The Brink - Atlus

Altus remembered - he wondered if he was the only god who could recall a time when they held power, chained to their human-made temples like prisoners. Now, he was free. He was back in the Tundra, leading a group of unruly stallions who all seemed to have recalled their time in Hoof Prince: when they had control of the elements, when they sought him out to master the Air. He had to laugh at himself, so young now and full of life. He knew where Courant would be, knew what moments he could avoid to change the future... to change his future. He knew Rencor remembered, too....

Altus tried to clear the past from his head, to enjoy the presence of the likes of Zacharias and Synyster, Osiris and Marius - all of whom he knew had pledged their lives to Paduan and the Rajput cause at one time. Thoughts turned to his now Beta, the fire-breather’s power and presence dwindling with the sudden influx of new faces. If he could just stay away from Courant from now on, he could live a normal life and never know any more of her lies.

"Altus...Why so serious?" Rencor asked, coming out from the darkness like he always had a habit of doing. "Just thinking about the future." He responded, looking out over the Tundra. "Don’t you have your own herd to terrorize?" He asked, knowing the various female creatures that probably took to his desert oasis like flies to honey. Discord, Rapier... He was sure there were more. Still, none would compare to the one mare that terrorized his life for so long. "I do, but I couldn't miss a chance at meeting up with an old... friend. It seems as though you and I are the only ones who remember who we truly were. We know how to make everything happen again, how to regain our power." Altus could hear the thirst in the black stallions voice, watching him practically salivate at the thought of perhaps getting more power than he originally had. "It's all yours, Rencor. I'm done. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice." He said bitterly, thinking about the day when Courant came and told him she had created a child with Rencor. "That's a shame." Rencor said with a laugh, "You were always such a... formidable opponent. I'm sure Hoof Prince will be better off without you." He said, walking away from Altus.

Altus had to wonder if Rencor was right...