Well, here we are again.
It's been so long since the last chapter, I wouldn't blame any of you who happened to jump ship, beleiving this to be abandoned.
Still, for those who remain, my eternal thanks.
This one is for you.
Begin!
Liberation
Richard POV
'This is nuts...'
Pearl and I were standing at the very base of the ginormous mansion belonging to a rather unpleasant cunt otherwise known as Hard Iron.
"I still have no idea how you managed to convince the Queen, King Richard," Pearl said, looking at me with admiration.
"Well, it wasn't exactly easy," I muttered.
…
(30 minutes ago)
"No way in all the realms of Tartarus am I happy with this Richard!" Chrissy snapped, crossing her arms as she glared at me. "It's reckless, stupid and you're going to get yourself killed."
"Thanks for the confidence boost love," I snarked, wincing internally as her eyes flashed green.
"It's the truth Richie and you know it," she replied, huffing angrily. "You can barely control your magic as it is. How in the world do you plan to kill a mare who is likely leagues above you in terms of magical skill and experience?"
"Figured I'd cross my fingers and hope for the best."
"Richard!" she said my name so fiercely I actually jumped a touch. "This isn't funny. I get you like to throw humour at things you find frightening, but this isn't the time for levity. What if you die? What if she kills you?"
"She won't kill me," I replied firmly, taking her hands in mine and stroking them softly. "Pearl has faced this mare more times than he can count. She may have escaped over and over but he knows her tricks and he knows how she works."
Chrissy looked down at the floor for a moment before facing me once more, her eyes filled with tears.
"Maybe he does," she began, her lips trembling. "But there's always a risk and this time I can't be there to protect you. My strength is waning with each hour I carry our child. And without your love to keep us fed, I'll only grow weaker. If...If she kills you...our child will die. Only the love of a King can sustain it."
"I know hon, I know." I laid my forehead against hers and sighed, our eyes fixated on the other's. "I don't want to do this either. I really, really fucking don't. But if it works out, if everything goes to plan then we'll have new subjects. You'll have subjects again. Don't you want that?"
"Of course I do," she mumbled. "But not if the cost is losing you and our child."
"There are many challenges one must face before they are ready to lead," said a voice, snapping the both of us out of our moment as I turned to face the Zebra from before. "You have faced many, this is but another for you to conquer."
"Saw that did you?" I snarked, staring down at the smiling Zebra.
"You do not trust me," she said, stating it as a fact. "That is fine, you will in time."
"Will I?"
"Yes," she replied, looking at me with reverence...something that honestly made me a bit uncomfortable. "You are The Raaf, he who shall save us. He who shall conquer the white tyrant and set her kind free."
Chrissy and I gave each other an unsure look, neither of us completely certain of the Zebra's sanity.
"I'm not even going to pretend to know what you're waffling on about," I said, rubbing my head tiredly. "But if you can see my future, can you see if I survive this crazy shit I'm about to do?"
She looked at me, then Chrissy, a frown on her face for all of a moment before she shook her head.
"I cannot see specific details of your future," she said, honesty emanating from her for me to feel. "But what I do see is you triumphant in the end. I have seen it twice in my life. Ten years before I met you, and of course today when I did. The future has never once changed on that vision. You are The Raaf. You shall save us all and set us free."
She took a step closer. "There will be danger of course, a life like yours is filled with it. But there is also great joy. It is up to you whether or not you have the bravery and capacity to face it."
And with that said, she turned around and entered her hut once more.
"I still don't like this," Chrissy said after a few moments. "It's reckless and foolish and fucking dangerous."
"I'm sensing a but here."
She sighed and rubbed her head wearily. "But I cannot deny that if you manage to accomplish such a task that it'll help us a great deal. Not only will we obtain new subjects, but they'll be subjects who'll likely willingly choose to leave. Can you imagine how much of a kick in the cunt that'd be to Celestia if she found out that her precious Pony's joined us voluntarily?"
