Chapter 2

Hope

It took some time to get suited. Well, it took me some time to get suited. After being debriefed I had quickly made my way to the armory and donned armor that was better designed for combat than my ceremonial plate. I was also issued a basic longsword, a helm and a small crossbow. The weapons would be difficult to wield if I had not been trained in their use. Well, that and having a special holster/firing mechanism on your leg helps.

The blade however was held in the mouth. Again, I had spent many years fighting with it like this so I made it work. Anywho, after getting all geared up I made my way to the cart prepared for us ahead of time that contained our provisions and secondary gear. Once hooked up I took the cart and headed for the west gate.

As I expected, Hawkeye was just standing around waiting for me. He gave me a smile that reached his ears and with a flash and pop he disappeared from in front of me and reappeared in the cart, sitting.

"Took you long enough," he chuckled.

"Some of us rely on armor and weapons to be successful in battle," I replied. "Not everyone can get by wearing only a robe." I stuck my tongue out at him and he flashed a smile in return. Looking up at the sky I could see that the sun was reaching its xenith. Perfect, it was only nearing noon.

As if reading my mind, Hawkeye stomped his foot and clicked his tongue twice in a mocking 'giddyup'. "Well, it looks like we're a little early but I say we go ahead and start our first mission, what'ya say Blue-Mane?" he said, the mocking tone in his voice hard to miss.

I turned my head his direction and gave him a blank stare before turning back and pulling the cart and its cargo to the gate. A pair of guards stood watch at the gate, not caring to hide that they were bored out of their minds. At our approach they straightened up a bit in an attempt to make themselves more presentable.

The guards stationed at the wall typically were not actually part of the Order, but were common ponies of the village that had either flunked out of training or were just looking to make some easy money. And with such low stature, they view anypony of the Order as revered members of society. It felt good, but a little awkward at the same time.

"At ease gentleponies," I said and immediately they relaxed their posture, relieved that I was more merciful than most other members. "We need passage through this gate. We will be departing immediately, time of return unknown," I told him, handing over the approval of departure scroll marked with the official seal of the Order.

The guard pony looked it over for a second, pretending to read but I knew he cared very little for the actual content of the scroll. It had the seal of approval, and that was good enough for him.

"Yes sir," he said as he stepped out of my way. He pushed a hidden switch buried within the wall with his hoof and with a grinding of gears and pulleys the gate slowly opened. The other guard pony beckoned for us to exit and I did not hesitate to take my leave. My heart was pounding, I had never set foot outside these walls.

I glanced behind me and noticed that Hawkeye was staring straight ahead into the forest, into the unknown. He looked down at me and gave a quick nod, then just as quickly returned his gaze to the war torn frontier beyond. With a brief smile I returned his nod and lurched forward with the cart out of the gates.

We were off to determine the fate of our brothers and sisters

* * *

A few hours had passed and I couldn't be any happier. Finally we had been entrusted to carry out a mission vital to the war effort! Finally we were outside those drab walls. As I continued down the path I took stock of my surroundings. Every sense was teeming with new information. We had grown accustomed to the sights and smells inside of the walls, so the wilderness was something else entirely.

I took in a deep breath of the fresh autumn air. So this is what trees smelled like, looked like. The luscious green hue of the foliage, the smell of pine and evergreen. It was bliss compared to the dank and musty tunnels we had inhabited for so many years. But these sights and smells were not alone.

The smell of smoke and decay lingered with the forest, and random patches of blackened and charred land scarred the land. Many battles had been fought on our borders, and the Princesses advanced ever further. If the war had reached this far it did not bode well for the team we were sent to rescue. It was unlikely they survived.

I glanced back at Hawkeye again and saw that he too was deep in thought. He was more intelligent than I, so if these thoughts ran through my thoughts they most certainly did for him. Just as I turned to bring my attention back to the path I bumped into something. It was an old, decrepit looking pony that shook with it uneasiness. But it hadn't moved an inch.

"My apologies," I said "I didn't see you there. Actually, where did you come from?" Neither of us had seen this pony standing in the path earlier and the path had been on a straight stretch for nearly a mile. It was as if the pony had appeared out of thin air.

