The Gods Among Us: A Gleaming Bladeby TheNorthernTChaptersChapter 1: Chain SmokerChapter 2:HuntersChapter 3: The Princess of the NightA Brief Meeting in the Dragon's LairChapter 1: Chain SmokerWhen he first crossed into the tent he was greeted by what seemed to be a cloud of smoke. Around the place there was at least six or seven ashtrays, all of them filled to the brink, and there was more than one empty bottle of cheap ale. And turned in the direction of the entrance, standing over a table, there was a Horn with white skin and double colored blue mane. “What is it?” Shining Armor barked his question, short and with a tone of annoyance, and looked up, his gaze very slightly hazed. Under his eyes there were large dark circles, and you could see a few too many blood veins in his eyes. His arms were also a tad more flabby than the last time they had meet, though still more impressive than most Horns. It would also be reasonable to expect that his breath would have the stench of a sailor just used his entire day at a bar. In short; no sleep, no exercise, a highly stressful job and personal issues. He had been like that for months now. “We’ve scouted a small camp of them to the south here, which we suspect is trying to scout weaknesses in our camp.” Not that it would matter. This camp had no real strengths, other than a high risk. Camp Deathbed they called it; when you were sent here you were sleeping in your last bed. The Fucking Frontlines. TFF for short, when the more prissy officers were around. “Then you need to stop them, don’t you?” “Yes Sarmor, Sir.” Most people just called him Sarmor. It was just easier that way. Shining Armor was the head of the Canterlot Guard, not the tired general before him. It was hard to imagine how it would be, he was barely older than himself, but he still bore the weight of leading all of Equestria’s armies. Shining Armor shook his head and adjusted his chest plate ever so slightly. Even he, Royal Guard and now General, had little more armor to speak of over his clothes, other than on his lower legs and forearms. Pros; mobility and protection of some vital body parts. Cons; it was still really fucking easy to kill you. The common foot soldiers were screwed. That much was known. Luckily these Horns and Wings could even some of the odds. “Alright, Brute” Sarmor looked down at the map again. “What can you tell me about them? How many are they?” “Only seven or eight, we think. It’s not like we’ve seen anything other than a camp filled with people with some marks of… them.” “I see. You know what to do.” The general turned around to look at a larger map of Equestria and some of the lands beyond. It wasn’t hard to guess were his eyes were fixed; not on the south where they were now, like most people, but on what was simply known as the Frozen North. He had more reason than most though. “Why is it that only a week before this conflict starts, the only thing that could end this quickly goes away?” “Sarmor?” “My sister, Cladus. She was sent to the north with her friends just before all of this started. It just doesn’t make sense.” Sarmor was right, it didn’t make sense. Not to him or anyone else. Only the Princesses themselves would have any idea why, and they were no more talkative about the subject than the walls of the tent around them. Cladus shook his head, just like Sarmor had done a minute or two ago. “You’re right, General, but what can you do? You’re boning a Princess and you still have no idea. I doubt anyone other than you sister, Celestia and Luna had the faintest idea what the hell is going on with the Elements. Pardon my language.” “Why bother? Not like I give a damn about what words you use anyway. No fucking need to be formal anymore. That went out of the window when Appleloosa became enemy territory.” Sarmor hadn’t even thrown a glance at him while he spoke, only staring at hat damned map. Cladus tried to put it from his mind and focus on the task, but the general had been right. They had to look into this thing with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. If they didn’t they would give up on the strongest weapon they had. “Why are you still here?” Sarmor had lit another cigarette and turned around, glaring at him. Right, he had to get the fuck out and do something useful. “Sorry, Sir, I thought you had something more to say.” “Bah,” Sarmor brushed him off with a gesture that both told him to shut the fuck up and to get the fuck out of his site. He wasn’t in the mood for this. Not that he ever was, but this must have been a particularly bad night for it. ** When he came outside, Cladus felt like he could breathe again for the first time in a long while. Common experience for someone who walked in and out of Sarmor’s tent. How he could stand it was a good question, but compared to the other details about his situation some bad air seemed to mean little. He probably had too much to think about to even notice. “Sargent! Halt, I desire a word with you,” From behind he could hear an all too familiar voice. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of the last person he wanted to see right now; Lieutenant Cock Gobbler… erh… Golden Pear. “What!?” with a roll of his eyes and a sharp, annoyed tone he greeted the Horn. “I’m kinda busy here.” “Yes, I am sure the General entrusted you with matters of the gravest importance. Please, if it was truly important he would have come to me or one of the other lieutenants, not a sargent. Now, if you’re done pretending to be someone of note, I have a mission for you.” “Go bother someone else,” with pretty much the same gesture that Sarmor had given him, he turned around and tried to continue on his way, but Cock Gobbler took a hold of his shoulder with his damned Horn. “What now!?” “I am a ranking officer and you will follow orders.” “I am. I am following General Sarmor’s orders and you’re in my way.” “That is General Shining Armor to you, and you will wait right here until I have this confirmed.” Fucking entitled nobleborn Horn. It was no secret that most people despised him, but there was little anyone could do. After Sarmor himself, he was probably the best tactician in Equestria and one of the best fighters among the Horns. With a weapon he was no more useful than a newborn babe, but he was undeniably skilled with magic. As soon as Cock Gobbler turned his back on him Cladus shook his head and continued to his destination; the little scouting team he had put together for this. Cock Gobbler shouted that he’d be reported for this and that he acted like a Brute. Hmph. Snobbish moron. No idea that Brute was no more of an insult that Horn or Wing was. Physical strength and endurance, proficiency with weaponry and heavy infantry. That was their addition to the armies. None of the battles that had been won could have been so without their help. Hit’n’Run worked well, until you actually had to hold a position. “Here’s the man right here!” Someone laid a hand on his shoulder from behind. Shortly after he hit the “someone” in the shoulder, letting out a chuckle as he did. Merry. Bloody fast Wing, if there ever was one. And one of the best damn scouts he had ever worked with. Not bad with a bow either. Or in bed. Behind her Cladus could see the rest of the group he had spent a lot of time with lately. “C’mon, what is our next move? Do we get to kill those bastards?” He nodded as a Horn enthusiastically drew his thumb across his throat. There was a fire in his eyes about the whole thing. Well, the usual fire was more intense than usual. “Fucking pyromaniac” was the best description of this guy, it you looked away from the dark red color and orange hair. Gold Fire lived up to his name, in a scary way. But he was still better company than Brother Cock Gobbler. “Oh yeah! This is going to be fun, right Melinda?” Gold Fire looked at Merry, who glared back. In about two seconds there would be a fist planted somewhere on Gold Fire’s face. Only an idiot called Merry Melinda. Or someone with a desire for pain. Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected it to Merry. “What about you, Cai?” The last of their little group, Cai the light blue Brute, remained silent and rolled his eyes. He was always like that. Not that Cladius blamed him, he had been through much. No one had told him, or anyone else, exactly how much, but he had been a resident at Appleloosa for the last few years, until it fell. Probably some fucked up shit printed to his mind. Heck of a fighter though, the way he handled a sword. Made it uncomfortable to speculate on what he did in his earlier life. The only thing one really knew is that he had no ties to the Royal Guard, or else he’d be a commander, and that he was more skilled than most of them with a weapon. “Cladus, a word?” Cladus, Merry and Gold Fire all held their breath when he opened his mouth. They had heard him speak before, but only the bare necessities with reports and the like. “Sure,” Cladus nodded and gestured for them to get clear of the others. If he wanted to talk to Cladus alone, there was no chance for words with the others around. Not even words to say he wanted to speak in private. They stopped in a small cluster of two-man tents whose occupants had just gone to duty. “The general, how is he? I’ve heard people say he is… distracted.” “I…” Cladus started. Cai was right, of course, but it was still something he wasn’t sure how to talk about. Sarmor had walked his talk so far, despite the distractions. But Cai was, at the end of the day, right and he couldn’t deny that. Not even if he wanted to. “I see. Should be problematic, if nothing is done about it soon. I just hope his sister comes back from chasing old stories soon. Nothing good can come from that.” “Wait, what? What do you mean, chasing stories?” Cai’s eyes narrowed, before he went back to the others, leaving Cladus and his question alone. What had just happened? ** “So, what did Cai want?” Merry said