Heresy

Heresy-Blood and Iron-Part III

It was raining. Hard.

Macintosh and his companion had exited the cave system hours ago and found themselves hiding amongst the boulders that studded the mountainside. Rain was pouring down hard, thunder booming and the lightning flashing across the sky, lighting up what remained of the path before them. They were behind schedule and both knew it. They needed to be here some hours before, so that they might make their way through the pass towards their objective.

It was painfully close. They needed to move and get this done before the end of the night. Mac was stronger in the daytime, and would need to conserve his energy for what was to come after. It was going to be the most dangerous thing he'd done thus far, and he'd already tested some of the limits of what his current abilities would allow for.

He couldn't exactly take a stealthy approach. He was still caked in dried blood, and still shone rather brightly when the moonlight hit him. It was a cloudy night, but he still stuck out like a bald patch of fur. Besides, he was loud, heavy, strong. He was taught to be tactical, but his size made that hard in situations such as this. The one real downside of his augmentation it seemed.

"Haze. I need you to make an assessment of the area ahead. You know what to do." Mac ordered. Haze was an expert scout. This wasn't ever a doubt within the stallion's mind. He had yet to really meet another pony who was as effective a warfighter as Haze.

Haze smartly saluted his CO and began to creep up the side of the mountain, pressing forward and using the dark, rocky terrain to his advantage. They didn't have too much information about the area they were in, as it was more central to the range than other places. Mapping it was difficult, even during the peacetime that was shared for so long. The Griffons being as aggressive as they were, didn't appreciate the idea of anything having any sort of potential tactical advantage over them.

That didn't make it any less frustrating for the colt, as he ascended the steep incline, making sure to not expose himself. Even in hard rain and such dark conditions, the Griffons had amazing low-light vision. It was inconvenient really, Haze thought to himself while he made his slow progress.

Blood flowed freely from the still living griffon that Argus had just laid onto the ground. His black bladed knife had slipped in-between the third and fourth vertebrae in its spine. It was somewhat messy, but an instant paralysis took over those who took such damage to the nerve clusters that were central to that specific part of their anatomy.

"Mud. Move." The voice came out as a whisper, Doc not taking the time to stop moving as he pushed past Argus. He was dragging a corpse with him, a younger griffon by the looks of it. There were no visible marks on it that Argus could see, but then again it was raining rather hard. Argus obliged and quickly made way for his ally, not wanting to incite any sort of wrath from the poisoner of the group.

Slipping from place to place with a practiced precision, Argus and Doc silently padded along after hiding any evidence that might betray their presence. This was treacherous ground, but nothing compared to what could be in store if they raised an alarm.

Argus silently thanked the Goddess as he progressed through the terrain. Rain was good. Rain helped hide things. His natural camouflage was even more effective in weather such as this. The temperature was the only downside, but even then it wasn't enough to cause much discomfort. Better cold than dead.

Time passed and no more guards were found. Honestly, they never expected to even run across the two they DID find. It killed to not be alert though. Progress was made, though not as quickly as they hoped. It was faster than planned though, and the mountainside was traversed at a rate greater than initially expected. Even in the torrential downpour that seemed to pick up from the time it started.

The clouds hid the moon as it reached its apex, but the world was starting to become lit as the storm brought its true self forth. Thunder broke the incessant patter of rain for a moment, crashing as a great wall of sound over the world. The light that was drawn from the maw of the storm broke across the mountainside, showing a freeze-frame of all that it reached.

It was a barren place, almost painful to view in its brutal simplicity. It was a different world here. More hostile than any environment that Argus had ever been to. Truly, it was hellish. Some might say the great deserts or deep jungles were more dangerous or ominous, but they all had their own functioning ecosystems and natural beauty. This though...had nothing. Barren, forged of hate and death. The blood that had been spilled here over the centuries could fill an entire sea-bed.

Here though. Here is where they could exact at least a small token of vengeance against these foul griffons. These terrible creatures.

Deep down, Argus felt wrong. He hadn't felt this way for a long time. Normally, he cared much more about his own survival. Now though, in this moment? He felt an intense hatred for the Griffon Kingdom. Maybe it was what he saw when passing through some of the older battlegrounds. Maybe it was seeing the wounded before setting off. War wasn't ever pretty. Here though, it was beyond disgusting.

