Author's Note

I wanted to really flex my skills at something like this which is different than what I ordinarily do. Also Virtute is pronounced "Vir-too-ay" and Lucem is pronounced "Loo-sem". If anyone was wondering this is not in anyway connected with my other stories with the sole exception that it is an alternate universe that Nova can see (a character in a couple of other stories of mine).

Also when there is a horizontal line that means it's going to one of Orion's flashbacks or back to the current time period, just to be clear.

By the way if anyone is interested I can definitely expand upon this universe or a very similar one in a longer story. Comment if you'd like to see that so I can have some kind of idea.

Hope you all enjoy! See if you can identify all of the symbolism I used in the story!

Dawn of Ash

My eyes creaked open as the dawn's first light danced across my face. The first thing I saw was the scarlet leaves of the trees above me. I rotated my head to both sides and found that I was somewhere in a forest with a small stream running right beside me and formed a trail that led into the distance. My vision was filled with the image of foliage in the onset of its autumnal cycle, made evident by the ordinarily verdant place being flooded with a swath of soft, velvet light.

I made an effort to sit up and managed to do just that, but not without a spike of pain shooting through my body. I groaned and fully realized just how sore I was. I took a look at myself and tried to figure out why. My armor was dented and busted and even with its protection there was an arrow sticking out of my right thigh and all over my skin were cuts ranging from just scrapes to gashes that would likely need stitches. That was when I realized there was a javelin in my left shoulder. It missed my heart by only half an inch. Once the assessment of my injuries was complete I became even more aware of the pain they brought.

I cried out in agony.

Though the worst was gone a stinging pain continued to run throughout my body, biting harder once I stood on my feet.

Pain...so much pain...how did I even end up like this!?

As the thought came to me so too did the memories leading to now start to trickle back.

My name is...Orion Virtute. I...I'm a captain under Colonel Zachary Varellian, our commander and my personal friend.

Then I began to remember specifically how I had ended up here.

We were sent in to defend Equestria. We slowed the Minotaur advance to a halt at the mountain that Canterlot itself rested upon. On those fields we fought a final battle against King Tirek's forces in their last push to take the capital.

Up until we had arrived, Tirek's forces pushed into the Equestrian heartlands. Equestria fought hard but it was painfully clear to them that it was only a matter of time before the nation fell. None of their allies would be able to break the assault in time, except us. Equestria called its only available ally, Earth.

The portal to Earth had existed for a full four years now. It was soon discovered that humans possessed great potential to use magic but we had never used it since the mana cycle on Earth had effectively broken from countless ages of not being used though with magic users going back and forth between the portals it had been found that it was slowly bringing the mana flow back to Earth. Earth could expect to see magic flowing throughout the entire planet within another three years.

Natural human prowess at fighting coupled with being able to now use magic proved an effective counter to Tirek's massive and brutal warriors. Though we had to abandon our modern weapons for traditional ones likes swords and bows because ballistic weapons proved ineffective and although relatively few minotaurs could use magic they proved adept at rendering our guns useless.

I refocused on my current situation. My primary goal was to see if any others were around that had survived. We had fought on the fields just outside of these woods. If I looked hard enough I could just barely see the battlefield...and the bodies and equipment that seemed to all but cover it.

If I was going to go anywhere I was going to have to get javelin out of me. I tore off a piece of fabric from my bloody under-armor and bit onto it. I firmly gripped the weapon with both hands and breathed in and out a few times.

This is going to hurt like a bitch...

I closed my eyes and pulled straight out as hard as I could. What followed was perhaps the most blood-curdling scream that I had ever made.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed my heart out as I threw the bloody javelin to the ground and the place it occupied was now exposed to the air.

"AHHH FUCK! Goddamn that fucking hurts!" To make matters worse there was still the arrow that had to be dealt with though at least the javelin was gone. I wanted this over with fast.

Once more I bit onto the cloth in my mouth and ripped the arrow straight out. I screamed again and fell to my knees as my vision flashed red and pain took over all of my senses.

"Ahhhh...fuck...too bad that didn't kill me..." I muttered grimly, though I was glad to be alive the agony was unspeakable.

I could tell the morning sun was making its climb into the sky but here it was like a natural haven. Once I finally took the time to fully check my surroundings I realized how truly beautiful it was. The scene looked like something akin to a great artist's masterpiece. In addition to the crimson foliage birds and insects beat their tiny wings as they spun and danced around in the morning air.

Honestly I couldn't decide whether the stark contrast between here and the bloody field was beautiful or horribly tragic or something else entirely.

