Quashed

The next few days passed in a blur. Arrow spent much of his time rushing around the Hornburg, preparing as best he could for the incoming army. Between being outfitted for heavier, more durable armor and honing his skill with his bow, there was no time for any recreation. The closest he came to downtime were his meals and sleeping. While a lesser pony might have thought this to be a cruel treatment, Arrow knew it was necessary.

Boneshatter was less concerned with training and fitting. He already had a suit of armor specifically for the purposes of holding off a siege. He looked quite dashing in it, Arrow had thought. Instead, his tasks were geared more toward strengthening the fort. Extra beams were braced against the walls, the cables supporting the drawbridge were sistered twice for strength, and spare steel reinforced the wooden barricades. These would not come down easily.

Perhaps the most notable event happened two days before the attack. An army arrived at the back gate, but it wasn't the army they were expecting. Two hundred and fifty-seven Equestrian soldiers had marched over the mountains, and were now standing outside the gate, holding the white flag of truce. The gate was opened, and they made their way inside. The leader of this army stepped aside, to be greeted by Arrow and Ironblood.

"I am Sergeant First Class Rockwood, of the Equestrian forces. I've come to deliver aid to the Hornburg under voluntary command of Princess Luna. As the highest ranking member of those who volunteered, I also carry this message, to be given directly to Chief Steelhorn himself." He held up a letter that he'd kept in his chest pocket. "We apologize for not being here sooner. The most direct road seems to have collapsed, and it set us back half a day."

Boneshatter took the note. "Steelhorn is dead. The road collapsed with him on it."

SFC Rockwood bowed his head. "I'm sorry to hear that. His contributions to Equestria's safety were magnificent."

"No sense in mourning just yet," said Ironblood, shaking his head. "We're in the midst of battle preparations. If you wish to have him rest easy, he always wanted his people to be safe from harm. If you're serious about paying him back, I would be honoured to have you fight alongside us."

"That's what we're here for," smiled SFC Rockwood. He puffed out his chest, showing that the insignia that was always painted on the chest had been scraped off, and any distinguishing marks had been removed. This was no longer viable as Equestrian soldier armor, instead looking like a cheap knock-off. It still had all of the protective capabilities, but none of the patriotism. Some of the soldiers had taken to repainting their armor, but the idea was clear. In the event of failure, there was to be no royal decree offering preferencial treatment to the Hornburg. This was a protection for Princess Luna, and Steelhorn would have approved.

Ironblood began filtering the Equestrian soldiers to where they would be most useful. Boneshatter opened Luna's letter and read through it. She was concerned for his health, being unable to find his dreams. Before the fort was taken, she had sent a missive through the forts still loyal to him, asking for volunteers to aid the Hornburg. This was to be kept a secret, and all missives were to be burned after reading and never mentioned again. This was the extent of what she could do for him, as she had a façade to create, in order to feign innocence and regain the trust of the other princesses.

When the day of the battle finally came, Arrow was standing at the top of the gatehouse. The main gate to the Hornburg was at the end of a stone bridge. In order to reach that bridge, one would have no choice but to walk through a narrow canyon. Over the top of that canyon were several fortifications that helped to barricade the entrance. From atop these crenellated batteries, Hornburger advance scouts rained down hellfire on the encroaching Stormshrouds. They were doing a fairly good job of holding them off, too.

That's when the Gemhides came forward. Known for their heavy armors, they managed to block all light fire from the batteries. Arrows and medium boulders became useless as they bounced off the thick metal shields. However, protection wasn't all they had brought to the field. They issued a temporary retreat. Just as the battlements were readying for a second attack, a loud whoosh was heard, and several large boulders sailed through the air, finding their impact points among the stone batteries, shattering their light defenses. The main walls had been built to withstand a siege, but the ambush batteries were lightly made. They were never expected to last against heavy fire.

As what few surviving advance units retreated from the crumbling fortifications, the Stormshrouds returned to their advance. Arrow told the guards atop the gatehouse to open the gate just long enough to rescue the retreating units, and close it immediately after. He had to alert the other commanders about the trebuchet.

He found them in the temple. The Priestess was healing some injured from the day prior, Ironblood was praying for strength, and Boneshatter was praying for survival.

Arrow ran up to the front of the room, so they could all hear him. "Houses Stormshroud and Gemhide are here! They have a trebuchet, and they've taken out the forward battery!"

Boneshatter scrambled to his hooves. "Did you say a trebuchet?"

"That, or a really big catapult. They lobbed a volley of massive stones across the forward defenses. They're headed this way now, we need to sound the alarm!"

"I'm on it," nodded Ironblood, rushing to the belfry.

"This is the big one, little brother," said Boneshatter, placing his hand on Arrow's shoulder. "This is life or death. This is what we've been working toward since we took you under our wings. Are you ready?"

Arrow nodded. "For you, I'd fight the entire army myself!"

"Good man!"

The alarm bells rang out loudly, followed by the din of soldiers rushing to their posts. This was their home, and it would not fall so long as they drew breath.

Boneshatter and Arrow stepped outside. With a final reassuring pat on the shoulder, Boneshatter drew his hammer and rushed toward his post. Arrow paused for a moment to take a deep breath. This was his home, too, now. He'd protect it until his last moment.

Just as he was thinking that, another volley of stones sailed overhead. They collided with the front of the stone temple, shattering the wall. As Arrow looked up, he saw Ironblood falling out of the fragments that, moments ago, had made up the belfry. Falling along with him were several hundred stone projectiles. As Arrow tried to move, he found that he couldn't avoid all of them. With a heavy blow to the head, he fell to the ground, unable to move.