"I can imagine her losing her shit, yeah," I admitted, smirking. "And thanks to that little deal we made, she can't do shit to us when she finds out."
We looked at each other for a few moments. Eventually she gave me a small smile and nodded, though I could still sense the worry she carried for me.
"Okay then," I said. "Let's tell the others."
She took my hand in hers and together we walked back into the Zebra's hut. Emily was talking with Pearl and Fleetfoot was watching the Zebra cautiously. All turned to face us as we entered, Emily's face brightening a touch as she walked over.
"So...what're you gonna do?" she asked, looking at me nervously.
"Pearl and I are going to break into that mare's place and kill her," I replied, staring at her firmly. "Will there be any problems with that?"
She gave a wry smile and shook her head. "Nah, I believe in you. You can do it."
"I meant legally."
Her muzzle opened in a surprised O shape, before quickly returning to her cheeky grin as she shook her head again.
"Nope, go for it bro," she said, her grin now a rather sadistic smirk. "Kill the bitch."
Chrissy and I looked at each other in surprise, the former turning to face Emily with an unsure expression on her face.
"Are you really okay with letting Richard break and enter into her property and pretty much assassinate her?" Chrissy asked, bewildered. "I mean, I get that she's a nasty piece of work. But she's still your subject."
"A subject that enslaves and tortures others for profit and sick enjoyment," Emily deapanned, giving Chrissy a look. "Maybe this is the Human in me, but personally I couldn't care less if Richard turned her into a messy stain on the wall. The only reason I'm not joining you is for plausible deniability."
"You what?" I asked.
Emily rolled her eyes and poked my chest. "Honestly Richard, open a dictionary someday."
She faced Chrissy once more. "If I don't go with him, then I can never be placed at the scene of what is more than likely to be a very messy crime. I am uncertain as to whether Tia will bother to investigate what goes on down here. But on the off chance she does, then the less I have to do with it the better it will be for us all. The last thing I want is her finally losing the plot and trying to reverse my corruption."
"She wouldn't dare," I snarled.
Emily smiled. "Yes, she would. So let's not give her a reason, eh?"
"Clever girl," Chrissy said, her tone filled with admiration as she looked at Emily. "I knew I liked you for a reason."
"Again, I'm honoured," Emily snarked, a small smirk on her muzzle.
"Again, so you should be."
Emily shook her head and looked at me. "I'll be going now, but before I do I want you to promise me something."
"What?" I asked.
"If it gets too dangerous, if you think you're about to enter a situation that you can't escape from then leave. Run as fast as you can and fuck everyone else." She turned to face Pearl, a serious look on her face. "I'm not your Queen so I know my words count for diddly squat. But I'd greatly appreciate it if you did everything you could to make sure he gets out alive."
"Consider it done," Pearl said, nodding at her once.
Emily gave me a hug before turning to Chrissy and giving her one too. Then without so much as second more, she left the hut and teleported away, the tell-tale smell of ozone being the only sign that she'd done so.
"Okay then," I began, looking at Fleetfoot. "You stay with Chrissy and keep her safe. Pearl and I will be as quick as we can, but if the worst happens and I...don't make it back. It's your job to get your Queen to safety."
"Understood my King," Fleetfoot said, snapping a salute before bowing low.
"Remember your training Fleetfoot," Pearl said softly, a warm smile on his face as he gave her a kiss. "Stay alert and trust nothing but your own mind."
"Yes sir," she murmured, giving him another, deeper kiss.
Chrissy took my hands in hers and gave me a look. I could feel her fear, her worry. But as I placed my hand on her small baby bump, I felt something far more powerful.
Love.
"When hatred calls to you, refuse it," she said quietly, her eyes imploring me to listen. "Chose instead to remember what this feels like. Remember every kiss, every fuck, every day we lay beside the other and basked in the love we felt for one another. Remember all of it, remember our child. Think, fantasize about what our future may look like. Imagine the sound of children laughing, of a little boy or girl calling for her 'daddy'."