Today he'd feel satisfaction in killing the enemy. Just once.

Shadowing Doc, they stopped near a small hole that was covered by overgrown weeds. It was nearly at the peak of this mountain. The middle-most mountain in the whole range. It was really what they expected to be a central hub of activity, but it was in actuality not even close to being the largest of the towering pillars that pierced the sky in this range. The northeastern section of these mountains was the real area of operations.

Doc looked over at Argus and nodded. This was it. Reaching into a small saddlebag, Argus took a small golden device and placed it into the hole. He snorted at this. Such a simple task.

A nod and they were off again, back down the mountainside and to the rendezvous point.

Thunder deafened the world for moment, while lightning blinded it at the same time.

A griffon fell from his post, a piece of lead lodged in his brain. At the very instant that the world let its call be known, a pony played out his role as a god of death.

"Good shot." Mac stated. Haze just grunted in approval, making very slight movements while reloading his rifle.

The rain had almost stopped, but the rolling thunder and lightning had persisted. The sky was even darker than before, the moon well past its apex. They were cutting it close, but they'd made good progress in the last two hours or so. The few guards that had been posted along the steeper slopes were in no condition to combat the efforts of Haze. The pony was an absolute machine compared to the barbaric warriors. Hitting them from places they couldn't even dream a pony could reach, in such a manner that no others noticed when a fellow griffon fell. By the time a single guard had learned of another's death, a bullet was already reaching out towards him.

The rolling ground before them was becoming more of an obstacle again, but they were nearly at their designated point. A cavern maw was just across the way, leading to their objective. This was it. The center of their mission here.

A minute passed, and not a sound was heard save for the quiet rolling clap of thunder from miles away. The storm was constantly shifting. Breaking cover, Mac surged forward and up towards the great stone portal hewn into the mountainside. The ground to the sides of it were barren and offered no cover, but it was obviously empty. The real concentration would be inside of the cavern.

Stopping short of the entrance, Mac looked down into the black abyss before him. This was going to be a wild ride to say the least. Turning, Mac made a quick signal to Haze. Stay put. He'd be coming right back out if all went well.

Facing back to the cave, Mac entered. This was it. His big first mission.

Trudging forward, he continued to push into the darkness. It wasn't natural. He could tell that much. Energies thrummed around him, deep and ominous. A veil was before him, but it couldn't stop him from moving. This didn't concern the stalwart stallion. What did, was the lack of sound. He only heard his own hoof-fall. His own breath. His own heartbeat.

His descent quickly became more steep, but the path was free of any major obstructions. It would to the left and right here and there, becoming slowly tighter as Mac felt his sides brush against the walls of the cavern as he plunged deeper.

He walked for what he'd imagined was maybe fifteen minutes, when he suddenly stopped.

He heard something. A scratching sound. His eyes were already closed. He had no use for them in this darkness.

Something scuttled by him, but he couldn't identify it. It should have been impossible considering his current space-situation, but something else was there. Gingerly taking another step forward, he tested the ground before him. It still felt solid. Taking another, he stepped in something viscous. Stopping right where he stood, he leaned down, bring his muzzle close to the ground. Taking in a deep breath, he smelled whatever it was he had stepped in.

It smelled like bloody and tar. A scent of ozone clinging to it. Something else as well. He wasn't sure. Magic had its own scents, but many subtle differences crossed the spectrum just as magic itself had many facets. Taking in another deep breath, Mac focused harder on his surroundings over everything else. He was in a magically darkened cave. Following a downward path into an evil mountain. With something else in the cavern, potentially hostile.

Stumbling back, Mac was being choked. Sputtering, he started to flail his limbs around and clutch at his throat. The feeling of losing oxygen was terrible, but he couldn't stop it. There was no physical form before him that was damaging him.

'Flesh-thing, why do you resist?' a voice in his head questioned. 'You came to me.'

Mac started trying to choke out a word, but found it useless. He was losing consciousness. His mind becoming muddier by the second, the voice spoke again.

