Celestia and I march through the palace. Numerous eyes watch us from behind doors and other smaller hiding spots. Everyone who was using this place as their home, just watched Zaran obliterate two dragons with relative ease. There was no way moral wasn’t crumbling. Celestia glances over at me with just her eyes. “Raiden...the fourth battalion. I don’t think you ever told me about them or perhaps I forgot. What are we to expect?”

Emeris’ voice catches me off-guard from behind. “The fourth are the King’s personal battalion. They do all his dirty work. They carry off people in the middle of the night who speak out against the throne. They beat his enemies mercilessly; they infiltrate dungeons and assassinate prisoners. They’re liars, backstabbers, cheaters and full of greed. No part of them are human. I don’t think I’ve even seen them train. From what Raiden told me, they make lousy guards the last time he was there.” He lets out a quiet, sinister chuckle.

Both of them wait quietly for a reply, but there’s only one thing on my mind: how do I keep my word to Versa to show them mercy while not letting a bunch of killers roam our halls? I push open the double doors that lead to the stairs at the front of the palace. A few hundred feet away, stands the most loathsome souls Taraska had to offer. Polished armor, no scratches and only swords. They didn’t need a mix of weapons; they never leave the nice cushioned interior. Behind them, stood the festering wound of Taraska itself: Hurrand The Pig and the Minister.

Celestia and I stand side by side. The tension in the air is thick. They could easily just attack as well. They honestly wouldn’t stand a chance and they know it, unless they had an ace in the hole. Hurrand and the Minister’s eyes scan over their Battalion nervously. I clench my hands, hoping someone will take the first step. The fourth Battalion stands before the King, torn between the peace Canterlot offers, and the unyielding shadow of Hurrand.

The last twelve of my Taraskan army stands behind me, having no clue how to feel. They know the fourth is simply a victim of abuse, but it’s not that simple in their heads. Celestia stands up straight and inhales deeply. “Soldiers of Taraska. General Raiden has told me much of your plight. I know why you are here and what you feel you must do. I shall grant you one single act of forgiveness, however. Join us in peace and you will be granted asylum. I will not use you the way Hurrand has. You will not be expected to fight or do anything you disagree with. You will join our people in whatever capacity suits you. Lay down your weapons now and enter the palace. If you do not, I cannot guarantee your safety, but I will not allow harm to anyone who seeks safety within Canterlot walls.”

One soldier in the front row looks to their left and right. They stare ahead for a few more seconds. To everyone’s shock, they walk towards the stairs. I can’t tell if the soldier’s steps are confidence or satisfaction of finally doing what they want.

King Hurrand’s eyes bulge in hatred.

“Traitor!” he shrieks. Several bows in the back row get drawn. The soldier stops, and casually turns around. They pull out a dagger and use it to pry the Taraskan symbol off their armor. A bronze circle depicting a hammer buried in a mountain by its handle, rolls across the dirt. Upon removing their helmet, long brown hair flows in the wind. She stares at Hurrand with a defiance we all had deep within. She knows full-well what is going to happen. She holds her helmet under her arm and stands proudly as a strong Taraskan warrior. With one fist raised high in the air, she screams what will be her final words. “For freedom! For the real Taraska!”

“Loose!” the King yells, as if his very voice was a weapon of his own. The arrows fly through the air, racing towards their target. She closes her eyes, knowing she’ll be a martyr for life. Just a few inches from her face, the arrows glow yellow and halt in the air. My mouth hangs open. I look over at Celestia, who’s horn glows fiercely as the sun itself.

Celestia’s powerful voice carries easily across the field.

“As I said, I shall grant asylum to any Taraskan that wishes freedom. You do not have to fight for me. You do not have to swear loyalty to anyone. I will still protect you. This is my promise.” The King and Minister take a few cautious steps back. Several heads in the first two rows of the 4th Battalion start looking at each other.

It’s chaos as they shove their way through the lines, screaming in terror as they make a desperate rush to the palace. I see a soldier close line another deserter. He stares at his body for a few seconds. In a bizarre reversal, he sees the truth of what he wants. He lifts the soldier he just close lined onto his shoulders and runs him towards the wall. My people cheer wildly.

Before anyone has a chance to react, the entire battalion turns on itself, as easily half of them try to make it to the stairs. It’s impossible to tell who’s trying to flee and who’s trying to stop them. One soldier I recognize as Sergeant Harid, dashes for us, but stops as he hears his brother’s cry for help. His brother is subdued by two others. Harid looks at our stairs, before turning around and charging back. He grabs the soldier on his brother’s left and wrestles with him. Before Celestia can do anything, a third soldier stabs him in the side between his armor plates.