She kissed me gently but deeply on the lips. "If you can think and feel all of that then your magic will never control you again."
I was awash in her emotions, the imaginings of children laughing and playing flickering in my mind. At that very moment not even Twilight herself could've twisted it into something negative.
"I will," I promised, giving her a deep kiss back and relishing how right her body felt against mine.
"Then go," she said, stepping back and looking at me with admiration. "Kill that bitch and come home."
"I may bring home strays."
"I'll let it slide."
She smiled beautifully at me, her hand stroking my cheek before gently pushing on my chest.
I looked at Pearl and nodded once, the stallion returning the nod with a firm confidence as he held a strange looking dagger in his teeth.
"New toy?"
"The Zebra gave me it," he said, his words surprisingly clear. "It's sharp enough to get the job done."
"Let's do this then," I muttered, leaving the hut and heading towards the mansion.
…
(Present Time)
Entering the mansion had been surprisingly easy. Either Hard Iron had very little in the way of guards or she was very arrogant.
"She never had guards with her before either," Pearl said quietly, apparently feeling my confusion. "She thinks herself so powerful that to have a guard would undermine that belief."
"Is she that powerful?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes."
"Wonderful."
Sighing silently, we crept along the long dark corridors that was the lower floor of her mansion. Truth be told the place was massive. Six floors with more rooms than I could count. The asthetic was a strange mix of gothic horror and refined nobility. Black and gold were strewn around the entire place. From the carpet to the windows and even the fucking roof.
"She has interesting taste in décor," I muttered, grinning at the amusement Pearl was feeling.
"To be fair my King, it wasn't really something we'd focused on in our earlier attempts to take her down."
"It's painful to look at...like an edgy teenager's bedroom."
"...true."
Our amusement was cut short as the both of us felt a wave of dispair coming from below us. The both of us locked eyes and with nary a word, nodded and made our way down the nearest stares until we found ourselves in front of a thick wooden door.
With a brief thought, I opened the door with a splash of magic and crept inside, my fingernails sharpening as I prepared myself for a fight.
...a fight however, was something that did not occur.
Though compared to what we both saw, I kind of wish it did.
"Help us..."
A filthy hoof reached out between iron bars, reaching, pleading, desperate for anyone to take it.
"What in the hell is going on here?" I asked, eyes wide as I took in the frankly terrible sight.
Ponies, all of them male were huddled together in a cramped cell. There had to be at least thirty of them and all of them were...were...
"They've been castrated," Pearl muttered, emotions both anger and horror emanating from him. "All of them have been castrated...why?"
"She doesn't like stallions," one of them said, a young colt no older than sixteen. His orange coat was filthy, and his green eyes looked up at me with nary an emotion left. "It's what she does. She castrates us and then turns us into mares. Half of her crew were once male...but no more."
"Turns you into mares?" I echoed, flinching at the very thought of it. "How?"
"Her magic," another mumbled, an older stallion with a dirty blue coat and lifeless eyes. "They take away what makes us male and then she uses her magic to change the rest."
I was...lost, aghast at what I was seeing. I'd been treated terribly my Pony kind, but this was...this was far, far worse than anything I'd gone through.
And it'd happened to them because of one of their own kind.
"This is fucked up," I muttered, horror etched into every syllable.
"How can an electromancer do that?" Pearl gasped, rubbing his head in frustration. "It doesn't make any sense."
"It doesn't matter," I cut across, anger burning beneath the surface of my soul as I turned to face the mutilated stallions. "Because it ends tonight. I'll kill her and save you all. And even better, I have a way to give you back what you've lost."
The stallions, who's eyes were once lifeless and despondant, seemed to brighten a touch as hope flickered ever so briefly amongst them.
"How?" one asked, his voice so young it made me wince in sympathy. "They burned it when they cut it away."
I turned to Pearl and nodded once, hoping my intention was clear and smiling as he nodded back before turning to face them once more.
