Equestrian Legends: The Mercenary of Magic and Steel [Book-3]

Soon after I was born and named, my mother passed away to birth complications… The commanding officer, who conducted my birth, took me in, and raised me for a while… She taught me to write and read, helped me learn to control my magic, and several spells, which’s purpose I haven’t understood yet… I can’t remember much from back then, but I’m sure she used an aging spell on me to grow a few years, for which, I don’t blame her… I wouldn’t make even half a good father as good a stepmother she was… When I was about a month or two old, chronologically speaking, that is, I was playing in my room, or reading a book, I’m not sure anymore… What I DO know, is that I was with Ezio, when we started hearing crashing and gunfire… I still don’t know why Humans need those… And Sarah rushed into the room.

“Ezio! Here’s a map, take him there right now!” She exclaimed while giving him a piece of paper, then came over to me and knelt down to eye level, and put her hand onto my forehead, right under my horn… Oh, Celestia the headache that followed… Suddenly I felt like I lived at least a century, tho I was only a few years old… I remembered things, which happened before my birth… Memories stormed my mind… Memories, of a man in white robes named Altaïr, and those of another, called John… And many, many more things…

“Sarah! What’s happening out there?” Ezio inquired…

“The Griffons, Ezio… Please, do as I asked you… You must get him to safety…” She replied.

“Bene (Fine) I’ll hurry back, and do what I can…” She only nodded in response, when a soldier opened the door.

“Commander!” *Cough* “We need to evacuate!” He yelled… She bolted off toward the exit along with the soldier, while Ezio followed close behind, with me in his arms… Right as we left the building it collapsed, and we saw the massive army of Griffons, most being mowed down by the machineguns…

“Ezio! Go!”

“What about you?! You won’t stand a chance!”

“I must stay, you know when duty calls…” She replied, and loaded her rifle. I looked at Ezio, who seemed to completely understand what she meant… He turned around, and ran as fast as he could… At his age, I would not have expected him to be as fast as he was…

Meanwhile, back in town…

“Come on guys! Show them where they belong!” I yelled, trying to encourage the remaining troops, when Darkwing and Quietblade  finally returned, and joined us.

“Sarah! What the fuck! These assholes again?” Quietblade inquired.

“Moron! Aren’t you one of them?” Darkwing replied while impaling one.

“Not the point! Come on!” He exclaimed while slitting 2 throats, followed by a headshot.

“What do they want?”

“I don’t know! They came out of nowhere!” I informed them… When the remaining Griffons seemed to retreat…

“What the?” One of the troops wondered.

“Give them hell boys! Keep shooting!” I ordered them… Moments after pure abominations rushed at us, killing most of the troops, some stomped, some eaten, some crushed, or torn in half, if they were lucky, a stray bullet hit them from behind… We did our best to push them back, while the Elements of Harmony did their best to help… Luna, Celestia, where the fuck are you when we need you!? I thought to myself, only to hear dad respond.

I wish I knew… Celestia should know about the attack by now…

Suddenly, the abominations stopped, or dropped dead… And the King himself stepped forward… “Commander… Can we agree, that this was an unnecessary bloodshed?”

I spat him in the face, knowing the guys didn’t sign up for dying to entertain him…”You piece of shit… Do you have absolutely no remorse for the lives you wasted?!” I replied.

He slowly swept the generous amount off his face, and held one of his claws into the air. “I tried to avoid this…” He exclaimed, before clenching his claw into a fist… *Bang* *Bang* *Splat* *Grunt* Out of nowhere, two bullets hit Darkwing and Quietblade in their chest, dropping them to the ground…

“You sick fuck! Fire!” The rest of the troops started shooting at them until they could, and only the King was left, when the last bullet was about to hit him, an aura protected him. What the… Oh… It’s him…

“Well well well, looks like your life long friends… Or… Should I say pets? Finally won’t cause me more trouble… Would you not agree, Sombra?” He inquired, and King Sombra slowly materialized next to him, and summoned a tendril, which grabbed me, and pulled me close to them…

“Yes… Quite a shame they won’t see the end…” He exclaimed…

I reached for my pocket and replied with a chuckle. “Huh… You only think… Girls! Run!” I yelled, trying to get them to safety… They knew my nature, and without a question did so... *Click*

While they were having a struggle, Ezio and I entered the forest…

As soon as we entered the well known, and dreaded Everfree Forest, we heard an explosion… A huge one… We turned around to look, and saw a giant cloud of dust and smoke where the base was just moments ago… “Requiescat in Pacem” Ezio muttered, and we continued on, back then, I didn’t understand why things happened, but when I realized what the explosion was, caused me to cry from emotions for the first time in my life… When it was time for the Moon to rise, and Sun to hide, Princess Luna visited our camp. “Ezio…”

“Princess Luna? What brings you here, into the middle of nowhere?”

“We heard what happened a few hours ago… I know Sarah and you were close friends too…”

“And where have you been when it happened?!”

“What do you mean?”

“Isn’t your sister meant to see everything under the Sun?”

“Yes, but.”

“Then why didn’t you act? Did you not see those unfortunate souls fighting for the town’s freedom?”

“We didn’t know about it, she didn’t see anything either…”

“Oh?”

“Where are you heading now?”

