The mechanical buzzing filled the air, as the world shifted forward.
Yet one stallion moved quietly, unlike many his hooves not dragging on the cold ground that reminded them all that the winter had not quite let its grasp on their land go. After a moment, the buzzing ended, leaving the only sound to be the droning pattern of rain striking cold hard stone, just as mechanical, just as orderly. He could feel the liquid so close to being ice flowing downwards past his hooves, the slight downwards slope being far better than the hours spent climbing uphill to get this far, a twisted reward for waiting so long. He looked down, to fearful to look behind him as to seem worried. To scared to look ahead in case one of them caught his eye and saw the fear in them. But he did not need to look ahead or behind to know the endless line that awaited him, he had been here for hours, before that, he had waited weeks to get the approval needed to go this far...before that months to save up for the forgeries he need to proceed.
His wings twitched, the cold seeping through the tattered cloth he dared call his protection from the elements. he could have brought better, but he knew too well that no refugee would have anything else than the simple protection. For a moment, he feared his wings would rustle the contents of the pouch hidden underneath his right wing, that the enchantment would break and he would be swarmed before he could even realize his mistake. That his work would like so many others be for nothing.
But his twitch died down, his pouch stayed shut and no guards rushed him with blades.
Somewhere behind him, he heard a colt complain about the weather, only to be shushed by his mother, or caretaker, or whoever had grabbed him and made the long trek here. Somewhere in the distance behind him, a foal cried, somewhere in front of him, he heard a grown stallion cry as the sound of hooves being dragged on stone, and the clink of metal bouncing together as the frantic wailing became quieter and quieter until...
The mechanical buzz sounded and the world shifted again, forward, closer to his goal. he dared to look up, past the heads, with horns and hoods. He saw the giant towers, blue crystals sitting on their tops, with giant lenses pointed at them, waiting, daring them to step out of line. He could see energy crackle from them, waiting to be given focus, direction. He knew it was only paranoia, but he felt his fur stand on end, as if a sock was being rubbed against him.
Perhaps they had only wished to see him toil, he thought
Maybe they knew from the beginning what his plans were, they had found it amusing the crimes and prices he paid to get this far. His mine creating a web of events that could lead them to know of his mission.
They had waited for him to get to the front and they would roast him alive, an example to the rest.
But as he looked down and waited for the end, it did not come, his ears folded back as the buzzing sounded again, louder, he shuffled forwards, his hooves dragging this time, the weight of his thoughts finally equal to the weight of his body.
He held his breath as he head the clink of the guard in armor, a watcher going down the line, rooting out those without a chance before they even had the hope to bother trying. The line tensed up as a whole, the few hushed conversations dieing entirely. Even the rain seemed to quiet, or perhaps the guard was simply timing the pattern of his steps with the sound of the rain so all that we would hear would be the sound of metal hitting metal as the guard walked down the line.
All he could see from the corner of his lowered hood as he went by was the gleam of his longsword floating by the guard's side, it shined, polished.
It looked like it had been cleaned thoroughly recently, his mind hoped that perhaps it was simply that he rarely used it, so it was more Decorative than anything else. Yet his mind knew that there was really only one reason anyone at this post would have to clean their weapon.
he lowered his head farther, hoping the ground would protect him, that the rain would be loud enough to disguise his guilt and fear.
The guard moved past him, he dared not breath in case the sharp action rose suspicion and the guard would turn to look at him again. he waited until the guard stopped stopped before he let himself breath again, his wings sagged slightly, tension finally passed for that moment.
He heard a whimper behind him, that of a mare, he had heard it from earlier, the one with the colt. Her voice was faint, he heard not what she was saying, but she sounded like she was pleading.
That never meant well.
he felt his heart leap into his throat as he heard the colt yell, something about letting her go, he heard a grunt, as if somepony was suddenly pushed, for a moment, he felt the line surge with energy, with both fear and adrenalin and he knew what had happened, the colt had fought back, the line was ready, the line was angry, all it would take would be a single hoof stepping to help, a single move of rebellion and the line would surge to attack.