"That be none of your concern," the robe-clad pony said in a shrill yet feminine voice. "Now if you'll excuse me I have important matters to attend to." She began to walk away from the path to the side when a glow emanated from beneath her hood. Hawkeye suddenly let out a gasp that sounded like pain.

"What's wrong Hawkeye?" I asked.

"She's... powerful... too, powerful!" He replied, speaking through clenched teeth.

I turned back to the old mare and I noticed that there was a hole in front of her that was taller than she. Through the hole I could see our town, and in the background the Grand Hall of the Order. It must be a portal!

"Hey, what are you doing!" I shouted, not really sure what to do since I was still strapped into the cart's harness. She stopped abruptly and turned her head to face us. Her eyes seemed to gleam with a wisdom far beyond her already advanced years. In those eyes I could see immense power. And it was terrifying.

"Be wary of your Masters young one," she replied. "Things aren't always as they seem." And with that she stepped through the portal. Once she was completely through the portal abruptly closed with a loud pop. Hawkeye let out a gasp of relief and sank down in the cart.

"Are you alright, brother?" I asked, concerned for him. She hadn't even cast anything at him. The sheer power of her magic seemed to have overloaded his senses and nearly incapacitated him.

"I'll be fine," he replied. "Just keep going, we need to help our brethren. If something as powerful as her is wondering through the forest I'd like to make sure our friends are safe and home as quickly as possible. Now, get moving so we can get the hell out of here."

I nodded and set off at a brisk trot, faster than just walking like I had been earlier. Hawkeye was right, if that unicorn was travelling in the woods alone there was no telling what else might be out here. We needed to find our friends and fast. A shiver went down my spine. It might already be too late.

* * *

After a couple or hours had past I slowed the cart to an eventual halt. We were close to the last known position of the convoy but I wasn't stupid enough to just go waltzing in. I pulled the cart off the path a few feet into a thick section of brush to hide our cart and unhitched myself from the harness. Hawkeye, having had enough time to recover jumped from the cart and stood next to me.

"Are you ready, brother?" I asked.

"Whatever lies ahead, I'm with you," he replied. And with that we slowly made our way through the wilderness. After about 300 yards (or about 275 meters for those of you in the metric system) we reached an edge to the forest before it opened into a wide, flat meadow. Although, it didn't look like a meadow. It looked like hell incarnate.

In the center of this meadow of madness sat a carriage, it's wheels broken and sitting lopsided. The carriage would have been a rather boring looking thing had it not been for the several holes puncturing its body. But it wasn't the carriage that turned this land into a hellscape, oh no. It was the bodies strewn around it.

Corpses littered the field, none intact. Blood, limbs and gore spattered everything as far as the eyes could see. Was this war? Was this the 'glory' that accompanied the legends we were told? There was nothing glorious about this, it was utterly wrong. Such waste of life, yet a necessary waste.

Neither Hawkeye nor I had noticed that we had left the forest and were walking towards the carriage, so entranced were we. Some pony corpses wore the uniforms of the Order, others were in rags.

"They must have been attacked by brigands and thieves," I said, my voice loud in stark contrast to the silence of the mass grave around us. "They were after what was in that carriage, no doubt." I had just finished my sentence when a rumble began to resound amongst us. Some of the broken pieces of wood and debris began moving on its own, heading away from us.

A loud yet low howl split the air. My gut sank, I had heard the legends but I didn't know they were true. The ponies of the Order hadn't been attacked by bandits. They had been slaughtered by Timber-Wolves.

No less than six sprang from the earth, but two were distinguishably different. One on our furthest left flank was a bulbous, bloated looking thing that was being protected by two normal looking wolves. I made a mental note to take him out second. Priority however, would be reserved for the massive pack leader that had emerged from the forest opposite us.

The wolves stared at us for what seemed like an eternity, their glowing green eyes piercing the sunset atmosphere with a ghostly sheen. I took stock of my surroundings and noticed Hawkeye was doing the same. He had begun charging his magic to release lethal Mind Bullets, as he called them, at our foe.

There were three normal Timber-Wolves to the right and the bloated bastard with his two guards in front of him to our left. And the big guy of course, was directly in the center. I looked at Hawkeye and nodded to my right. Understanding my intentions, he moved around to my right flank. But just to be clear, I told him my reasoning.