He lets out a cry of pain. His brother thrashes wildly to try and get to Harid’s aid. He’s pinned to the ground and gets a sword through the back of his head. Celestia recoils in shock. The deserters begin to break through all the soldiers, almost free. The Minister pulls out a small glass canister from under his cloak and hurls it between us and the 4th Battalion. It shatters, releasing a black smoke. The smoke spreads to the left and right like fire, forming a misty wall.

Two soldiers try to run through it. Before even getting a few steps, they grab their throats and fall to the ground, gasping. Despite no longer being in the smoke, they roll on the ground in agony. A few seconds later, they’re still as the grave. Celestia furrows her eyebrows in concentration. She stops and looks over at me in panic, “My magic can’t get through that mist! What is it?!” I glare at the dark magic and mutter what we’re all thinking, “Zaran…”

I pull out my war horn. I give one deep blast. All our soldiers pull out swords and charge through the gate. “Kill no one! We were given a second chance, grant the same to your brothers and sisters!” I yell.

I slap on my helmet and race down the steps. I pull out my sword and dart around the smoke, staying far to the right. I begin to notice this magical smoke isn’t affected by the wind at all, despite curling upwards into the air.

We clash with our fellow soldiers and it’s hell all over again. I have no idea who’s who. I only have one clue: whoever tries to kill me is the enemy. I wait patiently as a soldier runs towards me, sword at the ready. He brings it down and I block it. He tries to kick me in the stomach but is a bit slow to the draw. I take a small step back just enough to avoid it. As his foot hits the ground, it slides across the dirt, making him sit down briefly. I stomp on his knee and a nasty pop makes him scream. Without hesitation or sympathy, I grab his wounded leg and drag him back about ten feet as he claws at me desperately, just like he’s probably made me do in the past. I roll him on his back and give him a decent punch to the back of his helmet. Not enough to cause serious brain damage, but he’s out cold.

The rest of my soldiers use it as an example. Instead of being drawn into a lethal sword fight, they get one good block in, and tackle their opponent. They go for knockouts, or at the very most, brutal injuries like arm breaks. Relying too much on their weapons, the fourth are caught by surprise when duels quickly turn into a slug fest. They expect a sword fight and don’t react in time to getting a fist in the face. Soldiers are dragged from the chaos and protected, regardless of allegiance. We can sort it all out later, but right now they needed us.

A scream of rage startles me briefly from my right. A soldier goes to tackle me and does a lousy job of not tipping me off. I toss my sword into my right hand, plant my left on the ground at the last second and swing my legs into his. He goes flying and eats dirt that’s still wet from the rain. He rolls onto his back and starts crying for mercy. I stand over him for a few seconds and he looks away in terror. He never gets to see my boot into his face.

I see a cobalt blue warrior rushing along out of the corner of my left eye. Luna flies just barely above our heads but stays out of melee range. I see what she’s after as the Minister has his right sleeve pulled back, revealing a strange bracer on his right hand. It glows blue with odd markings on it and he’s already aiming it at me.

A bolt of blue electricity rockets towards me, faster than I can react. A massive dark purple circle appears in front of me, absorbing the hit. Luna’s horn glows defiantly. Despite wanting to keep an eye on the Minister, I have to let Luna do her thing; I’m powerless for their fight. I do my best to ignore the flashes of blue and purple from both opponents as they have their vicious duel.

Another soldier tries to stab me and telegraphs the entire thing. I drop my sword and deflect the attack to the left with a quick backhand. I grab his hand holding the knife. He reaches over with his other arm, trying to control the weapon. I lift my leg and kick him in the stomach. He hunches over. I pull the knife back towards me and pin it to my hip, so I don’t have to worry about being slashed or stabbed. As I yank him backwards with me, he’s still latching onto it with his hands instinctively. He’s pulled off balance and falls forward. A stomp to the back of his head and he’s out.

Luna hurls several large blasts at the Minister, who keeps tossing up some type of shield to deflect them. Each eruption kicks up dirt that clanks against the metal armor of my soldiers. He points his gauntlet at her, and a massive magical arc roars out. Luna intercepts it with one of her own. Crackling fills the air as their two beams spill out to the sides at the point of collision. A few unlucky units get hit and are sent flying several feet instantly. The ground is torn up by random lose arks and anyone nearby who’s still standing, runs for it. The burnt grass fills the air with slight amounts of smoke.

