Einherjar

by Municipal Engines

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Tragedy
Length: 5683

One thousand warriors wait for death.

The Glorious Thousand were the ones who stayed. They were the ones who fought. They were the ones who died so that others may live. This was their final moment of respite, in the face of certain death. Here they waited, at the end of it all.

Published 2014-02-27 14:50:04 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-27 14:50:04 UTC

Einherjar

“It’s fitting to be in such a dead place, so close to the hour of our deaths.”

Words of the ever-pessimistic Hollow Stone, they nonetheless held much truth. Hollow Stone was one of the few who openly spoke about their coming demise, much the aggravation of Redroot. “It will curse the battle,” he had said. Any warrior who went into the fray with such an attitude was destined to fail spectacularly. Hollow Stone had argued that it was not a pessimistic sense of failure he would fight with, but an acceptance of reality. There was no way any of them would survive, so what was the point of fooling themselves they could do otherwise?

Aegis had to admit Hollow Stone’s wisdom. It was fine to talk about their death – they all knew it was to come to them all shortly in any case – because it by no means synonymous with failure. It would not curse the fate of their task. Perhaps it would embolden them, as they could not salvage any failure they met with.

In any case, they had found a fitting tomb. As Aegis sat, he leant against a boulder amongst a crop of boulders. It was a great gravestone amongst a field of gravestones. Aegis perched with his fellows on the crest of a bump in the pass, and from where he sat, he could see down a long, sweeping slope to a bend in the mountain pass. The hooves of a myriad souls had beaten a road through the seldom-used passage. Their long retreat had ended at last in a vale jammed between the jagged, impassable hills that bisected the vast wastes below. Up this high, the broken gray rock was dusted with frost and snow. A cold, parched wasteland lay below them, without so much as a single shrub for miles.

It was a prime position, not just for visibility and defence afforded by the land’s height, but also for the abundance of cracks in the canyon walls and boulders that shielded them against the wind. It was much warmer in the pass than it was out in the flatlands. Wind had cut against his skin and reached deep into his bones. The cold had been beyond compare. He almost felt sorry for the ponies that had to leave the hills and continue on; they would once again be at the mercy of the all-penetrating frozen winds.

Aegis turned his icy blue eyes up to the cliffs. Vultures and ravens were up there, resting and waiting, just like them. There would be a battle here soon, they knew, and a banquet of carrion to feast on in the relative comfort of the hills. Flocks of buzzards had followed the migration since the start of their trek.

It had been a punishing exodus. Their way was paved with slick ice and sharp stones that cut hooves and turned ankles. There had been no pause for the multitude. There couldn’t be. Any who fell had been seized by those who came behind, hauled upright with shouts of encouragement, as if noise alone could bring strength to their legs. If they could not rise, they were left. No burial could be afforded. The buzzards were happy with the arrangement.

A few of those who came from the old lands had been wealthy, though whatever riches they had must have by now slipped away, lost on the road. The wheels and axles of carts had often splintered amidst the rocks and servants cajoled or threatened into carrying their masters’ goods had cast them aside, exhaustion overcoming fear. Fortunes that had taken lifetimes to accumulate lay scattered and ignored all across the length of the badlands and beyond.

The old warrior snorted in black humour. Their perilous journey had brought even the most lordly of unicorn princes down to the level of the lowliest earth pony peasant. How could arrogance and pride survive when rich and poor alike wanted nothing more than a mouthful of oats or a sip of water? How could hate fail to wither over a shared crust of bread?

He leaned forward from the boulder that he sat against and poked at the tiny fire he had managed to conjure. Like Aegis, his brethren were taken their final respite in the cover of the boulders that scattered the valley like tombstones, tending their own ramshackle hearths; a scant few dozen fires to keep a thousand companions comfortable in the final hours of the night. Aegis shared his with two other warriors, Hollow Stone and Redroot. They sat in tired, red-eyed silence, staring at the slowly cooking bird spitted over their fire. It was vile, to eat the flesh of another animal, but hunger and desperation was stronger than any taboo, and it was not long after the food ran out that Aegis tasted his first fowl. In a dark irony, the crows and buzzards fattened by the herd’s dead made excellent game for the migration.

“Don’t suppose either of you have any seasoning?” Hollow Stone suddenly asked a hoarse attempt of a jest.