Yet fear's grasp was cold and he knew the only thing colder was the embrace of death that awaited him in the cold shining blade.
So nopony moved to act, after an eternity comprised only of a few seconds, he head the sound of an impact. The cold metal of a gauntlet meeting the tender flesh and bones of a colt. The metal must of been so sort of magic because he could feel the weight of the metal in his gut as it weighed him down. The line grew silent, all but the desperate wailing of a single mare. he heard her being dragged past me, begging for her child, he assumed another guard would be sent to grab the child to also be taken to wherever the mother was going.
No second guard came.
he looked dead ahead, not needing to see the red tinted rain flowing past his hooves.
his muscles twitched yet again, he had grown ill long before he had entered this line, yet he could not tell if the tightness was from the cold about to claim his life, or the fear. No conversation started back up, once again, all was silent but the rain.
The sound of buzzing filled the air and he could see guards pulling ponies out of the line in front of him, those the watcher had deemed unfit no doubt. The golden trimmed armor and hammers they carried told of who they once were back when their titles meant something, before they pissed-off whoever they had to get themselves sent here.
The line thinned quickly, there were only three ponies ahead of him. Well, four if you counted the one already in the gate. After the sound of buzzing filled the air yet again, it was only two that stood ahead of him in the line.
He scratched at the stone path with his hoof, he remembered when the grand stone paths were new and perfect, when the gifts flowed freely. When Harmony, not order ruled the cities. Back when their saviors were their allies. Back when they all should have seen the red flags before they saw them go up over their cities, The mountains use to be their homes,now they were just another part of the vast group who had taken the world long ago.
His lips felt dry, he opened his mouth and pointed his head up, the drops of rain suddenly seemed to cease, not nearly enough to quench his thirst.
He looked back down, his throat and lips dry, yet his back soaked, he no longer had the strength left to care of the shivers up his back came from fear or frostbite. he was almost there.
The sound of buzzing filled the air, another pony entered the gate, an Anti, he felt bad for the bastard, the Anti's limbs seeming locking up as the pony barely bent them hobbling forward to judgement and disappeared from sight.
He clutched his wings closer to him with whatever energy he could spare, he would not fall now, he was so close now.
"Some line we got going on here hm?" The voice in front of me spoke, loudly, he focused onto the face staring right back at him, ignoring the sounds of mumbling from the ponies behind him.
"Yes. Quite, lovely weather though. Makes the waiting all the more worth it." he replied quietly, hoping that his less than pleasant tone and sharp hushed voice would clue him in to his intentions, but he was either too stupid or too foolish to take the hint. Damn Hornheads.
"Yeah, he know right? Making stand in a line for hours, least they can do is lighten the rain a bit." The loud unicorn spoke, laughing heartily. For a moment, he wondered if he would end up strangling the unicorn before the guards did. Yet none of the guards moved from their place near the wall. Either too self-absorbed or too uncaring at this point to care about one loud unicorn.
The Unicorn snorted. "Hey, you got wings under there right? he mean, hell, if you don't you should just turn around now, but why don't you just fly up there and give those clouds the 'old one-two?" he bit his lower lip to stop me from grating his teeth as hard as this unicorn was grating on his nerves. he forced a smile out.
"Well, I would gladly do so, perhaps sometimes after there are NOT giant deadly Mana-Cannons pointed at me? and he do think sir that your turn is coming up, wouldn't want to keep the gatekeeper waiting now would you?" he said, his tone darkened as by sheer luck the sound of buzzing surprised the Unicorn who quickly turned and ran inside the gate, he would be surprised if he saw him on the other side.
The furious apologizing and screaming that followed barely thirty seconds after his entry confirmed his thought. he could only breath, letting his stress go. if his journey ended here he would have no qualms. he had lived a good, if short, life. he reasoned that there were worse ways he could die in the mountains that did not involve magic quickly blowing his head off.