as she came into his tent. He hadn’t taken the time to inform the others of the details for their mission, they all knew how it would go down; the night was too old for assassinations, meaning they had to wait until next night to do it properly, so they should get some sleep while they were at it. Instead he had gone straight to bed, in his slightly better tent that the rank-less soldiers. At least his had some conveniences, like a place for him to clean up without having to wait in a line. “No idea.” A true enough statement, if inaccurate. He did remember the question just fine, but what Cai had actually wanted? He wished he knew. First time they had spoken and it left Cladus a bit uncertain as to just what the hell had just happened. So had the rest of this night as well, if he were going to be honest. It seemed to confused. Both Sarmor and Cai were… he had no idea. He was good at leading people, not reading them. Only one letters difference, on the paper, but in action that one letter meant all the difference in the world. He looked at his most recent addition to the tent; Merry had grey skin and black hair, an ever so slightly crooked nose and light blue eyes. Her breasts weren’t much in the apartment of size, but they were cute. Same with her hindquarters. It seemed to be a common trait among the Wings. She crawled over to him with a smile and kissed him. They had done this before, a few times at least. It had gotten very clear that as a seventeen year old girl in a camp full of soldiers she would benefit from having someone to do. Not because of any need to for her own desires, but because there were enough others with desires here, and enough stress to make them go ballistic. Easier for everyone if she just chose someone she wanted to fuck. Well, in Cladus’ mind anyway. He had come out on top with this one, so he’d be the last to complain about it. He broke the kiss to lift her on top of him. As he did so he glanced at her hip, seeing the silver dagger resting there. She had gotten that one week after she had joined the army, or so she said. A trophy for her first kill, or something like that. A good testament to her skill with knives though; as good as any demonstration. Once on top of him she kissed him again, while he let his hands explore her body. Starting at her chest, he left one hand on her breast and moved one to her thigh. He didn’t get to enjoy it long. With surprising strength for someone of her size, she took a hold of his hands and pulled them to above his head, before she reached and tied them together with a short rope. Where the hell had she gotten that? She had barely a thread upon her when she entered. It only took a second to figure out; her grin betrayed that she had planned this ahead of time. With his hands out of the way, she started to untie his pants. He had learned that she was not one for ceremony a long time ago; the moment he was free of the unneeded clothing, she guided him right into her. Her inner muscles pressed against him as she slowly moved back and forth. Cladus started to move his own hips, matching her movements. Every time she moved back, he pulled himself further out, and every time she came closer again, he went in. Before long their breath became heavier and more frequent. Their pace increased accordingly. Merry let herself fall forward, into his chest and started to move as he did, locking their lips as she did, slightly biting at his lower lip. He could feel the strain start to build, just as Merry collapsed on top of him. Heh, she was faster than him in more ways than one. Now he just had to finish for himself. ** It was midday or so when he woke up. Being selected for a nighttime job had its perks, at least when it came to sleeping in. He hadn’t dreamt anything. He never did when Merry spent the night with him, thank Celestia. In the mirror above his own washing bucket he saw his own reflection; light grey color, blond hair, grey eyes. Broad shoulders, but no notably marked muscles. He wasn’t without size, but he wasn’t as fit as some of the others around the camp. Not that it mattered; it came down to what he could do, not what he looked like. And in a few hours he would be sent to do one of the things he did best. Chapter 2:HuntersNight had fallen once again, and Cladus and his little group walked between the trees. The Everfree had always been unnerving, but now? Jeez. He caught his hand shaking ever so slightly time and time again as they made their way south of the camp. Over and over he thought he saw yellow glowing eyes, but every time he looked again they were gone. Rumor was that there were Timber Wolves in this forest. How literal that was meant to be taken, he had no idea. “No sight of them so far,” Merry landed beside him, back from treetop duty. “If they’re scouting, they aren’t doin’ it here.” “Or they, more likely, avoided you,” Cai mumbled so Cladus could hear him. He wasn’t sure if anyone else did though. None of them reacted to it. Or maybe Merry just didn’t want to start something while out here. If she had heard it, it would likely be hell to pay for doubting her. “Did you hear that?” Gold Fire whispered, almost frantically gesturing for them to stay quiet. Cladus hadn’t heard anything and neither had Merry, if her confused expression was any indication on the matter. The shadows of the forest started to seem like they moved, being dense enough to hide anything from their sight. No, this was not the time to get superstitious about the Everfree! Cladus could feel a pearl of sweat form on his forehead and his hand automatically went to the hilt of his blade, but be didn’t unsheathe it. “What?” he whispered back when Gold Fire didn’t say anything more. “I… not sure.” The group stayed quiet for a minute or so, with only the sounds of the nightly birds to distract them. Was Cai right? Was their scouts here, and could they be aware of them? Merry had just gotten back from treetop duty, so they could have seen her land. Or maybe they had walked passed a sentry of theirs. “We should move,” Cladus eventually said, trying to keep the uncertainty of his voice to a minimum. He said it a little louder than he had whispered shortly before, but, under normal circumstances, no one should’ve been able to hear him if they were further away than his companions. They nodded. ** Half an hour or so passed without incident as they walked through the forest in the direction they had seen the encampment a couple of days ago. No one said anything, just followed the signals Cladus gestured in their directions. So far so good. They should have reached the camp by now, or so he thought. Maybe it was because they moved a bit slower this time, to hopefully avoid attention of someone they knew was there somewhere? When they found it they had moved quickly on a routine scouting mission. Maybe the differences in the external factors caused him to feel time differently, thus throwing off his inner clock? “Cladus, come see this,” Cai whispered from the left and waved for him to come closer. He pushed aside some branches, revealing what looked like it was an abandoned camp. “Think this is it.” “Shit,” Cladus drew his blade. This wasn’t good. Not at all. Slowly he walked through the opening Cai had revealed, into a clearing of the forest that had the signs of someone keeping a fire. Looking around, he could see a myriad of footprints. There was places where it looked like something had been pulled up from the earth, holding roughly a rectangular shape with the short-side aimed at the remnants of a fire within the makeshift fireplace made by placing stones in a circle. There was also some coagulated blood to be seen. Not enough to indicate a mortal wound. Accident while cooking, perhaps? “Found anything useful?” Merry asked. She, Gold Fire and Cai had followed him into the clearing, keeping an eye out for other people. “No,” he replied. “This was a campsite, and quite a few people were here, but that is all. Nothing to show who they were, or where they went.” “They went to your camp, naturally,” Cladus threw himself around with his sword ready to strike when he heard the voice come from behind. Out from the trees surrounding them, a Horn calmly walked in their direction. He wore a red robe, which went well with his white skin. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am… well, my name doesn’t really matter. I speak on behalf of the ones you call ‘invaders’.” “What do you mean, they went to our camp?” Cladus kept his sword at the ready. Whoever it was he was talking to, he stopped just outside of his reach. Why wasn’t he attacking? “Why are you talking to us?” “Because killing you wouldn’t yield any benefit,” the stranger smiled, completely calm and his tone was friendly. Cladus glanced over at the other. Merry and Gold Fire seemed just as confused as he felt, but Cai’s eyes had narrowed. “It is not necessary for the plan to succeed. In fact, keeping you alive, at least for now, is estimated to be quite useful.” “What are you talking about? What plan?” Cladus raised his voice and walked closer to the Horn. He didn’t flinch, not even a bit, when he put his sword against his throat. “Start talking!” “I am already talking,” he replied, carrying on as if the sword was not there. “No need to threaten me, I have no desire to withhold all my information from you. In truth, I came here to enlighten you on some of our goals.” “What are you waiting for?” Cai shot in. “What is the signal that allows you to spill the beans?” The stranger smiled again and gave a short bow, as best he could without the edge of Cladus’ sword interfering, to him. What the hell? Cladus found his eyes drawn to Cai. Seriously, what the hell? What in the depths of Nightmare Moons grim asshole had just happened? A stroke of lighting lit up the night sky, summoning storm clouds. The Princess of the Night was near. “Ah, there we go,” the stranger said, calling Cladus