'Come flesh-thing, we will show you the error of your existence.'

His head snapped backwards and he felt his bones break as the unknown force overpowered the wards on his armour. A flash of light burst from the armor itself, but it rattled harmlessly off of the walls, not piercing the darkness that laid over Macintosh's world. His eyes fluttered open and he felt his life being extinguished.

A set of glowing red dots flashed over his vision. He wasn't sure if he was seeing visions created by his own mind as it failed, or the entity that was killing him. He started to gurgle, trying to say at least one last word before he died. It was amazing how calm he stayed at the prospect of death.

Life fading, the grip slowly loosened as Macintosh uttered one word before his heart stopped. Pushing his last breath forth, he knew he'd done what was required of him.

"Celestia."

Haze was covering his position and lying still when it happened. A great thunderclap resounded, and a light as bright as the sun exploded into existence off towards the mountain-peak to his left. The force of what felt like an earthquake blasted him, displacing everything. Boulders were hurled far and wide, trees uprooted and tossed about like mere twigs before the primal fury that had just been unleashed from nowhere.

The light didn't fade as the blast-wave passed by. Haze quickly shifted and moved, dodging out of the paths of falling objects. Squinting and looking up, the moon was still in the sky, albeit somewhat hidden by clouds. The light that was off to the side was blinding though. Closing his eyes, he frantically dug himself in as best as he could to avoid being spotted in the damned illumination.

An aeon-old roar filled his being from seemingly nowhere. Opening his right eye, he saw...he wasn't sure what he saw. Something like ink was flowing from the cavern mouth. His heart began racing. The Lieutenant was in there.

His calm started to break, ever so slightly. He could face down an unexplained explosion of light and primal fury. The sight of an unknown entity of dark power didn't phase him. The idea of his commander that he personally guarded being lost? That shook him. Shifting his weight, he surged forward towards the dark mist.

He didn't make it two steps before the light blinded him again. A thunderclap resounded in his senses, the taste of burnt hair coating his tongue and the smell of ozone filling his nostrils. A great mourning wail overtook the sound of thunder, and the heat of a great fire sucked the air from the colt's lungs. This was a war beyond him.

Another roar was heard, and the light faded. Haze opened his eyes again and saw a sight that would forever be burned into his mind.

The Queen herself had taken to the field. Clad in armour of gold, her body radiated a soft light while flame engulfed her mane and tail. A vast darkness was before her, but it dispersed as she moved towards it. Her great wing-beats buffeted the misty-blackness and pushed it aside. A face of deep black with dark red eyes formed in the great cloud. The Queen lowered her head and pointed her great horn at the boiling figure, a great golden form taking shape in front of her.

To Haze, the dark cloud of ever-shifting ink was getting dwarfed ever more so by the second. His eyes were glued to the battle before him.

The dark being started to form itself in what appeared to be a more physical manifestation equal in size to the Queen. Ivory teeth like that of a carnivore jutted from its jaw, a dark black horn protruding from its brow. It was a pony...but not. Glowing green energy bled off of its form, the black cloud behind it shining and absorbing light at the same time. Bloody-red eyes burning with a dark intellect and hatred. A crystalline spur of horn began to grow out of the end of the already existing protrusion.

It roared, and Celestia's cry in response was bone-chilling. The cry of a phoenix and a dragon clashed, a gargantuan sound that was felt more than heard.

The titans clashed, and turmoil ruled the skies as their battle raged. An explosion of light pierced the veil of ink, and the darkness dispersed in almost an instant. Black crystals rained from the sky, covered in a strange ichor. The Queen glowed even brighter, the inky substance sliding off of her armour and burning wherever it touched her bare fur.

Haze smacked himself. He was awake.

He had just witnessed the death of a god. At the hoof of his beloved regent.

Bowing deeply, he began to pray. A feeling of warmth flowing from an unknown source encased him. Looking up again, the Queen stood before him. He pushed his head to the ground again, unable to speak. A hoof lifted his face and his eyes met with those of the Queen. A light burned in his vision, and then her hoof pulled away. She turned, and he slowly stood. Following her, they moved into the mouth of the cavern. Haze had regained his composure as they moved inside.