Without wasting any more time I began a slow walk into the forest, cringing slightly every time I put pressure on my left leg. As I walked I passed by a lone red bush that grew just beside the stream. A lone butterfly landed on it, the gentle creature's soft cyan wings stood apart from the rest of the environment. A moment later it silently took off and landed on a wicked looking blade resting under the shade of the bush.

It was a kind of knives the minotaurs used. If they caught you with one of those in an unarmored spot you'd be in a world of pain until they finished you off with something bigger. It was designed to inflict as much pain as possible while they killed you with something else while your defense was broken. As I inspected the blade closer I realized this specific kind belonged only to members of King Tirek's personal guard.

I shook slightly in my armor as nervousness gripped my mind. The enemy wasn't even here yet and I was already shaking!

"Captain Virtute!" A voice called as the flaps of my tent were opened. I looked up and realized it was Colonel Varellian himself. I snapped out of my stupor and snapped to attention, knocking the chair aside as I stood up.

"Colonel Varellian, sir!"

"At ease, Orion. You don't need to do that when it's just you and me. Tell me what's bothering you, it's not like this is your first battle and you've fought bravely in all the previous ones against the minotaurs."

His masterly crafted, silver hued armor clinked softly as he removed his helmet and sat it on the table, his bright blue eyes meeting my own.

"I heard King Tirek is going to be personally leading them in this battle...I've seen the aftermath of places he's been through..."

"That he is. I won't lie. This is probably going to be the fiercest battle of them all but if we can beat them here it'll be the last major force they have and with Tirek out of the picture the survivors should scatter like mice." He smiled confidently.

"Zachary, he's going to have his most veteran soldiers with him. Even getting to him will be an impressive feat!"

"I know, but if anyone can do it, it's us. Here, I got a souvenir for you." He grinned as he drew a black, curved knife with foreign characters etched into the blade.

"It's a knife given only to Tirek's best soldiers and personal guard. I picked this thing up from a minotaur I killed when I was scouting out the position of a forward outpost of theirs a while back. Take it. Remember, it's proof that they can, and WILL be defeated." With one hand he gave me the weapon and with the other he pat me on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Thank you." I deposited the blade in a pocket on my own armor, it was like his except mine was a dark blue and while it allowed more freedom of movement didn't offer quite as much protection.

"Anyway, I must go and make sure everything is ready for the battle tonight. We can't afford to have any possible liabilities when the shit hits the fan. Stay safe, brother." Zachary said with a nod as he departed outside the tent.

"You too..."

I picked up the knife and carefully put it back in one of my pockets, it looked like the one Zachary had given me though I don't know why it was here of all places.

I tread through the woods for another ten minutes without incident until I came upon a body laying on the ground. I immediately recognized it as one of the minotaurs, they were the size of a body-builder and the horns were a dead give away. The body was covered in vicious cut and stab wounds and dried blood caked his dark hide. I was stepping over him when a large hand suddenly reached out and pulled me to the ground and in an instant the minotaur I believed to be dead had me pinned to the ground and his hands moved to strangle me where I lay.

I instinctively reached for my sword only to quickly realize I had no clue where it was. I had mere seconds and every second I took it became harder to think. In my panic I did remember the knife I had on me. In one swift motion I drew the blade from my pocket and drove it into the beast's throat.

His hands snapped from my neck to his own as I struggled to catch my breath. He stood up and tried backing away from me as blood spurted out of his mouth and onto my face. Blood ran freely from the wound in his neck as he tried to scream, only to find he was unable to while he was choking on his own blood. I struggled to my feet and just as I did the minotaur's eyes seem to roll to the back of his head as he fell backwards, hitting the ground with a heavy thump.

I stood over the body of the behemoth that just tried killing me and reached for the knife. After I pulled it out I slashed deep into the neck, satisfied that he indeed would not be getting up this time. I wiped away some of the blood from my brow and stowed my knife. I glanced back at the corpse one more time before continuing along the stream that appeared to gradually lead out to the field. As I left the area my mind drifted off to the time I had first killed another intelligent being...less than six months ago, not long after we arrived in Equestria.

"Lieutenant Virtute! I need you and Corporal Winters to make sure the building we passed on the way in is secure. It should be clear but we can never be too careful." Colonel Varellian ordered me. We hadn't even been in Equestria a week and we were reclaiming a small settlement near the border half the size of Ponyville. There was over thirty of us present and only five minotaurs had been watching the place, which was odd considering that intelligence reports said they usually worked in groups of six at a minimum but it was entirely possible that this group had simply suffered a casualty before we arrived. They were silently eliminated by a pair of scouts that went in the town while the rest waited behind. Otherwise the minotaurs would probably send a runner to spread the news the moment they saw us.

