After Twilight told us that Rarity was over at the Quarry outside of town to dig up some gems with Spike's help for her work. Spike returned with a few bruises and panicking about how diamond dogs kidnapped Rarity. I've read some books on diamond dogs that they're similar to gryphons, they hunt other races and animals for food and sometimes as slaves to dig up gems for them and then eat them once they can't dig anymore.

"Well I feel better now. So, who's up for some hunting?" I ask and get off the bed.

"But you just got out of a coma! You can't be fit to fight yet!" Shella says.

"I'm completely fine, my healing magic fixed everything. I'm as fit as I'll ever be," I tell her. She looks unsure but nodded. "So where's my gear?" I ask.

Celestia's horn glows and I'm in my equipment. "So what are you planning?" Celestia asks.

"Simple, get in and find Rarity. These diamond dogs have some intelligence. I'll force one to take me to Rarity and I'll beat the crap out of any of them nearby. Then I'll escort her out and back here, but first I'll create a lot of mines and then detonate them from a distance to collapse their tunnels," I reply.

"But diamond dogs are vicious and very loyal to their pack leader. I've never heard of the dogs betraying one before, even under threat of death," Twilight says.

"Then I'll be the first. If used the right way, the arcane element can cause intense pain and make the one effected wish for death," I tell her. I should know after I was hit by that arcane beam in my vision... I'll never get that feeling out of my head. I visibly shudder at the memory.

"Well, we are coming with thee," Luna says. Her horn glows and she's in her armour.

"Sure, I'd welcome the help," I say.

"Then I'm going as well," Celestia says.

"Nope, you're pregnant. It was too risky of you to join in that last fight, what if I didn't push you aside and block that minotaur from hitting you? Our child... foal, could have been killed. No, you're staying here," I tell her.

I see her frown at me. "He's right, Princess, Please stay here," Twilight begs her.

Celestia's frown fades and she sighs. "Fine, but you better come back, the both of you," she says sternly.

"Do not worry, sister. We shall keep his flank out of harm's way," Luna replies. I just look at her with a deadpan expression.

"Alright then, let's get going. The longer we wait, the less time Rarity has!" I say and head for the door.

Twilight and Spike guide us to the spot where Rarity was taken. I see holes in the ground near a small cliff face and a little red wagon sitting near one of the holes with signs of a struggle.

"Down there huh?" I ask.

"That's what spike said," Twilight replies. Spike just nodded rapidly.

"Alright, Twilight. You and Spike head back to Ponyville, Luna and I will handle this," I say and slide down the hole with Luna following behind me.

"Just be careful!" Twilight says behind us.

We slide down and reach the bottom where It's dark and smells foul. I stand still and listen for any noise where I can hear crying to my right down the nearest tunnel. Luna and I share a look and nodded to each other. We start heading down the tunnel, only for three diamond dogs to jump us. Oh by the gods, the foul smell is coming from them. I feel like I'm going to throw up my whole stomach, don't they know how to bathe?

I cast a stone armour spell as rock and gems break away from the tunnel walls and coat my armour. I raise my shield and block one of their crude spears while Luna draws her two silver swords. I bash him back with my shield and Luna swings at another. I channel three fire elements through my shield and burn the downed dog alive.

Luna decapitates the one she's fighting with elegant fluid motions while the last dog looks between us and whimpers. I knock his rusty sword from his hands and bash him to the floor.

I place my foot on his chest and hold my sword to his throat. "You understand me yes?" I ask him.

"Me understand yes," he replies.

"Your people took a white pony with indigo hair from Ponyville. Where is she?" I ask him.

He growls and tries to bite my ankle so I stab him in the shoulder. "Bad boy," I taunt him. "I'll ask again, where is she?"

"Me tell nothing. You die!" he says and struggles.

"Have it your way then," I say and channel a single arcane element through my blade that's still in his shoulder. He cries out in pain as his shoulder starts to blister. "Still don't want to tell me?" I ask him.

