The Lost Prince

All of a sudden, the dawn came. Those who were besieged in the city of Helemath looked up. Shanlo growled his distaste. A horn blew as the sun sparkled on the snowy plains surrounding the city. Shanlo, with his horde of white wolves, turned and faced the on coming threat. Suddenly, cresting the top of a hill, a white Peryton strode up, his wings outstretched like an angel glistening in the light. The sun streamed down from his silver crown and beside him stood a purple Alicorn. Shanlo smirked “So,” he said “the runaway came back. And he has a beauty which will make a fine slave to be my cup bearer.”

“Lord,” Shima said “look!”

Shanlo looked where she gestured and beside the two creatures who crested the hill, still more came. A veritable army of eighteen thousand Perytons, Crystal Ponies, and Equestrian Royal Guardsman stood beside Gale and Twilight. Shanlo’s mouth was slightly agape, then he recovered quickly. Barking out orders to his soldiers “Formations!”

As a single unit, the White Horde prepared themselves to counter attack. Twilight looked questioningly at Gale “What are we going to do?”

“We’ll let them come,” he said then looking at his captains he ordered “move the army back behind the crest of the hill.”

They looked at him puzzled. Were they going to retreat right as the battle began? Gale was in no mood to be questioned “Do it now!”

Hurriedly they obeyed. The entire army moved back below the crest. Shanlo was curious “What in Hell’s Teeth are they doing?”

“They fear us too greatly lord,” Shima said “we could strike them now while we have the chance. Rip their hides open as they turn their backs to us.”

“We could,” he replied “but that would be too easy. Nah, he’s got something up his sleeve, I just know it. We wait until he makes his move.”

“But then the others will think thee a coward my lord,” Shima said “surely we would not like that to happen.”

Shanlo pounced on her and forced her on her back to where her exposed unarmored belly presented itself to him. His red tongue licked his slobbering jowls as he spoke with the intensity of hot iron “I am no coward, my lovely wife. I am also not a fool. However, if YOU’D like to send out YOUR portion of the army in such a hasty maneuver, than by all means, be…my…guest. However, don’t come whining back to me when you find that you’re whole army is slaughtered.”

Shima glared back at him “You don’t scare me,” she jeered “you may have me pinned but that’s more than I can say about your enemies at present.”

Shanlo yelled “Fine then!”

Turning to one of his captains, a wolf named Grey Snout he shouted “You will take her majesty’s section of the army and assault those dratted deer on the side of that hill. Find out what’s going on and then report back to me!”

“Yes sire,” Grey Snout said “and then he howled orders to Shima’s regiment. Like a white tide breaking upon the sands of the shore, they went full on in a dead sprint, their paws barely seeming to touch the ground, howling their battle cries to the north winds. Gale watched from his position halfway between the crest and the bottom of the hill. He motioned to his guard who stood by him “Steady lads. Wait until they’re amongst us. Then we’ll move.”

The wolf pack burst over the crest of the hill and upon seeing them, they were spurred on by rage and fury and the thrill of the chase. It didn’t matter that a strange formation awaited them. All eighteen thousand soldiers under Gale’s and Twilight’s command had formed into multiple thick squares, their antlers and spears bristling like porcupines. The armored wolves, confident that they were protected, charged helter-skelter down towards them and then the two sides clashed. A captain in one of the squares watched his soldiers confidently, he was one of Princess Cadence’s Royal Guard and a veteran soldier named Light Wake. Whenever he saw his soldiers getting tired, he blew a whistle and they would retreat backwards within the ranks until they reached the back where upon a fresh new rank of soldiers would appear to bring the fight to the enemy. It was a new style of fighting for the Peryton’s who were unused to warfare, but it was one which he and his guards had used many a time in the frontier battles of the Crystal Empire. The wolves threw themselves at the formations. Knowing that they would either die by the hooves of the Peryton’s who were fighting for the freedom of their homeland, or be killed by Shanlo and Shima. Grey Snout knew after three repeated assaults that it was hopeless, but he knew the consequences if he didn’t come back with Gale’s head in his jaws. He looked over to one of his aides who was named Chin Fur “Chin Fur,” he said “go and tell Lord Shanlo, the battle goes against us. They have strange formations here which are keeping us pinned down. We can’t break through them with our forces. If he could send us reinforcements than we could end this conflict, but until then, we can only hold our positions at the top of the crest.”

