Equestria: For Honor

“Ashen! You crossed the line!” Braveheart shouted as he kicked aside a garbage can in an alleyway.

Ashen turned to see his brother fuming, his eyes lividly lit up with hatred. Ashen tried to look as calm as possible. But deep inside, he was outright terrified. He knew what Braveheart was angry about, and Ashen knew that he couldn’t talk his way out of this one. He still had to try.

“Braveheart, I can explain-”

A hoof met his face, sending him sprawling into some more garbage cans.

“You knew!” Braveheart said. Ashen barely had time to get up before another blow struck him again.

Ashen staggered,“I’m sorry! Okay!? I didn’t think it would happen at all!”

“It was a dark magic charm that housed an evil spirit! Yet, you bought it in some shady alleyway, and gave it to our mother, you piece of shit!” Braveheart then bucked him into a brick wall. “Do you have any idea what that thing made her do!?”

Ashen pulled out a pocket knife and said, “Don’t you lay another hoof on me! I swear, I will kill you.”

When the ultimatum reached his ears, Braveheart growled and said “Come on! Do it!”

Ashen let loose a guttural cry, and charged Braveheart. Braveheart stood still, convinced that his brother would not dare attack his brother, his best friend, a member of his only family. He did not realize that anger and bitterness made Ashen blind to reason.

Ashen slammed into him, driving his knife deep into Braveheart’s belly. Braveheart flopped to the ground, knife still in place.
The anger and blindness subsided. Ashen stood there, as Braveheart stirred.
“I… am your family.” Braveheart croaked as he tried to stand.
Ashen looked on in horror.
Braveheart got on his hooves, his wound bleeding profusely. “All I ever wanted was to…”
He collapsed, and Ashen fled, tears flowing down his cheeks.

(IV)

Ashen parried one strike, before he could even grin, a poleaxe shaft appeared underneath him, and and lifted him into the air, flipping him over Holden Cross’s shoulder and slamming him into the ground, and shattering any hope of besting the lawbringer.
Holden took off his helmet. “And here I thought Ignatius was wrong about you,” he muttered. “It seems you can’t get our fighting styles at all.”

Ashen staggered as he got up from the vicious beatdown he called training. He dropped his flail and shield and sat down, breathing heavily.

“Our weapons, our fighting styles are completely alien to him,” Roland said, who was watching from afar with Ignatius. “Perhaps we could get Stone to train him?”

Holden frowned. “If Ignatius can’t get to him, Stone can’t either.”

They sat there silently, eyeing the heavily-breathing Ashen, figuring out what to do with him. They needed him in the field with them in two weeks time before they begin their campaign. As their only magical asset, they would need him to help counter the magical power these ponies seemed to wield.

“You know,” Ignatius said. “We could have Marius train him.”

Roland scoffed. “You want him trained as a centurion?! That’s as bad as having him trained as a lawbringer!”

“Think about it,” Ignatius explained. “He seemed proficient with knives when we captured him. All our weapons are bigger than he is used to. If we give him a weapon like a gladius, and train him in the centurion way of fighting, he would probably be better off than fighting with a five-foot blade of steel.”

Holden held his armoured hoof to his chin. “An idea so crazy, it just might work.”

“Holden, are you really considering this?” Roland asked. Holden paused for a moment, then turned to Ashen. “Ashen, report to commander Marius tomorrow. You will be receiving lessons from him.”
Ashen muttered under his breath.

(IV)

“So, my guards say that you are the only confirmed survivor of the Ponyville Guard. Is this true?”

“Indeed, I am.”

Celestia and Luna sat on their respective thrones, looking deeply troubled about what Braveheart just told them. He couldn’t blame them, he’d be shocked that an entire group of guards were slaughtered by brutal ponies holding axes and screaming, “Valhalla!” as they jumped from their boats.
Luna turned to her sister. “I’ve also gotten word that these brutes also captured the area around Vanhoover, and have been sighted in many of our waterways. They are making their way towards Canterlot and will be here in a few days.”

Celestia turned back to Braveheart. “What are these warriors like?”

“They are not afraid to die,” Braveheart said. “That answer alone should suffice.”
Celestia turned to her sister. “I know that I can’t dissuade you from taking up arms. So, instead, I am giving you full control over our armed forces. I will try to set up a sanctuary within Canterlot, and offer aid to our affected citizens. I will eventually join the war effort, when everything is stabilized. For now though, can you bear the responsibility?”

Luna nodded. “I am equal to the task.”

“Good.”

Celestia got up and said, “Before we engage these savages, I want you to lead the Northern 10th Battalion in a scouting mission to judge the strength of these iron-clad warriors in the Crystal Empire. I want to know if we can liberate the Crystal Empire and save the royal family from captivity.”

Luna nodded, and Celestia made her exit.

Braveheart turned to leave, but felt Luna’s hoof rest on his shoulder.

“I want you to come with me and the 10th Battalion.” She said.

Braveheart frowned. “Are you sure? I mean, I have no problem with it, but I never seen, or fought them before.”
Luna shrugged. “None of us have.”
Braveheart looked down at his blood-caked sword and scabbard.

“Braveheart, how did you get those burns?” Luna asked.

“I took some splash from an savage’s incendiary bomb. Nothing too serious.” Luna narrowed her eyes. Before she could press the issue, Fluttershy entered the room. “Princess Luna, y-you wanted to see me?”

Braveheart took this opportunity and said, “If you will excuse me, I must get ready for the trip.”

Luna hesitated, then nodded. She kept her eyes on Braveheart until he trotted out of the throne room.

Thanking Celestia for Fluttershy’s timely arrival, he went towards the barracks to get ready for the long haul.