They’re evenly matched except for Luna is clearly holding back, not wanting to overdo it and hurt others around the Minister. His magical ark is slowly pushed back little by little. His face twists in turmoil as he sees the inevitable outcome creeping towards him.

His face is illuminated by blue as Luna’s clearly superior beam begins to force its way past his spell. His eyes grow wide with fear, but he still doesn’t throw in the towel. He presses something on his gauntlet. His arc grows louder, and a nasty sounding hum can be heard from it. It immediately pushes Luna’s beam back. She puts in more effort, but it only slows down the ark. She carefully lands on the ground, keeping her concentration.

I grab my former opponents knife from the ground. I toss it in the air gently and grab it by its tip. I take careful aim and hurl it at the Minister. It hits some type of blue field and bounces off. I grit my teeth in annoyance and watch as Luna begins sliding backwards. Her face strains but she doesn’t take her eyes off her target.

The Minister grins maliciously. Hurrand has already ran back to the safety of his Growler, watching the fight through a small viewport. I’m tempted to go take his head as a trophy. Luna gives the Minister her most aggressive glare before yelling.

“Give up now or I will kill you!” The Minister laughs at her. Luna stands perfectly upright, as if going into a trance. She’s completely silent and calm.

In an ear-shattering performance, her eyes burst open, completely white. An eerie blue glow surrounds her, accompanied by a roar that could have been heard from miles around that only an enraged alicorn could emit. Her beam easily increased in size tenfold. It’s wider than the Minister himself and pummels his puny arc to pieces as it fights its way towards him.

He starts trembling. Unable to run and hold back her power at the same time, he gets a front row seat to his end. He glances at his gauntlet before returning to watching Luna’s beam make its way towards him. He desperately shakes his gauntlet a bit, as if he has some last bit of power he hasn’t used. Luna’s beam is now drilling into his little shield. The sphere that once was invisible to me, now flashes wildly, straining under Luna’s power.

A sick grin crosses my face as I watch the spectacle. Full of dread, sweat starts pouring down the minister’s face. His arms and legs shake as his shield flickers faster and faster, becoming dimmer by the second. He grits his teeth, watching his time come to a slow but brilliant end. The shield is almost clear. My ears embrace his wonderful crescendo as his last desperate attempt fills the air. “Raiden! Help me! N...no please! I’ll do any-” his plea is cut short when his shield fails. His agonizing screams are heard by all. Luna cuts her beam off almost immediately but there was little point.

Once my eyes readjust to the loss of light, all that stands in his place are a pair of smoking boots. The fighting stops as anyone still loyal to the King realizes this fight is pointless. I hear our soldiers cheer, accompanied by the sounds of our nation’s symbol being pried off of armor. I look over at the Growler, but I don’t see the King’s face anymore.

I run over and peer inside. He’s clearly made a run for it. It’s a several hours walk back to Taraska, but the marks on the ground show me he’s made a run for the nearest forest. I follow them without saying anything to anyone. I take my time following his tracks. This has been coming for years, I can wait another few hours. The soaked dirt almost sounds like applause as I make my way over a small hill and see a flash of his purple mantle among the first trees.

I casually stroll over his steps. He looks over his shoulder and sees me. He lets out shrieks of fear. It takes him a mere second to decide that a forest full of dangerous, magical creatures is better than facing me. Probably a good call. I enjoy every step I take, drawing closer to my prey. His mantle becomes a hinderance as it catches on almost every branch he runs past, snagging temporarily. I’m curious to see if he’s willing to discard it. I’m not surprised when he doesn’t. I calmly step around the same trees he’s slammed himself against in his panic.

I wanted to say something memorable while he’s still in earshot, but the sight of him running terrified is too enjoyable. The forest greets me as if seeing an old friend. The trees in their twisted, dark bark, applaud me with an eerie setting. I wanted to memorize every detail of this moment. A pair of wings lands behind me. I don’t have to turn around to know it’s Celestia. It’s a tad awkward but I don’t mind the quiet this time. Would she drag me away from my prey? Would she try to talk me out of this? She knows who he is and what he’s done. How far does her desire for forgiveness go exactly?