He howls in pain and I dig the blade in deeper. "Kill me!" he says.

"I'll kill you when you've told me where she is. Otherwise I'll just start cutting pieces of you off or start burning your flesh. I'll even heal you to do it all over again! You will suffer untold pain unless you tell me where she is!" I yell at him.

"You lie!" he says.

"Fine then..." I say and pull out my sword. I stab him in his right leg I channel a fire element through it and the smell of burning flesh fills the tunnel making him howl out again in pain.

I repeat the process for each of his limbs. He still won't talk? Fine. I spray his foot with water then cold elements. He screams as his foot... or paw... gets coated with solid ice.

"Now tell me where she is or I shatter your paw off!" I tell him. His eyes are wide but he stays silent, Idiot. I slam my shield down on his paw and it shatters as he screams and struggles. "Tell me or I'll take your other limbs in even more painful ways," I tell him.

"Okay! Me tell! She at end of tunnel to alpha! She taken to find gems!" he finally tells me.

"Thank you," I reply and cut his head off. I turn to Luna who looks horrified. "What?" I ask her.

"Did thou have to be so... barbaric?" she asks me.

"These dogs won't show us any mercy. As the books say, they treat ponies as food, not people, and the fact they even enslave others makes them savages themselves," I reply. "If they won't be civil with others, then I'll treat them like the animals they are... Now let's go and get Rarity back," I tell her.

She doesn't say a word as we head down the tunnel. We reach a chamber with some ponies to the left with rusty pickaxes mining the walls, to the right I see Rarity on the ground holding her stomach. "Stupid pony, you find gems or you die!" a big black furred diamond dog tells her.

"Luna, I'm going to fire a rock at the big one. Can you use your telekinesis to pull Rarity over to us?" I ask.

"Yes, but what about the other ponies?" she replies and asks.

"Once Rarity is safe, the dogs will most likely attack us. I'll try to take out as many of them as I can while you get the other ponies," I tell her. I look around and see about thirty dogs around, about twenty of them are in rusty armour and crude weapons.

"Alright, but I'm helping you if you get into trouble," she tells me.

"Okay," I reply.

A scream and someone choking grabs my attention. I look out and see Rarity grasping her throat as blood pours out like a faucet. "Rarity..." I say and my anger spikes.

---

---

This cannot be happening as Rarity struggles for a bit before going limp... she's dead. I can feel a large amount of hate coming from Adrian and notice his eyes are black with red irises again. Just like when he stood up to the Nobles.

He suddenly teleports in front of the diamond dog that killed Rarity and with his bare hand that's covered in a black and red aura, he punches right through the alpha's chest and pulls out his still beating heart, and crushes it within his hand. The wound on his chest has a severe amount of blisters and slight bloating as the dog drops dead and the others howl and charge at Adrian.

He teleports away and I see five red orbs hover around the diamond on his shield. He points it to most of the dogs and lets loose a spray of flames that could be mistaken for a dragon's breath.

In a matter of seconds half of the dogs are reduced to ash. The look of rage and hate on Adrian's face makes me shiver. "ADRIAN! Calm down! This is not who thou are!" I yell to him.

He looks at me with that stare filled with untold rage and I go pale.

---

---

I stare at Luna, I can see fear in her eyes... fear because of me and I try to calm myself down. I take a deep breath and exhale, once calm I turn back to the remaining dogs cowering away from me.

"Leave Equestria and don't come back," I tell them. They yelp and run down a tunnel.

I walk over to Rarity and check her pulse... she has none.

I failed... how can I go back to Ponyville now? There's only one way to save her, but I don't have the mana to cast it... wait. I do now!

"LUNA! QUICKLY! BRING ME MY SPELL BOOK NOW!" I tell her with urgency.

"Why? What art thou planning?" she asks.

"No time to explain, but I think I can save her! Just get me my book!" I tell her. Her horn glows and my book appears in her hand. I quickly take it and look through the pages for the revive spell. I find the page and read the instructions.

