorized that it was as hot as a volcano and others felt it was cold as the frozen north. They even claim it could be a mixture of the two, that it just depended on what part of Tartarus you wound up in. One other thing most could agree on was the never ending torture that came with being a prisoner in Tartarus due to one's sins during his or her time among the living.
While this place wasn't Tartarus, it certainly fit many of those descriptions. There was many a cavern in this channel of tunnels and most of the area was very dark. There were some tunnels dimly lit by lanterns and others lit naturally by the flashing light that came off of several lava flows. Most of the lava was concealed within the confines of the stone walls, but there were areas where the flows were exposed. Because of this, the temperature was ungodly hot and it felt like one could pass out or even die of heatstroke at any moment.
Also, there were, indeed, many screams, shrieks, and cries being made by the prisoners that echoed through the caverns. These prisoners were more like slaves being forced to do work by their oppressors. Those oppressors were the two hoofed, upright standing, muscle bound, horn headed beasts that practically ran the island. These were the minotaurs, who, like in Seaside Hoof, wore only a warrior's expression mixed with the disdainful feelings they had come to feel for the ponies. Not a single minotaur was at rest, for all of them were doing a task, be it working the slaves or anything else, they were completely dedicated to their work.
In one of the caverns, several minotaurs had gathered and were standing at attention. They circled around a single minotaur bowing down on one knee and the two ponies he bowed before.
"Thank you for bringing this to our attention," the black furred unicorn stallion said.
"Yes, though we probably could've used this information sooner," the light gray coated unicorn mare added.
"Had I known earlier, I would've reported it to you both right away," the minotaur reassured.
"We suspected so," the stallion said. "Nevertheless, we will report your findings to Lord Isarem while you and your troops retrieve the perpetrator."
"As you wish, Black Lightning," the minotaur said.
"Be gone with you then, Surelious," the mare said.
"Yes, Khaos Fury," the minotaur replied.
He bowed his head before standing up and turning away. He ordered the other minotaurs to join him as he walked off to do his task. Most of them followed suit and joined Surelious while four stayed behind and accompanied the ponies in the other direction. Despite this movement being comprised mostly of minotaurs, these two ponies known as Black Lightning and Khoas Fury held a particularly high ranking amongst the masses.
They were the only ponies there not being tortured and forced to work while the rest were laboring like the slaves they had become. Any attempts at resisting or stopping to rest was instantly shutdown in the most painful of ways by the guards on duty. Black Lightning and Khaos Fury completely ignored the suffering of their fellow equines or any of their surrounding environment. They simply trotted passed it all to reach their intended destination with their guards in tow.
Black Lightning stood at five foot two while his sister, Khaos Fury was the traditional pony height of four feet tall. Khaos Fury' eye color was magenta while Black Lightning's was red. The mane and tail color for Black Lightning was dark blue while Khaos Fury's was white. Black Lightning's mane and tail were cut in a typical stallion fashion while Khaos Fury's flowed longer and wavier than what was typical for ponies. As for their cutie marks, Black Lightning's was a charcoal gray cloud shooting red lightning bolts and Khaos Fury's was a black rose.
As would be expected from ponies with such high ranks, especially in a minotaur driven movement, both unicorns' magic was extremely powerful. As to who was the most powerful pony between the two was unknown, for they were never set against one another to find out. Instead, the two had worked as a unit for nearly their whole lives, even into adulthood. For better or worse, these two unicorn siblings never left each others side and were now a duo of power and might truly to be reckoned with. The leader of the movement they were apart of must've certainly thought so, otherwise he would not have given them such rank and privilege.
Every time they walked by any number of minotaurs, almost all of them stopped to stand at attention. All these seven foot tall, overly muscular beasts of war that held all sorts of weapons in their hands stood in respect of these ponies. Usually that would be found very hard to believe, but it was happening right there with Black Lightning and Khaos Fury. They paid absolutely no attention to the respect shown to them and again, they paid no heed to the cries of torture from their fellow ponies being forced into slave labor. They just walked on until they came to the end of one of the smaller tunnels.
This one ended at a door, one of the few built into the channel of caverns. It was guarded by eight of the bigger minotaurs there. Six of them stood at the sides of the wall with two standing on either side of the door. Like all the minotaurs before they straightened up and stood at attention when they saw Black Lightning and Khaos Fury coming with their entourage. Black Lightning used his magic to open up the wide, thick, rounded wooden door to the next room.
After the door opened all the way, Black Lightning, Khaos Fury, and their four guard escort entered the wide open cavern beyond. The group stood there in the somewhat dark room and looked around. To their left was an open area where lava was flowing by, the glow of which gave off a dim light throughout the makeshift room. The small rumblings of the underground could be heard echoing through the room as everyone looked to the area opposite of the lava pit. There they saw a huge stone desk shaped out of the side of the wall with a large stone chair in front of it that was occupied.