The sound of buzzing filled the air.
he stepped forwards looking up at the simple stone wall, with the two watchtowers, blocking off the narrow passage into the place that they so desperately tried to keep them all out of. The entryway was a simple stone arch leading into a square room, with a steel door on the on both the path he would enter into and the one he would hopefully leave through, and a simple booth where he would learn his fate. As he stepped into the room, the door shut behind him. he walked forward and sat down in front of the square booth, with the window showing me his judge.
"Greetings sir." She said, almost as mechanically as the buzzer she controlled. he nodded enthusiastically. Hoping to build his confidence slightly.
"Documentation please." She said, opening a slot for his documents to go through, he grabbed the forms, not even knowing what half of them were for, just that they had his signature and he had given everything to get them.
She grabbed the forms with her wings, he sat quietly as she hummed some off-beat tune as if she did not hold the life of another pony in her hooves.
"Well, sir, all your documents appear to be in order, except for one thing." he felt his heart stop, though his mouth moved.
"Oh? Well, he apologize for that, what has gotten...out of order?" The mare put on the most fake plastic smile he had ever seen.
"No problem sir, just that here it says you are a Pegasus, yet, I cannot see your wings." he sighed, she just needed to see his wings. He moved his cloak to show the two appendages. "Please open them." She said. She just wanted to check in anything fell out, standard procedure. The bag was connected to his fur, the stallion had no worries about it falling out.
He moved to flex his wings, but no response came from the joints other than a twitch, panic filled his eyes, he tried to force his wings to slightly extend to show that he was who he said he was, but no response came. he chuckled far too loudly, panic beginning to fill the calm that existed only a moment ago.
"Te-terribly sorry miss, it seems that the...weather has frozen my wings shut, uhh, I will-" Suddenly he was cut of by a accusation that froze his blood.
"Sir, are you attempting to smuggle something?" he laughed a little too loudly and leaned to one side, pressing his wing ever so more tightly against his body with whatever control he had left.
"Wh-what? No! Who would be foolish enough to try and smuggle anything past the Gate? it-it's suicide!" he laughed again, forcing the fear out through it. he survived so much only for the elements themselves to betray him.
"Well then, Sir, you wouldn't mind if I took a look under your wing?" he faked a smile so big it almost matched hers.
"No problem at all."
The magic glow around her horn became a faint blue, suddenly, he cried as his wing was twisted upwards at an unnatural angle, he felt to his side, exposing his warm fur protected by his wing to the harsh coldness of the room. Tears welled in his eyes, from fear or pain...did it make a difference?
After a moment, the Alicorn let his left wing drop. he stood shakily, as a thumping sound signed the form as approved, the documents that were roughly passed back through the booth he snatched up quickly, needing to get out of this room as quickly as possible.
"Sorry sir, we just can't be too careful nowadays, you understand?" She said, he nodded, tears still welling at the corner of his eyes. As he walked towards the other side of the door, it opened, revealing the vast landscape of green forests and mountains, with giant airships flying overhead. he barely registered the voice that called behind me.
"Welcome to New Eqi, Long live the Empire! Long Live King Ironhoof!
Author's Note
Uh, Hi. How is everyone doing? This is...well, I've never addressed you guys directly, guess I'll just call myself Silver Haze's Boyfriend. She always does. Uh, so I've been feeling kinda burned out writing Silver Haze. I mean, hell I was just sort of dragged into it after I started dating her after she and her last boyfriend started it. I like writing it, she's got some creative ideas from time to time. But the idea of making a Grimdark twist on the world is something I've always wanted to turn it into. But I understand that she wants to take Silver Haze in a different direction. However, after chatting with her and her noticing that I really did have some ideas. She let me write this. The Eternal Gods. A spin on the HIEQ verse.
I hope you all enjoy it. I've pumped it though it to try and weed out any errors, but proofing my work has never has been my strong point and to be completely honest I don't want to bother an editor over a story I'm not even sure I'll continue working on. Take it as a one-shot for now.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments and I'll try to improve the areas it seems I'm weakest in and focus on the ones you like.
Till next time.
-SH BF.