attention once more. “You see, your dear Princess of the Night is at the heart of all of this. Our plan worked perfectly then, if she came to help your camp.” “Cladus, we should go. Now,” Merry and Gold Fire spoke in unison. “No,” Cai brushed them off. “We need to hear what he has to say.” “Well?” the strange Horn looked at Cladus. “You’re their leader. Will you stay and listen, or go back to help beat back the failed attempt to take your camp?” “Failed attempt?” Cladus felt that his heart started to beat faster. He should really go back. They might need their help. Yet… “Of course. Our goals cannot be achieved yet, so taking your position would be of no value to us. We plan for the Princess of the Night.” “Plan what?” Cai asked, cautiously looking around. He had walked up to Cladus’ side without him noticing it before now. “My apologies, but that is as much as I will tell you.” “Then let’s kill him and get back!” Merry sounded angry. “Go ahead,” their visitor said. “My death means little. I’ve already played the role I was assigned. Don’t worry; I don’t have any backup that will interfere with your decision.” “No, don’t kill him!” Cai laid a hand on the hilt of Cladus’ blade. “We should take him back, get professionals to interrogate him. Or torture him, if need be. We need to know what he knows!” “I have to warn you that I have no intentions of being a captive. My death or free life will serve the goal. My capture will hinder it. You will have to kill me, or let me go.” “No we don’t,” Cladus, for the first time since the stranger had appeared, smiled. “You’re coming with us back to the camp, whether you want to or not.” “Disappointing,” the man sighed. “I bid you a good life, gentlemen.” Fast ass lighting, the man drew a dagger from the sleeve of his right arm and jammed it into his throat. Still able to move a bit, he, with a lot more effort now, placed the tip of the blade against his stomach and fell forward. Before either of the people in the group could reach, he had inflicted wounds beyond what was possible to save him from without real healers. “What he fuck!?” Cladus exclaimed. His heartbeat had reached a new high this evening. Both Merry and Gold Fire seemed to share his reaction of confusion and anger. Only Cai seemed to have remained calm. Like a few minutes earlier, he eyes narrowed at he looked at the body of the dying stranger. Chapter 3: The Princess of the NightFour… five… no, eight… Or was it seven? General Shining Armor stood almost crouched over the table in the middle of what he had heard some call “The Dragon’s Lair” because of all the smoke. He stumped his cigarette in the ashtray. It was full. Again. Looking at it for a moment, he decided to just dump its contents in the already overflowing garbage can under the table. Where was he? Oh right, scouting missions. He had sent out… without really seeing the numbers of the forms before him, he estimated about seven groups. Close enough to the truth. Sargent Cladus was the last one to leave with his small team of misfits. Pushing the forms for scouting missions aside, he took up the list of provisions they had received. Nothing out of the ordinary, but his personal consumption of cigarettes looked like it would soon extent beyond his salary. While reviewing the rations they had been given, he lit another and inhaled, letting the ever so slight respite from the stress be his heaven and sanctuary. Enough food for two more weeks. Good, good. Same with the water. No drink this time to let the soldiers relax. He’d have to let them share what was left of his own then. Probably better that way. Drinking wasn’t something he could make time to do anyway. He hadn’t taken more than a sip or three in the last month. “General?” Lieutenant Golden Pear’s voice came from behind him. He didn’t reply, just continued to look at the form for supplies for a few more seconds, before he put it down and let out a sigh. “Yes?” “Are you sure it is wise to send so many soldiers out on scouting detail?” “This again?” Shining didn’t even bother to turn around to address him. He just turned his attention to the map and the latest known locations for the enemy. Besides Appleloosa, there was almost no figures that marked their enemy and too few that marked their own. “We need the information. End of story. And we can’t defend this camp if it is attacked anyway. We’re at the Deathbed, Lieutenant. Welcome to The Fucking Frontlines; enjoy your stay in our understaffed and undersupplied own little waiting room before we ascend into hell itself.” “I… yes sir,” Golden Pear apparently left the tent. Good, his whining about not having enough troops at the camp was getting at his nerves. Bad enough that he was always going after the sergeants and confirming their orders with him every time they did something without his orders. After the first four or so times, he should have been able to see a pattern. Luckily there were no more reports or forms he had to look at this very moment, affording him a few minutes without someone needing something from him. Heaven. It truly was. He dumped down in a chair and looked at the map he had hung on the tent wall. Like every time before when his eyes fell on it, they landed on the area just represented by a glacier. The Frozen North. In a way it was fitting. He was at The Fucking Frontlines, a name well earned, while Twilight had been sent with her friends to The Frozen North. He had no idea how many times he had sent letters to the Princesses to tell him where his sister was, but the answer was always the same; they ignored him. He took another inhale of the cigarette. He had almost forgotten that he already had one lit, so he had reached towards his pocket to get a new one, only to almost set fire to an empty scroll in the process. The comment he had passed to sergeant Cladus came to mind. Why had he mentioned to him that his sister was missing? It was none of his business. Then again, who hadn’t picked up on that fact already? The bearers of the Elements of Harmony being missing in times of war was hard to not miss. In his moments of clarity, there was something that bothered him about that. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that the attack had come so soon after. Were they up against an enemy that knew about that? If so, they were screwed worse than he’d like to imagine. He felt his eyes grow weary. Time to get up from the chair then. He took one final inhale of the cigarette before he let it fall to the ground and stomped on it until he was sure it was put out. “General!” At the same time as some new recruit he had no idea who was ran into the tent, someone blew in a horn loud enough for him to hear it. This had to happen now? Fuck. Shining Armor drew his blade and halfway ran to the tent’s exit. “Go, get to the gates! Make the bastards pay for every inch they thread inside them!” The moment he stepped outside the tent, the tip of a spear almost skewered him, but lieutenant Golden Pear cut it off. Only the wooden tip hit against his chestplate. Moments later the spearman found his throat sliced by a dagger formed of magic, deep yellow in color. Trying to get an overview of the situation, Shining ran through the tents, cutting down anyone bearing the symbol of a sword engulfed in magic. This far into the camp there had yet to form a strong force. Only a matter of time, to be sure. He took to the right when he had run seven or so rows of tents down, towards one of the watchtowers. The sound of battle ringed in his ears from the left; screams and shouts, the clashing of metal and wood, and the trampling of feet. The “watchtower”, being a simple wooden structure barely tall enough to give a view of the entire camp, came up before him. Two of the bastards were looting the body of one of theirs. Cadence, give me strength… He tried to best to concentrate, but the spell turned out much weaker than he had hoped. Instead of killing the them, it only knocked one of them over. The other one charged at him, foolishly and laughing, yelling that without his magic, a Horn like him was useless. “I am not useless!” Shining whispered into the Brute’s ear. He had almost literally thrown himself on his blade in his arrogance. His friend crawled and tried to get up, but before he could, the general had freed his blade from the corpse and ran over. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way!” each word was delivered with a kick to the face or neck. Before the sentence was over, he was struggling to breathe. His nose and jaw were both broken. A final kick and his either blacked out or died from the blunt force trauma. If he didn’t, he’d be choked on his own blood in no time. Shining ran up the makeshift stairs, heart racing and his breath heavy. It was lost. A glance over the camp said as much. They were outnumbered and the invaders had formed a shieldwall to hold their position inside the gate. His own men were trying, but they were being pushed back. The ones who broke through their own lines regrouped further into the camp, getting ready to hit the defenders from the back. The sword dropped from his hand and his leg gave in under him. The battle was lost and he was so very, very tired. It was time to catch up on the lost sleep. And if he was lucky, he never needed to wake up again. Twisting himself around so he laid on his back, he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Forgive me, Cadence, I won’t give you a child after all… A thundering sound broke through the air, forcing Shining Armor’s adrenaline production into high gear. Looking at the skies, a robed figure descended towards them, summoning storm clouds as it did. “Be gone, intruders, or face my wrath! Let none of the Equestrians fall by sword today! Leave, or perish!” Shining got to his feet and looked out over the camp. A silence had fallen over the camp. The defenders were slowly backing away from the invaders, who just stood