McIntosh was laid out on the ground of the cave. The maw of the cavern was the largest part. A single room made up the cave itself, and there was hardly enough room for all three of the ponies.

Haze could clearly see breaks in his commander's body, bones protruding from his tattered form. A dark knot formed in his stomach, as the Queen approached the mutilated form of the enormous stallion. The armour of this great leader was shattered and strewn about. Standing still though, he watched as Celestia slowly shifted the body of his fallen comrade.

She gingerly pushed his body with her forehooves, checking to see if what state his body was in he assumed. He felt the mood suddenly change, as the light cast by her body slowly dimmed. She removed her crowned helm, and Haze could see the expression on her face. It was anger. That much he could read.

Looking back down at the great stallion before him, he noted that at least his face had stayed intact. His broken body may have been a terrible sight to behold, but the visage of the beast of war that he'd fought alongside was unmarked.

The sight of which surprised him, as the Queen pushed her muzzle to that of the fallen warrior. Her lips brushed his and her eyes glowed. The light became too intense for Haze to continue watching, but it ended after what felt like a few seconds.

Opening his eyes once more, he saw that the twisted body of McIntosh was whole once more. At this, he coughed out a strangled cry of surprise. The Queen didn't seem to hear it though, as a golden glow permeated the room and covered the bits of armour that were scattered about the cave. They disappeared without any warning.

Shortly following that, Haze blinked and found himself elsewhere.

Taking in a deep breath, he noticed that the world had changed around him and he felt nauseous. They were in a great room of marble and granite, a vaulted ceiling giving way to great designs and tapestries. A group of Royal guardsponies surrounded him and reached out towards him. Haze took the hoof of one, and the young colt hefted his foreleg over his back, supporting the war-fatigued Corporal.

Leading him towards a far end of the great hall, the guards took Haze through a side-doorway and helped lay him down on a bunk. He looked around and felt some of his tension relieved. He was in a somewhat more decorative than normal barracks, but it was still rather spartan. It made him feel at peace. Laying back, another guard stood over him functioning as the night watch. Haze let the darkness take him as he slipped into a deep sleep.

It was a catastrophe in which there was no comparison. The world was scarred by this, but that wasn't the biggest concern. The entire griffon empire of the Gryphus range was annihilated in one fell swoop.

Celestia's Year 1082, Seventh Month, Sixth Day, Morndas. The day that the Queen herself came to the field of battle, unleashing a fraction of her power and destroying several mountains in a titanic show of force against the war-thirsty griffons.

What was even more concerning was the real story.

Princess Mi-Amore Cadenza looked at the huge slab of marble before her.

"He's...gone, my dear Queen," she stated. Why Celestia had brought her here, baffled her. This was...her first time seeing the corpse of another pony. Though, this one in particular was enormous. She'd seen him once before, she thought. He hadn't been this big, but he had a rare red-coat that was hard to miss.

"Humor me my sweet little Cadence," Celestia breathed. She needed the young Princess to view this. She needed to learn.

The clatter of hooves resounded in the near silent chamber. Cadence turned her head, seeing Luna make her way into the room.

The Princess of the Night moved up to the slab alongside her older sister. They both stared rather intently at the huge stallion before them. Cadence began to feel rather uncomfortable.

"Aunt Cel-" she started, but was quickly cut off.

*COUGH*

The sound of it shattered Cadence's composure. The great stallion's chest heaved and he rolled over on the slab of stone, going into a great heaving fit.

"WHAT IN THE NAME O-" she stopped again as the stallion's eyes opened and looked directly at her.

"My dear Phoenix, you've accomplished your mission." Celestia's voice was no more than a whisper, but Cadence felt it flit around across the front of her mind.

Her eyes grew wide as she found herself unable to speak. A look of horror was a permanent mar on her face as the stallion looked up sleepily at Celestia. A gentle smile covered the Queen's face as she leaned in to kiss the warrior on his brow.

"Now Cadence...we'll be starting the next step of your teachings soon," Celestia said in a matter-of-fact manner, not looking at the young Princess.