She stares at the back of my head, occasionally glancing at the King who’s still barely visible through all the branches. We stand there, almost entertained by his desperate whimpering. I hear him fall into a puddle of water. He keeps letting out random cries of terror. I don’t bother turning around. Celestia digs at the ground with her hoof uncomfortably. She opens her mouth to talk but decides against it. I hear Hurrand claw madly at a rock wall.

“No! No!” he screams. He grunts, trying to put a foot into small open pockets as handles. He gets a few feet off the ground before slipping off into the same pool of water. He sputters and coughs. My eyes don’t move. I intentionally don’t blink or show any emotion. Celestia glances at him before swallowing and shifting her weight. She sighs heavily, before turning around and taking off.

The snapping of twigs behind me pulls me out of my trance. Emeris is behind me, probably carried here by Celestia.

I motion with my head back towards the army without breaking eye contact with him. Emeris slumps his shoulders.

“Can’t I just...watch?” I shake my head slowly, still giving him a death glare.

“This is personal.” I say in a low, ominous voice. Emeris inhales and nods, before jogging back to the others. He’s enveloped in a yellow aura and is lifted into the air. I wanted them to remember me as the kind individual who helped everyone the best he could. But right now, things were a bit different. This would be a part of history that was left out. Hurrand takes off, leaving his mantle attached to a bush. He really was desperate. I take a few steps into the forest until I stand next to where he dropped his mantle. I recall all the times he ever made me put it on him. I take it, and angrily slash it to pieces with my sword.

As I round the boulder he clawed at previously, he certainly hasn’t made it very far. He’s only about thirty feet ahead. He sees me and shakes his head while sobbing. He runs while watching me, a huge mistake. He gets seven paces before he’s close lined by the forest. I cock an eyebrow at the branch, as it rocks back and forth as if the forest itself hated him too.

I take several rapid steps towards him. He flings himself forward and crawls, gritting his teeth as his shirt fills with mud and other random excrement that might have been floating in these vial waters.