there, staring at the figure in the skies. When no one seemed to move, three bolts of lightning hit the ground between them, lighting a fire. Someone blew a horn, sharper and shorter than the one he had heard earlier. The invaders were retreating. ** “Princess Luna,” Shining Armor kneeled before her when she landed. He had made his way into the center of the camp to receive her. “Thank you, without your help…” She threw back her hood. Her hair was like a piece of the midnight sky flowing around her. He could see dark rings under her eyes as well. He was not the only one who had slept little then. “Rise, Shining Armor,” she began, reaching out a hand to help him back on his feet. When he took it, she pulled him into a hug. She sounded like she was about to break out in tears. “You don’t need to bow to me, you’re family. I’m just glad you’re safe.” Luna eventually let go of him, with a short smile. She tried to be happy, it seemed, but it came through that the only thing she had to be happy for was that he hadn’t died on this day. Or so he thought. Luna had always been the one who was hardest to read. But as soon as he gave her a halfhearted smile back, her expression became more serious. “Your letter told of approaching danger, but I hadn’t imagined this,” she obviously referred to the attack on the camp. “How did they learn your location?” “Wait, what letter?” Shining blurted out and his eyes narrowed. Around them the people had started to do what they could to clean up the mess left. The ones who were not tending to, or among, the wounded that was. Muffled cries of pain had started to be a thing in the air. “I didn’t send a letter about danger. Only about my sister.” Luna’s mouth was left partially opened for a moment or two. With a nervous glance around, she waved for Shining to follow her as she turned around and started to walk in the direction of the Dragon’s Lair. Following her, Shining couldn’t help but feel his hair stand up in the back of his neck. If these were the questions he had to deal with this time, what would happen when the invaders pushed further into their lands? A Brief Meeting in the Dragon's Lair“This… I don’t know what to say,” Shining paced back and forth, having a lit cigarette in his hand that he inhaled of every few seconds. At this rate it would have to be replaced in a minute, maybe one and a half. Luna, who hadn’t said a word since they came into the Dragon’s Lair, followed him with her eyes. Every now and then she tried to hide a cough. “Who would send you a letter, saying it was from me to warn you that I was in danger here?” “I do not know,” Luna turned to the map on the walls. He noticed that her eyes too were drawn to the northern wasteland his sister had been condemned to walk. Again, as every time it came to his mind, he had to wonder why. “Do you believe whoever it was were favorably aligned to us? They likely saved your life.” “I have no idea,” Shining stopped his pacing for a moment and leaned over the table in the middle of the tent, eyes fixed on the map of the known enemy camps. There were only three of them, including Appleloosa. “I don’t know, I can’t make sense of it. And if they’re not friends, what then? There must be a plan at work… someone wanted you to be here. We’ve got to find out why.” “Out of our way, Pear! We’re not in the mood for this right now!” Shining and Luna both turned their heads to the tent’s entrance. Outside he heard someone he was fairly certain was Gold Fire yell at his brother, met with complaints that since the Princess was here, they had even less of a right to barge into the tent than usual. Shining and, unknown to him, Luna rolled their eyes, but neither did anything to sort it out. A couple of moments later, Cladus, Merry, Gold Fire and Cai did exactly what the lieutenant had forbidden them to do; make their way into the Dragon’s Lair without summons. “Sir!” Gold Fire started. “We have to talk to you,” Merry continued. “We- Princess,” Cladus noticed the Princess staring at them with a stern looking expression and kneeled. The others followed his example. “Rise, soldiers, and get to the reason why you disturb us against the orders of your commanding officer,” Luna didn’t change her expression much. It had to get a little annoying, being treated like that all the time it occurred to Shining. They were at The Fucking Frontlines and people still chose to kneel and scrape at her feet. “Yes, Princess,” Cladus was just behind Cai in getting back to his feet, looking back and forth between the general and Luna. “When we were ou scouting, we meet someone. Someone claiming to be a part of the invaders. He said- he said…” “Wow, slow down,” Shining raised a hand. “Who did you meet? And where?” “Some Horn, where we had earlier seen a camp of their. It was abandoned, and he was waiting for us.” “And what did he say to you?” “He said… well,” Cladus seemed hesitant and kept glancing at Luna again and again. “He said that Luna coming here was a part of their plans. Then he… killed himself when we tried to take him prisoner…” Luna’s stern expression changed almost immediately. Her mouth opened a little and her eyes started to move around vigorously. “Our enemy planned for me to come here?” “Yes,” Cai said, speaking for the first time in Shining’s presence. His voice was softer than he had expected. “He also said that the attack on the camp was not meant to succeed.” “That is… for fuck sake, what the hell is going on!?” Shining threw himself around and smashed his fist on top of the map of Appleloosa. Their enemy planned on Luna preventing the attacking form succeeding? Their enemy!? Fucking hell, what sort of insane bastards where they up against? “They… planned for the attack to fail?” Luna asked quietly, looking at Cai and Cladus. “I think they planned on you preventing the attack from succeeding,” Shining corrected. Merry and Gold Fire had been awfully silent, looking at where he had hit the table. “’Tis unnerving then. I shall return to Canterlot and seek council with my sister. Maybe she knows what to do.” She got to her feet, but Shining gestured for her to stay, then for others to leave. With a raised eyebrow, Cai, shortly followed by the rest of his group, walked through the tent’s entrance, leaving the two alone. “Can I ask you something?” Shining felt that something came up in his throat, a feeling he had felt earlier this day, when he thought he’d have to leave Cadence alone in this world. Luna nodded. “Why was my sister sent to the north?” “We…” the Princess started, but it faded away, as if she wasn’t sure what to tell him. Her expression was neutral, showing no emotion, but her eyes showed that something about the question had brought out her emotions. “The bearers of the Elements…. Twilight and her friends…. They left for the Frozen North because your wife had detected unusual magic at work there. It resembled that of Sombra. We sent her to investigate, and if necessary, neutralize whatever it was.” “My sister is in the north chasing something that might be Sombra returned without help from any of you!?” Shining heard that his voice raised. “What were you thinking? We barely got rid of his the last time and then we had an entire kingdom on our side! The six of them alone wouldn’t- wouldn’t…” His shouts faded when he saw the tears that had started to form in Luna’s eyes. It wasn’t fair of him to yell at her, she wasn’t solely to blame. Her sister probably had even more to do with it. Curse Celestia, for doing this to her. “I am truly sorry, Shining, but Sombra was never a threat.” “What?” the general’s mouth was left a little open. Sombra was never a threat? Never a threat!? The man who had taken away his magic and rendered him helpless to defend his wife had never been a fucking threat!? “My sister and I learned of his return long before it happened. We could have stopped it long before it got as bad as it did, but my sister insisted on using the situation to test Twilight’s resolve. I had hoped we’d never have to tell y- Ahhh!” Shining Armor breathed heavy as he stared at the Princess, who had fallen to the ground. The back of his hand hurt and there was a fading red mark on her cheek. What did he just do? “I’m so sorry!” he blurted out in a hurry and leaned in over her, trying to help her up. “I don’t know what happened, I- I just-“ “Do you think it is any easier for me!?” she shouted back at him, tears now running down her face. But she didn’t do anything to him, even if it was well within her power. “Twilight was one of the few friends I have!” Of course it wasn’t much easier for her. Luna had even fewer people that she could rely on than he had, Twilight being perhaps the only one outside of the royal family. Shining took a hold of her hands and helped her back to her feet. “I’m really sorry…” he said, a little hesitantly. “I didn’t want to hit you, it just… kinda happened…” “And I am sorry for not telling you about why your sister was sent north. It was very unfair to you.” “It’s fine, I’m just- I’m just really tired. I haven’t slept well in weeks.” It wasn’t fine, nothing close to it. But fighting with the Princess was not the way to resolve any of it. It certainly wouldn’t help in the war effort. And it certainly wouldn’t help him get to the bottom of what the enemy was planning that had to do with Luna. As angry as he was with her, he’d wish her no harm. Not the kind their enemies surely sought to being anyway. “Then get some sleep, Shining Armor,” Luna gave him a smile. It didn’t show any fitting emotions, just a stiff upper lip that was willing to take some of his burden off him. Bless her, she had a good heart. “I’ll take care of everything that has to be done tonight as best I can.” His only reaction was to nod and give her a stiff-upper-lip smile back, before he turned around and pretty much shambled out of the tent and over to the one next to it. His own bed was there, something he hadn’t used more than once a week or so for a long time. The last thing he heard from the Dragon’s Lair was Luna cursing the air in there.
