Crystal Knight

Knight Shield took in a deep breath. In front of him and his squad was a timberwolf, but it wasn’t growling. Instead, it simply stood there, watching the soldiers. He stepped forward and and cocked his head.

“Sir!”

He held up one hand and growled. The beast stepped back and faltered slightly on its hind leg. A smile spread across Knight’s face as he tried not to let himself get distracted. He couldn’t help it though, as the creature faulted more and a slight chuckle escaped his lips as he felt tears sting his eyes. He brought one arm up to wipe them away, already scolding himself for enjoying this so much.

Crunch!

His arm was down in an instant, but he could already tell how he had screwed up. He looked down at the young pegasus next to him who was lifting his longsword away from the few branches he had smashed off the beast. Knight grit his teeth and turned away from him. The small squad watched as their leader left, scratching their heads as to what had just happened.

======+++++======

Spear Tip sighed as he looked down at the map. “We’re running out of supplies.”

The dark green unicorn shrugged. “As long as we find a town soon enough, I am most certain they would allow us to ‘appropriate’ some resources.”

The old commander scowled at the comment, but simply shook his head instead of cursing out the jackass beside him. “I wish we could find one of the new guard posts again and resupply.”

“Come now, that would be against our prime directive: expand and conquer. I would expect such disobedient thoughts from a vagrant or one of those bandits we slaughtered last week, not from a goody two hooved Equestrian Commander. Now, shall we continue onwards?”

Spear almost broke his teeth as he tried not to punch his ‘co-commander’. He knew the truth, though. Sombra had needed as many soldiers as he could get, loyal or not. Experience and skill had given people top priority, so many of the old Equestrian units had been given positions of power. Unfortunately, to keep an eye on them, many of them had also been given a moral advisor, like Knife Edge.

Knife shifted his weight away from Spear. “You know, if we do want one of those outposts or forts to want to give us supplies, a few slaves would probably be a good idea. Act as a nice gift to smooth over any problems we have with them.”

Spear stepped forward and growled. “If you bring those up one more–”

“Sirs?”

Both of them turned to Knight as he nodded to them. Knife ran a hand through his gray hair and stepped forward. “Yes, sergeant?”

Knight Shield swallowed hard and let out a deep breath, still uncertain as to whether or not to tell them. Come on, you’ve spent two months with these men. They’re reasonable… enough. His heels clicked together and he gave them a firm salute. “I believe I know of three small towns in the nearby vicinity. The closest one to us is called Barrel, and I can assure you that we will be greeted with open arms by their citizens.”

Knife chuckled. “And why in the world would we? So far no one else has been smart and decided to lay down like a bunch of good whores.”

Spear put a hand to Knight’s chest as the brown stallion surged forward. “Barrel? If I recall correctly, that is your home.” He waited for a small nod before continuing. “And you’re absolutely certain that they will accept us, despite the flag we bear?”

Knight glanced back at the major before taking in a short breath and nodding. “I protected them for years. They will know that if I decided to bring a garrison of fifty into their homes, it would be for a reason.” He growled at Knife as he opened his mouth, but the unicorn merely spread out his hands and shrugged.

Spear nodded slightly. He looked to his men and sighed as the fatigue caught up with him. After a month of fortifying the empire, being under Sombra’s training regiment and then finally being assimilated into his army, all of his remaining men had been forced to march. Ever since, they had been cutting through the populace, or at least, the populace that was left. The whole thing disgusted, even causing some screw ups on his part like leaving the Manehatten post before they could get some real supplies. Too many good mares had been in irons for Sombra and his lords to have their slaves and workers.

Now though, now we have a chance to rest without one eye open.

Spear spread the map in his hands out further. “Corporal, point to where on the map that you think it should be. My second-in-command will mark it with his magic, and we’ll leave immediately.

Knight eagerly nodded and started to examine the map. “If we’re in Cracked’s territory, then the Hydra’s Den is over here, my fight against the chimera was here and… right there. This should be the spot.”