Should I fail this spell... it will take my life, but that's a risk I'm willing to take! I channel a life and lightning element into my shield and point it at Rarity and concentrate hard. I mould the life energy as a vessel for her soul to inhabit. After a few seconds of channelling, I can feel a presence within the vessel. This is where it gets difficult as I then pour the lightning element into it and give her soul a positive charge.

Once I'm a hundred percent positive I've got it right. I cast the spell and the Slash wound on her neck closes and a small electrical current then runs through her to jump start her brain and organs. I can see the life in her eyes return and she gasps where I then quickly fire a life beam at her to make sure all of her wounds are healed.

I cancel the beam after a few seconds and collapse onto my ass. That was a lot harder then I thought, no wonder mages needed so much mana. Even with the boost I got from Solaris and Galaxia. It took a lot out of me, or maybe it's just a spell that takes a lot of concentration and practice to get used to.

Rarity coughs and sits up. "Wha... what just happened! I-I'm sure I was just killed," she says while rubbing her throat.

Luna walks over to Rarity and checks her all over. "Thou were killed... but Adrian has brought thee back to life," she says with awe.

I lie down and relax where I can hear the whispers of the other ponies.

"Did he just bring her back to life?"

"Yeah, he even healed her wounds!"

"Is he some sort of god like the Princesses?"

"He must be! Who else can bring back the dead?"

"Wait a minute... we're free now... we can go home!"

They gather around me and start thanking me, I'm too tired to reply and just lie there with my eyes closed. I then feel someone pick me up and see it's Luna.

"Is she okay?" I ask her.

"Yes, she is perfectly fine," she replies. "Thou hast no idea what thou has just done," she then tells me with a worried expression.

My vision starts to blur and I feel dizzy. "I think I need some rest... I feel *yawn* tired," I say and fall asleep.

---

---

Adrian falls asleep as I drape his arm over my shoulder while Rarity still looks like she can't believe what just happened. "Is something the matter, Rarity?" I ask her.

"Oh... erm, no. It's just the experience of hovering over my own body was a bit... jaunting." She starts tearing up. "I started thinking I would never see my little sister again. My parents. My friends. My home... I thought I lost it all," she says and starts crying.

I smile at her. "And yet thou has all that to return to now," I tell her.

She smiles at me and then looks at Adrian. "I do, and it's all thanks to him," she says.

---

---

I place Adrian down still in his armour on Twilight's guest bed. I then place his sword and shield besides him and head down to the others.

When we got back, everypony was worried about Rarity. My sister and I sit on the two armchairs while Rarity and her friends sit around the couch. Shella was called back to her Hive to check on the nursery while we were at the Quarry.

"Rarity, are you sure you're alright. There's blood all over you," Spike asks. "It's not your blood right?"

Rarity looks unsure. "It is," she replies. "the Alpha killed me," she tells them getting gasps from the others. Spike looks like his scales turned pale.

"B-But you're still alive? You're lying!" Rainbow says.

"She ain't lying," Applejack says with wide eyes.

"B-But if you died, how are you still alive?" Fluttershy asks.

"Adrian used his magic to bring her back to life," I tell them.

Pinkie gasps and stares at Rarity. "Does that make you a zombie?" she asks her.

"Good heavens, I hope not!" Rarity says looking a bit green at the thought.

"Nay, Adrian explained it to us once before. The revive spell repairs the fatal wound while putting the victim’s soul back inside their body," I tell them. "It has nothing to do with necromancy."

Rarity sighs in relief. "That explains the warm soothing feeling I got when I saw that green magic in front of his shield. I felt it pull me in and calm me down," she says. "but what about what those other ponies said? About him being a god?" she asks.

"A god?" Tia asks confused. She's been shocked this entire time about Rarity's death and revival.

"That's what the ponies were saying after they saw Adrian revive her," I reply.