Chapter 1: Chain SmokerWhen he first crossed into the tent he was greeted by what seemed to be a cloud of smoke. Around the place there was at least six or seven ashtrays, all of them filled to the brink, and there was more than one empty bottle of cheap ale. And turned in the direction of the entrance, standing over a table, there was a Horn with white skin and double colored blue mane. “What is it?” Shining Armor barked his question, short and with a tone of annoyance, and looked up, his gaze very slightly hazed. Under his eyes there were large dark circles, and you could see a few too many blood veins in his eyes. His arms were also a tad more flabby than the last time they had meet, though still more impressive than most Horns. It would also be reasonable to expect that his breath would have the stench of a sailor just used his entire day at a bar. In short; no sleep, no exercise, a highly stressful job and personal issues. He had been like that for months now. “We’ve scouted a small camp of them to the south here, which we suspect is trying to scout weaknesses in our camp.” Not that it would matter. This camp had no real strengths, other than a high risk. Camp Deathbed they called it; when you were sent here you were sleeping in your last bed. The Fucking Frontlines. TFF for short, when the more prissy officers were around. “Then you need to stop them, don’t you?” “Yes Sarmor, Sir.” Most people just called him Sarmor. It was just easier that way. Shining Armor was the head of the Canterlot Guard, not the tired general before him. It was hard to imagine how it would be, he was barely older than himself, but he still bore the weight of leading all of Equestria’s armies. Shining Armor shook his head and adjusted his chest plate ever so slightly. Even he, Royal Guard and now General, had little more armor to speak of over his clothes, other than on his lower legs and forearms. Pros; mobility and protection of some vital body parts. Cons; it was still really fucking easy to kill you. The common foot soldiers were screwed. That much was known. Luckily these Horns and Wings could even some of the odds. “Alright, Brute” Sarmor looked down at the map again. “What can you tell me about them? How many are they?” “Only seven or eight, we think. It’s not like we’ve seen anything other than a camp filled with people with some marks of… them.” “I see. You know what to do.” The general turned around to look at a larger map of Equestria and some of the lands beyond. It wasn’t hard to guess were his eyes were fixed; not on the south where they were now, like most people, but on what was simply known as the Frozen North. He had more reason than most though. “Why is it that only a week before this conflict starts, the only thing that could end this quickly goes away?” “Sarmor?” “My sister, Cladus. She was sent to the north with her friends just before all of this started. It just doesn’t make sense.” Sarmor was right, it didn’t make sense. Not to him or anyone else. Only the Princesses themselves would have any idea why, and they were no more talkative about the subject than the walls of the tent around them. Cladus shook his head, just like Sarmor had done a minute or two ago. “You’re right, General, but what can you do? You’re boning a Princess and you still have no idea. I doubt anyone other than you sister, Celestia and Luna had the faintest idea what the hell is going on with the Elements. Pardon my language.” “Why bother? Not like I give a damn about what words you use anyway. No fucking need to be formal anymore. That went out of the window when Appleloosa became enemy territory.” Sarmor hadn’t even thrown a glance at him while he spoke, only staring at hat damned map. Cladus tried to put it from his mind and focus on the task, but the general had been right. They had to look into this thing with Twilight Sparkle and her friends. If they didn’t they would give up on the strongest weapon they had. “Why are you still here?” Sarmor had lit another cigarette and turned around, glaring at him. Right, he had to get the fuck out and do something useful. “Sorry, Sir, I thought you had something more to say.” “Bah,” Sarmor brushed him off with a gesture that both told him to shut the fuck up and to get the fuck out of his site. He wasn’t in the mood for this. Not that he ever was, but this must have been a particularly bad night for it. ** When he came outside, Cladus felt like he could breathe again for the first time in a long while. Common experience for someone who walked in and out of Sarmor’s tent. How he could stand it was a good question, but compared to the other details about his situation some bad air seemed to mean little. He probably had too much to think about to even notice. “Sargent! Halt, I desire a word with you,” From behind he could hear an all too familiar voice. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of the last person he wanted to see right now; Lieutenant Cock Gobbler… erh… Golden Pear. “What!?” with a roll of his eyes and a sharp, annoyed tone he greeted the Horn. “I’m kinda busy here.” “Yes, I am sure the General entrusted you with matters of the gravest importance. Please, if it was truly important he would have come to me or one of the other lieutenants, not a sargent. Now, if you’re done pretending to be someone of note, I have a mission for you.” “Go bother someone else,” with pretty much the same gesture that Sarmor had given him, he turned around and tried to continue on his way, but Cock Gobbler took a hold of his shoulder with his damned Horn. “What now!?” “I am a ranking officer and you will follow orders.” “I am. I am following General Sarmor’s orders and you’re in my way.” “That is General Shining Armor to you, and you will wait right here until I have this confirmed.” Fucking entitled nobleborn Horn. It was no secret that most people despised him, but there was little anyone could do. After Sarmor himself, he was probably the best tactician in Equestria and one of the best fighters among the Horns. With a weapon he was no more useful than a newborn babe, but he was undeniably skilled with magic. As soon as Cock Gobbler turned his back on him Cladus shook his head and continued to his destination; the little scouting team he had put together for this. Cock Gobbler shouted that he’d be reported for this and that he acted like a Brute. Hmph. Snobbish moron. No idea that Brute was no more of an insult that Horn or Wing was. Physical strength and endurance, proficiency with weaponry and heavy infantry. That was their addition to the armies. None of the battles that had been won could have been so without their help. Hit’n’Run worked well, until you actually had to hold a position. “Here’s the man right here!” Someone laid a hand on his shoulder from behind. Shortly after he hit the “someone” in the shoulder, letting out a chuckle as he did. Merry. Bloody fast Wing, if there ever was one. And one of the best damn scouts he had ever worked with. Not bad with a bow either. Or in bed. Behind her Cladus could see the rest of the group he had spent a lot of time with lately. “C’mon, what is our next move? Do we get to kill those bastards?” He nodded as a Horn enthusiastically drew his thumb across his throat. There was a fire in his eyes about the whole thing. Well, the usual fire was more intense than usual. “Fucking pyromaniac” was the best description of this guy, it you looked away from the dark red color and orange hair. Gold Fire lived up to his name, in a scary way. But he was still better company than Brother Cock Gobbler. “Oh yeah! This is going to be fun, right Melinda?” Gold Fire looked at Merry, who glared back. In about two seconds there would be a fist planted somewhere on Gold Fire’s face. Only an idiot called Merry Melinda. Or someone with a desire for pain. Realizing his mistake, he quickly corrected it to Merry. “What about you, Cai?” The last of their little group, Cai the light blue Brute, remained silent and rolled his eyes. He was always like that. Not that Cladius blamed him, he had been through much. No one had told him, or anyone else, exactly how much, but he had been a resident at Appleloosa for the last few years, until it fell. Probably some fucked up shit printed to his mind. Heck of a fighter though, the way he handled a sword. Made it uncomfortable to speculate on what he did in his earlier life. The only thing one really knew is that he had no ties to the Royal Guard, or else he’d be a commander, and that he was more skilled than most of them with a weapon. “Cladus, a word?” Cladus, Merry and Gold Fire all held their breath when he opened his mouth. They had heard him speak before, but only the bare necessities with reports and the like. “Sure,” Cladus nodded and gestured for them to get clear of the others. If he wanted to talk to Cladus alone, there was no chance for words with the others around. Not even words to say he wanted to speak in private. They stopped in a small cluster of two-man tents whose occupants had just gone to duty. “The general, how is he? I’ve heard people say he is… distracted.” “I…” Cladus started. Cai was right, of course, but it was still something he wasn’t sure how to talk about. Sarmor had walked his talk so far, despite the distractions. But Cai was, at the end of the day, right and he couldn’t deny that. Not even if he wanted to. “I see. Should be problematic, if nothing is done about it soon. I just hope his sister comes back from chasing old stories soon. Nothing good can come from that.” “Wait, what? What do you mean, chasing stories?” Cai’s eyes narrowed, before he went back to the others, leaving Cladus and his question alone. What had just happened? ** “So, what did Cai want?” Merry said as she came into his tent. He hadn’t taken the time to inform the others of the