A few quick whispers between Spear and Knife later, and the light blue stallion came back, wrapping an arm around Knight. He cleared his throat. “Alright, listen up. We’re changing course to a nearby town.” An audible groan came from the troops and he smirked. “However, do not expect a fight. We have a wonderful offer here that no other garrison in this army can get. We’ll be dining on one of our owns wife’s cooking by this time tomorrow!”

A palpable tension filled the air before someone gave out a loud cheer. Many quickly joined in, relieved to hear that a break may be on the horizon. Spear clapped Knight on the back. “I hope that isn’t too much pressure on your wife.”

He shrugged, a smile spreading across his face. “I think you’re challenging their stomachs more than her.”

Spear let out a large laugh before clearing his throat. “Alright, enough celebrating. We’ve gotta get moving before we can have that. Squad leaders, get your men together; we march in ten minutes!”

Knight nodded and ran back towards his troops. “You heard him, get up.” The first one up was the pegasus who almost immediately was slinging his pack over his shoulder and beaming at him.

“I can’t wait to meet your wife. From what you’ve said, she sounds like a wonderful mare.”

Knight picked up his own pack and started walking towards a larger grass path that would be the fastest way to the village, his own eagerness turning into cold determination. “She is.”

The scout waited a few moments, expecting more from him before he held his hand out. “My name is Bad News. I switched from third squad a few days ago.”

Knight blinked a few times before starting to laugh. His medium armor shook with him as the rest of the squad fell into line. The laughter went on just long enough for it to stop being contagious and to start making the squad think he had gone insane. News scowled slightly. “It isn’t that funny.”

Knight wiped a tear away from one of his eyes. “Sorry, just, I haven’t had a decent reason to laugh in almost two months, and to know my new scout is named Bad News is simply too stupid.”

News glared at his superior. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

The squad started moving as the order for Knight to take point was given. At first military rank was kept, but the excitement that hummed in the air could be felt by everyone. Nice, warm beds, good food, and company beyond the murderer next to them was simply too tantalizing not to talk about. Knight turned to his scout. “So, what part of the Equestrian force were you?”

News set his jaw and steeled himself. “I wasn’t. I’ve always been a part of The Crystal Empire’s force.”

Knight went silent for a few moments before nodding and scratching his mane. “Were you in the battle?”

The scout was quiet for a moment, simply staring at Knight before slowly turning away. “Yep.”

“Where?”

“Towards the middle, relaying messages from the few commanders we had and getting them to different squads. Of course, I felt damn near useless as the knights were the ones really running things. You?”

Knight and News bent down to help push a fallen tree out of the way. “Hmph. Well, I guess I was closish to you seeing as I had to dive right into the heart of your force.”

News’ eyes widened. “Wait, does that mean you were the one who took out Sure?”

“Yep.”

He let out a low whistle. “I mean, she had plenty of distractions, but–”

“I got lucky.” Knight moved forward, the rest of his squad shocked at the statement before surging forward to catch up. By then though, Knight could see an all too familiar wooden wall and his heart rose. He couldn’t help it as his hooves started pounding into the grass and dirt.

At an almost dead sprint, he met his little town, his mind focused on one thing. He ran through the town, ignoring the quiet stores, the empty streets, or the total silence that filled the air around him. Knight had one goal, and nothing else mattered, not after so long. He opened it a crack and smiled as he peered in.

There she was. Her green mane framed her face perfectly as her eyes widened at seeing him. Tears filled her eyes as she clasped her hands over her mouth. Knight could feel his own eyes sting as he opened the door the rest of the way and started to step in. He couldn’t think of a single moment where she had looked more beautiful. Shine took a step towards him. “Kn-Knight?”

“Wah!”

Both parents glanced up, but coming back down, Shine’s eyes weren’t on him, but to looking to the side. Her body slumped, she stumbled a bit, and opened her mouth, but Knight already knew what was coming. He twisted his body, but the moment still came like knife between his ribs, mainly because it was.

His shield came off of his back and against the pegasus’ skull in almost no time and sent the attacker sprawling over the floor. The door was wrenched the rest of the way open and he barely had enough time to unsheath his sword and deflect the edge of his opponent’s blade. He lurched forward and did a light tackle against the stumbling pony, causing the aggressor to crash to the ground. Knight rushed forward and grabbed Shine’s arm. “Come with me.”