His reward was a faint curl of the lips from Aegis and Redroot. Aegis, at least, felt as though he owed that much to Hollow Stone. The blue roan pegasus was young; too young to have elected to remain behind with Aegis’s company. He was a sarcastic, somewhat jovial cynic of a soldier, and it was reassuring to see those aspects of the stallion remained.

The young warrior shrugged, cracking his neck and shoulders with great relief. His wing fluttered slightly at the movement, and Aegis was tempted to ask if his wound was causing him pain. Best not, he thought. Best let it lie. After all, it wasn’t as if he could do anything about it now. The old thane suspected that part of the reason for Hollow Stone’s decision to accompany Aegis on this stand was the severing of his left wing. As an earth pony, he had no idea what such a loss would be like, but he didn’t want to imagine it.

He shook his head. So many of those who stayed behind were wounded in some way. There had been more of them at the start, but between the natural perils of the trail and the harrying of their pursuers, the crows had plenty a warrior’s carcass to dine on. No use dwelling over it now, he thought. They died protecting the herd. Their deaths were not in vain. He could only hope his would be the same.

He looked down to his sword, lying in its sheath before him. In an effort to keep his mind off of death, he pulled it out and reached for the whetstone to his side and continued to sharpen the blade. It was soothing, that rhythmic meticulous motion. He focussed on slowly dragging the stone across the metal, listening to the sound and tuning out everything else. It had always calmed him, like other routine tasks of his career. So intent was he on the weapon that he almost didn’t hear Redroot’s words.

“Two ponies, my thane,” the unicorn said. “Probably stragglers.”

Aegis looked up and out to the bend in the passage. There were indeed two figures he could make out in the darkness. They wore brown cloaks and, as they came closer, he could see they were filthy. It was to be expected; all the others in the migration had no time to change or wash, so these two would be no different. He frowned in concern and scratched his grey beard, wondering why they were so far from the rest.

He stood as they neared, rising high above them. It was then he realised they were only children, though the taller was perhaps barely of age. The taller of the two looked up at him with youthful pink eyes. They were framed by a soft white face that was, though caked in the dust of travel, very obviously beautiful.

“Please sir, may my sister and I rest at your camp for a while?” she asked, her voice gentle with only the barest of a rasp.

He was about to protest, especially seeing how young her sister was. But, for some reason, the back of his mind told him that all would be well. That these two could take care of themselves and, in any case, the enemy would not arrive for quite some time. What harm was there in allowing them a short break?

The thane motioned for them to sit with an iron-booted hoof and took his own seat against the boulder. The two sisters sat down next to the fire and pulled down their hoods, revealing unicorn horns on each. The smaller was a little filly of soft shades of blue, from her cropped cerulean mane to her sapphire eyes. Aegis judged her to be likely ten or just below, though she was so scrawny that he’d at first taken her for younger.

In contrast, the elder sibling seemed older than a second look suggested. Her bearing and poise spoke of a maturity that most fillies her age would envy, though the sudden, harsh realities of their era made that trait less rare than it once was. Even still, the word ‘filly’ did not suit her; she was a young mare, as dignified and confident as any could be in the wake of the deadly migration. Her pink hair would have likely been a silken cascade of radiance were it not greasy and frayed from travel. Even in her unkempt state, he couldn’t help but think her lovely.

“Would you like something to eat?” he asked them.

The white mare shook her head. “No, we shouldn’t take your food. The least you deserve is a good meal.”
She smiled courteously, though her words seemed somewhat hollow. The little blue unicorn did nothing to hide her disappointment and reluctance at her sister’s speaking for them both, but stayed silent. Aegis sighed. Warriors like him had the lion’s share of the food during the journey, as was necessary for them to have the strength to protect the columns from attack. But he would not need a hearty meal for the coming events.

“It is not a question of deserving; it is a question of need,” he said, before adding, “You must keep your strength up if you’re going to make the journey to the new land. I have more than sufficient food, and I don’t see any sense in glutting myself just before a battle.”

The mare seemed to consider this for a few moments before bowing her head graciously. “Thank you.”

“You can share in the meat once it’s cooked, in the meantime…” He took some bread, cheese and several kinds of rather bland vegetables from his satchel, passing them around. The civilians ate with great enthusiasm and muffled words of thanks. It did not take long before Redroot finished his own food and stood.

“I will relieve the lookout,” the crimson unicorn said, receiving a cursory nod from his commander as he left.

A sudden desire for the soldier’s name to be known beyond his company seized Aegis. He didn’t know where it came from, and he first thought to supress it; such a desire could perhaps lead to melancholy, which was never good for a commander before a battle. In the end, he decided to express it. After all, this would likely be the last chance for their individual names to carry on into the future, rather than the name of their company as a whole.