From the angle Black Lightning and Khaos Fury were at, it was hard to make out who was the one sitting at the desk and chair, though they already knew who it was. They were just able to make out his hand holding a pen and writing something out one a piece of paper on the desk. The pony siblings were also able to make out the minotaur's horns sticking up over the top of the chair. The area was illuminated by a small lantern giving the minotaur at the desk enough light to do his writing.
Black Lightning and Khaos Fury stepped out into the middle of the room still accompanied by their guard escort.
"May Paradise's light shine over you, Lord Isarem," everyone said at the same time.
The hand stopped writing and slowly placed down the pen it was holding. Then it reached out and pressed a switch that was hidden on the desk. This switch turned on several lanterns that were hung on the ceiling above.
"And may it shine on you all as well," a low, deep voice said. Those kinds of voices were typical for a minotaur, but this beast's voice seemed to have more bass to it than was typical. "While I always appreciate a visit from my two favorite ponies... I thought I had specifically requested that I be left alone in my quarters until I say otherwise."
"Yes, you did, lord," Khaos Fury said.
"Then to what do I owe this interruption of my solitude?" the minotaur identified as Isarem asked. The stone chair slid back from the desk before turning around so the master of the minotaurs could face his guests directly. "What was so important that my orders had to be disobeyed?"
Isarem's body was currently hidden by a blue, hooded robe, his face being hidden behind a veil of shadows cast by the hood. The only parts of him that were visible were his hooves, hands, and the tops of his horns, which were bigger than most minotaurs.
"An urgent matter was brought to our attention by Commander Surelious," Black Lightning said.
"Then why is it not the commander who addresses me right now?" Isarem asked.
"He and his troops were sent by us to retrieve the one this matter concerns," Khaos Fury explained.
No sooner than after the mare had spoken did the door to the room open again. The sounds of screaming and struggling could be heard ringing through the air. Surelious walked into the room flanked by over a dozen minotaurs holding a single bull in the air. He had been beaten up a good lick, but yet he still struggled to break free and pleaded for dear life. His cries went unanswered as Surelious bowed in respect to the bull in charge.
"May Paradise's light shine over you, Lord Isarem."
"And you as well, Commander Surelious. My little ponies here tell me you uncovered an urgent matter that requires my attention."
"Yes, indeed, my lord. At once and right away."
"Well then, don't keep me in suspense, commander. What is it?"
Surelious turned to the minotaurs that came in with him and gave them a hand signal. They all complied and tossed the minotaur they had been holding to the front of the group. Surelious grabbed a small club from a holster he wore and smacked it several times over the fallen bull's back. Once he was sure the beaten minotaur wouldn't get up again, Surelious turned back to Isarem as he pointed to the one he had just assaulted.
"Last night, I placed this one here in charge of monitoring the mega assets," Surelious explained.
"I'm aware of that," Isarem said. "Don't waste my time with your schedule recap and get on with it."
"Of course, my lord," Surelious replied. "Anyways, it was during that time, under his watch, that one of the assets escaped from its holding cell."
A cold chill ran through the air, a chill that signaled Isarem's deep seeded anger. It was so powerful, all in the room could feel it no matter where they were standing.
"Really?" Isarem asked, managing to keep his same calm demeanor.
It was still easy to tell how aggravated he was, though, and when Isarem was mad, everyone took notice and feared for their very lives.
"Yes, Lord Isarem," Surelious answered.
"Well then... was the asset at least retrieved?"
"I... I'm afraid not, lord."
The minotaur stood up out of his chair, a gesture that made everyone step back. The only one that did not move was the accused minotaur on the ground.
"Why was the asset allowed to not only break out of its holding area, but also avoid being recaptured?!" Isarem asked, the anger in his voice beginning to show.
"It wouldn't respond to its command chip, Lord Isarem!" the fallen minotaur blurted out at the top of his lungs. "Please, I did everything I could!"
"Clearly not if the beast did not come back when we have the means to make him do as we say."
"I told you the chip wasn't working! I don't know what went wrong! There must've been a malfunction or something! Lord Isarem, please-!"
"Spare me your sniveling, boy!" Isarem shouted at the top of his lungs. Everyone, even the powerful unicorn siblings trembled at the sound of the minotaur's angered voice. "You are lying about your efforts last night. If you had done all you could, you would've notified the proper authorities as soon as it happened. But instead, you kept it quiet and hoped you could pass the blame off to someone else and walk away clean."
"You're right! You're absolutely right, my lord! Please let me make it up to you! Let me try to atone for my failures!" Please let me-"
The minotaur's words were choked back when he gasped in fear. Isarem had begun to make his way towards the bull who stood on his hands and knees like a desperate beggar. In the minds of everyone there, Isarem's hoof steps sounded like the mighty booms of the sky's thunder and lightning. The fallen minotaur trembled in terror more and more the closer Isarem got to him. The master of minotaurs didn't stop until he was directly in front of the frightened bull.
"Is what he said about the faulty command chip true?"