"Take the three on the right, I'll charge the big guy in the center."

"What about the fatty on the left and his goons?" He asked.

"They're just that, goons. The 'fatty' must be important so they'll stay with him and won't come after us," I explained. "That gives us enough time to take out the bigger threat first and come for them together in the end."

Hawkeye nodded and I wasted no time charging the boss in the center. The crackle of magic sounded as one by one Hawkeye sent his Mind-Bullets into the skulls of the three on my right. One by one they fell by the precision of his magic, but we knew they wouldn't stay down for long. According to the legends, Timber-Wolves had a nasty habit of reanimating when you least expected them to.

So I had no time to waste. Using my mouth I unsheathed my sword from its scabbard across my back and held it pointing straight at the Alpha. It let out what seemed to be laughter, but that was its mistake. Using its amusement with itself to my advantage, I lifted my front right leg that had the crossbow strapped to it and aimed it at the Alpha's eye.

Utilizing the magical firing mechanism that linked the crossbow to my thoughts, I fired the crossbow with a twang and watch it take flight. In a matter of milliseconds the bolt struck the Alpha in the eye and it arched back in pain. I smiled, but my joy was short lived. With a thunderous boom, clouds of dirt and debris exploded around me. Thankfully my armor and helm caused the deadly shrapnel to bounce away harmlessly, and I now knew why fat boy was important.

He was a makeshift artillery piece, capable of sprouting tendrils of wood and vine and hurling them at breakneck speeds to its foe. Undaunted I kept on, shrapnel and gore from the corpses flying around me. The sooner I got to the Alpha the sooner it would stop, they wouldn't risk angering their leader with a stray shot.

Fortunately for me the Alpha was still distracted and when I finally came close enough I flung my head back, releasing my sword into the air. It moved forward with the moment I had given it and when the timing was right I jumped and met it mid-air with my hind hooves, kicking the hilt and sending the blade on a direct course to the Alpha's stomach.

With a 'thwack' the blade struck home and the Alpha screeched in pain once more. But I wasn't finished yet. I landed and performed a somersault which brought my on my back directly underneath the sword hilt protruding from the Alpha's gut. Putting my front hooves behind me and to the ground, I lurched myself upward just like I had against my bout with Hawkeye and kicked the sword hilt up.

It tore through the Alpha like butter, splitting the beast from groin to neck. Its howling abruptly stopped as it de-constructed into a useless pile of lumber. I would burn it later. The artillery Wolf and it's bozos were undeterred, the fatty still flinging pieces of lumber and vegetation towards me at high velocity.

I had no time to retrieve my sword and not wanting to take any chances on a direct hit from Arty-Wolf I decided to bull-rush. I came at them like with everything I had, desperately trying to reach the big guy to regain the tactical advantage. It paid off. The two wolves standing guard were blown away like leaves by my impact, and I continued with my momentum until I reached my target.

I leapt up before impact and landed on its chest, sending it and I flying backwards. I could tell it wasn't use to getting this close to its enemy, for it only laid there and shrieked. I lifted my front hooves above my head and brought them down together on the creature's face. Again and again I brutally smashed its face until altogether the beast stopped moving.

The two guard wolves that were with it regained their senses and realizing that their last remaining hope of victory lie in ruin, fled like the cowardly animals they were. I sat on the Arty-wolf a while to catch my breath. Hawkeye walked over to me, a triumphant smile on his face.

"The dead ones shouldn't be up anytime soon," he said. "I placed an enchantment on them to ensure they don't reanimate."

"Excellent," I replied. "Now let's find out what is so important in this carriage that it required what looks like a regiment of our brothers and sisters."

Before making my way to the carriage, I stopped by the Alpha's remains and gathered my sword, put it in its scabbard and rejoined Hawkeye. As I approached the carriage I heard a noise that startled me. It was a cry, a youngling's cry. I looked around, checking the corpses around us to find the source. The cry came once more, but this time I could tell from where. The carriage.

I ran to the carriage as fast as my hooves could carry me, Hawkeye not far behind. Once I had reached the carriage I attempted to open its side door, but it wouldn't budge. Hawkeye came up to me and shook his head.