At the time we were still using firearms but even then if we tried to shoot the runner he might keep going, minotaurs proved to be infamously resistant to ballistic weapons.

I had seen minotaurs at this point though it was always through a pair of binoculars or a rifle scope when I was assigned to recon but never had not seen any up close yet. I found Corporal Winters and we shouldered our rifles as we moved to investigate a small home that hugged a low wall surrounding the town. It was all quiet inside and we searched but found nothing. I checked upstairs while he checked downstairs. I returned to the ground floor after declaring the second one all clear but Winters still had to clear the living room.

He put his hands on the handle to open the large closet door while I pointed my weapon. Just as he flexed his arms to open it the door erupted in shower of wood and the minotaur responsible punched Corporal Winters, knocking him unconscious. I fired my weapon but the wild shots completely missed. He tackled me to the ground and knocked the wind out of me. I panicked when I felt his hands wrap around my neck and tighten mercilessly and he bore his weight down. My hands moved around wildly as I tried to kick the beast but he didn't even flinch. Just as my vision began to fade I remembered my knife. I snatched it and sent the blade straight into his chest. His grip loosened but didn't entirely let go. So I stabbed again. And again. I stabbed madly into the monster while screaming as loud as I could.

The blade tore in and out of him and I continued stabbing as fast and deep as I could. In moments I was drenched in the blood of another individual and it turned my normally blue armor into a deep crimson. With the adrenaline coursing through my veins I shoved him onto his back with me on top and I continued stabbing. Time and time again until his chest was a mess of carved flesh, then I moved up and stabbed his neck until little remained. All life had long since faded from his eyes.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Colonel Varellian and two others run in with weapons drawn but they lowered their arms when they saw me covered in blood, on my knees, on top of a dead minotaur with my knife in hand. I was breathing heavily and shaking as I turned to look at them, only to immediately look away, unable to meet their gaze. I felt like a monster. I dropped the knife onto the ground before covering my face with bloody hands...and crying.

Colonel Valerian rushed over and reached under my shoulders, picking me up and carrying me out of the tent while the other two soldiers picked up Winters and carried him out. Thankfully he had not real injury at least because the helmet deflected much of the blow but he wouldn't be feeling well when he woke up. Once we were outside my friend and commander Varellian forcibly removed my hands from my face and lightly smacked my cheek to get my attention.

"Orion. Orion. Orion! Look at me! I said look at me!" He said urgently until I looked him in the eyes, tears mixed with the blood and washed down to stain the white cloth under my armor.

"It's alright. You're okay bud, you're okay. You did well. The first time is always hard." He said while wrapping his arms around my head and shoulders in a reassuring hug, which was a surprise considering he very rarely broke regulation except when he was alone with someone.

"I feel like a monster...d-does...does it get any easier?" I half-mumbled out as I choked back tears.

"Unfortunately...and I wish you would have never had to kill anyone. You're too good of a person for it to be easy to kill anyone and I am sorry it had to happen, but it won't be the last. Come on. Get up. We're heading back to base, you need a shower and I'll see if I can let you have the morning to yourself tomorrow for you to recover. I want you at your best again soon. Understood?"

"I...y-yes sir, thank you, sir."

For another half hour I walked, stunned once more about the shocking difference between the battle that recently took place so close by and the beauty of the forest right here. Flowers bloomed a rainbow of colors and leaves drifted lazily from the canopy to the ground beneath me as if nature herself were laying a red carpet to guide my journey. Then I began to see more bodies. Minotaur and man alike littered the forest floor.

It was one or two at first, then small groups, then they grew to over a dozen corpses in one area. From my lesson before I gave the minotaur bodies a wide berth while checking for human survivors. There were none.

Everywhere I looked was like a gruesome mix between life and death. The minotaurs may have been the aggressors but there was no way any living creature could consider something like this righteous or just, or at least I couldn't. All around were fallen comrades and foes and as terrible as it might be to say I was relieved that I didn't recognize any of the dead.

Eventually I found fewer and fewer bodies until once again only nature dominated the path. By now my fatigue was becoming more and more apparent and I was forced to sit on a flat rock for a brief rest. I laid back and let out a weary sigh as I let my muscles get a well-deserved rest. A short while passed before I even considered opening my eyes again. When I finally did I saw one of the most amazing of things.

A simple cyan butterfly perched right on my nose. Even when I slowly sat up the tiny creature remained there moving it's beautiful wings up and down. It was so simple. And yet...for the first time in a long time...I smiled. Hell, I even dared to laugh a little. The butterfly took off and my eyes followed it to its next landing site. It flew up into the canopy and it was there I noticed something with a fiery hue nestled among the red leaves that concealed it so well.