"Yes, Lord Isarem, unfortunately it is," Surelious answered. "Before I came here, I went down to control to see if they could get the asset to come back, but it wouldn't respond to any orders."
Isarem groaned in annoyance before saying, "If only we could've kept one of those... Devonians were they called? If only we could've kept at least one of them around to teach us the full extent of their technology... But no. They wouldn't go quietly and without a fight. I respected that of them, but it was causing a huge problem for our cause. Thus they had to be eliminated and we were lucky to learn what we did from them before that happened."
"Yes, my lord," Surelious said.
Isarem looked to the minotaur before him on his hands and knees. He was still trembling like crazy in fear of the master bull and what he might do.
"While I can't blame you for being unable to figure out the command chip properly," Isarem said, "I am still rather disappointed in you not telling anyone about it."
"I understand, lord, and I wish to try and make right on my mista-"
The bull gasped again as Isarem lowered a hand down to him. He flinched his head back and closed his eyes and waited for what his master might do to him. Surprisingly, though, several seconds went by and nothing happened. The bull opened his eyes and saw that Isarem had extended his hand out to him gently like a caring parent. Somewhat confused and actually the slightest bit relieved, the bull accepted his master's hand and held it gently in his own.
"What is your name, my child?" Isarem asked.
"T- T- Taberious, my lord," the bull answered.
"Taberious, do not fear," Isarem said. "To error, is to be mortal, flesh, bone. To be perfect, is to be light, air. That is something you cannot achieve as you are. I don't wish for you to have to deal it with any longer. I wish you not to have to possibly face a moment like this, where you're so fearful, ever again.
"So, to ensure all that and that you find peace, I hereby sentence that you will be sent to... Paradise."
Taberious' eyes lit up like he just heard he won the lottery. In his mind's eyes, he just won something much better. If he knew such failures as he perpetrated would lead to this, he would have done it a long time ago.
"Oh, thank you, my lord!" Taberious shouted in joy. The other bulls stood back and looked in shock while the unicorns stood with no visible reaction at all. "You are so merciful, oh great and noble leader! The light was truly enlightened to pick one such as you to lead this cause! You're, without a doubt, the right bull for the job! I'm ready to ascend!"
With a big smile on his face, Taberious held his arms out at his side as his chest heaved from heavy breaths. Isarem did nothing at first; instead he just kept staring at the minotaur before him that had just been singing his praises.
"Indeed, I will see you get what's coming for all in the future," Isarem said. He was close enough now that everyone was able to see his face twist into an angered expression which was the stuff of nightmares. "But I can't just let you get away with your slip up that could potentially jeopardize our entire operation here." Isarem wrapped a hand around Taberious' throat and pulled him in closer so he could see the head bull's fury.
"Because of your incompetence, I will have you sent to Paradise the most painful way possible."
Isarem used his free hand to snap his fingers. Several troops stepped up and grabbed hold of Taberious.
"What would you have us do with him, my lord?" Surelious asked.
Isarem looked to Taberious who wore every ounce of fear he felt before back on his face.
"Perform ascension act... six hundred and sixty six," Isarem ordered.
Taberious' heart felt like it had caught in his throat as the fear on his face intensified a hundred full.
"No, Lord Isarem!" Taberious begged. "Please, not that! Not that way! Please let me go another way! You can't do this to me!"
"See that it is done," Isarem ordered. "Then when you're done, see if the asset's tracking chip is still working. If so, find out wherever it is. If it was free all last night and this morning, it could be anywhere by now."
"Yes, Lord Isarem," Surelious responded.
The commander then gave a hand signal, after which the minotaurs holding Taberious began dragging him away as he kept screaming and begging as loud as he could. Khaos Fury watched the minotaurs go while Black Lightning was simply wishing he had fingers to snap like Isarem and the other minotaurs did.
"Is there anything you'd like us to do in the meantime, Isarem?" Khaos Fury asked.
"Yes," the head minotaur replied as he walked back to his chair. "While they're busy doing that, I need you two to use your magic and activate the orb. We'll see if we can use that to track down the missing asset."
"Of course, Lord Isarem," Khaos and Black said at the same time.
After they bowed, the two unicorn ponies looked to a crystal orb that was displayed on a crudely carved out stone stand. Khaos Fury and Black Lightning's horns began to glow as they prepared to use their magic.
"By the way," Isarem said, "which of the assets was it that Taberious allowed to escape?"
"The code name given to the kaiju was... Kamoebas, sir," Black Lightning reported.
With that, the two unicorns launched magic beams at the orb that instantly made it light up.
What's this?! Multiple chapters in one day?! Well, like I said, I had been planning to do this story for a while now. I decided to release the first few chapters at the same time because... I wanted to. So, what do you all think so far? Feel free to let me know with a review and as usual, please don't be afraid to let me know of any mistakes I missed in proofreading be they spelling errors. grammar errors, or otherwise so I can correct them to the best of my abilities. I'm The Guy Who Likes To Write Stuff, signing off.