Shine’s eyes stayed glued to Knight’s open wound and she started to stammer, unable to say anything as the blood of the first pony started to seep into the wooden floors. For a moment she resisted his pull and got her hand free. Knight stared at his hand in disbelief and he looked back to her. “Shine, you know I would never–”

A blast of magical energy cut him off as it blasted off one of his shoulder pauldrons and caused him to stumble. His second assailant had just gotten up and knocked Knight to the floor by slamming his blade against Knight’s shield. The pony raised his blade and grinned maliciously just before a piece of steel ran through one side of his body and out the other. Blood poured down from him as News tumbled out of the way of the magical blast aimed for him and grabbed Knight’s hand. “We have to go!”

Knight glanced back at Shine who was backed up against a wall, sobbing. Lunar’s cries from upstairs rang in his ears and he shut his eyes tight. “I’m not leaving without them!”

“If you don’t–” This time it was News’ turn to be cut off as the unicorn from the stairs blasted a hole into him with a lance of magic through his light armor. For only a single moment Knight and News’ eyes met. Knight could see the pain and anger in them, but he was still here, still trying to help him.

While I tell him to die. He grabbed his shield and held it up, his feet set firm on the floor as the next magical blast spread over it. “Clear us a path out while I make sure we don’t get picked off.”

News nodded as Knight moved towards the stairs. The scout grabbed the front door and slammed it shut. It came back quaking as the soldier that had been coming through fell back. “The rest of the squad’s been doing their share, so we can go.”

Knight contemplated charging the unicorn for a moment. They’re outside risking their lives for me though, protecting me when I should be protecting them. He glanced back at Shine one more time, her form curled into a ball into the corner. Besides, she’s never with me when danger is around, and that is exactly how I would prefer it stay. He quickly followed News out the front door just as another blast shot past their heads.

Outside, Knight found Tartarus. Unicorns were picking off single members of his platoon while pegasi were air dropping anything from lamps to safes onto troop’s heads. His own squad already had three dead laying on the ground in front of this one building, despite only having half as many ponies in front of them. Knight swallowed hard and bellowed, “Retreat!”

His squad were shocked for only a moment, but the moment Knight and News charged past them and their leader’s shield smashed two opponents on their asses, they decided that they just might be able to. It was only a few more moments later when Knife’s voice could be heard bellowing above the chaos, calling for a general retreat.

Knight and his squad rushed into the nearby woods, panting and holding onto their open wounds. Knight could feel the blood that matted the fur on his right side, and could see the bloodstain on News’ armor. They all looked at each other before looking back at the town, able to hear the hoots and hollers of celebration. Celebrations they were supposed to be having. Slowly, the group trudged back, resigned to field dressing and rations for the night.

======+++++======

“Who are we?”

“Equestria’s Defenders!”

“What did we do?”

“Beat Sombra!”

“When did we do it?”

“Today!”

News watched from the shadows as the blue mare yelled to her troops. Her rainbow hair bounced in the cool night breeze and stood out like a beacon amongst the crowd. He breathed a sigh and turned away, trying to ignore the gnawing in his belly. The leader had been spotted, so now it was time to wander the town and figure out how to get some sort of edge after half their platoon had been massacred. The surprise attack had been devastating, and even if they forced these ponies out into the open tomorrow, they now had the numbers’ edge. Hence why we scouts are all here as spies, no matter how stupid that is.

News moved away from the main square and started going towards the only other light that was on in the town. A few fires dotted the place, but no ponies were there by now, not that many would ever want to be around a burial pit for any longer then they had to. One form did join his surveillance though, a single yellow mare who stepped to the edge of the pit. His eyes widened as the mare continued to move about, her light green hair almost shining in the firelight.

Sniff.

News’ hair stood on edge as the smell of heavy alcohol filled his nose. He glanced over and saw a white unicorn pass him by. The hole in his shoulder throbbed and he scowled at the image of the annoyance on the stairs coming to mind. He pulled his cloak tighter around himself, but the unicorn didn’t notice. Instead, he moved forward, straight for Knight’s wife.