details for their mission, they all knew how it would go down; the night was too old for assassinations, meaning they had to wait until next night to do it properly, so they should get some sleep while they were at it. Instead he had gone straight to bed, in his slightly better tent that the rank-less soldiers. At least his had some conveniences, like a place for him to clean up without having to wait in a line. “No idea.” A true enough statement, if inaccurate. He did remember the question just fine, but what Cai had actually wanted? He wished he knew. First time they had spoken and it left Cladus a bit uncertain as to just what the hell had just happened. So had the rest of this night as well, if he were going to be honest. It seemed to confused. Both Sarmor and Cai were… he had no idea. He was good at leading people, not reading them. Only one letters difference, on the paper, but in action that one letter meant all the difference in the world. He looked at his most recent addition to the tent; Merry had grey skin and black hair, an ever so slightly crooked nose and light blue eyes. Her breasts weren’t much in the apartment of size, but they were cute. Same with her hindquarters. It seemed to be a common trait among the Wings. She crawled over to him with a smile and kissed him. They had done this before, a few times at least. It had gotten very clear that as a seventeen year old girl in a camp full of soldiers she would benefit from having someone to do. Not because of any need to for her own desires, but because there were enough others with desires here, and enough stress to make them go ballistic. Easier for everyone if she just chose someone she wanted to fuck. Well, in Cladus’ mind anyway. He had come out on top with this one, so he’d be the last to complain about it. He broke the kiss to lift her on top of him. As he did so he glanced at her hip, seeing the silver dagger resting there. She had gotten that one week after she had joined the army, or so she said. A trophy for her first kill, or something like that. A good testament to her skill with knives though; as good as any demonstration. Once on top of him she kissed him again, while he let his hands explore her body. Starting at her chest, he left one hand on her breast and moved one to her thigh. He didn’t get to enjoy it long. With surprising strength for someone of her size, she took a hold of his hands and pulled them to above his head, before she reached and tied them together with a short rope. Where the hell had she gotten that? She had barely a thread upon her when she entered. It only took a second to figure out; her grin betrayed that she had planned this ahead of time. With his hands out of the way, she started to untie his pants. He had learned that she was not one for ceremony a long time ago; the moment he was free of the unneeded clothing, she guided him right into her. Her inner muscles pressed against him as she slowly moved back and forth. Cladus started to move his own hips, matching her movements. Every time she moved back, he pulled himself further out, and every time she came closer again, he went in. Before long their breath became heavier and more frequent. Their pace increased accordingly. Merry let herself fall forward, into his chest and started to move as he did, locking their lips as she did, slightly biting at his lower lip. He could feel the strain start to build, just as Merry collapsed on top of him. Heh, she was faster than him in more ways than one. Now he just had to finish for himself. ** It was midday or so when he woke up. Being selected for a nighttime job had its perks, at least when it came to sleeping in. He hadn’t dreamt anything. He never did when Merry spent the night with him, thank Celestia. In the mirror above his own washing bucket he saw his own reflection; light grey color, blond hair, grey eyes. Broad shoulders, but no notably marked muscles. He wasn’t without size, but he wasn’t as fit as some of the others around the camp. Not that it mattered; it came down to what he could do, not what he looked like. And in a few hours he would be sent to do one of the things he did best.
Chapter 2:HuntersNight had fallen once again, and Cladus and his little group walked between the trees. The Everfree had always been unnerving, but now? Jeez. He caught his hand shaking ever so slightly time and time again as they made their way south of the camp. Over and over he thought he saw yellow glowing eyes, but every time he looked again they were gone. Rumor was that there were Timber Wolves in this forest. How literal that was meant to be taken, he had no idea. “No sight of them so far,” Merry landed beside him, back from treetop duty. “If they’re scouting, they aren’t doin’ it here.” “Or they, more likely, avoided you,” Cai mumbled so Cladus could hear him. He wasn’t sure if anyone else did though. None of them reacted to it. Or maybe Merry just didn’t want to start something while out here. If she had heard it, it would likely be hell to pay for doubting her. “Did you hear that?” Gold Fire whispered, almost frantically gesturing for them to stay quiet. Cladus hadn’t heard anything and neither had Merry, if her confused expression was any indication on the matter. The shadows of the forest started to seem like they moved, being dense enough to hide anything from their sight. No, this was not the time to get superstitious about the Everfree! Cladus could feel a pearl of sweat form on his forehead and his hand automatically went to the hilt of his blade, but be didn’t unsheathe it. “What?” he whispered back when Gold Fire didn’t say anything more. “I… not sure.” The group stayed quiet for a minute or so, with only the sounds of the nightly birds to distract them. Was Cai right? Was their scouts here, and could they be aware of them? Merry had just gotten back from treetop duty, so they could have seen her land. Or maybe they had walked passed a sentry of theirs. “We should move,” Cladus eventually said, trying to keep the uncertainty of his voice to a minimum. He said it a little louder than he had whispered shortly before, but, under normal circumstances, no one should’ve been able to hear him if they were further away than his companions. They nodded. ** Half an hour or so passed without incident as they walked through the forest in the direction they had seen the encampment a couple of days ago. No one said anything, just followed the signals Cladus gestured in their directions. So far so good. They should have reached the camp by now, or so he thought. Maybe it was because they moved a bit slower this time, to hopefully avoid attention of someone they knew was there somewhere? When they found it they had moved quickly on a routine scouting mission. Maybe the differences in the external factors caused him to feel time differently, thus throwing off his inner clock? “Cladus, come see this,” Cai whispered from the left and waved for him to come closer. He pushed aside some branches, revealing what looked like it was an abandoned camp. “Think this is it.” “Shit,” Cladus drew his blade. This wasn’t good. Not at all. Slowly he walked through the opening Cai had revealed, into a clearing of the forest that had the signs of someone keeping a fire. Looking around, he could see a myriad of footprints. There was places where it looked like something had been pulled up from the earth, holding roughly a rectangular shape with the short-side aimed at the remnants of a fire within the makeshift fireplace made by placing stones in a circle. There was also some coagulated blood to be seen. Not enough to indicate a mortal wound. Accident while cooking, perhaps? “Found anything useful?” Merry asked. She, Gold Fire and Cai had followed him into the clearing, keeping an eye out for other people. “No,” he replied. “This was a campsite, and quite a few people were here, but that is all. Nothing to show who they were, or where they went.” “They went to your camp, naturally,” Cladus threw himself around with his sword ready to strike when he heard the voice come from behind. Out from the trees surrounding them, a Horn calmly walked in their direction. He wore a red robe, which went well with his white skin. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am… well, my name doesn’t really matter. I speak on behalf of the ones you call ‘invaders’.” “What do you mean, they went to our camp?” Cladus kept his sword at the ready. Whoever it was he was talking to, he stopped just outside of his reach. Why wasn’t he attacking? “Why are you talking to us?” “Because killing you wouldn’t yield any benefit,” the stranger smiled, completely calm and his tone was friendly. Cladus glanced over at the other. Merry and Gold Fire seemed just as confused as he felt, but Cai’s eyes had narrowed. “It is not necessary for the plan to succeed. In fact, keeping you alive, at least for now, is estimated to be quite useful.” “What are you talking about? What plan?” Cladus raised his voice and walked closer to the Horn. He didn’t flinch, not even a bit, when he put his sword against his throat. “Start talking!” “I am already talking,” he replied, carrying on as if the sword was not there. “No need to threaten me, I have no desire to withhold all my information from you. In truth, I came here to enlighten you on some of our goals.” “What are you waiting for?” Cai shot in. “What is the signal that allows you to spill the beans?” The stranger smiled again and gave a short bow, as best he could without the edge of Cladus’ sword interfering, to him. What the hell? Cladus found his eyes drawn to Cai. Seriously, what the hell? What in the depths of Nightmare Moons grim asshole had just happened? A stroke of lighting lit up the night sky, summoning storm clouds. The Princess of the Night was near. “Ah, there we go,” the stranger said, calling Cladus attention once more. “You see, your dear Princess of the Night is at the heart of all