"It's sealed with magic," he said. Placing his horn against the carriage door, he sent a sliver of magic into it that created a fizzle then pop. Using his magic again, he effortlessly opened the door and motioned for me to look inside.

Slowly I made my way inside the carriage, but I couldn't see anything. There was nothing there. Or so I thought. From out of nowhere a tiny purple creature latched itself to my face, then giggled. I reached my front two hooves up and pried it from its 'perch' and could not believe what I saw.

I looked over at Hawkeye, his mouth dropped open as well. It was an Alicorn filly.

"How can this be?" He said. "I could sense no magical auras coming from the carriage earlier! I should have at least detected something, especially since she's an Alicorn!"

I glanced back into the carriage and noticed there was a corpse that had shared refuge with the filly, the crest of the Order emblazoned on his cloak. I motioned for Hawkeye to join me.

"Check the corpse," I said, still holding the Alicorn filly in one of my front legs. "It's the only remaining one that even resembles a pony. Maybe there is some information on it, orders perhaps." Hawkeye nodded and shuffled his way past me and into the carriage. While he searched the corpse and the remainder of the carriage I decided to make sure the filly was alright.

"Hello there, little one," I said as softly and gentle as I could muster. "What's your name?"

"My name is Hope, what's your name?" Her chipmunk voice was almost too much cuteness for me to take.

"Um, well, nopony has ever asked me for my name before. Everypony just calls me Blue-Mane. And that unicorn over there is named Hawkeye."

"Your name is Blue-Mane?" She looked up at my, well, blue mane. "Wow, I guess your mommy and daddy didn't think much on it did they?"

My face went blank. Little stinker. A smile returned to my face as I said, "I never knew my mommy and daddy. I grew up in an orphanage, and since nopony else knew my name they just called me Blue-Mane."

"Well I like it, 'cuz my mane is blue too!" She smiled, and it lit up my world. But her smile quickly faded as she apparently had thought of something else. "I'm sorry you never met your mommy and daddy." She began to cry. "I miss my mommy."

"Sssshhhh," I said, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, we'll take you to your mommy."

"You will?" She sniffled.

"You bet, on my honor."

"Blue-Mane," Hawkeye interrupted, "you may want to see this." I walked over to Hawkeye to see what he had found. With his magic he held up a scroll, the seal of approval by the Order stamped at the bottom. It was the orders the pony in the cab had received. Finally, we were getting somewhere.

'Major Darkwing,

Your value as an undercover operative in the NEI capitol is unquestioned, but we have a better use of your talents of infiltration and subterfuge. You are hereby ordered to secure the daughter of Princess Twilight Sparkle and bring her back to HQ immediately. We believe we can harness the young Alicorn's magic and weaponize it, hopefully bringing and end to the Princess's dreams of conquest. Imagine, bringing the NEI down a peg with the Princess's own daughter. So in conclusion, bring her to us and you will be greatly rewarded.

Signed,

Dartaeus Blackheart

What did I just read? Could our Masters be so cruel as to separate a mother and daughter simply for the sake of winning a war? Sure, the princesses attacked us, but that's no reason to go doing something like this? Or did they? How do I know that the Princesses were even the ones who started this war? If our Masters were so willing to do something as cold as this, who's to say they wouldn't stage an entire conflict?

My entire world had just been turned upside down. Multiple trains of thought flew through my head, trying to make sense of everything. This was wrong. Pure and utterly wrong. Hawkeye could see I was struggling with this and placed his hoof on my shoulder.

"What do you want to do Blue-Mane?" He asked. "Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

I took a few more deep breaths and regained my composure. Then I looked down at the filly I was still holding. She had no idea what was even happening. So pure, so innocent. I had to make this right.

"Blue-Mane?" Hawkeye repeated.

I looked to the west into what was once enemy territory, then back to the east at what I was once so sure was friendly. The battle-lines had shifted for me.

"Get the cart ready," I answered.

"Sure thing. But just out of curiosity, are we taking her back to the Order?" He asked.

"No, we're taking her home."

Author's Note

Be sure to share the story with your friends if you liked it! Also, any feedback on typos and gramatical errors would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! /)