“That was Redroot,” he said. The two fillies looked up from their meal with curious expressions. “He is a good soldier… a good stallion. His family died in Hurricane’s last war with the unicorns. And yet, he understands why the grudges of the past must be left behind; he understands why all of ponykind have left together on this journey; he understands why we few must stand here, together, in this pass. He is an example to us all, I think.”

“And why must you be here in the pass?” the little blue filly asked between bites.

“Because if we don’t, our pursuers will catch up to the herd and slaughter everyone,” he said, simply and curtly, though not unkindly. Still, the filly ducked her head and quickly went back to eating in silence.

“What’s your name?” the older of the two sisters asked.

“I am Thane Aegis,” the white stallion said. He motioned to his winged companion. “This is Hollow Stone. What are your names?”

The white unicorn put a hoof to her chest. “I am Celestia.” Her hoof then pointed at the little blue unicorn. “This is Luna.”

“Lovely names, especially yours,” Hollow Stone said, looking at Celestia, his tired voice attempting as much suaveness as he could manage. “It suits such a lovely mare.”

Celestia blushed, turning her head slightly away from Hollow Stone while Luna adopted a protective, if juvenile, scowl of disapproval at what the filly likely thought of as a transgression. The commander studied his subordinate; Hollow Stone would undoubtedly be quite handsome if not for the grease, dirt and crusted blood that covered them all. His was a coat of cool, steely blue and a mane of a pale, ghostly shade of the same.

The crippled pegasus smirked and leaned in to Celestia’s ear, and Aegis could hear him whisper; “I don’t suppose you would be willing to let this idiot soldier know the feeling of a mare one last time?”

The young mare look appropriately scandalised and Aegis threw a rock at his warrior.

“Do you have no honour, Hollow Stone?” the thane growled.

Stone turned to him with such casualness that it would have bordered on insubordination were it not for the tiredness that was so obviously influencing it. “We are all going to die very soon, and the honour and glory we’ll gain for our actions will be hundredfold. I doubt there is a single thing I could do in that space of time to shame myself beyond redemption. Besides…” he managed a toothy grin and winked at the white unicorn “You can’t fault a stallion for trying for one last lay, nor punish him.”

“I can think of several ways to–”

“I’m not offended!” Celestia spoke up suddenly. The two stallions turned to her. Though her face was flushed, there was still such dignified compassion in her eyes, especially for one so young. “You are all so tired, after all, and you have done so much for the three tribes. I can allow the bawdiness of stallions for heroes such as you.”

Just as Aegis smiled at the graceful speech of the young mare – no doubt she had been a noble in the old country – Hollow Stone made one more quip. “So can you be persuaded to reward a hero such as me?”

“Enough! Stone!” Aegis snapped. “I order you to cease this atrocious behaviour!”

The pegasus flinched as though struck, tensing his body and frowning. A warrior worth his armour would not disobey an order, let alone a pegasus warrior. Duty and obedience were drilled into them during foalhood; it was only a shame so few were here with him to help in the coming battle. Hollow Stone would be a good fighter on the ground, but his kind worked best in an aerial formation. The young pegasus stallion looked down at his food and began sullenly picking at it, trying to hide the anger that burned in his eyes.

There was little Aegis knew of the young warrior, though it was clear that underneath the casual cynicism and youthful cockiness was a simmering mix of anger and frustration that was sure to explode by the time the fighting started. As much as it saddened him to think of it, Aegis knew that the youth would likely die early in the fighting; his physical and mental condition were a recipe for disaster.

“Why do you think you’re all going to die?” a small voice piped up.

All eyes were drawn to the scrawny blue filly sitting at her sister’s side. Whether Luna was bothered by Hollow Stone’s lewd behaviour, she did not show it. When her sister moved to shush her, Aegis motioned for her to stop.

“So the little one is not a mute? That is good.” He gave the smaller unicorn what he thought was a fatherly smile. “It is simple, child: the enemy is too numerous for us to survive. Even if we beat them in one battle, they will keep on coming until we are all dead.”

“But can’t you just block the pass and come with the rest of the migration to the Promised Land?”