A phoenix!

We had all heard about the rare fire bird along with many other unique things only in this alien world but a phoenix had only been seen once by man, on the day our unit came to Equestria.

It was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever laid eyes upon. It gave the illusion that flames constantly dance across its scarlet feathers and resolutely held its head up proudly. The phoenix looked down at me with a strange, piercing gaze before releasing a cry in sky above us and flying away elsewhere. Once it was departed my eyes drifted back to the cyan butterfly again which now flew to a branch overlooking the path ahead.

I took a deep breath and resumed the way I had traveled.

Not far down the path I saw a figure moving through the forest path and into a clearing. It was a man and he looked to be badly hurt, telling from the way he was using his sword like a cane as he walked. It was impossible to tell the color of his armor from the amount of blood on it but I could hear him from where I was at and his back was turned to me.

"No...so much death...he can't be gone. No, not him. I have seen too many friends go...he...I...can't be all alone. Why? Why did I have to survive damn it!" He said in a defeated voice. A voice I recognized.

"Z...Zachary?" I called out.

He spun around in an instant to face me and he hobbled towards me as fast as he could manage.

"Orion! After you killed Tirek I thought I saw you die! You were blasted clear into the forest! I awoke on the battlefield...I...we're not the only ones left, right? Did you find any survivors?" His expression became even more desperate now. "Please, Orion, tell me we aren't the only ones alive..." For the first time in my life...I saw Zachary cry. He hid his emotions so well but even the greatest have limits.

I could only hope Lieutentant Lucem Veritas survived. He and Zachary were the only ones I knew personally that participated in the battle here.

"I was pretty fucked up but I'm here minus the javelin and arrow stuck in me." I wanted to ask about Lucem but I dreaded the answer I might receive, but it was better than being unsure, even if only a little.

"You...haven't seen Veritas, have you?"

"No...I lost track of him when you took on Tirek." He sighed. That was another thing I began to remember more clearly, though I could barely believe my own memory of defeating Tirek, not to mention alone. In Equestria I had become good at swordsmanship and an expert at archery which as it turns out are very deadly if enchanted or in the hands of a magic user. But with magic I discovered I had prodigious natural ability. Only recently had I learned how to properly control it but even now I couldn't always control it.

"Orion! I need you and Lucem to take the troops from the reserve and lead them to attack the right flank now!" Colonel Varellian called out over the noise as the battle raged around us.

"Yes, sir!" I shouted in response as I led our forces to attack the enemy flank.

It was the evening was King Tirek's forces appeared and when they did they charged. We managed to successfully hold the line but it was a bloody and fierce battle. Enemy magic users called down lightning on unlucky men while our own did everything from freezing to incinerating or crushing the enemy with rocks.

The great centaur, Tirek was personally fighting among his soldiers and being at least a head taller than the tallest minotaurs and carrying an enormous battle axe. He was the most intimidating figure in sight. He was distracted so I seized the opportunity to shoot a pair of throwing knives into his eyes using magic but he deflected them by raising the metallic band on his wrist before turning to me with murder in his gaze.

"MOVE." He ordered in a deep, commanding tone. Minotaurs and humans alike cleared out of a swath of land between me and the fearsome king.

"I think I shall kill you next." He grinned menacingly. Although fighting continued I could feel countless eyes watching us as well.

"Think twice you ugly bastard!" Lucem called from behind me as he fire an arrow at Tirek's eyes. The giant centaur threw up a magical shield before levitating my friend into the air.

"Don't worry. I'll come for you after." With that he tossed Veritas over a hundred feet away into the nearby forest, accompanied by a disturbingly high number of branches breaking from him.

You are going to die screaming.

"You fucking monster!" I cried out as I charged towards him with my sword in hand.

If I can make it up to his throat that'll make this far easier...

He swung his giant axe at me in a sweeping motion and I jumped as high as I could, using magic to lift me a few feet further than I would otherwise. He swung again and this time I ducked while closing the distance in on him. When I was within a few feet he charged forward, knocking me on my back with one of his hooves which he then tried to use to stomp me into the earth but I rolled away and jumped to my feet and moved to his side.

I quickly drew a pair of knives and drove them into his flesh after he missed another swing and howled in pain while I scaled up his back. He moved and jumped wildly to throw me off but I managed to drive my sword deep into his lower body. He let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain and stomped madly. A moment later his titanic hands wrapped around me and he tried to squeeze the life out of me. I focused as hard as I could and teleported out of his vise-like grip. I was only ten feet away from him but now I had the perfect opportunity.