"You join us," he said, dropping his disguise and revealing his true Changeling form.
"A Changeling?!"
"Yes!" I cut in, eyeing them all with firm assurance. "My name is Richard Tyler, I am King of the Changelings. And today I offer you a way forward. A way out of your wretched existence as a Pony. I offer you...change. The opportunity to leave this hell, this nightmare behind and join in our glorious future as free Changelings."
They remained silent at my declaration, staring at me in silence. Yet their hope grew with each passing second. Belief grew with each breath I took.
"I will not lie to you. The change will not be pleasant, and pain will accompany it. But once it is done, once you have become one of my subjects..." I took a step forward and allowed my eyes to flash a powerful green, chitin overtaking my body until it covered it like armour.
"I promise each and every one you this," I continued, holding my fist to my heart. "You will live a life where you will want for nothing. Never again will you feel hunger or thirst. Never again will your children cry out in pain. Never again will those who ruled you abandon you to the darkness."
I let my arm fall slowly and exhaled. "We will lead you into the light and never again will you want for love and life."
I stood there in silence and merely waited, watching them as each and every stallion stared at me, slack jawed.
And then...one of them bowed...then another, and another, and another until each and every stallion had their head bowed before me.
Hope, belief...faith. It was so strong, so...so powerful.
"Thank you," I said, smiling at them kindly before turned on my heel and staring at the door with a firm, burning desire.
For revenge...for hope...for them.
"Come on Pearl," I said quietly, grinning at the dumbfounded stallion. "We've got a mare to kill."
"They've taken Cresswood," one of them cried, looking at me imploringly. "They're going to cut it off tonight. Please, he's my son. You have to save him!"
I looked at the older stallion and nodded once, blinking at the relief he gave off as he settled back down.
'They really believe in me...they were so lost that even someone like me was enough to give them hope.'
I didn't know whether to feel good about that or not. On one hand it'd make converting them easier. But on the other it made me feel furious that they'd simply been abandoned to suffer like this.
And stranger still...was that I didn't know why I felt that way.
Ponies had done nothing but look down on me, spit on me, hurt me and my mate. So why was it now that I felt sorrow and sympathy for a species I'd more than likely be happy to let die off?
Why did I care beyond getting subjects?
Why did I care enough to want to save them?
Why?
Shaking away the thoughts, I focused on the here and now and continued stalking up the mansion with Pearl. The stallion was admittedly rather good at moving silently, something I was only barely managing to do.
Then again it had been his job at one point.
We felt the fear before we heard the screaming, but it was enough to jolt us into action as we sped down the corridor of the fourth floor until we reached a half-open door.
Peering inside, my stomach flipped as I watched a grey coated mare with a lightning cutie mark electrocute a small colt with her powerful magic.
I wasn't brilliant at telling the age of Pony's, but I'd been around them long enough to realize that the colt couldn't have been older than thirteen.
"I'll go in first," I whispered, glancing down at Pearl. "I'll distract her as best I can. You use it to get in close and finish her off."
He looked like he wanted to object, but nodded anyway as he and I turned back to watch.
"Let's try this again Cresswood," the mare said, a cruel smile on her muzzle. "Do you want to become a mare?"
The colt was shivering, shaking and covering in snot and tears. But the glint in his expression was fierce and strong as he stared her dead in the eye.
"No," he said, his shaky voice clearly in the midst of puberty as it cracked slightly. "Never."
The mare gave him a frown before patting his cheek lightly and shaking her head, tutting at him.
"Dear, dear me," she said, cruel amusement emanating from her. "And here I thought you were beginning to see sense, to see the truth of what you are. Of how terrible and disgusting it is to be a male in this world."
She leaned in close before leaning down until her muzzle was all but breathing on his cock and balls. "These things here, they keep you weak. They control your mind, make you do whatever you can to satisfy a base urge. Even now with you lost and in pain, they put their needs above yours."