Such a simple thing would be wonderful, if it had been possible. Images flashed before his mind’s eye. Verdant fields and glorious purple mountains; the cherished privilege of beating his sword into a ploughshare; the farming of fresh, rich soil; even a wife and children to call his own. He blinked them away. They were impossible dreams. Ghostly temptations that toyed with the more selfish part of him.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” he said frankly. “We have no means to seal off this road. No, we need to stay behind and slow our enemy down, or else they will catch up to the migration.”

“Aren’t you afraid to die?” Celestia asked.

The thane shrugged. “Afraid to die? Probably. Most stallions, even warriors, would be liars if they said they were not. But I am not nearly as afraid of that as I am of what will happen if I do not stand here, with my company, and hold the line for as long as I can. If my death allows the three tribes to reach the Promised Land safely, then my death will have been worth something. I fear failure above all, and it drives me to quiet the natural fear of death.”

Celestia smiled. “Ponies who fight to protect the ones they love never die meaninglessly.”

“I hope you’re right,” Hollow Stone mumbled from his side of the campfire.

The young mare simply smiled sweetly at his remark and refocused on Aegis. “Where are… were you from, may I ask?”

No harm in answering her, I suppose, the old warrior thought. “I came from a village near Great Yoke.”

“What was it called?”

“An ironic name.” The thane allowed himself a smile. “‘Ponyville’. Silly, is it not? It was a border town. It occupied a spot right at the bend of the great River Kneel that provided easy access to the canyons of the Allspring Mountains that the great Starswirl hewed to help lift the barriers between ponykind. He founded the village, you see, and he wanted it to be a place where all tribes could come together in harmony.”

The little blue unicorn asked, “And did they?”

Aegis shrugged. “To an extent. Ponies being ponies, the unicorns preferred to settle in the mountains, especially with the new access provided by the canyons, and the pegasi stuck to their cloud-keeps. As always, we Earth folk kept to the fields and filled the bulk of the village. Nonetheless, the village was far more cosmopolitan than any other settlement; neutral too.” A firm, solemn pride filled his words. “No tyrant, plutocrat or oligarchy made us kneel. We had unicorns enough to contribute to the Great Celestial Council and allow our voices heard, and the town’s pegasi tended our weather without command from any of the larger hegemonies.”

Celestia’s eyes sparkled with wonder. “It sounds paradisiacal.”

“It was, in some sense. Starswirl built his Mage Tower there and stayed for over a century; long enough to survive on our own. We had conflicts of our own, true enough, and the greater polities of the three races always held a hungry stare at our fertile lands and prosperous markets. Had the Fall not come, it would have been a grand city.”

He sighed, memories of his home and his land ran gently through his mind like the creeks that sprouted from the main river: his foalhood, whimsical and carefree; his first love, passionate and sweet; and most of all his time with his fellow warriors, who chose him above all others to be thane.

“My only regret is that there are not enough of my old kinfolk left to continue the memory of Ponyville.”

“Why do you not have any children or a wife?” the littlest pony asked.

“Luna!” Celestia hushed her sister. “That is not a question to ask somepony.”

The old warrior chuckled at the brashness of the young unicorn. “Ah, it is fine.” He turned to the little blue filly. “I simply never met the right mare. I have loved, but it was not meant to be; she was taken by another.” The same deep sense of loss and anger now filled him as it always did whenever the subject came up. His voice took on a harsh, bitter turn. “One who was stronger. Who could bully others into getting what he wanted.”

“Oh… I am so sorry.” Luna hung her head low, looking suitably sorrowful.

He put on a soothing smile. “No matter, little one. At least the one who took her had power enough to escape quickly when the old lands fell, and so I know for certain she is safe. He would not lose a prize so valuable in the chaos.”

“Who took her from you?” Celestia asked, with a little fire in her voice.

“Commander Hurricane, Overlord of the Pegasi.” His throat was dry and tight as he named the one who took his love. Then he growled, “He was bored of his harem and wanted a new concubine.”

Celestia swallowed, obviously wary of the territory their conversation had wandered into. She gently asked, “What is her name?”

The question soothed him. At once memories of her smiling face, sweet-smelling mane and melodic voice came to him and he sighed, “Pansy. It is strange, she is a pegasus and I an earth pony, yet still we were drawn to one another. We met at the town market, would you believe? She had grown up in the fortress-cities of the pegasi and knew little of our cosmopolitan ways, yet she was so eager to learn of our culture, I could not help but accommodate. She was so full of questions and joy, that day. She made a point to visit often, at first coming to collect supplies – mostly as an excuse – but eventually on her own accord. It was easy, so easy, to fall in love with her…”

“When did you last speak to her?”