"Hey Tirek! This one's for Veritas!" I shouted. I quickly gathered lightning in the palm of my hands, remembering the technique for it that the royal princesses themselves had helped teach some of us. Storm clouds gathered overhead at my will and electricity arced violently above. Using my own power and the storm I summoned, I focused every ounce of power on Tirek but I needed more storm clouds to gather before I could deliver the effect I wanted.

I could transform myself into a dragon perhaps, no...that would take far too much time that I don't have. But I can do something just as useful.

Full transformation spells were all but impossible in combat due to the amount of time they took but a partial one could work. Just a pair of wings. I ran from Tirek as fast as I could to clear some distance, the spell didn't require I use my hands but would still take a few moments to do. Unfortunately Tirek seized me before they could appear.

"Such fearlessness, and foolishness. I almost admire it, it's almost a shame to kill you. You would have been a useful pawn at my side. Oh well." He threw me hundreds of feet into the air with his great strength, but it also allowed me just enough time to finish the spell and a large pair of wings appeared at my side. Rushing a transformation spell can cause a lot of pain but under the circumstances it was my best option.

I pulled out of the dive I was in and flew a distance in front of King Tirek. I hovered in the sky and once I was satisfied with the storm overhead I flashed my enemy a grim smile and with that I called down the lightning.

Night turned to day as incredible flashes of light arced to the sword in his back from the electricity in my hands as well as the clouds above. He released a bellowing roar as flash after flash of light struck him and illuminated the entire field.

"I AM THE STORM!" I called out in a booming tone.

Soon I felt an arrow strike me in the thigh but I couldn't for any reason break the spell.

Just a little longer! Just another moment and he'll be dead. This war will be over!

My focus was nearly broken when a javelin impacted my shoulder and flung me back a few feet.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" I shouted as my eyes turned white. I was using all of my energy to make sure I finished the job here and now.

I called down the final strike when I was hit with the flat of his ax and sent flying into the distance. A final great streak of lightning tore down from the sky and seemed to illuminate the whole world for just a moment and in that moment I watched the great King Tirek finally fall, defeated at last.

Then my world whole went dark.

Together with Zachary now we continued walking through the forest as he explained what happened after I got flung into the trees.

"After such an impressive display of power the enemy morale wavered and seemed to near the verge of breaking, probably would have if you were still around but unfortunately they pulled together and kept fighting. I thought we were winning but just as we had them surrounded something hit me like a train and I was out like a light." He said with a wave of his hand and frustration in his voice.

"I don't understand how we'd be the only ones left if that happened."

"I don't either."

"Let's...let's just head back to Canterlot. I have victory speech I will have to give. And far too many condolence letters..." He added the last part under his breath.

Once silence took over something flew right in front of us.

The cyan butterfly. We both stopped for a moment as it fluttered across the path before us. When we thought it was about to leave a white butterfly came to meet it in the middle. It flew in a lazy circle around the other before they both upwards through the canopy, leaving our sight at last.

"So strange. I've been seeing that bluish one all morning but that's the first time I've seen a white one." I thought out loud.

"Eh, you know I knew someone that said the odd butterflies are actually angels that came to protect folks or somethings like that. Whatever helps him I suppose." He shrugged.

"Yeah I guess, still interesting to think about."

We both stood still for a moment when we both heard a small noise while we talked.

"Shh. Did you hear that?" He said in a whisper.

"Yeah...is that...talking?" I listened in closer and heard voices. One, two, three. A lot of voices were coming from a distance away.

"We aren't alone!" I said excitedly.

"Quiet! We can't be certain those weren't minotaurs."

We crept up closer and saw several men standing in a circle a distance away. We approached closer and saw that they weren't the only ones. Several turned into a few dozen, a few dozen turned into a hundred and a hundred became hundreds of living human beings.

I exchanged a relieved look of joy with Zachary as we both hobbled forward. Numerous pairs of eyes turned to see us.

"Holy shit! They did make it! The commander and the fuckin' god of thunder over here!" One of them shouted with a smile.

As we approached the group I saw something that almost made me cry. It wasn't the tiny group of survivors like I expected, it looked like most of the unit made it!

"Hey um, are you alright?" one of them asked. Only then did I really notice just how bad my injuries were. I felt blood in my mouth, more than a little. My eyes became blurry and it felt like my mind was getting hazy.

At that moment my knees buckled and I fell noiselessly to the ground. Before everything went dark I felt someone try to catch me and I saw the expressions of those in front of me become concerned and rushing towards me. After that I didn't feel cold like most would expect death to feel like...no...I felt warm as I drifted off, finding peace at last.