I watched in disgust as she kept breathing on the poor colt, which inevitably caused his dick to respond as it grew hard in a few moments.
"Do you see?" she asked, leaning back up to look at him, her hoof caressing his cheek gently. "They don't care that I've hurt you. They just want me to give them release. Wouldn't it be so much better to be free of that burden? To be in control of your urges...forever?"
"No!" he cried, shaking his head. "I don't want to be a mare. I'm a colt, I'll always be a colt!"
The mare snorted and lit up her horn once more, her eyes filled with malice as she gave him a terrifying look.
"I don't need your permission to do this, Cresswood," she said, her voice dangerous. "Having it makes the transition easier on you. It lets my magic work without a fight. But it'll happen, nevertheless. The only difference is whether you agree to let me change you or refuse and I do it anyway with a lot more pain."
"Dad'll save me!" he said, sobbing as she closed in.
"Nobody will save you," she snarled. "Especially not some useless male!"
I'd heard enough, my chitinous plating sinking back into my skin as I dashed into the room.
"Sorry to disappoint you!" I chimed in, smiling viciously as the mare jumped in fight, her spell hitting the wall behind the colt instead as she spun around to face me. "But this useless male is here to save the day!"
She looked at me, confusion and more than a little fear on her face. "Who the fuck are you?"
"You don't know who I am?" I asked, bemused. "Wow, guess people down here really don't give a fuck about upstairs."
She blinked and then took a sharp breath as realization hit her. "You're that creature that came here ages ago. I thought you'd fucked off home?"
"Eh, I missed the cider," I snarked, smirking. "Now let the colt go."
She snorted, confidence filling the air as her horn lit up menacingly. "Now why would I do that?"
"Because I'm asking nicely," I said, my tone no longer filled with brevity as I stared her down. "You really don't want me to stop doing so."
She snorted again and spat on the floor, her eyes heavy with cruel intent. "Oh yeah, and what'll happen when you stop asking me nicely? You don't have any magic, you don't have any weapons. Your claws are dull and your teeth will never reach me. You are powerless here, and more than a fool to face me alone."
"Last chance lady."
"Arrogant male," she sneered, her horns magic reaching its peak. "Let's see how brave you are with ten thousand bolts running through you."
Lightning sprang from her horn and raced towards me as I forced my chitinous plating out once more. Using all that I'd learnt from training in the hive, I focused on the centre of her magic and willed my own to defend me.
A large flash of green energy poured from my eyes and met Hard Iron's, the clash creating a thunderclap so loud it almost deafened me. The mare's eyes widened in disbelief, and I used that moment to push back even harder.
Sadly, it was not to be as the mare rolled to the side and threw bolt after bolt my way, this time pushing me onto the defensive. I blocked and batted away each and every attempt as well as I could, but it was quickly becoming startlingly clear that the mare was not only better in a magical fight, but she was far more experienced.
'I'm stronger but it doesn't matter if I can't hit her! If I keep fighting like this then I'm going to lose!'
Chrissy had been right. I wasn't anywhere near as experienced or as skilled as this mare. She was weaving her spells like an expert while I was chucking mine at her like a hot potato.
"You're strong creature!" she shouted, cackling at me as I dove to the side. "But you're clearly new to this. You throw magic at me like an untrained foal. However did you think that you could come to MY HOME and defeat me?!"
Her laughter was cut short as Pearl, the fucking godsend that he is, came from fucking nowhere and stabbed her in the back.
Hard Iron screamed in agony, her eyes suddenly bright with power as lightning exploded out of her, throwing Pearl and myself away with the force of a truck.
I grunted as I felt my ribs crack under the strain. Pearl was worse off as his head hit the wall and he fell to the floor with nary a cry, very still.
"Pearl," I groaned, forcing myself up and limping over to him. "Fuck me, don't be dead."
I turned him over and sighed in relief as I magically checked him over as Chrissy had once shown me. He was clearly hurt and had likely concussed himself, but he'd live.