He shook his head. “Too long ago… months. The Fall of the old lands played havoc on our usual form of communication – we would smuggle letters to one another – and I… I haven’t been able to tell her… goodbye.” He clenched his jaw. Despair in the face of lost love was something that could crack the stoic façade of even the most hardened of warriors.

Silence passed for several minutes. Even Hollow Stone seemed to stop feeling sorry for himself and put a sympathetic hoof on his comrade’s shoulder. Luna appeared to be struggling to follow the conversation – forced concubinage and lost love were perhaps subjects a little out of her grasp as of yet – though the general mood reflected in her sullen pawing at the ground. All of a sudden, Celestia wolfed down the last of her meal and leapt to her feet.

With her chest puffed out and her chin lifted high, she declared with a stamp of her hoof, “I will make sure your love, Pansy, receives that note. I swear by Father-the-Sky and Mother-the-Earth and the Child they bore. I swear that you will be remembered!”

The bold statement drew the attention from surrounding campfires, curious faces all gazing at the young mare. It would have been sacrilegious to say those words, had she not been so sincere, but Aegis could tell from the ferocity in her eyes that she meant every word. Luna looked up at her older sister, pride swelling within her. She rose to her hooves and stood by Celestia’s side.

“I too swear!” she cried, her squeaky voice attempting to emulate her sibling’s own confident, passionate tone. It failed and perhaps took away some of the sobriety of the occasion, but her words were nonetheless as meaningful as Celestia’s. She repeated the oath loudly, eyes trailing to the heavens at the mention of the Father, then to the earth at the mention of the Mother. The Child’s name closed her eyes and, the oath done, she followed her sister in a firm nod. The two sisters were forever bound in the names of the gods.

Had he been a softer stallion, with no need to set an example, he would have let the tears forming in the back of his eyes fall and swept the two fillies up in a grateful embrace. But he was a thane. He needed to be hard, stoic and in control. He turned to his pack and pulled out a sealed letter. Drawing his knife from its sheath on his foreleg, he pulled back his hair and cut, swiftly and cleanly.

The locks fell away and, quick on the uptake, Celestia took hold of them with a magical grasp, tying them up with string from her own pack and tucking them away safely.

“That will let her know it is really I who sent them. “At least, I hope she realises.” A wistful smile came to his lips. “She always said I had a distinctive smell.” He frowned, shaking the pedantic thoughts from his head. He drew himself up straight, looking at the two sisters solemnly, despite all the joy in his heart demanding release. “Thank you. Both of you. You have done me a kindness here today that I will never forget; not for my remaining time amongst the living and not for the eternity of my afterlife. Please, tell me, what is the name of your House, if you have any.”

The littlest sister began to speak, but she was quickly hushed by her elder. Celestia pursed her lips before finally holding her head high. Any noble unicorn would give ample respect to their line before announcing it in a formal setting, and the filly would likely bungle an attempt at the necessary grandiosity. As far as Aegis was concerned, and perhaps Celestia too, their sharing of oaths and thanks was formal enough despite the drab setting. “We are of the main branch of House Etherdale.”

Aegis’s eyes widened. “Noble indeed… what are two foals of such blood doing on the road alone? Why are you so far from the migration?”

Reluctance to speak now seized at Celestia. She kicked the ground and looked to her sister, who only stared back at her sadly. Finally, after a long while, she returned her attention to the thane and said, “We were separated. Our father went ahead to claim a new fief for the House in the new lands and mother…” She swallowed, tears in her eyes. “Mother died just before the final migration was called. We barely had time to get our things… when the servants heard the raiders were coming, they panicked and took everything and left us.”

The outrage! Aegis felt his muscles tense at the thought of servants abandoning their duties, not just to their masters, but to foals! And to betray them by thievery! Had he not a duty of his own to attend to, he would have personally hunted down those criminals and saw to it that justice was given to them. He snorted. With any luck, they had died on the trail.

He noticed the concern of the fragile young foals, eyeing his furrowed, fierce face, and forced his nerves still. He sighed out the last of his anger and bent his head to the little unicorns. “I am sorry for your loss, well and truly. I cannot allow young foals such as you to go any further into unknown lands alone.”

With that, Aegis turned abruptly to Hollow Stone, who eyed him warily. “Sir… I know what you are thinking, but please…”

“Hollow Stone, I charge you to accompany Celestia and Luna of House Etherdale until they see fit to release you from your duty.”