Upon receiving these words, Shanlo looked mockingly at his wife “You see my beauty?” he said “if that had been you, you wouldn’t have even had the sense to call into reinforcements. However, I won’t even bother sending them.”

“Sire?” Chin Fur inquired “but…”

“You’re an aide Chin Fur,” Shanlo retorted “but not a strategist. Gale is attempting to draw our forces away to alleviate the siege on Helemath. He wants to cut our forces in half, if he thinks he can do that than he’s wrong. Gale is ambitious yes, but he is no tactician either. That idea of forming square didn’t come from him, he’s not too imaginative. Shima…”

She eyed him coldly “Yes?”

“You wanted a go at them didn’t you?” Shanlo said “well now’s your chance. Take the remainder of your forces but don’t immediately go to reinforce Grey Snout’s troops. You instead will flank on the right side and hide in the trees near the bottom of the hill. Ha! The attackers will be forced to fight on two fronts instead of us. He has an army of eighteen thousand by the information which Grey Snout gave us. We out number him two to one! He won’t stand a chance and he can’t charge us because of his position at the hill. He also doesn’t know Grey Snout’s strength is only a thousand. We have to deceive him in making sure that he’s occupied with protecting his flank and his front so much that he can no longer commit any forces to the siege. Then, once we’re done in Helemath and crush the resistance their, we’ll turn our fangs to them and eat their hearts in a victory feast tonight!”

Shima grinned “That’s the old warlord I remember. Fine, see you at the feast Shanlo.”

With that parting remark, she howled out her commands to her section of the army, a full six thousand wolves who silently moved off under the shadow of the trees.

Twilight was feeling uneasy. The battle was going smoothly, but too smoothly. Everything was going right as planned and that was never good. A minor military theorist herself, she had read everything she could before the campaign began and something wasn’t settling right in her gut. She flew up high as she could above the battle, just in time to see Shima loping off with her contingent into the forest. Were they retreating? She wondered, but that wasn’t the attitude of the likes of Shima and Shanlo, not from what she’d heard. Suddenly, an arrow whistled past her head. Shanlo was seen barking orders to one of the siege engine crews which were operating a ballista. It fired again in her general direction and she ducked back down below the visual point of the crest and therefore out of arrow range. She went back down to Gale “Gale,” she said “there’s a group of wolves, about six thousand moving to our right. I think they mean to take us from the side!”

Gale’s face was grim and determined, but the light of battle shone in his eyes “Let them come,” he said “we can take any number of wolves Shanlo throws at us.”

“But what of the Resistance in Helemath?” she asked “we’ll be pinned down here and there’s barely a defense left in the city. They’ve moved up to the second level and there’s only two more left! Shanlo’s set fire to the lower parts already, we have to help them!”

Gale thought for a moment then asked “How many wolves are holding us off at the crest of the hill?”

“Only about a thousand,” Twilight replied shouting over the chaos of battle.

“Then we’ll charge them,” Gale said flaring up his wings.

“What?” Twilight asked shocked.

“We’ll charge them,” he repeated “we can’t stay here forever, you’re right. There’s a good chance that Shanlo has something in store for us when we crest the hill, but we have to help the Resistance.”

He gave an order to one of his banner carriers “White Wing,” he said “signal to the army, we break formation and charge on my command. The Perytons and Pegasi will charge from above while the earth ponies will back us up!”

Shanlo waited and watched while the battle raged on around him. It didn’t matter that he’d lost nearly two thousand wolves. He’d lost more and still won, and at the end of the day, that’s all that mattered. The lives of his soldiers didn’t matter, only maintaining his power did. He commanded a vast pack anyway. He knew that Grey Snout’s ranks would crumple to the ground. But then again, Grey Snout was becoming too ambitious as a captain. He was brave and courageous, a real wolf’s wolf the soldier’s called him. He’d sent him on this mission with the one purpose of killing him. He had some of his siege engines arranged along the right flank of his army. They were huge machines, capable of launching multiple arrows at once in a single volley. They caused horrific casualties in his enemies in the past, and he would do the same to Gale and that stupid purple pony beside him. His eyes never left the battle in front of him, he waited and he watched.