“She asked me to take him here…” He replied while pointing at the map.

“Oh, that place could be your end, if I’m not with you when you arrive…”

“Cazzo (Fuck) I assume you will accompany us then?”

“Indeed, but only in the morning will we go on…” As a foal, I myself simply didn’t know what to do in the presence of royalty, so I pretended to sleep… In vain I must add… She looked down at me… “Valiant effort, my friend, but I know you’re not sleeping…” She exclaimed, I pretended to snore just to make sure… “Just give up, I know you’re awake… What’s your name?” That’s where the trouble was… I was taught to read and write, but never to talk… And with the aging spell, I was 3 years old, unable to say a single word…

“You know, Sarah used an aging spell on him, so he got older, and taught him to read and write…” Ezio tried to explain.

“But not to talk… I see…” She replied… Soon her horn began glowing, and put it to mine… “How about now? What is your name?”

“Altamir De Marz, your highness.” I replied, those being my first words…

“Well met, Altamir… Where you’re going, you will be safe but… Not so happy… What I can guarantee, is that you will be hearing my name very often, but that won’t make such a brave foal as you angry at me, right?” She asked with a grin.

“No!” I replied… She only chuckled in response.

“Well, we should sleep then… Tomorrow is a long road ahead…” And we did just that… The next morning we moved on, deeper into the seemingly endless forest… Until we saw a fortress… “It feels like a thousand years since I last set hoof here…”

“Is that not the truth?” Ezio inquired, thinking about her banishment.

“Let’s just move on…” She replied, and we entered…

“Open the gates!” A guard yelled, and soon the massive piece of metal moved, to let us pass… I can’t remember much more from that day, I was taken in, and taken care of… Ezio and Luna told me that they need to leave, and I remain there… They did leave soon after.

Days later, I started to miss them, so I found the Leader… Starlight and her siblings, Swiftsteel and Starryshield, who were Eclipsed warriors, mercenaries, and assassins… *Knock* *Knock* “Come in!” She replied, so I walked in. “Greetings Altamir, why are you still awake this late into Luna’s brilliant night?”

“Greetings to you as well… I have come with an odd request…”

“I must say, you talk quite like an adult… And what would it be?”

“I was wondering if you could make me older... “

“Just how much older?”

“Enough to train with the others… I want to fight for myself, for all of us, and ultimately, for Luna.”

“I see… Are you sure willing to give up on your childhood for such cause?”

“At any cost.”

“These are rather heavy words, coming from a foal your age… But if that is what you desire, then you shall have it…” She replied, and cast a spell… “By the time the blinding sunlight reaches us, you will be much older.”

“Thank you..” I replied, and left to my room to sleep… That night I dreamed of what could’ve happened to my mother, who my father could be, and why would the Griffons have attacked, when I was awoken by my friend, Coldblood… We were the same age, I met him just days before it happened…

“Woah! Woah! Tami, what happened to you? You got bigger and probably older!”

*Yawn* “What is it, Blood? It’s waayy too early…” I replied.

“Come oon! Starlight told me you can train with us from now on!” His plan worked, and I threw the blankets off faster than ever before in my short life, and followed him to the training grounds…

“Accursed morning, everypony… Are you prepared for today’s training?” Inquired our instructor… Teacher… Master… Mentor… You get the point… We all nodded in response. “I’m sure you all know who I am by now, but for the new ones, I’m Starryshield, Starlight’s elder brother, and a Mercenary of the Eclipsed rank, so I can assure you I’m fit for this morning routine...” He exclaimed proudly, then pointed a sword at me. “What’s your name, son? It’s the first time I see you here…”

“I’m Altamir De Marz.” I replied.

“Quite a fancy name… And which branch will you practice? Soldier, Mercenary, or Assassin? That is, if you can even qualify for one…”

“He’ll go with all of them at once!” Blood replied in my behalf… At that moment, not even Luna could’ve saved him… If I would’ve hit him…

“WHAT?!” I replied along the crowd… Starryshield only grinned.

“Very well son, if you succeed, your parents will be made proud… Perhaps, maybe even we will be just that…” He exclaimed, doubting I could achieve such high ranks…

“Blood…” I exclaimed calmy.

“What?”

“Run… Fucking run…” I replied.

“Hmm… Yesterday you said you want to fight for yourself and for us… You don’t seem so eager now…” Starlight replied from behind. We all showed respect and looked back at our teacher.

“You haven’t told me you’ll be visiting today…” He exclaimed.

“Do you mind me walking by?” She replied, and left.

“Where were we? Oh yes, buckle up boy, you will be in for a hard time…” He warned me.

“Challenge accepted!” Blood replied.

“If you say one more damn word, Luna have mercy on your soul, I’ll beat it out of you…” I warned him.

“Huh, personality of a Mercenary… That’s a good start…” The teacher exclaimed.

“Can we just get over it?” I inquired… And under a month, I managed to achieve the following ranks…

Mercenary: Merc (4)

Soldier: Apprentice (1)

Assassin: Apprentice (1) … I also received a few kind words from Starlight…

“I must say, you improved a lot… But what about the other two branches?”

“Your words are most kind, and I haven’t bothered with them… I see it fit to fully master one, before beginning another…” I replied...

End of Prologue.