James had been in Equestria for no more than two months, yet now he found himself on the front lines of their war. In such a short time he had made many friends and felt like there was nothing that he wouldn't stand up to in the defense of his new homeland. James was sweating as he glanced around behind him at the thousands of ponies in formation.
Some looked back at him and met his gaze. James saw many things in their expressions. Some of their eyes gleamed with valor and rage at the enemy griffons, there were those who bore the looks of terror and were muttering prayers that they would see their families again, and there were the ponies that stared straight ahead showing no emotion, simply accepting that their deaths were close and trying not to think about it much.
James was snapped back to attention by the sound of roaring from the distance. The griffons had started to charge toward them, some taking flight in tight squads.
Although Shining Armor was the captain of the guard, he was ordered out here because the last general’s head was found muzzle down in a bucket of blood by his tent.
"STEADY" he shouted to the battalion of ponies behind him.
James had overheard him reading a letter to his family aloud to himself and knew that he was just as scared as everypony else. He was amazed that General Armor was able to keep his confident mask on.
The griffons were less than a hundred yards away when the general finally yelled "CHARGE" and everypony ran forward, spears ready, shields up, and sword hilts in mouths or magic. James himself was wielding a battle ax in one hand and a custom made shield in the other as the pony ones were too small.
When the two armies met, the clash of metal was deafening. James was several feet away before he started a large arc with his ax. The griffon it was headed for tried to stop short but his brethren behind him pushed him right into the blade. The ax connected directly with his beak and with little trouble cut right through it and a good part of the front of his face, spraying blood everywhere.
James doubled up by letting his ax keep its momentum as he swung it in a circle up and over his own head before letting another devastating blow slice a griffon’s head clean off. Although the head was sent flying to the side, blood splattered all over James. In any other circumstance he would have freaked out and tried to rub it away from his eyes, but now there was to time for that.
James raised his shield to deflect a downward strike from a two clawed mace but to his dismay, shields protect one from the sharp part, not the force of the blow. There was a crack that could barely be heard over the rest of the conflict and James lost feeling in his arm. He spared a glance down to realize that his shield had broken and thankfully not his arm. However the force of the shields failure hand numbed up his arm good. James had just enough time to jump to his left to avoid another swing after he had finished his analysis.
The mace hit the ground and of all the things that he could think of, James mounted the long handle like a child would a stick horse and grabbed it with his newly freed left hand. The griffon tugged on and jerked the mace around trying to get the human off but it was no use. So he dropped the handle and tried to go after James with his talons. This had been expected and James was glad that his plan to disarm the griffon had worked.
He thrust forward his mace in a jabbing motion and caught the griffon in the arm, slicing it open nearly the full length. The griffon fell down and clutched his arm with his other talon, trying to keep the now two halves of an arm whole. James swiftly delivered mercy on the warrior by burying his ax head straight into his chest.
James straitened up to feel a searing pain in his head. One of the aerial griffon squads had passed by and missed his head by so little that his ear was still a casualty and was sent flying. James stumbled and started to reach up to the hole in his head when he felt himself get thrown to the ground by a powerful buck in the back.
At that point everything began to move in slow motion.
James fell onto a corpse that was smeared with blood which instantly transferred onto his clothing. James reached up and felt the raw cartilage from where his ear had been, but he didn't feel any pain. He had heard that if you were in enough pain then your nervous system would block it out, and he could say first hand that this was true.
James looked to his right and was greeted by the eyes of a felled ally. Their young face was contorted in a mixture of surprise and anger, a face that would remain like that forever. James could do nothing, for his muscles refused to obey him. He was certain his spine was broken from the impact with a griffons rear hooves. All he could do is stare endlessly into the dead orbs of the pony in front of him. Although he hadn't been able to accept his own death before the battle, now he didn't have to. It was going to come for him either way.
He remembered back to all his time with the ponies, no matter how short it was, it was the best time he had ever had. The family that had let him stay with them, the little colt of said family with whom he had spent hours on end conversing and playing with. Everything he had done since arriving in Equestria was flooding back to him. His eyes welled up with tears. He would never see them again. He would never hold foals again. He promised to come back to them but... Plans change. He was being forced along to another place.
The problem now was that his death was going to be very drawn out. He wasn't bleeding enough on the outside, and on the inside it was only his spine that was broken. All he could do was lay there, not dying, yet not living either.
He felt like his family could feel his pain, and he wanted it to be over, for both their sakes. Equestria did not have medicine like earth; they would not be able to reconnect his spine. If he did live somehow he would be confined to a bed for the rest of his miserable life.
As if his call had been heard he felt a hoof on his back. He was roughly turned face up and his sight was filled by a huge griffon looming over him.
James couldn't decide how he felt. On one hand he was sad that the last thing he would see is this griffon, but on the other he didn't have to die slowly and painfully.
The griffon placed one of his rear hooves on James's chest and positioned his spear right over his neck. He did not have the strength to plead, not that he really wanted to. It was his time. He had now accepted it.
With one quick plunge of the spear, James's eye sight changed as his head rolled to the side. There was absolutely no pain anymore. Nothing. His mind went slack and his vision got darker. Nothing left to do. But to die. In the dirt. With everypony else...
Thunderlane was lying on the couch in his living room with his two favorite mares, Cloudchaser and Flitter. Their conversation was interrupted by a loud slam of the front door and the soft noise of rapid exhalation.
Not realizing anything was wrong, Thunderlane gave his usual casual greeting "Hey Rumble, how was school today?"
After he heard no response he got up from his comfy spot somewhat reluctantly to go see what the problem was. he turned the corner and saw his little brother on the floor in tears that were now creating a puddle and staining his fur. Instantly his guardian instincts kicked in and he rushed over to the colt and threw his arm around him.
"What’s wrong Rumble?" Thunderlane asked, panic edging in his voice.
Rumble didn't respond, he simply slid the newspaper out from under him and clung to his brother’s foreleg instead. Thunderlane was not sure he wanted to read the article since Rumble had such a reaction to it, but he looked at it anyway.
All he did was read the title when his heart dropped into his stomach; he left it sitting there and began to return his little brothers hug. His eyes became wet, tears rolled down his cheeks and slight moans of morning escaped his lips.
The additional volume lured the sisters out of the living room; they walked around the corner and gasped simultaneously at the scene. Thunderlane and Rumble were both bawling like foals over a large folded piece of paper. Flitter’s motherly personality caused her to rush over and hug both of them, as well as begin crying to. Cloud chaser was not usually one for showing what she considered weak emotions, but after seeing the contents of the paper, she fell on everypony else and join them in their sorrow. The news paper’s title was just a hoofful of words but to this family, it was everything. Their friend wasn’t coming home.
Camp jeery assaulted, no survivors recovered.