All water in News’ mouth evaporated in an instant as the mare was turned around. At first it was gibberish, small, little shouts that he couldn’t quite make out, that he could ignore. A rip filled the air and her shouts became louder and louder. He tried to entirely shut out the cries for help, knowing going out there to help would be damn near suicidal, at least in the long run.

“You aren’t half the stallion he is.”

News wasn’t looking there way, but he could easily imagine it. The snarl of the stallion as the drink becomes too much. The curling of his fist as she lay on the ground. Her muscles bracing, expecting the impact that her shut eyes would protect her from seeing. The resonating sound of his fist against her face was the last straw.

He started crossing the open ground, each smack of his fist hurrying his pace. He could hear her cries becoming smaller and smaller with each step. It was almost without thought that he pulled out his knife. The unicorn’s insults of whore and traitor led his blade as it slammed into the top of his skull.

News twisted the knife before pulling it out and throwing the body to the ground. He lunged forward and thrust into the bastard’s throat, covering himself in the aggressor’s blood. There he stayed, waiting for the final convulsions to stop as both stallions were covered in red. FInally, he stood and walked back to the yellow mare who stayed still on the ground.

Slowly, his hands came around her back and neck before he put his ear to her mouth. The two fingers against her broken neck was all that he needed though. News shut his eyes and felt tears come down his face. It was the first god damned good piece of news any of us had gotten since we started this fucking march, and of course I have to be the one to ruin it!

“What are you doing?” Applejack walked into the firelight and scowled at the cloaked stranger. “I don’t recognize you, so where did you come from?”

News’ heart leapt into his mouth and he said nothing as he turned to her, bloody knife in hand as he knelt over the dead mare. Applejack’s hair stood on edge and she noticed the dead stallion to the side, but also the lack of blood on the mare. “What happened here, and I would reckon you’ll want to speak fast.”

“He… he was drunk, and angry, and I… I don’t think he approved of her being with…” News grew silent for a moment before shaking his head, knowing that if she hadn’t figured it out by now, revealing his loyalties would only bring him closer to death. “Once he started beating her, I came over and tried protecting her. I promise I’m being honest.”

Applejack bit slightly into her lip before kneeling beside him, looking over the town’s healer. She checked the body before nodding slightly. “You need to go. Others will be here soon, and I would rather you not have to die for trying to do what’s right.”

News spent a moment staring at her, noting the tears coming into her eyes. He then stood up and ran. His hooves thundered against the ground as he made it back to camp. He panted hard as one of the other soldiers took ahold of him and started leading him to their planned destination. Despite his small, exhausted pleas, he wasn’t allowed to go find Knight and let him know. He first had to report back.

Knife looked up as the soldiers came in. He sucked his lips in and scowled slightly. “What brings you back so fast?”

News took in a deep breath. “Sir, I have to find Knight Shield.”

“No, what you need to do first is report back. Now, are you going to listen and fly straight like a good pegasus, or am I going to have to break your wings?”

News decided it would be best not to argue and simply get the brief over and done with already. “Sir, I left the town after witnessing the death of Knight Shield’s wife. I will confess that I was spotted by one of their leaders, but she let me go. I… I can only guess as a repayment for me trying to protect the mare.”

Knife nodded and scowled. “So, what you’re telling me is that not only did you compromise every spy we have there, but you also came back with no real useful information.”

News grit his teeth. “Yes.” He fell back as a bolt of magic caught him square in the chest. Knife’s boot was swiftly planted on his ribs and drove him back to the ground. “Sir, you can’t just kill more men. That isn’t going to help you.”

“You’re absolutely right. However, I can claim you were kidnapped by the enemy and that they tried killing you for answers. Trust me, it’ll help sell our truth to Knight.” Knife pushed down with his boot and started twisting it.

“Ung. Our truth?”

“Yes, that those whores who call themselves the leaders of this puny rebellion executed his wife for simply the act of loving him.”

News saw red and tried pushing up. “Spear won’t let you.”

Knife’s boot left his chest, only to slam into the scout’s side. “Well then, I guess it’s a good thing he was one of the many casualties to today’s battle. How sad really. He was such a fun, faithful fool. Now though,” he slammed the foot back into his side, “we need to get you looking right.”