of this. Our plan worked perfectly then, if she came to help your camp.” “Cladus, we should go. Now,” Merry and Gold Fire spoke in unison. “No,” Cai brushed them off. “We need to hear what he has to say.” “Well?” the strange Horn looked at Cladus. “You’re their leader. Will you stay and listen, or go back to help beat back the failed attempt to take your camp?” “Failed attempt?” Cladus felt that his heart started to beat faster. He should really go back. They might need their help. Yet… “Of course. Our goals cannot be achieved yet, so taking your position would be of no value to us. We plan for the Princess of the Night.” “Plan what?” Cai asked, cautiously looking around. He had walked up to Cladus’ side without him noticing it before now. “My apologies, but that is as much as I will tell you.” “Then let’s kill him and get back!” Merry sounded angry. “Go ahead,” their visitor said. “My death means little. I’ve already played the role I was assigned. Don’t worry; I don’t have any backup that will interfere with your decision.” “No, don’t kill him!” Cai laid a hand on the hilt of Cladus’ blade. “We should take him back, get professionals to interrogate him. Or torture him, if need be. We need to know what he knows!” “I have to warn you that I have no intentions of being a captive. My death or free life will serve the goal. My capture will hinder it. You will have to kill me, or let me go.” “No we don’t,” Cladus, for the first time since the stranger had appeared, smiled. “You’re coming with us back to the camp, whether you want to or not.” “Disappointing,” the man sighed. “I bid you a good life, gentlemen.” Fast ass lighting, the man drew a dagger from the sleeve of his right arm and jammed it into his throat. Still able to move a bit, he, with a lot more effort now, placed the tip of the blade against his stomach and fell forward. Before either of the people in the group could reach, he had inflicted wounds beyond what was possible to save him from without real healers. “What he fuck!?” Cladus exclaimed. His heartbeat had reached a new high this evening. Both Merry and Gold Fire seemed to share his reaction of confusion and anger. Only Cai seemed to have remained calm. Like a few minutes earlier, he eyes narrowed at he looked at the body of the dying stranger.
Chapter 3: The Princess of the NightFour… five… no, eight… Or was it seven? General Shining Armor stood almost crouched over the table in the middle of what he had heard some call “The Dragon’s Lair” because of all the smoke. He stumped his cigarette in the ashtray. It was full. Again. Looking at it for a moment, he decided to just dump its contents in the already overflowing garbage can under the table. Where was he? Oh right, scouting missions. He had sent out… without really seeing the numbers of the forms before him, he estimated about seven groups. Close enough to the truth. Sargent Cladus was the last one to leave with his small team of misfits. Pushing the forms for scouting missions aside, he took up the list of provisions they had received. Nothing out of the ordinary, but his personal consumption of cigarettes looked like it would soon extent beyond his salary. While reviewing the rations they had been given, he lit another and inhaled, letting the ever so slight respite from the stress be his heaven and sanctuary. Enough food for two more weeks. Good, good. Same with the water. No drink this time to let the soldiers relax. He’d have to let them share what was left of his own then. Probably better that way. Drinking wasn’t something he could make time to do anyway. He hadn’t taken more than a sip or three in the last month. “General?” Lieutenant Golden Pear’s voice came from behind him. He didn’t reply, just continued to look at the form for supplies for a few more seconds, before he put it down and let out a sigh. “Yes?” “Are you sure it is wise to send so many soldiers out on scouting detail?” “This again?” Shining didn’t even bother to turn around to address him. He just turned his attention to the map and the latest known locations for the enemy. Besides Appleloosa, there was almost no figures that marked their enemy and too few that marked their own. “We need the information. End of story. And we can’t defend this camp if it is attacked anyway. We’re at the Deathbed, Lieutenant. Welcome to The Fucking Frontlines; enjoy your stay in our understaffed and undersupplied own little waiting room before we ascend into hell itself.” “I… yes sir,” Golden Pear apparently left the tent. Good, his whining about not having enough troops at the camp was getting at his nerves. Bad enough that he was always going after the sergeants and confirming their orders with him every time they did something without his orders. After the first four or so times, he should have been able to see a pattern. Luckily there were no more reports or forms he had to look at this very moment, affording him a few minutes without someone needing something from him. Heaven. It truly was. He dumped down in a chair and looked at the map he had hung on the tent wall. Like every time before when his eyes fell on it, they landed on the area just represented by a glacier. The Frozen North. In a way it was fitting. He was at The Fucking Frontlines, a name well earned, while Twilight had been sent with her friends to The Frozen North. He had no idea how many times he had sent letters to the Princesses to tell him where his sister was, but the answer was always the same; they ignored him. He took another inhale of the cigarette. He had almost forgotten that he already had one lit, so he had reached towards his pocket to get a new one, only to almost set fire to an empty scroll in the process. The comment he had passed to sergeant Cladus came to mind. Why had he mentioned to him that his sister was missing? It was none of his business. Then again, who hadn’t picked up on that fact already? The bearers of the Elements of Harmony being missing in times of war was hard to not miss. In his moments of clarity, there was something that bothered him about that. It seemed like too much of a coincidence that the attack had come so soon after. Were they up against an enemy that knew about that? If so, they were screwed worse than he’d like to imagine. He felt his eyes grow weary. Time to get up from the chair then. He took one final inhale of the cigarette before he let it fall to the ground and stomped on it until he was sure it was put out. “General!” At the same time as some new recruit he had no idea who was ran into the tent, someone blew in a horn loud enough for him to hear it. This had to happen now? Fuck. Shining Armor drew his blade and halfway ran to the tent’s exit. “Go, get to the gates! Make the bastards pay for every inch they thread inside them!” The moment he stepped outside the tent, the tip of a spear almost skewered him, but lieutenant Golden Pear cut it off. Only the wooden tip hit against his chestplate. Moments later the spearman found his throat sliced by a dagger formed of magic, deep yellow in color. Trying to get an overview of the situation, Shining ran through the tents, cutting down anyone bearing the symbol of a sword engulfed in magic. This far into the camp there had yet to form a strong force. Only a matter of time, to be sure. He took to the right when he had run seven or so rows of tents down, towards one of the watchtowers. The sound of battle ringed in his ears from the left; screams and shouts, the clashing of metal and wood, and the trampling of feet. The “watchtower”, being a simple wooden structure barely tall enough to give a view of the entire camp, came up before him. Two of the bastards were looting the body of one of theirs. Cadence, give me strength… He tried to best to concentrate, but the spell turned out much weaker than he had hoped. Instead of killing the them, it only knocked one of them over. The other one charged at him, foolishly and laughing, yelling that without his magic, a Horn like him was useless. “I am not useless!” Shining whispered into the Brute’s ear. He had almost literally thrown himself on his blade in his arrogance. His friend crawled and tried to get up, but before he could, the general had freed his blade from the corpse and ran over. “Get. Out. Of. My. Way!” each word was delivered with a kick to the face or neck. Before the sentence was over, he was struggling to breathe. His nose and jaw were both broken. A final kick and his either blacked out or died from the blunt force trauma. If he didn’t, he’d be choked on his own blood in no time. Shining ran up the makeshift stairs, heart racing and his breath heavy. It was lost. A glance over the camp said as much. They were outnumbered and the invaders had formed a shieldwall to hold their position inside the gate. His own men were trying, but they were being pushed back. The ones who broke through their own lines regrouped further into the camp, getting ready to hit the defenders from the back. The sword dropped from his hand and his leg gave in under him. The battle was lost and he was so very, very tired. It was time to catch up on the lost sleep. And if he was lucky, he never needed to wake up again. Twisting himself around so he laid on his back, he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Forgive me, Cadence, I won’t give you a child after all… A thundering sound broke through the air, forcing Shining Armor’s adrenaline production into high gear. Looking at the skies, a robed figure descended towards them, summoning storm clouds as it did. “Be gone, intruders, or face my wrath! Let none of the Equestrians fall by sword today! Leave, or perish!” Shining got to his feet and looked out over the camp. A silence had fallen over the camp. The defenders were slowly backing away from the invaders, who just stood there, staring at the figure in the skies. When no one seemed to move, three bolts of lightning hit the ground between them, lighting