"Did you think...that'd be...enough to...KILL ME?!"
I barely had time to turn my head as lightning struck me in the stomach, jolts traveling up my body and holding me in the air. The pain was almost indescribable. Each second that I was suspended in the air was raw beyond imagining.
Forcing myself to look, I almost managed a grin at the clearly very injured Hard Iron. The mare's back was bleeding profusely, and her left eye was bloodshot to the point it was almost entirely red.
"You got that...that FUCKING GUARD to help you!" she screamed, shaking with pain and rage. "Chasing me around...around the...the fucking world like a dog! And now he helps...helps...whatever the fuck you are!"
She was staggering, her hooves unsteady as more blood pooled out of her.
I was in more pain than I'd ever felt. But if I could bare it a few more minutes then she'd likely pass out if not just die from the blood loss.
"I won't die today," she ground out, tossing me to the side where I crashed into the wall with a bang, knocking the wind out of me.
I shook my head and made to stand up, only to watch in disbelief as her lightning surrounded her own body...and began to heal her. Her blood began to pool up from the floor and sink back into the large gash on her back, all of it, every drop until...the gash closed.
And she looked at me once more, rage in her eyes.
"I will not die," she spat, her hooves steady once more as she prowled closer to me. "But you will, whatever you are."
She grabbed me with her magic and tossed me behind her, my body landing in a crumpled heap as I hit the floor hard. Not done however, she lifted me once more and threw me in front of her, before holding me on my belly and electrocuting me.
I screamed in pain as my body twitched. I couldn't move, I could barely think.
'Is this...it?'
...
...I blinked, my eyes opening only to see a bone white tree before me. The sky was blue and cloudless, silent.
"Not going too well out there is it, Richard?"
I turned to see Bulwark staring at me, a sad smile on his face.
"I remember this place," I said, looking around. "Why did I forget it?"
"You weren't ready to come here," he said, frowning at me. "You still aren't. But if you don't do something then in a few minutes you're going to be."
"What can I do?!" I shouted, angry at my situation. "I should've listened to Chrissy and left. But I was so sure that I could do this. How was I supposed to know that she could heal herself with lightning?!"
"No plan survives first contact with the enemy," Bulwark said, shrugging lightly. "It's how you adapt to it that entails whether you live or die."
"Well bully for me," I muttered, rubbing my face. "I fucked up. I was arrogant and because of that I've gotten Pearl and myself killed."
"It's not over yet you know?" he said, walking over to me. His eyes met mine and stared unflinchingly at them. "There's a way out of this."
I looked at him, a sudden shiver upon my spine as I took his words in.
"I can't use hate to escape this," I said, shaking my head. "I promised I wouldn't. And even if I did, I can't control it. It'd take me over and this time it could be for good."
Bulwark...nodded?
"I know," he said, smiling up at me with amusement. "I wasn't talking about using that though."
"Then what?"
"Every King has a special power Richard," he began, his eyes never leaving my own. "Griffons who became Kings found that they could shreak so loudly that it could shatter glass over fifty miles away. While Ponies found that, depending on what kind of Pony they once were, their Changling magic became stronger with that particular aspect. I for example, could manipulate the earth with but a thought."
"But I was Human," I said, unsure of where he was going with his explanation. "I had no magic before. I was powerless."
"Yes, you were weren't you," he agreed, smiling at me knowingly. "You were a creature of no significant ability. You could not use magic. You could not fly, and you weren't particularly strong. You understood what it was like to be powerless in a world filled with powerful beings."
I looked at him...and then it clicked. I don't know if I was being told this via some sort of hive mind or if I'd just come to the realization myself.
But I knew what he was talking about.
"I was powerless, wasn't I?" I mused, grinning down at him.
"Yes," he said, nodding once. "You were."
...
...I blinked and groaned as I realized how much pain I was in. My body was still twitching even though Hard Iron had stopped trying to kill me. Peering up, I noticed the colt Cresswood was unconscious.
Though he thankfully still had everything attached.