She looks deep in thought. "I guess I can understand their reactions. Even we can't bring back somepony who's been killed, and rumours will spread about this. Ponies and even other species will want to ask or take him for this power," Tia says.

"That's true, the nobles will no doubt want to use this for their own ends, and the gryphons won't take this lying down either. An enemy that can bring back their fallen soldiers will be a major threat, we have no doubt that they'll try to get to him as soon as possible," I reply.

'There's also something else, sister,' I tell Tia telepathically.

'What is it, Lulu?' she replies while Twilight and her friends are all talking amongst themselves.

'When Adrian saw Rarity get killed. His anger and hate grew to such a degree, his eyes changed. Black and red, and then he ripped out the Alpha's heart bare-handed with his arcane element within seconds,' I tell her.

Tia goes wide eyed at the information. 'His eyes changed?' she asks.

'Yes, just like when he lashed out at the nobles when he asked to court thee. It was similar to Sombra's,' I tell her.

A loud thud from upstairs gets our attention and we hear something dragging across the floor. The door opens and a yawning Adrian walks down the stairs.

"Good morning," he says. His armour clanking lightly.

"It's the afternoon," Twilight tells him.

"Oh... good afternoon," he corrects himself. "How are you feeling, Rarity?" he asks her.

"Much better, thank you for saving me and the others trapped down there," she replies.

"You're welcome, how did they catch you in the first place?" he asks.

"I was looking for gems with Spike’s help," Rarity says and pats Spike on the head who has a dopey looking smile on his face. "While he was digging up the gems I located, those ruffians knocked Spike away and dragged me down that filthy hole. I swear, I still smell like wet dog," she says with disgust.

"What did you say to make the Alpha kill you?" he asks.

"I just told the brute to find his own gems. I'm a lady and I won't be reduced to forced labour!" she replies and crosses her arms with a huff.

"Yes, but you wouldn't have had your throat cut if you just complied and waited for help to come. Surely you didn't think your friends would just leave you down there. You're lucky I was there at the time, your soul could have passed on. The revive spell only works on those recently killed up to an hour at most," he tells her.

Rarity looks a bit whiter at that. "I'm sorry darling, I should of thought it through instead of letting my vanity take over," Rarity says as she looks down in thought. Adrian just sighs and combs his left hand through his hair.

"It's fine, you're alive and the dogs are gone now. That's all that matters," he says.

"Well be that as it may. I'll have to bring one of the town's guard, or maybe two with me next time just to be safe," she says.

Surprisingly Fluttershy gets up and hugs Adrian. "Thank you for saving Rarity. We don't know what we would have done without her," she tells him.

"No problem, Fluttershy," he replies. "What time is it?" he asks.

"Ten past six, Why?" I tell him and ask.

His stomach then decides to rumble. "I'm hungry," he says with a grin.

We all laugh at his playful attitude and Rarity then speaks up. "I'd be happy to treat you to dinner for saving my life. It's not everyday you can say a knight in shining armour saves you from beyond death itself," she offers.

Adrian looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I just nodded at him. "Well alright then, sure," he replies and holds his arm out.

Rarity smiles but shakes her head. "I need to clean up first, could you wait for an hour and I'll be right back," she says and heads for the door. "I shouldn't be too long," she tells us and leaves the Library.

Adrian then looks back at Tia and me. "I hope her buying me dinner isn't some attempt to date me," he says, making the others giggle and Spike to glare at him.

"Nay, she just wishes to thank thee for saving her life," I tell him. "Besides. She knows Tia, Shella, and us are in a herd with thee."

"Oh, good. You three are a handful as it is," he says playfully.

Tia levitates a book behind his head and lightly bonks him with it and we all share a laugh at that... I stop laughing after a few seconds and look down in thought. What if Adrian gets angry like that again? Will he lose himself to his rage and hate?

Next Chapter: Chapter 36: Here's Discord! Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 37 Minutes