He looks over his shoulder and claws at the mud so fast, he stops making progress. I plant a boot on his fat ass, launching him forward. His screams echo off every tree.
“Raiden! Look, there’s more gold in the castle than you’ll ever know! I’ll tell you the secret passage to get to it!” I say nothing. Any words I have, he’ll desperately come up with a response to. But silence? There is no reply, there’s no gauge of character, nothing for him to go off.
I grab him by his shirt collar and pull him back onto his knees. He shakes violently in place. His eyes grow wide as his limbs lock up. He slowly looks over his shoulder, before nodding rapidly.
“Y...yes, thank you! We’ll um...we’ll depart immediately!” He tries to lean forward but I tug him back as hard as I can, and he lets out a small gag.
“Raiden...Raiden look there’s more than-” I take a single step then shove his disgusting face into the mud. His muffled screams go nicely with him clawing like a wild animal at the soil. His legs kick in place, just making themselves sink deeper and deeper. I pull him out and he coughs up mud everywhere.
His breath is rapid and deep, separated by sudden gasps of pain. His face goes white as he hears my quiet laughing. He takes in a lungful of air. As soon as he screams in panic, he’s sent forward for a second helping. He plants both arms on the ground in front of him and screams desperately. I grab the back of his neck and keep trying to force his head down. He grits his teeth and keeps grumbling cries of protest. I kick his left elbow and after a quick cry of pain, he’s inhaling mud again.
He thrashes around and I give him just enough slack to get his hopes up. His lips are an inch out of the mud when he gives the most terrified scream for help anyone has ever heard.
“Someone! Please! Help me! Get this lunatic away from me!” I lean my bodyweight into his neck, and he gurgles into the mud. He turns his face to the side and cries out again, but his voice is worn out and a bit quieter now.
“Please...please stop!” I pull him out and he goes into a coughing frenzy. I lean next to his face so he can see me and throw off my helmet with my free hand.
“Did you ever stop?! Did you ever show me mercy?! How about the hundreds of soldiers under my command that you sent to their deaths?! How about when you turned the entire town against me?!”
He frantically sucks in as much air as he can and shakes his head.
“It...it wasn’t me! It was Zaran!” I let go of his collar and he falls forward onto his hands. He gets a nice kick in the ribs and rolls over on his side, yelling pitifully.
“What do you mean it was Zaran?! I don’t doubt you’ve been keeping tabs on me but Zaran is new here!”
Hurrand shakes his head again, with his double chin wiggling wildly.
“No...no he brought us here! He planted the white orb and knew I’d take it!”
I kick Hurrand over and he rolls onto his back. his eyes clench shut, and he cries out in pain.
“That doesn’t make any sense Hurrand! So, he made you torture me then just planted some magical orb for you to find and went quiet?! He has all this power and just disappears?! Do you think I’m stupid?!” I stomp on his stomach until he sprays the air with blood from his mouth. He rolls into his stomach and holds up a hand as he starts crawling away.
“No, no that’s not how it worked! He first came to me claiming to be some magical creature. It was before I even knew you or your parents! He told me that a child would come into my kingdom and I’d have to corrupt him, or he’d destroy everything!”
I freeze in place and my blood turns to ice.
“You knew my parents?! Tell me! What happened to them?! Who were they?!”
Hurrand’s mouth contorts into the ugliest crying I had ever seen. Even the backside of an obese pig was more flattering than his crunched-up cheeks. He holds up a hand at me and crawls backwards.
“He...he made me! When I refused to torture you, he...he killed my queen! He said he’d kill everyone in Taraska if I didn’t do to you what he wanted! So, I humiliated you, I did...anything he told me!”
I draw my blade and stomp over to him.
“What did you do to my parents?! Tell me!” I scream in rage. My temples pound hard and fast. Hurrand cocks his head to the side and shakes it.
“I...he made me. I...your mother...I told everyone she tried to poison our wells with Mana Fever. They...she was dragged and quartered...he made me Raiden! He can visit me in my dreams, while I’m awake! There’s no escaping him! He can-”
I fall to my knees at the thought of my own mother being dragged through the streets like I was but being literally cut into pieces like a deer before dinner. Everything is cold and it all hurts. Hurrand sniffles and gets on his knees while supporting himself on his hands.
“Your father...he was a brave man! He...he fought his way through the palace to execute me! He got so close; I was so scared too! But Versa...even at her age she was a prodigy! She subdued him! We put him in-”
He winces when he sees my limp body suddenly jerks to life and give him a look of pure sadism.
“My father...is he alive?!”
Hurrand shakes in place and looks me straight in the eyes.
“He...he was but he was willing to be a guard just so he could watch you grow up! We struck a deal! When you tried to escape...after your trial...he was in the courtyard. He...he tried to go easy on you three but...Emeris didn’t know...Emeris...couldn’t have known! I don’t think Emeris meant to make a killing blow, but it happened. But his sword! I gave it to you! That’s his sword! I did that for you, Raiden! He made me! I didn’t want to, but he made me! I’m just as much a victim as you!”
I slowly rise from the ground, just using my legs while my arms hang lifelessly at my side with my sword...my father’s sword still clutched in my hand.
“A victim?! You are no victim! A real Taraskan would have fell upon his own sword before doing what you did!” I stomp through the mud, making it splash against the trees. Hurrand backs up until he’s against a tree and desperately covers his face with his hands.
“You want mercy, pig?! I’ll show you some mercy! I don’t know where you go after here, but I hope it’s to spend an eternity with Zaran after I’m done with him you filthy swine!”
I raise my blade above my head. At least I knew and at least it gets to be me. Hurrand shuts his eyes and mouths one last apology.

I bring the steel down with my eyes closed, screaming with all the rage my lungs can muster. I hit something solid and open my eyes. My mouth trembles in confusion. Some sort of blue shield was around Hurrand. I pull back my sword and the shield vanishes. My eyes dart among the trees, looking for Luna but she’s nowhere to be seen. I stare back at the pig again. Hurrand peeks through his fingers at me. I stab him with my sword, but it hits the same barrier. It’s made up of complex designs like a snowflake. While blue, it was vibrant and solid, not transparent like Luna’s spells.
Over and over, I hack at it while screaming with all the fury I had. Even when my hand starts to throb violently, I keep slamming my steel into it, hoping it will give out and grant me my revenge. After a few minutes, the sword falls out of my hand. Hurrand looks just as confused as I do. I try to wrap my hands around his fat neck, but they also collide with this shield. Hurrand timidly gets to his feet as I back up. the shield disappears as soon as I stop trying to murder the pig. He’s able to reach forward without activating this weird bubble. I gently reach forward and I’m able to grab Hurrand’s wrist. Without wasting a second, my free hand grabs a dagger from my back but the moment I do, the shield flares up again and throws me back.
Hurrand examines his hands confused.
“Is...is this an element I’ve heard about?”
The trees almost seem to recoil at the scream that escapes my lungs as I collapse to my knees.