a fire. Someone blew a horn, sharper and shorter than the one he had heard earlier. The invaders were retreating. ** “Princess Luna,” Shining Armor kneeled before her when she landed. He had made his way into the center of the camp to receive her. “Thank you, without your help…” She threw back her hood. Her hair was like a piece of the midnight sky flowing around her. He could see dark rings under her eyes as well. He was not the only one who had slept little then. “Rise, Shining Armor,” she began, reaching out a hand to help him back on his feet. When he took it, she pulled him into a hug. She sounded like she was about to break out in tears. “You don’t need to bow to me, you’re family. I’m just glad you’re safe.” Luna eventually let go of him, with a short smile. She tried to be happy, it seemed, but it came through that the only thing she had to be happy for was that he hadn’t died on this day. Or so he thought. Luna had always been the one who was hardest to read. But as soon as he gave her a halfhearted smile back, her expression became more serious. “Your letter told of approaching danger, but I hadn’t imagined this,” she obviously referred to the attack on the camp. “How did they learn your location?” “Wait, what letter?” Shining blurted out and his eyes narrowed. Around them the people had started to do what they could to clean up the mess left. The ones who were not tending to, or among, the wounded that was. Muffled cries of pain had started to be a thing in the air. “I didn’t send a letter about danger. Only about my sister.” Luna’s mouth was left partially opened for a moment or two. With a nervous glance around, she waved for Shining to follow her as she turned around and started to walk in the direction of the Dragon’s Lair. Following her, Shining couldn’t help but feel his hair stand up in the back of his neck. If these were the questions he had to deal with this time, what would happen when the invaders pushed further into their lands?
A Brief Meeting in the Dragon's Lair“This… I don’t know what to say,” Shining paced back and forth, having a lit cigarette in his hand that he inhaled of every few seconds. At this rate it would have to be replaced in a minute, maybe one and a half. Luna, who hadn’t said a word since they came into the Dragon’s Lair, followed him with her eyes. Every now and then she tried to hide a cough. “Who would send you a letter, saying it was from me to warn you that I was in danger here?” “I do not know,” Luna turned to the map on the walls. He noticed that her eyes too were drawn to the northern wasteland his sister had been condemned to walk. Again, as every time it came to his mind, he had to wonder why. “Do you believe whoever it was were favorably aligned to us? They likely saved your life.” “I have no idea,” Shining stopped his pacing for a moment and leaned over the table in the middle of the tent, eyes fixed on the map of the known enemy camps. There were only three of them, including Appleloosa. “I don’t know, I can’t make sense of it. And if they’re not friends, what then? There must be a plan at work… someone wanted you to be here. We’ve got to find out why.” “Out of our way, Pear! We’re not in the mood for this right now!” Shining and Luna both turned their heads to the tent’s entrance. Outside he heard someone he was fairly certain was Gold Fire yell at his brother, met with complaints that since the Princess was here, they had even less of a right to barge into the tent than usual. Shining and, unknown to him, Luna rolled their eyes, but neither did anything to sort it out. A couple of moments later, Cladus, Merry, Gold Fire and Cai did exactly what the lieutenant had forbidden them to do; make their way into the Dragon’s Lair without summons. “Sir!” Gold Fire started. “We have to talk to you,” Merry continued. “We- Princess,” Cladus noticed the Princess staring at them with a stern looking expression and kneeled. The others followed his example. “Rise, soldiers, and get to the reason why you disturb us against the orders of your commanding officer,” Luna didn’t change her expression much. It had to get a little annoying, being treated like that all the time it occurred to Shining. They were at The Fucking Frontlines and people still chose to kneel and scrape at her feet. “Yes, Princess,” Cladus was just behind Cai in getting back to his feet, looking back and forth between the general and Luna. “When we were ou scouting, we meet someone. Someone claiming to be a part of the invaders. He said- he said…” “Wow, slow down,” Shining raised a hand. “Who did you meet? And where?” “Some Horn, where we had earlier seen a camp of their. It was abandoned, and he was waiting for us.” “And what did he say to you?” “He said… well,” Cladus seemed hesitant and kept glancing at Luna again and again. “He said that Luna coming here was a part of their plans. Then he… killed himself when we tried to take him prisoner…” Luna’s stern expression changed almost immediately. Her mouth opened a little and her eyes started to move around vigorously. “Our enemy planned for me to come here?” “Yes,” Cai said, speaking for the first time in Shining’s presence. His voice was softer than he had expected. “He also said that the attack on the camp was not meant to succeed.” “That is… for fuck sake, what the hell is going on!?” Shining threw himself around and smashed his fist on top of the map of Appleloosa. Their enemy planned on Luna preventing the attacking form succeeding? Their enemy!? Fucking hell, what sort of insane bastards where they up against? “They… planned for the attack to fail?” Luna asked quietly, looking at Cai and Cladus. “I think they planned on you preventing the attack from succeeding,” Shining corrected. Merry and Gold Fire had been awfully silent, looking at where he had hit the table. “’Tis unnerving then. I shall return to Canterlot and seek council with my sister. Maybe she knows what to do.” She got to her feet, but Shining gestured for her to stay, then for others to leave. With a raised eyebrow, Cai, shortly followed by the rest of his group, walked through the tent’s entrance, leaving the two alone. “Can I ask you something?” Shining felt that something came up in his throat, a feeling he had felt earlier this day, when he thought he’d have to leave Cadence alone in this world. Luna nodded. “Why was my sister sent to the north?” “We…” the Princess started, but it faded away, as if she wasn’t sure what to tell him. Her expression was neutral, showing no emotion, but her eyes showed that something about the question had brought out her emotions. “The bearers of the Elements…. Twilight and her friends…. They left for the Frozen North because your wife had detected unusual magic at work there. It resembled that of Sombra. We sent her to investigate, and if necessary, neutralize whatever it was.” “My sister is in the north chasing something that might be Sombra returned without help from any of you!?” Shining heard that his voice raised. “What were you thinking? We barely got rid of his the last time and then we had an entire kingdom on our side! The six of them alone wouldn’t- wouldn’t…” His shouts faded when he saw the tears that had started to form in Luna’s eyes. It wasn’t fair of him to yell at her, she wasn’t solely to blame. Her sister probably had even more to do with it. Curse Celestia, for doing this to her. “I am truly sorry, Shining, but Sombra was never a threat.” “What?” the general’s mouth was left a little open. Sombra was never a threat? Never a threat!? The man who had taken away his magic and rendered him helpless to defend his wife had never been a fucking threat!? “My sister and I learned of his return long before it happened. We could have stopped it long before it got as bad as it did, but my sister insisted on using the situation to test Twilight’s resolve. I had hoped we’d never have to tell y- Ahhh!” Shining Armor breathed heavy as he stared at the Princess, who had fallen to the ground. The back of his hand hurt and there was a fading red mark on her cheek. What did he just do? “I’m so sorry!” he blurted out in a hurry and leaned in over her, trying to help her up. “I don’t know what happened, I- I just-“ “Do you think it is any easier for me!?” she shouted back at him, tears now running down her face. But she didn’t do anything to him, even if it was well within her power. “Twilight was one of the few friends I have!” Of course it wasn’t much easier for her. Luna had even fewer people that she could rely on than he had, Twilight being perhaps the only one outside of the royal family. Shining took a hold of her hands and helped her back to her feet. “I’m really sorry…” he said, a little hesitantly. “I didn’t want to hit you, it just… kinda happened…” “And I am sorry for not telling you about why your sister was sent north. It was very unfair to you.” “It’s fine, I’m just- I’m just really tired. I haven’t slept well in weeks.” It wasn’t fine, nothing close to it. But fighting with the Princess was not the way to resolve any of it. It certainly wouldn’t help in the war effort. And it certainly wouldn’t help him get to the bottom of what the enemy was planning that had to do with Luna. As angry as he was with her, he’d wish her no harm. Not the kind their enemies surely sought to being anyway. “Then get some sleep, Shining Armor,” Luna gave him a smile. It didn’t show any fitting emotions, just a stiff upper lip that was willing to take some of his burden off him. Bless her, she had a good heart. “I’ll take care of everything that has to be done tonight as best I can.” His only reaction was to nod and give her a stiff-upper-lip smile back, before he turned around and pretty much shambled out of the tent and over to the one next to it. His own bed was there, something he hadn’t used more than once a week or so for a long time. The last thing he heard from the Dragon’s Lair was Luna cursing the air in there.
