Sacrifice

     The roar of combat fills the cold air as the ponies under command of Princess Celestia engage in a desperate battle for their home. Armor clashes, and magic flashes, Equestria is at war.

     A Pegasus lies broken and battered at the feet of four armored ponies, crying out weakly for help as they kick and stomp at him. The assailants finish their deed, leaving the bloodied form of the Pegasus in the snow in their search for their next victim.

      Suddenly a tall creature clad in dull gray metal lifts the brutalized body up and carries him to a ditch, where unicorns work to mend wounds and ease suffering while the battle rages. "Quickly now, he is injured beyond my help. I shall return with more wounded as soon a second I can." The creature informs them before turning and sprinting back into the battle.

     Pæx begins to search the battlefield for those in need of medical attention, but instead finds himself the target of the enemy's aggression. Two armored ponies charge at him, ramming him into a solid boulder and catching him off guard. "Damn!"

     The attackers Jump back away from him and prepare to ram him again, this time having his fullest attention. "You wish me harm? Fine, have at you!" Pæx shouts as he lifts a warmaul from its holster on his back. The hostile on the left charges him first but meets a brutal end when the steel head of the hammer sends the head of its target flying a short distance away from its owner, painting the snow around them in sickly crimson. The other armored pony charges from the right, but lowers its head to avoid sharing its comrade's fate. Pæx brings the hammer down in a vertical smash that crumples the armor on the pony's back inward with an audible crunch and dashes directly into the crowd of fighting ponies.

     Pæx reaps a bloody harvest, swinging and smashing his maul hard into an earth pony with spiked armor crushing its hind legs, then into the horn of a heavily armored unicorn, who's hooves briefly reach up and grab at thin air before falling to the frozen earth in shock. One pegasus dive-bombs him, but is unfortunate to not have armored wings, so it is quickly and agonizingly converted from an armored Pegasus to a heavily bleeding earth pony.

     The armored man laughs and grabs a nearby earth pony, slamming it headfirst into a dark column of crystal conjured by King Sombra, his voice echoing in his armor as he does so. "Wow you're easy to kill!"

     At this, a massive garrison of enemy troops march forward, large in rank. "Time to get funky." He declares as his armor splits open, and he removes it. The line of troops stops briefly as their King looks on with curiosity.

     Now without armor, Pæx stands in the cold but doesn't shiver. Clad in a simple tuxedo, he waves at the enemy. "Come on! I want to see how many things I can break!" He shouts at them.

     Sombra roars and points at the man with a hoof signaling his army to attack.

     "Body configuration: Crypt!"