The words were said and Hollow Stone’s eyes bulged. He drew himself up. “No! I will not leave my post! I will stay and fight.”

The thane did not raise his voice, instead saying staidly, “You have a new post. A new duty. I want you to fulfil this–”

“It is my right to die here as a warrior!” the young pegasus took a stomping step forward. “They will be talking about this battle for centuries. I will not miss out on the honour… on the glory. I will not survive and live the rest of my days as a gods-damned cripple!”

Aegis grit his teeth. “Hollow Stone, you are a soldier. Soldiers obey their commanders and I command you to leave with these fillies and protect them, understand?”

Hollow Stone took another step forward. “I can stay! I can fight! You can use–”

“I cannot use a cripple!” the thane shouted. The silence that fell after was short, but heavier than all the fatigue of the day. The blue roan stallion seemed to forget all his training and let his mouth open and close like a fish. In his eyes, the old warrior saw something beyond despair. It was as if something broke inside his spirit worse than his body could ever break. He sighed and placed a hoof on his subordinate’s shoulder.

“You are a pegasus warrior, Hollow Stone. You have been trained in the aerial arts. Without flight, you are a hindrance, and I cannot very well train you competently in ground-based tactics, combat and formations within the hours that we have. No, you must leave. Leave to fight another fight, to live another day. And all those days you live, train yourself in earth pony styles of fighting, so you can rightly call yourself a soldier again. It is a new land to the north. It needs warriors to tame it, and the three tribes have lost enough warriors these past few years. Even then, you have a chance to take a warrior’s dream: a well-fed family, a happy retirement and a warm home.”

“That’s an earth pony’s dream,” the despondent youth muttered. “I am a pegasus. What can I do if I cannot fight as a pegasus warrior and die as a pegasus warrior?”

“You live as a pony. That is what this new land… this Equestria is for, after all. No more will there be three tribes when you pass beyond those mountains into those verdant fields. There will be one tribe: one pony nation. The old martial ways of the pegasi, the unicorns and the earth ponies are over. They die here with we thousand in this valley. Forge ahead, Hollow Stone. Protect the new land and make new ways. This, I order… this, I ask. Can you do that for me?”

It took a very long time for Hollow Stone to give his assent: a slow, unsure nod. No matter, Aegis thought. The road will harden him, and the new duty of protecting these fillies will give him new purpose.

They all finished their meal in silence. While not miserable, there was little life to Hollow Stone’s movements, as he gathered his equipment and prepared for his journey. It did not take him and the two sisters long to collect themselves. Luna seemed quietly eager to go. The atmosphere was definitely changing, that much the thane could tell. The enemy was not far off now. A short, formal farewell was all Hollow Stone gave him, and it was all Aegis needed. Luna’s goodbye had more bounce, which was definitely not unwelcomed, and the kiss on the cheek from an innocent child was a privilege that stirred the more patriarchal cockles of the warrior’s heart.

Celestia lifted her saddlebag onto her back as her sister joined their new travelling companion at the edge of the fire’s glow. She trotted up to Aegis.

“I will never forget you, my thane. Nor your stallions,” she said. The white unicorn attempted a smile, but the occasion lacked much mirth. It was comforting nonetheless.

“I will watch over you from the heavens, young Celestia. You and your sister, and Hollow Stone too – though I doubt he wishes for my vigil at this time.”

“You did the right thing,” the young mare said. “He’ll see that in time.”

The thane nodded. “And give Pansy my love. My last thoughts will be of her, and her name will be on my lips when I fall.”

She nodded, mouth thinning at the mention of his coming doom. He stroked her mane comfortingly. “Take care and worry not on my behalf. Few ponies choose how they die. Even fewer die knowing their deaths have been for something.”

“There will be a place for you in heaven, I should hope,” Celestia agreed. “Farewell, Thane Aegis of Ponyville. Fight well.”

“Live well, Celestia Etherdale.”

Those were their parting words. The young mare turned and walked northwards, flanked by her sister and their new ward. The old stallion watched them until they disappeared out of the valley all together. With a sigh and a heart that, somehow, felt less heavy, he took up his sword and whetstone and set to work.

It was not so many hours after that Redroot returned.

“My thane, I found their pathfinders. I dealt with them; no suspicions were raised.” His report was terse, exactly as expected. Aegis nodded and rose.

“Tell the company to douse the flames and ready themselves for combat.” He picked up his helm and, with some care, placed it firmly on his head. “Our wait is over.”