Gale flew up with Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. Together they led the charge flying so low that they almost were within reach of Grey Snout’s wolves’ fangs when they leapt up in vain to try and catch them. The earth ponies charged. Their lances skewering their enemies as they trampled them under foot in a single tide. Grey Snout, for the first time in his life, fled from the battle. He knew that his position was hopeless. He turned to flee with the rest of his army, which was still relatively ahead of Gale’s when a five foot long steel tipped arrow snuffed out his life and pinned him to the ground. Gale saw the arrows racing towards him, Twilight saw it too. Her horn glowed with purple energy and the space between Gale’s antlers also glowed. In fact every Peryton in the front rank knew what to do. As soon as the arrows were within range, hissing like a mob of angry snakes and hurtling towards the earth ponies, the Peryton’s and Twilight raised a magic shield which shattered the arrows upon impact and turning them into harmless splinters which pinged against the armor of the earth ponies below. The siege engine crews tried desperately to load another volley, but by then it was too late, Gale’s army smashed into Shanlo’s army’s side and the clamor of battle rang in Gale’s ears.

Shanlo rallied his forces to him the wolves pressed in tighter and tighter against the army of Gale Wintersong, the King of the North and Lord of Snow and Ice. They smashed against the body guard of Shanlo who fought like mad beasts. Teeth flashed in the snow reflected sun, blood scattered upon the ground. Chaos reigned. Gale saw Shanlo through the maelstrom of claws, teeth and fur, Shanlo met his gaze. As if forming a path for the two combatants to fight a space was opened. Shanlo bayed his defiance at the degenerate upstart who threatened his power and leapt up at him. Gale felt Shanlo’s teeth latch on to his antlers but he shook him of, he lashed out with a kick from his hoof and caught Shanlo in the jaw. Shanlo cut Gale’s left leg and bit him in the haunches. Gale bucked and kicked Shanlo in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Shanlo leapt again at Gale’s head but Gale was ready. Lowering his horns at the last second he deflected the Shanlo’s attack. His next kick missed and his ankle was bit by Shanlo. Gale gasped as he felt a tendon snap under Shanlo’s powerful jaws. His right hoof was useless and bleeding profusely. He could barely walk on it. Shanlo noticed his enemy’s weakness and exploited it. He only attacked on that side, forcing Gale to constantly circle his enemy.

Shanlo taunted him “Come on princeling,” he mocked “don’t dance or you’ll be my jester instead of my next meal.”

He kept on saying other jeers. He called him little deer, and half-born calf, and weak king and others. Finally, while distracted by another wolf coming up from behind and turning to face that threat, Shanlo bit him in the left leg and held on with all his might. Gale dropped to the ground as if he’d been hit by a bullet. He let out a terrified scream. Twilight and Rainbow Dash turned and saw him. They had been fighting their own personal engagements when they heard Gale’s cry of dismay. Twilight shouted “No!”

Shanlo released his grip and walked in front of Gale, his mouth dripping with Gale’s own blood. He licked his slobbering chops and asked “I’ll enjoy eating you tonight.”

Then he moved in for the final blow. His mouth opened so wide that Gale could count every tooth, that’s when he struck. Using his only working front hoof, Gale struck the lower jaw with all the strength he had left. Shanlo felt every bone in his mouth break. Suddenly he couldn’t speak if he wanted too. He could only look at Gale in shock and horror, his own blood and saliva dripping on the ground in front of him. Gale slowly stood up and looked down at Shanlo. Shanlo’s normal wit and cunning had deserted him, his legs began to tremble, his tail tucked between his legs in a wolf’s sign of submission. He wanted to say that he surrendered but no words could come out. When he moved his jaw, pain lanced across his entire body. He began to whimper. Gale’s eyes were a-light as if with blue fire, his tone of voice equivalent to Princess Luna when speaking in the royal tone “Shanlo Loshan,” he said “for the murdering of innocents, other crimes which you have committed in order to gain power. I hereby sentence you to death. You no more will trouble the world nor will walk among the living again!”

With that, a lance of fire streamed from Gale’s crown and it struck Shanlo in the face. His body slowly disintegrated into a thousand pieces and the smell of burnt fur and the resounding sonic boom was heard all across the plain. It knocked every soldier friend and foe down flat on the ground. Shanlo’s steel helmet and armor, like a carapace from an insect fell until it landed on the snow. Every eye present could see it. Gale, with his army, stood triumphant on the battlefield.