Hard Iron's ears twitched, and she spun around, her eyes wide with surprise.
"You're still alive?" she said, her voice tinged with disbelief and even a little respect. "Unbelievable. How can such a useless male be so hard to kill?"
"You really don't like guys, do you?" I said, my voice hoarse from screaming.
Forcing myself to look up, I stared at the mare who was barely a few feet away from me. She looked back and sneered, derision in her eyes.
"Well, since you're about to die I guess there's no harm in telling you," she said, walking a touch closer.
"Telling me what?"
She paused for a moment...then began to speak.
"I was fifteen at the time. My dear sweet dad decided that since I was the second daughter that my duty in life was to be given away to the son of an allied family. I of course did NOT want this, but dear old dad didn't give a damn. My word meant nothing, my desires meant nothing, I meant nothing. I was nothing more to him then a walking foal factory."
Hard Iron stared ahead, her body trembling for but a moment before she righted herself. "The stallion I was given to wasted no time in sampling the goods. I had no idea of the power I could wield back then. I'd never been trained in magic. But as I lay there beside him, violated and traumatized did I vow that no other mare would suffer the same fate."
She looked at me and grinned maliciously. "So, I cut off his prized possession and shoved it down his dying throat."
"You turn colts into mares because of that?" I asked, incredulous. "They didn't do anything to you."
"And now they never will to anyone else," she said, smiling as she looked over at the still very much tied up and unconscious Cresswood. His fur was singed from the battle, but he was otherwise unhurt. "And once I'm done with you, he'll become the better sex. The kinder sex, the safer sex..."
"Yes because mares don't rape anyone," I snarked, coughing as my body shook with pain.
Hard Iron looked down at me...only to stop and stare at my eyes.
"You were violated too, weren't you?"
"I nearly was," I admitted, edging closer to her...or well, as much as my body would let me. "A mare nearly raped me not so long ago. And my sister was raped by a disgusting man a few years back. I won't deny that it happens, I even cut off his dick and fed it to him, much like you did."
She blinked at my admission and leaned down, her eyes meeting mine.
"You're telling the truth," she said, a weird smile on her face. "You understand."
"I understand enough to know that I would never do what you've done to all those innocent stallions," I replied, staring at her hard. "You've become no better than the one who raped you. You violated those stallions. You took away their choice. You forced yourself upon them. You're no better than whoever raped you."
She looked at me, an almost sad expression on her face for all of a moment before hard anger took its place.
"I think you've said enough now," she snapped, her breath shaky as she stood back up. "Time to die."
I smiled sadly and shook my head. "I don't think so."
Before she could so much as move, I used the last of my strength to dive over to her and grab her horn.
"GET-" The mares words halted as the magic that began to bubble suddenly vanished. "W-What are you doing to me?!"
Ignoring her, I concentrated on the part of me that was hollow, empty, vacant...and filled it.
Hard Iron collapsed besides me, screaming as lightning shot everywhere. Her eyes were rolling in their sockets and her body was twitching as she urinated on the floor. But I didn't stop, I held onto her horn and kept on filling the hollow gap within me.
The lightning suddenly petered out and I let go of her horn, rolling away and forcing myself to stand on shaky legs as I stared down at her.
The mare was trembling, her eyes filled with tears and nose bleeding heavily.
"W-What did you do to me?" she cried, her eyes scrunched up for all of a moment before they opened and looked at me in terror. "M-My...where is it?! I can't feel it! WHERE IS IT?!"
"When I came here, I was powerless," I said, panting heavily as I glared down at her. "Powerless and lost in a world of magic. I was no more than an insect to your kind."
I moved closer, stepping around the pool of piss as I kneeled and looked at her dead in the eye.
"I had no power...and now so do you," I continued, watching almost pityingly as she gaped at me in horror. "I took away your magic, it's mine now. And I cauterized your mana gland so your body can never use it again. You're powerless for the rest of your life...but don't worry, I'm not cruel. I'm not like you, I won't make you suffer."
Before she could say or do anything more, I dug my nails into her throat as dragged them across harshly. Blood sprayed everywhere, covering my chin and most of the floor.
She stared up at me, her eyes pleading, begging. Emotions were rampant but the highest of all was a desperate desire not to die.
I ignored it and simply held her hoof until her emotions faded along with the light in her eyes.
Standing up, I looked down at the dead mare and sighed. Her tale was sad, but the way she'd gone about it the rest of it was monstrous.
'I'm going to be having nightmares about this for weeks...'
I looked at my fingers and frowned as lightning twitched between them.
I'd never been able to use my hands as a conduit for my magic. But now that I'd taken hers...I could?
'I'll ask Chrissy...'
Sighing, I made my way over to Pearl and shook him awake. The stallion groaned in pain and held his head, his eyes searching until they found me.
"My King!" he started, jumping to his hooves with the barest wobble. "You...You live?"
"I do," I said, looking back at Hard Iron's corpse and shaking my head. "She underestimated me."
"My King..." he breathed, walking over and prodding her body gingerly. "You killed Hard Iron."
"We killed her," I corrected, walking over on shaky legs and patting his back gently. "You're the one who stabbed her in the back, remember?"
"I take it you finished her with your claws, my King?" he asked, gesturing to her slit throat.
"More or less," I replied, sighing once more. "In any case she's dead. Shall we rescue the rest?"
He nodded only to fall onto his front, I caught and steadied him. "Easy Pearl, she threw you pretty hard. Take it easy until we get back to Chrissy and Fleetfoot. We can find a way to patch you up then, okay?"
"Yes, my King."
"And Pearl," I added, catching his eye. "Call me Richard. I think you've more than earned that right today."
He blinked but nodded slowly. "Yes, my K-...Richard."
"You'll get there," I said, grinning lightly.
We managed to untie Cresswood and carry him down to the rest of the mutilated stallions. His father almost collapsed with relief as he saw us enter the dingy prision.
"You did it!" he cried, tears trickling down his face. "And he's alright, he's whole. You truly did it!"
"Told you we would," I snarked, smiling down at him.
I gently put the colt down on the floor before grabbing the bars and yanking them as hard as I could...only for the metal to fly behind me and imbed itself into the wall.
"Holy shit!" I yelled, blinking at the sight. "I'm...stronger than I thought."
Turning back to face the stallions, I almost choked on thin air at the sight of each and every one of them bowing before me.
"You saved us all," Cresswood's father said, tears still running down his cheeks as he bowed besides his son. "We'll join you, we'll follow you into Tartarus itself."
"I..." I fumbled on what to say before deciding to simply nod. "Very well then."
"Wait Richard," Pearl said, my name amusingly unfamiliar on his tongue. "You lot said there were others here, right? Stallions who Hard Iron had converted into mares and forced to join her? We never found any."
"They were here," one of them said, a stallion with a dirty brown coat and hopeful blue eyes. "You missed them by two days. When she turns them, she sends them out to find more stallions to convert. That's how they got us. They pretend to be hurt or try to seduce us. They trick us here and Hard Iron did the rest. They'll be back here soon."
"Why would they even help her?" I asked.
"She brainwashes them with her magic," Cresswood's father said, growling lowly. "It's vile and I don't know how she does it. But every stallion converted into a mare comes out loyal to her and her alone."
"Her magic can do that?" I asked, looking down at my fingers nervously.
'I really need to tell Chrissy about this as soon as I can. I don't want to accidently turn her into a mindless puppet because I don't know what I'm doing.'
"In any case, come on!" I yelled, smiling at the lot of them. "We return to The Abandoned. Follow me!"
The day had not quite gone how I'd expected it to.
But the look on Chrissy's face as I entered the village with thirty odd stallions in tow was nothing short of beautiful.
And that made it very much worth it.
And that's the end of this chapter.
See you in the next one!
